Against the night

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
A bittersweet parting
Chapter One
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve

Chapter Two

Twilight shook her head as Spike blew his green flame onto the scroll. What had she done? She had just invited Princess Luna to spend the day with her essentially, since none of her friends actually KNEW about this, nor did they know about the meteor shower. What would she do?

She had invited Princess Luna.

PRINCESS Luna.

Princess Luna.

She gulped down her anxiety and awaited a response, plonking her head down onto the writing desk she had somehow moved to during the course of her writing. She began idly working away at the polished wood surface with her hoof.

She would probably be chastised for sending the letter so late, what if Luna had been asleep and she had woken her up?

What if Luna didn't send a response? Oh no, she thought to herself. What if Luna's become bored with our friendship? Is there no hope for something more?

What if she never wanted to hear from Twilight again? It would break her heart.

Twilight took a deep breath and laughed to herself. She reasoned that she was over-thinking, and over-estimating the princess's negative reaction, if indeed there was to be one. They had been fast friends up until now, why should there have been a change in the past 24 hours? She turned her chair around and looked at Spike, who was watching her with a curious look.

"What?" she asked, and Spike shrugged his shoulders.

"You seem to be a bit worked up about something Twi, is something wrong?" he asked, and Twilight smiled at him.

"No, nothing's wrong, just excited, and nervous, about Luna's response. If she says yes then I'll have to prepare so much, I'll have to tidy up the library..." she said, and Spike idly looked at his claws, slightly bored and annoyed he had been woken up.

"You mean I'll have to clean up the library..." he broke in, but Twilight kept her pace unfazed.

"I'll have to clean up the guest room in case she decides to stay..." she said, and Spike once again broke in

"You mean, I'LL have to clean the guest room in case she decides to stay" he said with a slight smirk and Twilight finally caught onto what he was saying.

"Spike! This is serious! We might have a princess staying here soon!" she yelled, and Spike held up his claws.

"Okay, okay, but, this is Princess Luna, you know, the one who you've been friends with since she came back, well, almost since she came back" he said, and Twilight heaved a great sigh.

"You're right. She's my friend, I'm sure she won't care about a little mess, right?" Twilight asked, and Spike held a claw to his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, then again, she is a Princess, she's been staying at Canterlot Castle where everything is spotless, and she has many handmaids and servants to keep things tidy..." Spike said, counting off the things on his claw, and with every word Twilight's eyes widened and her pupils dilated to near pin-pricks.

Before Twilight could suffer a mental breakdown, however, Spike let out a belch of green flames and a gust of fire brought with it a scroll. Twilight caught it with her magic and lifted over to the desk, a bit afraid to read it, but also wanting nothing more than to rip open the crescent moon seal and read.

So she did.

Dearest Twilight

Twilight's heart did a backflip and a smile grew on her face as soon as she read those two words. All worry instantly gone. Spike waved a hand in front of her eyes, but they kept skimming over the page, so he rolled his eyes and went back to sleep, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow.

I am delighted to report that I will be attending this get together with you and your friends. It really was no contest whether or not I could come, I just had to clear things with my sister first. I shall be departing Canterlot first thing in the morning as soon as Celestia raises the sun, so I should arrive in Ponyville within the morning, say around seven or eight AM.

I cannot wait for you to show me around Ponyville, as the last time I visited the fair hamlet I mostly saw the chariot station and your vast collection of books (which may I say now rivals that of Canterlot library), I simply must visit Sugarcube corner, as my sister has informed me of their most delightful baked sweets, and she has also told me of Applejack's apple cider (Which she keeps a barrel of in her closet, don't tell her I told you)

And in answer to your previous question regarding my well-being, I am very well, thank you. All the better now as I was beginning to worry that you had forgotten about our nightly 'chit-chats' as my sister calls them. I am hoping you are well too Twilight, and just as excited for tomorrow as I.

Wishing you all the best, your good friend

Luna.

Twilight read the letter and felt herself get giddy at the last couple of sentences, then a blush kissed her cheeks, then, a feeling of panic, all within a few seconds. The princess was coming, and there was so much to do!

"Spike!" she called, waking the dragon from his slumber on the floor, she had woken him up rather suddenly.

"Bah! Uh, what is it Twi?" he asked, immediately standing to attention, and Twilight jumped up off her chair.

"Get me the duster, the cleaning supplies and the washcloth, I need to make this place SPOTLESS!"

Princess Luna sent the letter with barely a few motes of her concentration. Sending, a letter was such a trivial task, and one she had mastered long ago. It was no different than levitating a brush, as she was doing now to brush her mane. She sighed as the brush worked through her mane an her thoughts wandered to the place that was occupied increasingly so with images of a lavender coat and dark purple mane, with an adorable pink streak running through it. She imagined the purple eyes filled with an almost childlike innocence, she reminded Luna of... well... herself when she had just come back to Equestria, maybe not with the overpowering voice and out-of-synch language.

She allowed herself a giggle. So much had transpired since that day in the ancient, forgotten castle. She had been so reluctant to get out of the castle. Many ponies, until recently, thought of her as a shut in, socially awkward princess. She never went anywhere her sister went, and it wasn't until the Royal Court made an official complaint to her sister that a Ruler of Equestria must be able to socialize with the ponies under their command that she went out at all.

That was when she had tried to connect with ponyville during the Nightmare Night festival. That hadn't gone well.

Another giggle as she stroked through her mane. The night hadn't been a total waste, she had made a friend at the Nightmare Night celebration in the form of the same unicorn who, not a scarce year before, had been her saviour. And in the end she had connected with the quaint town, though in not the way she wanted at first, nor expected. She sincerely could not thank Twilight Sparkle enough for saving her from, well, herself. Nightmare Moon was nothing more than her own jealousy striving to make itself known. She was glad she had gotten rid of it for good, and she had the young unicorn to thank for it.

"Oh Twilight" the princess sighed, and closed her eyes, suddenly imagining it was Twilight's hooves holding the brush. She gently craned her neck and imagined the sweet breath on her neck. The hooves holding the brush soon turned into nothing but bare hooves, she could imagine them running through her mane, tugging at it slightly and massaging her scalp. She shivered as the ghostly apparition of Twilight whispered a word into the princess's ear, her own name containing a dripping sensuality that had the cheeks of the Lunar Princess flush with pink....

"Luna..."

The brush suddenly found a particularly knotted part of her mane and got stuck, she gasped in pain as the brush tugged at her mane, and the image was dispelled into a ghostly haze. The brush tumbled to the floor.

Luna's breaths were coming in scant gasps and slight pants as she tried in vain to regain her composure. Where in the hay had THAT come from? It certainly was unexpected.

Though not entirely unwelcome... a cooing voice spoke seductively, and Luna gasped in shock. How could she even think of Twilight like that? She was her friend, she was so far away, she was a SHE.

She was beautiful.

Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts and finished brushing her mane. Maybe she just felt a slight affinity for Twilight because she has done so much for her. Yes, that must have been it. It was the only explanation for what she was feeling. It was certainly the most logical way to look at the situation. She sighed again and shrugged privately to herself before pushing herself off of the chair and clambering into her bed. She was certain that after a good night's sleep, things would be more clear.

She was wrong. With sleep came the dreams. With dreams came the yearning. With yearning came love.

Chapter Three

Luna was the Goddess of the Night Sky, Mistress of Dreams. She could please any pony she wanted by bestowing them the best of dreams, and leaving them disappointed when they awoke. She could give them philosophical inspirations, invoke fantastic ideas, fulfil their impossible fantasies, and yet, she could not control her own mind. That had led to problems in the past, it was how she had first succumbed to Nightmare Moon. It was how she had fallen in love with the idea of revenge and given in to her own jealousy.

But now, all that filled her dreams was the image of a lavender coat, deep, rich purple mane with an adorable pink streak, and compassionate, innocent, amethyst eyes.

The dream world was a spectacularly accurate depiction of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle's home town, and, across from her, striding towards her over deep set cobbles in the ground, was the mare herself, a wide smile plastered on her face, bag and telescope set upon her back.

Deep down Luna was confused as to why her heart suddenly beat faster, she was confused as to why her knees suddenly refused to support her weight, but the feeling was lost amidst a sea of purple locking with sapphire blue, unknown emotions rocketing through her system. Luna broke into a light trot.

"Good evening Luna" Twilight said as they met in what seemed to be the town square. Luna noticed that her voice was somewhat distorted, as though it was there, but wasn't at the same time. An odd way to describe it, but Luna did not know any other way to do so.

Luna smiled at her sister's star pupil and returned the greeting.

"Good evening to you too Lady Sparkle" Luna spoke softly, it was so tempting to slowly drift into Royal Canterlot, but she had adapted so that she no longer had to use it. Besides, that was for addressing subjects, and over the months, she had come to regard Twilight as her close friend, so she had no need for it. The archaic language, however, stayed with her.

"Please, Luna, if I get to use your real name, you don't need to call me lady or miss, just call me Twilight" she said in that distorted voice, and Luna smiled at her again.

"Very well Twilight, I trust thou hast been enjoying my night sky?" Luna asked, motioning to the bag and telescope Twilight carried on her back. Twilight turned to look at them and back to Luna, her smile wider than ever. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, I just saw the most amazing thing ever!" she said, and as she was lifting the telescope off of her back and setting it down on the ground, she began to make adjustments to the dials on the side She looked into the eyepiece as she did it.

"You can't see it that well in town, but it was a supernova, a star exploded! Have a look!" she said, stepping away from the eyepiece, and Luna set her own eye to it. Twilight was right, a star was exploding, one that Luna never really cared for. She usually made a star explode either because she was bored, or because she wanted to make a new star or constellation and that star was in the way. Normally she would move it, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a new nebula.

She had made this star explode because... well... she couldn't actually remember, but she knew it was a good reason. It was spectacular to watch, but Luna had never watched a supernova before. She now felt it rather silly, all those books on astronomy, about carefully mapping the star's natural movements, and she could change them at will, or make them vanish in a spectacular explosion that now left a cloud of dust where a fiery jewel had just sat in the sky.

She moved away from the eyepiece and made to look up at the stars, but there were none, confused, she turned to Twilight, but she too, was gone, and ponyville, and all that remained was blackness, much like before she and Celestia had made the sun and stars. She didn't like it, moreso because of the fact that she now felt like she was being watched.

"Oh Luna, I always imagined who you would fall for" a voice called out, and Luna froze, her eyes widening, her pupils dilating in absolute fear. She knew that voice, it's rasping sound of stone being dragged against metal, the underlying silky smooth tone that had seduced her before into giving in. The voice belonged to Nightmare Moon.

"Show yourself Nightmarish creature, so I may finally end you, once and for all!" she yelled into the black, and the voice laughed a bitter, recoiling laugh that raised the hairs on her spine.

"I cannot show myself dearest Luna, for I have no physical shape, and here in the world of dreams, I rely on memories. All I know is that you viewed me as you, so if I were to appear, I would be you, and one might lose sight of who was the TRUE Luna" she said coyly, and Luna felt her anger rise.

"I am the true Luna, you are an invention! An idea that got out of hoof" she yelled, and the blackness began to swirl around her, tugging at her coat.

"But I am YOUR idea Luna, and an idea is hard to kill" she spoke ever so softly, and Luan tugged herself out of the grip of darkness.

"What do you want!" she asked the darkness, and silence fell. The darkness ceased its swirling.

"I want you to realise your folly. Your feelings for Twilight Sparkle will bring you nothing but pain" she said oddly softly, almost as if she did care.

Luna drew back in confusion.

"My feelings? I view her as a friend, nothing more, and why should you care if I am in pain? Was that not your purpose? To bring me pain and grief?" she asked, and she felt the darkness grow to the point where she could no longer breathe.

"Don't be a fool Luna! If your heart breaks, so does mine! If you feel anger, I grow stronger, but when you get hurt this time, I will not be there to pick up the pieces!" the voice yelled, and the dream shattered.

Luna sat bolt upright in her bed, panting. She stared around the room, letting her eyes take in her room. The blue bed sheets, and the mirror that now looked like it had become a liquid pool of quicksilver. The window had been opened in the night, no doubt by one of her handmaidens, and the curtains had been drawn back and tied down with a pristine golden rope.

The stars reflected off of her mirror as their light reflected off of the glass. She sighed. She often had nightmares about Nightmare Moon, and whenever she would she would tell her sister and then everything would be fine, but now, she couldn't tell her sister. Because it was about Twilight. And although she knew herself her feelings were limited to true friendship and nothing more, she would never hear the end of it from Tia.

That, and whenever she tried to tell herself she thought nothing of Twilight Sparkle, a little niggling voice at the back of her mind would pipe up and say: No you don't.

She sighed and stared out of the window, a soft yellow glow was emanating from the horizon, and she felt a pull in her gut that told her the sun yearned to shine forth.

She lowered herself to her bed and placed a hoof over her eyes. She focussed on the feeling in her gut and felt a strand of magic wrap around the moon and begin to tug it towards the horizon. She focussed on the stars and willed them to return to her, and she felt a rush of magic as they returned to their place inside her magical aura. She felt them and saw a faint glow, when she looked her mane was glowing and the stars began to twinkle inside her hair. She left half in the sky and willed them to move towards the other side of the world.

She felt the moon disappear to begin the night in the other kingdoms scattered around the world.

She threw her covers off of herself and her hooves clopped to the floor. She closed her eyes and felt the remaining starlight above Equestria. Another perk of being the Goddess of the Night is that she saw whatever the stars touched. Right now she saw Ponyville in the first touches of sunrise.

No pony was on the streets, and Luna allowed herself a sigh of resignation. Of course no-pony was out to enjoy her night sky, it seemed the only pony who did so was Celestia, and maybe some of the guards.

Wait, what was that? A streak of Lavender moving against the cobble. She focussed on it and saw it was the mare she had been dreaming of for half of last night. A blush kissed her cheeks.

Twilight Sparkle, once she was done panicking and nearly hyperventilating, was rushing around the library, cleaning it as though it was the only thing she had to do in life, as if her life depended on it. She dusted the selves after she took all the books off, re-shelved the books in alphabetical order everywhere in the library, and then she dusted the books.

She was just finished dusting her copy on Equestrian Etymology when she decided she had to actually organize the party after the meteor shower. Worse still, she had to organize the get together AT the meteor shower.

She glanced at the clock, it was 4 am. She hadn't gotten ANY sleep that night apart from a few minutes before she sent Luna the letter. That confounded letter, it drove her to deprive herself of sleep.

She put the duster back in the cupboard underneath her stairs, rushing towards the door. She grabbed her coat and stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. She ran across the cobbles towards Sugarcube corner. If she was lucky, the Cakes and Pinkie were already up baking for the upcoming day. If she wasn't lucky, well, she was about to make someponies very angry.

Her breathing became laboured as she sprinted towards the colourful confectionery shop. The lights were on! She was either the luckiest mare in Equestria, or they had left their lights on.

She pelted up to the door and knocked on it vigorously, and a full 12 seconds of silence pervaded the air, interrupted only by the constant croak of crickets. The door creaked open a tiny crack and a pair of blue eyes peered out. As soon as Pinkie saw who it was the door opened all the way.

"Oh, hey there Twilight! What are you doing out here? Are you taking a midnight stroll to do some stargazing? Or are you here to ask me to break into Canterlot again? Oh! Can we break in and play a prank on your brother? That would be awesome!" she fired a rapid staccato of words that left Twilight's sleep-deprived brain reeling. She shook her head.

"No, Pinkie, I need your help, I need to organize a party for tomorrow, for all of us, you, me, AJ, RD, Rarity,and Fluttershy, right here" she told her, and Pinkie Pie smiled.

"Well you came to the right place Twilight, can I ask what the party's for?" she asked, and Twilight nodded.

"Yeah, Princess Luna's coming here for maybe a few days, and I want her to watch the meteor shower today, and-" she was cut off by Pinkie gasping.

"Whoa! Princess Luna's coming HERE! Why didn't you tell me? I need to send the invites now!" she yelled before she sped away. Twilight was allowed a glimpse and saw the cakes baking. She gave them a wave and they waved back. Pinkie Pie zoomed back into the doorway.

"Oh, you can go Twi, unless you wanna help us with the baking and stuff, the invites have all been sent" she said with a smile, and Twilight arched an eyebrow.

"Wait, how did-? You know what, never mind, and if you need the help, I'll certainly do some baking" Twilight said with a smile, instantly regretting her words. Pinkie Pie wrapped her hoof around her and pulled her inside, slamming the door.

4 hours later, Twilight had nearly burnt off her hair and half the shop, she had also made a grand total of 3 useful batches of cupcakes and other assorted baked goods, out of 13 she attempted. Pinkie Pie had commented it was good for her first actual try at baking, but Twilight still said sorry for wasting supplies. The Cakes assured her they had baked enough and she had left. The sun had just began it's ascent into the sky. She ran along the cobblestone, but soon the run turned into a slow canter, then a light trot, then a complete walk. Twilight was so tired she could've just laid down and slept in the middle of the city. Her eyelids grew heavy and her walking slowed.

She reached the door to the library and opened it, walking inside and closing the door behind her, she collapsed onto the floor and instantly fell asleep.

What Luna had deemed to be her 'Star-sight' finally failed. The sun claimed too much of the land for her to see, so she opened her eyes and viewed the world through her own eyes. She walked towards the window and stared out at the faint outline of a town in the distance. She smiled. Soon she would be with Twilight Sparkle. Her friend. she couldn't wait to hear about her and her friend's latest antics by word of mouth rather than by reading it on a scroll. She ignored the way her heart fluttered in her chest when she thought of hearing her voice.

She felt something outside her door, a raw celestial power. She knew Celestia was outside her door and she was still raising the sun. She did that more to assure Luna she was coming in than to just show off, though, Luna had her suspicions, but would never actively voice them.

The door opened and the power faded, the sun found its apex in the sky and began is slow, arduous voyage across the sky.

"Good morning Lulu. Excited for today?" Celestia asked as she walked over to join Luna at the window. Luna breathed deeply and smiled.

"Indeed sister, Twilight Sparkle is right, it's been too long since I've taken a personal day. You should book one Tia, you haven't had a day off in much longer than I have" she said, and Celestia smiled.

"Well, don't tell any of the guards because not a lot of them know, but, I'm going to be slipping out of the castle on the 10th to visit Manehatten, there's a lovely little restaurant there that's become a favourite of mine, that should suffice" she said with a sly smile, and Luna laughed.

They sat there for a while in silence.

"The sunrise is beautiful today Sister. Mother would be proud of you" she said with only a subtle trace of sadness in her voice. She felt Celestia's warm wing encase her in a motherly embrace, deepening her sadness, but also alleviating it.

"Of us, Lulu. They would be proud of us" she said, and Luna leant into the embrace.

Celestia sighed.

"You should have some breakfast before you go, the chariot is leaving soon, and it's a two hour long flight" she said, and Luna nodded.

"Yes. Thank you for accepting my responsibilities for today sister, I truly appreciate it. it'll be nice to spend some time with Twilight" she said absentmindedly, then realised what she had said.

"I mean, it'll be nice to spend time with my friend. Twilight, she's, uh, she's my friend, yes, ha ha" she sat up and turned towards the door, hiding her blush.

"I think I'll have oatmeal today" she said awkwardly before leaving the room. Celestia watched her go with a smile, shaking her head. She walked out onto the balcony and spread her wings, leaping off of the golden railed structure and gliding gracefully down to just in front of the throne room.

This story is the most fun to write, ever!

Chapter Four

The chariot banked slightly as it began its descent towards the quaint town of ponyville. Luna watched the world fly by, looking over the edge of the flying vehicle at the rolling orchard of Sweet Apple Acres, and the wide carrot fields of Top Farms. She extended her wings and felt the wind rush through the feathers. She closed her eyes and opened them a few seconds later. She needed to stretch her wings. She had to fly.

But, for now she was stuck in an infernal chariot, unable to do anything but spread her wings and close her eyes as her trip came to an end.

The guards gently slowed themselves down and landed on the cobbles. A few ponies watched her with a mixture of shock and awe, some even bowing, as she stepped off of the golden chariot and onto the ground. She searched the faces of the crowd for a familiar purple unicorn, brown Stetson, rainbow mane or pink frizzy hair, but she found nothing, only more unfamiliar faces filled with awe and some even a hint of fear. She began to grow uncomfortable.

She turned back to the guards who were still latched up to the chariot. Their reptilian wings glistened in the sunlight and their faces held the stoic expression all guards wore. Sometimes they seemed just a bit too hostile for her liking.

"You may leave" she said to them simply, and they nodded and flew away, most likely to a place nearby to rest before they made the long journey back to Canterlot. She turned back to the crowd which had now grown in size to almost double what it was when she landed, and she sighed. She didn't like attention any more than the next pony, sure she wanted a bit of praise now and then for her work, but not this kind of attention.

She knew the general direction of the library, and she really didn't want to crowd to be hounding her for the rest of the day, so she did something she hadn't done in a long, long time, she spread her wings and took to the sky, a graceful take off with barely even a flicker of dust to mark where she had been. Her powerful wings propelled her towards the large tree that served as the town's library and amateur observation centre. A flicker of mischief played on her face.

She was early, too early to be fashionable, what was the harm in taking a few exploratory laps around the town? t felt good to fly again, it felt really good to let herself go and feel the air rushing through her mane and feathers. She turned away from the library at the last minute, going into a roll.

Luna willed her wings to propel her faster, she was nearly going her top speed, the town, the ponies, the fields, they all sped past in a monotonous, yet colourful haze.

She opened her mouth and let out a shrill yell of happiness, heard by everypony around. Anypony looking up at the sky would have seen a blue line that trailed starlight in its wake. Luna eventually slowed down and looked back towards the library, halting and turning in a perfect arch. She came close to the library and executed a barrel roll, landing at the door to the large tree, knocking on the wooden door three times as she tried to re-style her mane. A goofy smile was still on her face and her breath came in shallow pants, her wings ached slightly and her heart was hammering in her chest.

"Twilight Sparkle? Are you home?" she asked, but received no answer. She slowly knocked again and the door sprung open ever so slightly. Luna pushed open the door and found the lavender unicorn lying on the floor snoring. A brief flash of fear that she might be injured, then Luna stepped through the doorway and surveyed the sleeping unicorn. Luna watched her with shock that soon turned to mirth, light giggles escaping her as Twilight huddled on the floor with her head resting on her hooves.

She had seen the unicorn rushing out of Sugarcube corner early in the morning, maybe she had stayed up all night. It would explain why she was now so completely gone that not even the Royal Canterlot Voice could wake her. She looked absolutely adorable sleeping there but it wouldn't do much good for her if she stayed on the hard floor like this.

She gently picked up the sleeping unicorn with her magic and trotted up the stairs, carefully keeping the young unicorn out of harm's way before walking into what she assumed was the bedroom. She saw a sleeping dragon in a bed at the foot of a relatively large bed adorned with purple and blue sheets. Luna pulled back the covers and gently lay the unicorn down, Twilight stirred and groped around for the covers until Luna slid them up the bed and around her. Twilight's face broke out into a smile.

Luna smiled as well. She did look so cute, if Luna didn't get out of that room then and there she would have been seriously tempted to stay there and watch her sleep, the way her eyelids flickered, her nose twitched and her mane fell about her face gracefully, it almost made Luna envious of her. Such a normal unicorn, living a normal life, with magic to rival that of her and Celestia.

Luna sighed and turned, leaving the bed chambers of the Unicorn. She glanced at a clock on the far wall and noticed it was only 10am. Twilight may be sleeping for the rest of the day, and Spike didn't seem that inclined to begin the day either.

Luna decided she would just wait. She trotted over to where a chair sat alone in the main section of the library, quaintly situated next to a fireplace. That's new she thought to herself. She would have to ask Twilight about it. She picked up a book and allowed herself to sink into the plush faux-leather. She flicked open the first few pages and began to read.

Dreams... Her dreams were funny, they weren't particularly exciting, nor where they boring. In fact, most of the time they just had two ponies, herself, and one whom she could never truly place. She knew who it was of course, the blue coat and sparkling mane, even the eyes, the most piercing blue she had ever seen, were hard to place on anypony except Princess Luna, but, this was a Luna she had never seen before, a thoughtful and deep Luna, with no royal duties to weigh her down, no responsibilities, just plain Luna, as if she was, she dare not say normal, so settled on 'subdued'.

It was as if she was seeing her for the first time. It was just them, lounging in front of a fireplace Twilight had installed recently, it had been agony to get permission from Town Hall to have a fireplace in a TREE, but after lengthy assurances that she would be careful they had let her. Now, her and Luna were sitting in front of it sipping cocoa and talking about events that had not happened yet.

They were talking, yes, something about the meteor shower, the moon tonight, even something else about magic, but Twilight wasn't listening. Confusing thoughts chased each other through her head and her emotions played a constant game of ping pong with her heart, knocking it too and fro, making her feel fear, then guilt, then onto something she couldn't place. It felt like friendship, only stronger.

Suddenly she was snapped back into the dream version of reality by her name being spoken, Luna was regarding her curiously.

"Twilight? Are you okay?" she asked, and Twilight nodded.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry, I was just, uh, thinking" she covered, a blush forming under her coat. Luna put it down to the heat of the fire.

"If I was boring you, you only had to say so" she said, and Twilight shook her head.

"Oh no, it wasn't like that, I was just thinking, that's all" she lamely spoke, and Luna raised her eyebrows.

"Very well, what were you thinking of?" she asked, and Twilight looked down at the carpet, mumbling something incoherent.

"I'm sorry what? I did not hear you" Luna said, straining to hear. Twilight repeated what she said.

"I was, well, thinking of you" she admitted, and Luna backed up on her chair. Twilight looked up to see shock in her eyes, then something Twilight did not expect; a smile.

"Why Twilight, you only had to say so, I was thinking of you too" she said with a smile and half-lidded eyes. Twilight blushed harder.

"Really?" she asked hopefully, and Luna set her mug down on the floor.

"Really" she said, before moving closer and embracing Twilight with her wings and hooves, drawing her face in to rest mere inches from hers, before closing te distance with agonizing slowness, lips parted to steal a kiss...

Twilight jolted awake violently, then sighed as her heart calmed down. She reached behind her head and pulled the pillow out from under it, then slamming it onto her face and letting out a wail. She shook her head from side to side.

Leave me alone! she mentally screamed, then threw the pillow to one side.

She then sat up, remembering where she had fallen asleep, compared to where she was now. Somepony had either placed her here, or she had slept walked up to her bed, if that were even possible.

She glanced over to Spike's bed and found it to be empty, a glance at the clock beside her bed said it was midday. She jolted upright, she hadn't slept in this late in a long time, Luna would be coming soon, if she wasn't already here, it would explain why she was suddenly in her bed at least, but that meant she had seen her passed out on the floor! Her cheeks coloured with embarrassment as she pulled back the covers and got off her bed, making sure to re-make it before she left the room. It was a habit she had gotten into as a filly, and one she was loathe to break.

She sighed to herself as she tucked the corner of he bed sheet under the mattress and surveyed the neat purple linen. Satisfied with her work, she walked towards her door and pushed it open, beginning to walk down the stairs. When she was halfway down, she glanced around and saw, sitting in the faux-leather chair, not inches away from a purple fire and reading a large hardback book, was the Princess of the Night herself. Mane flowing gracefully on a breeze that didn't exist, and eyes flitting over the words imprinted on the page.

A page was turned, a step was stepped upon, an ear twitched, a throat was cleared. Luna whirled around rather quickly with a start and Twilight raised an eyebrow.

Luna placed a hoof on her chest and sighed.

"Thou shouldst not do that Twilight Sparkle, thou, I mean, you gave me quite a start!" she said and Twilight supressed a giggle, both at the Princess's reaction and the way she almost slipped into her signature archaic language.

"Sorry Princess, I didn't mean to startle you. What are you reading?" she asked and descended the final stairs towards where the Princess was sitting. She turned the book over and showed the title.

Daring Doo and the Secret of the Siren's Song

"'Tis an interesting novel, about a one Miss Daring Doo and her various escapades all across ancient sites around Equestria, although it is clearly intended for, well, not my age group, I find it rather enthralling none the less" she said, flipping the book back over and marking her place with a paper bookmark rather than dog-earing the page. A fact Twilight was grateful for, she couldn't count how many pages of how many books had their corners turned and torn. Well, she probably could have, but it didn't seem a very productive use of her time.

She suddenly noticed the distinct lack of her number 1 assistant.

"Where's Spike?" she asked, and Luna shrugged unbecomingly.

"I haven't the faintest idea, he said something about 'Pinkie Pie' wanting him to hand out invites to, how did he put it again? Oh yes, A 'super fundiful fantastical party" she said, and Twilight giggled.

"What's so funny?" she asked, and Twilight giggled again.

"The way you said that, it didn't suit you princess, no offence of course" she quickly added so as to soften the blow. Luna smiled at her warmly though, accepting the humour.

"No, I am in the wrong century Twilight Sparkle" she quipped, earning a giggle.

"And please, call me Luna" she said, and Twilight smiled at her.

"Only if you call me Twilight instead of Twilight Sparkle" she gently ordered, and Luna nodded.

"Very well Twilight" she said, and looked over to the chair next to hers.

"Woud you like to sit with me for a while?" she asked and Twilight nodded.

"Of course Luna" she said before walking over to the chair and sitting in it. Luna glanced at her with a smile.

"So, Twilight, what art thy plans for the day?" she asked and Twilight shrugged.

"I don't know, hopefully I'll get a bit of studying done, I'm really close to mastering Starswirl the Bearded's Seventh Transformation Spell, and I really want to learn it, if only to further my own knowledge on Transformation, then maybe I'll go for a stroll in the woods, go around my friend's to see if they can make it tonight, then back here to relax before we head to the meteor shower" she sad, and Luna blinked.

"Did you make a schedule, Twilight?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and Twilight shook her head.

"No, not until just now, Oh my, I need my quill and parchment!" she all but scrambled out of the chair and into one of the adjacent rooms to grab her quill and write down the day's schedule. Luna scoffed and shook her head a smile on her face. She was so adorable at times, the way she wanted to be able to control and nearly meticulously plan everything, it was endearing to some extent.

Luna had long since given up on dispelling the thoughts about her sister's student and her only friend. Which is why when she walked back towards her with her librarian glasses on, quill and parchment suspended in the air with her purple aura, she did not try and quell her racing heart. If Luna hadn't thought she was adorable before, seeing her with red horn-rimmed glasses around her eyes cemented that thought in her head.

Twilight was scribbling something down on the parchment, then, with a smile, satisfied with her work, she rolled up the parchment and set it down on the coffee table. The purple fire sparked and crackled, drawing Twilight's attention. She furrowed her brow.

"Luna, why is the fire purple?" she asked and Luna turned to it and smiled.

"It's a magic fire. It gives off all the warmth of a normal fire, but it's harmless to the surroundings. Watch" she said, moving from her spot and dipping her hoof into the fire. It consumed the hoof and Twilight gasped in fear, until it came back out with a hooffull of the purple flames, dancing gracefully around Luna's fur in thin purple tendrils.

"Ponies can also manipulate it with their hooves. Ancient unicorns used to use it in magical duels when they didn't want to harm the other pony" she explained, and saw Twilight's eyes filled with rapture like she was in class and Luna was the teacher.

"Could you teach it to me?" she asked, and Luna smiled, then had a look of confusion.

"I'm not sure, it's very difficult, even for an Alicorn. That is why the flame is so small. Ironically, it took more magical discipline to perform this spell then it did to actually cast harmful spells" she explained, and Twilight's face fell. It was almost heart wrenching, until Luna spoke next.

"But, from my sister, I hear you are an exceptionally talented unicorn, with magic to rival even my own, so, I think you could learn it" se said with her mischievous smile, she knew how much the unicorn disliked compliments, and revelled in the blush that now appeared on her cheeks.

"I really don't think of myself as that special" she said sheepishly, and Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously Twilight?" she asked incredulously, and Twilight nodded, keeping her eyes cast down.

Luna shook her head and shifted in her seat.

"Very well, close your eyes, and block everything out except the sound of my voice" she instructed, and Twilight did so, which was easy because, well, she loved to hear Luna's voice, when it wasn't at Royal Canterlot volume that is. She closed her eyes and drowned the noise of the fire, she drowned her worries, and drowned her fears with the soothing balm that was Luna's silky voice.

She was glad she had already been blushing from Luna's compliment, because the thoughts now racing through her mind would not leave her face un-flushed.

"Focus on the feelings inside you, like most other spells, this one comes from within, it's manifested from the thing that brings us the greatest joy, the thing which is our greatest passion, for me, it is the blue velvet of night, which is why my flame is blue or purple, or, on some occasions, it has been as bright as the moon" she explained, and leant forward, taking Twilight's hooves in hers.

If Twilight was bothered by the action, she did not say, mostly because she was focussing so hard she didn't notice it. She dug around in her mind for the thing that granted her joy. The obvious answer was studying, which allowed her to gain knowledge, she loved sitting and reading either a good research book, or flip the pages of an old novel. She loved learning.

She felt something for the briefest of instances, but it then dwindled. She looked for it again, but found nothing, what had Luna said? The thing that brings her the most joy, right? The thing that inspired her, the thing that...

Her eyes shot open.

The thing I love the most...

A slight smile graced her face as she gazed into Luna's turquoise eyes.

"Have you found it?" she asked, and Twilight nodded.

"Yes, yes I believe I have" she said with her smile growing, Luna returned it and shifted to get closer in her seat. Twilight was now aware of Luna's hooves closed over her own, and she felt the joy swell to something that physically burned inside her.

"Now, I want you to siphon a tiny part of your magic into your horn, then focus on that thing, speak its name out loud if you must, then think of fire, the spell should do the rest" she said, and Twilight nodded, powering her horn and going through images of Luna in her head, the magic in her horn swelled of its own accord, she felt suddenly warm, then unbearably hot.

"Now dispel the magic! Quick!" Luna instructed, and Twilight let go of the spell, a flash of blue to rival that of the ocean spread around the room, and then a crackling sound followed, like waves lashing the shore.

Luna jumped back as she saw Twilight controlling several strands of blue fire at once, all erupting from her horn and spreading around the small library. After a time, Twilight opened her eyes and surveyed the scene. Her jaw dropped as the tendrils of fire danced around with all the poise of synchronized ballet dancers.

She experimentally thought about combining them, and they all started flying towards one spot in the room, joining together in a large ball of blue flame.

"Wow" she uttered simply as the ball slowly settled to the floor.

"Wow indeed" Luna echoed as she placed a hoof into the large flame, drawing it back out. A thin sliver of fire danced gracefully around her hoof before climbing to the top and leaping off to return to the fire burning in the centre of the library.

The fire pulsed with an ethereal glow, and Twilight, mischievous in learning, willed it to expand, to which it did, violently so, it exploded with the force of Applejack kicking a tree, and pushed the princess and Twilight back, the fire danced around the room and lit every single lamp and light before rushing back to the center.

Twilight dispelled the magic and looked in wonder at the lamps burning merrily with her blue flame, she was idly aware of a dull throbbing in her skull which signified a magic spell was still active, but she didn't know how to shut it off.

Luna recovered quickly and looked at Twilight, who was looking around in wonder. Luna took in the lamps, then looked back at the unicorn smiling at her widely.

"I think I learned the spell" she said and Luna scoffed.

"Oh geez, you think?" she asked with a dabble of humour, with which Twilight giggled. Luna stepped closer and smiled warmly, feeling only the slightest hint of jealousy at the unicorn's prowess and magical ability. "Congratulations Twilight, you are officially more powerful than me" she said, taking a bow of humility. Twilight blushed hard.

"Oh, princess, there is absolutely no way I'm more powerful than you" she said, and Luna looked up at her and stepped closer.

"When I first tried that spell I passed out, and I created a flame the same size as the one still in the fireplace, in fact, I'm feeling drowsy from just keeping it up now" she said, then closed her eyes and dispelled the flame from the fireplace.

"When I awoke I found that the flame had lasted for all of three seconds before I passed out. Accept the compliment Twilight" she gently ordered, and Twilight smiled at her.

"Thank you for teaching it to me Luna" she said sheepishly, then threw her hooves around the princess in a warm, friendly embrace. Luna was shocked, and took a step back, but soon melted into the embrace, unable to resist a discreet sniff of the mare's mane. Parchment and cinnamon. An odd combination, but one that suited her perfectly.

The hug broke and Twilight stepped back rather too awkwardly for Luna's taste, she decided to break the tension.

"So, Twilight, you said you was going for a walk in the woods, why don't you show me where it s you'll be meeting your friends for tonight's meteor shower?"

Chapter Five

Two small, bronzed leaves slowly broke away from the large bank of gold on the tree, breaking from the branches with inaudible snaps. They drifted down upon a simple breeze and rested on the gravel on the ground, catching the sunlight as they fell.

The simple breeze blew again and ruffled the leaves on the ground, creating a miniature tornado that spread across the ground and slowly settled again. Two ponies were walking through the leaves and they shifted for a third time, two leaves of gold and green broke away from a group and one landed on the nose of one Princess Luna. She stopped and crossed her eyes, looking dubiously at the leaf before blowing it upwards. It flew up and re-joined the other one in the air.
She heard a giggle from beside her and looked to see Twilight watching her with a smile. Luna joined in and her silky laugh went up with Twilight's lighter giggle.

A few seconds of silence passed between the pair before Luna spoke softly beside the purple unicorn, not wanting to interrupt the gentle flow of nature's crescendo.

"This is a really nice spot Twilight, I am glad you chose it to watch the meteor shower tonight" she said and Twilight looked at her with a smile.

"I come here sometimes and just lay in the clearing we're going to, just me and sometimes Spike, we'll just lay on the ground and gaze at the stars..." her eyes glazed and she got a wistful look on her face before she shook her head and blushed slightly before Luna looked ahead again.

"I did not know ponies still enjoyed night time like you do" she said ever so softly, and Twilight looked at her with a gentle smile.

"Luna, lots of ponies still enjoy the night, I know Rainbow Dash likes to sleep outside in the summer, don't tell her I told you this, but she told me when she wakes up, the stars let her drift off to sleep. And Applejack, well, there's a reason she has such a big orchard, sometimes she sleeps out under the trees" she said, and Luna's smile became brighter to such an extent it threatened to block out the sun.

"Thank you Twilight, it's nice to know my work is still appreciated" she said, and Twilight walked closer to her and gently nuzzled her cheek, Luna gasped quietly in shock, and internally her heartbeat raced to that of a fluttering hummingbird.

"There will ALWAYS be ponies who love the night. By the way, I liked what you did with the stars two nights ago" she said and Luna blushed deeply.

"You saw that from here?" she asked and Twilight nodded.

"Uh huh, and I was going to ask how you did it" she said with a sheepish grin and Luna smiled at her.

"If you want I can show you tonight" she said and Twilight smiled back sheepishly.

"I would like that" she stated simply, then re-directed her eyes forward towards the path. The breeze had stopped blowing, and the only leaves that moved were the ones slowly drifting down from the trees, reflecting the sun's golden glow and looking like thin sheets of gold in the sun. They walked and walked until they came to a clearing, and Twilight stopped.

"This is it" she said simply, and Luna took in the sight around her. Three logs were arranged in a triangle around a small fire pit, and the barks on all the logs were worn smooth, from many years and many ponies taking a seat upon them. The fire pit still had trace amounts of ash inside it, and the place smelled of musty autumn leaf-mould, and the smoke from many a bonfire lit.

It was beautiful.

"I can see why you have chosen this place Twilight, it's amazing here" she said in awe as a trio of leaves floated past her and onto the floor.

"It's beautiful here in autumn and spring, they're my favourite seasons" Twilight said, idly toying with a leaf in her hooves that had fallen from a nearby birch.

"As they are mine Twilight. Something about a new beginning, and a prelude to the end just appeals to me more than the stifling hot air of summer or the cold of winter" she said as she sat down on the floor next to her, there was a glimpse, a sudden glimpse of a Luna Twilight did not know, a deeper Luna, hidden beneath the surface for, well, only Luna knew how long for.

Twilight decided to dig a little deeper.

"A new beginning? Well, I was going to say the blossom's look pretty, but, I can see the thing about the new beginning, yes" she agreed, and Luna looked off into the distance as Twilight scooted closer.

"Spring is the birth of the year Twilight Sparkle, a time for new resolutions and promises made" she said, mostly to herself, then added in a scant whisper so only she could hear; "and Autumn is the premise for death"

Twilight furrowed her brow, able to hear her perfectly even over the cacophony of noises in the woods, the chirping of insects and woodland creatures, and the rustling of the trees as they swayed in the wind. There passed a few minutes of silence, descending upon the pair like a blanket. Not entirely un-awkward, though mostly welcome, as Twilight had no idea what to say to that last piece of information.

Twilight decided, against her inclinations to the contrary, to break the stifling silence.

"So uh, I think that this would be the perfect spot to watch the shower" she said, and Luna turned to her with a smile, it held depths of serenity, and gratefulness.

"I agree Twilight, it'll be positively magical here under the stars, and perhaps you can put your new spell to good use in the fire pit?" she said with her signature smile, and Twilight nodded.

"Yeah, it'll serve me well" she stated simply before they resumed their silence, this time more comfortable, listening out to the orchestra nature was performing. Before Twilight could restrain herself, she leant her head on the Princess' shoulder and sighed, obviously content. Luna tensed up for a minute before she relaxed. It was a simple friendly gesture, nothing more, and before too long Luna relaxed and rested her head atop Twilight's.

After a while they realised they could not stay there for much longer, Twilight had errands to run, so she merely sighed in resignation.

"As much fun as this is, I need to go see everypony, to make sure they're coming. I guess I can go to Pinkie's first to get some lunch. Are you hungry Luna?" she asked, craning her head to look at Luna.

The Princess had a contented smile and sighed, nodding, mostly to herself, and Twilight shifted in her seat.

"Well then I guess we should head back then" she said morosely almost, and Twilight nodded before she got up to her feet, waiting for Luna before she turned and walked back down the gravel path. Luna took one last look around the clearing and followed, leaving behind the scene, where two leaves were blown by a breeze, shifted in the air and ran spirals around one another, then settled back to separate positions on the ground.

The walk back into town was a pleasant one, and then they got back into town proper. Luna was still getting the looks, though not quite to the same extent as before, at least now they weren't bowing. They trotted idly along, Luna growing uneasy under the scrutinizing gaze.

Twilight noticed her discomfort.

"Nervous, Princess?" she asked and Luna looked at her, chuckling before shaking her head.

"Not at all Twilight, and I told you to call me Luna, it's simply that I am not used to this much attention from ponies that aren't either royal guards or foreign dignitaries" she said with a nervous smile. Twilight gave her a sympathetic smile in return.
"Don't worry Luna, we're here" she said, pointing to the large bakery in the style of a large piece of confectionery; Sugarcube Corner.

She walked up to the wooden doors and opened them, a bell tinkered loudly and immediately the pair was assaulted with various scents of baked goods. Behind the counter was a pink pony whose face lit up when she saw them.

"Hey you two! I was wondering when you would show up here, but you sure are early, the party doesn't start for another 8 hours you know! Unless you're here for a lunch time treat?" she asked, and Twilight took the fast dialogue in stride, whereas Luna was left reeling from the haste of the words.

"We're here for lunch Pinkie, what have you got?" she asked, and Pinkie disappeared under the counter, coming back up three seconds later with a tray of cupcakes, a basket of muffins, another tray of apple turnovers, and a second basket of layer cake, with and without frosting.

"This is what's fresh, we have some stuff from this morning left, but they've been out for too long, and nothing but the best should be sampled by the princess" she said with her signature grin. Luna blushed.

"Please, call me Luna" she said sheepishly, and Pinkie vaulted over the counter and grabbed her hoof and shook it.
"Pleasure to meet you Luna! I'm Pinkie Pie, we met at Nightmare Night last year remember? Of course you do, you offered to be my friend but then Rainbow Dash played a prank that was super scary and scared me away remember?"

Luna blinked twice as she processed the information, and simply nodded.

"Ah, yes, Pinkie Pie, I remember you, the ring-leader of the frightened children" she said with a half-smile, and Pinkie giggled at her.

"And Ponyville Prankster!" she said as she finally dropped her hoof to the floor of the bakery rather suddenly, so suddenly that Luna executed an ungraceful half stumbled, then righted herself abruptly. Her crown had come loose of her hair. Twilight supressed a giggle.

Luna shot her an arched-eyebrow glare, righting her crown with all the authority she could muster, and Twilight turned back to her browsing. Silence filled the room.

Twilight suddenly cleared her throat.

"I would love an Apple turnover please Pinkie, and Luna?" she turned with an apologetic smile and Luna trotted back up to the counter.

"I'll take a muffin, let us put your bakery's reputation to the test Pinkie" she said as she was handed the muffin, and Twilight put the bits on the counter. Pinkie smiled at them from behind the counter.

"Enjoy your treats!" she chirruped merrily, and Twilight offered her a smile before she walked towards the table by the window. Twilight sat down with a small sigh and waited for Luna to do the same. Luna pulled out the seat and sat silently, placing her muffin down on a napkin. Luna idly gazed out the window at the passing ponies and various market stalls.

It was a nice town, not too small, but not metropolitan and crowded. It had the right balance of the two, and that made the place all the more appealing. Luna could honestly see herself setting down here, if only she wasn't a Princess, she could move into a vacant house, see her friends every day, she could attend concerts and go 'clubbing', she could have fun.

Alas, she had to return to Canterlot, if not tonight, then tomorrow evening. She could not abandon her sister, nor could she abandon her duties as Princess of the Night.

"You're not angry at me are you Luna?" Twilight asked, and Luna suddenly turned towards her, shaking her head and blinking rapidly, broken out of her thoughts. She looked at Twilight confusedly.

"Angry? Why would I be angry Twilight?" she asked, and Twilight shrugged.

"Well, for laughing at you back there" she said and Luna giggled at her expression, a mixture of fear and sorrow, then morphing into confusion.

"Twilight, I'm not mad, if anything it was warranted, I can take a joke Twilight, and I enjoy pranks, as long as I get to play one on the prankster" she said with a wink, and Twilight smiled at her, glad what she had viewed as a faux pas didn't affect her.
There was a period of comfortable silence between them as they both stared out of the window. Luna let out another sigh as her train of thought resumed is inexorable journey towards a place she did not want to go; a place filled with regret and childhood memories she preferred to keep hidden.

Though she left her smile on her face, she felt like a dis-honest liar, and when Twilight looked at her with a genuine smile of her own, it became harder for her to maintain her brave face.

When she was a filly she learnt how to control her feelings, and a thousand years on the moon had done naught but strengthen that will, no, the skill she had developed for doing so. Twilight had begun to look at her with concern.

"Princess, are you okay?" she asked, and Luna sighed yet again, her smile instantaneously fading away to nothing.

"It's nothing important Twilight, let's just enjoy our lunch" she offered, finally taking her first bite of the treat Twilight had brought for her. It was good, the chocolate chips were still warm and melted instantly, and at another time, maybe in another place it would have been enjoyable, but at that moment, at that time, with concerned violet eyes trying to reach into her soul and search out her problems, she couldn't help but partially want to open up two thousand years of her emotions to the lavender mare sitting across from her.

Twilight finally gave up her searches and started her apple turnover, turning her attention back to the streets.
"It is beautiful here" Luna commented, and Twilight nodded.

"You should see it in winter. It's like something out of a storybook, the snow glistens like diamonds. And in the moonlight the snow become fallen stars. You should book some time off in winter" she said almost wistfully, and Luna smiled at her.
"Twilight, you may be the only pony I know who can find something nice to say about the night sky at any time of year"
Twilight merely looked at her.

"It's only because you do a good job any time of the year" she commented, eliciting a blush from the Princess. Another silence invaded the picturesque bakery, but this one was comfortable, serene almost. They were content, any thoughts Luna had before were washed from her mind at the prospect of being able to send more time with Twilight, maybe even during Hearth's Warming!

The thought made her excited, she had a friend, and if she could spend one of the best holidays of the year with that friend, then it would be a tremendous leap for her.

Then that niggling voice was back, saying to her; You don't want to be just friends.

Then she grew sad again.

The sunset had just begun, and a fusillade of colours had painted themselves to the sky above the small town. against the dirt track sat the trees that had seen them hours before, the same pair of leaves sat on the floor, one atop the other. A small breeze once again lifted them into the air and into the bank of trees as a trio of figures traversed the dirt road.

The Princess and Twilight had spent more than what Twilight had deemed "Allotted time" in the bakery, they had only been reminded of what they were doing by Pinkie Pie reminding them that if they were to get the party started on time they would have to leave rather soon. They had been sitting and talking for nearly 5 hours. TALKING.

Twilight knew she couldn't do that with any of her other friends as either they, or herself would eventually grow bored without an additional somepony there to keep the conversation flowing.

Now they walked with Pinkie Pie bouncing alongside them, talking about whatever random things bolted to the front of her mind. Twilight had wondered time and time again whether it was some kind of impossibility for the pink mare to have a coherent conversation rather than blurting something out waiting for a brief answer before talking about something off topic.

They had arrived at the clearing early, yet there, set around the fireplace trying to get said fireplace to produce any hints of warmth, were her remaining four friends, Fluttershy was seated away from the main group, seemingly conversing with a squirrel and occasionally giggling, Rarity was seated on her own attempting to open a bag of marshmallows, Rainbow Dash was flitting about and arguing with Applejack on the best way to get a fire going.

Pinkie Pie bounced into the clearing, over the fire and landed next to Rarity, causing her to yelp and drop the bag, Pinkie erupting into a fit of giggles, joined soon after by Rarity. The chaos had frightened the squirrel that had dashed off into the bushes, and Fluttershy was the first to notice Twilight and Luna as she looked around.

"Oh! Twilight! We didn't see you there, and Princess Luna, it's so lovely to see you again" she said with a shy smile, retracting into her mane, the rest of the friends stopped what they were doing and looked at the pair.

"Princess Luna! Ah didn't actually think y'all would come, what with being a princess an' all, don't ya have more important things to do?" Applejack asked, and Rainbow swooped in low to add her own comment.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be in Canterlot presiding over some royal business?" she almost challenged, and Luna shrugged.

"My sister says she can handle it, and besides, Twilight wanted me to come, how could I say no?" Luna said to them and everypony apart from Rarity accepted the answer. Rarity's gears were already turning, processing the information for any hidden meanings, being a fashionista, and a self-proclaimed expert of love she could spot it a mile away, so when these two show up, clearly thick as thieves, she couldn't help but engage the romantic portion of her brain.

The two took their seats while Applejack and Rainbow resumed their fight over the fire. Twilight watched for a little while before turning to Luna.

"Do you think I could show them my new spell?" she asked and Luna smiled.

"I think now would be a good time yes" she whispered, and Twilight smiled.

"Applejack, do you need some help?" Twilight asked, and Applejack stopped, turning towards Twilight with an incredulous look on her face.

"Uh, Twi, do you actually know how to light a fire?" she asked, causing a snicker from Rainbow Dash and an indignant look from Twilight.

"Yes, actually, I learnt a new spell from Luna that allows me to create and control a fire, it'll be quicker than you banging rocks together" she quipped with a grin and Applejack regarded her with a look, but the hint of a smirk at her lips before she shrugged and sat down on a log, soon after joined by Rainbow.

"Fine, let's see yer new spell Twi" she said with a smile and Twilight nodded.

"Alright" she said simply before she turned towards the pit that held logs and twigs ready for burning. She decided she would confuse them and perform a bit of a show. She levitated the sticks out of the pit and discarded them towards the trees behind her.

She closed her eyes and funnelled the required magic to her horn, then thought of the thing she loved most, once again, she tried to think of the library, her parents, Celestia, even her friends, but all that came to mind was a pair of blue eyes, star-filled mane, elegant wings and a compassionate smile.

The fire burned inside her, greater than before, and she felt her magic reach its apex. She let it go, and, like before, blue tendrils of magical fire shot out of her horn and danced around the clearing, her friends watched her intently with wonder as the fire danced around them, weaving between them like intricate ribbons, Fluttershy traced one of them as it came up close to her and giggled when it twirled around her thrice before rushing back towards the others, who were now swirling above the pit in the centre of the clearing.

They started to combine with the sounds of sparking and crackling, spinning around each other to create a ball of energy that, while still spinning, began to take a more sophisticated shape, that of a blue unicorn.

Luna watched with wonder, again Twilight had surpassed herself, but when the magic started taking on the form of somepony she thought she should recognize, she grew intrigued. Who was this unicorn? Why did she, or he, seem so maddeningly familiar?

She watched as the fire began to trickle towards the pit and land with a soft rustling of leaves, and Twilight's eyes opened again.

Her friends regarded her with a shocked expression before clapping their hooves together and cheering.

"Wow Twilight, we knew you were good at magic, but that was cool!" Rainbow said. and the others agreed. Twilight smiled at them sheepishly, but accepted the compliments. Luna placed a hoof around her shoulder and hugged her, much to Twilight's embarrassment.

Luna let her go and stood up.

"I have to raise the moon, would anypony care to watch?" she asked and they all nodded.

"Yeah sure, it's been too long since we've seen a good magic show" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, and Luna smiled.

"Very well, but it is a very powerful spell" she admonished before standing away from the group and closing her eyes.

"Keep your eyes on the skies" she said finally before focussing on the feeling of her moon yearning to rise, she willed her magic to surround it and slowly pulled it upwards in time with the sun's descent, the process was quick, and Celestia must have been lowering the sun quickly so as to not interrupt her night. She made a mental note to thank her sister when she returned home.

The stars bristled in her mane as the moonlight fell on the clearing, and she decided to let them out the way she did the previous night. Her mane rippled with energy before the boundaries broke and starlight flooded the camp, individual stars rushed past the six friends and leapt into the skies, at exactly the same time as the moon was put on its correct course.

She opened her eyes and sighed, setting herself down on the log again, exhausted. She looked up at the night sky. Another job well done she thought to herself, and was roused by a slow clapping. The six ponies were clapping much like they had with Twilight, who was herself clapping her hooves and staring at the sky still with wonder.

"Oh, there was something else I was meant to do, something important" she said out loud, placing a hoof to her chin in mock thought, then she pretended to have a revelation.

"Oh! Yes that was it" she said before closing her eyes again and willing the rocks in space to come closer and fall towards the ground, the first meteor streaked across the sky and the rest soon followed.

"Look! The meteor shower is starting!" Twilight said, and Luna opened her eyes again to see the sky full of white blurs as the rocks burned in the atmosphere. She smiled to herself and let them do their own thing, should one get out of hand she would stop it, but for now she was content to just watch her work unravel by itself.

She looked over the Twilight and thought about what it would be like to be a normal unicorn, or indeed, a normal pony, just enjoying the night without the responsibility of controlling it.

She made a mental note to ask Twilight what it felt like to have her responsibility as Element of Magic, to safeguard the Elements of Harmony, as indeed was her destiny. Maybe they weren't so different, they both had their destinies chosen for them by others. Maybe Twilight knew how she felt.

Maybe...

That would have to wait for later however, as for now, it was her time to enjoy her own night like that of a normal pony, and she shifted closer to Twilight, resting her head on her shoulder like they had hours before. Twilight jumped slightly before smiling and resting her own head atop of Luna's, sighing deeply. Rarity watched them and pieced everything together, hiding a smile in the dim lighting, before returning to watch the skies.

The stars twinkled, reflected in the eyes of the two resting on each other on the log by the fire. Twilight almost lost control of the fire in the hearth, it spluttered and waned in the air, and the leaves continued to fall around them.

The remainder of the evening was spent talking and watching the skies before they headed back into the town proper, and towards the bakery for Pinkie's after party.

Luna laughed and joined in, feeling accepted in the circle of friends, if her parents could see her now they would be proud, she had emerged from her reclusive shell and made friends.

She felt happy.

Any errors let me know guys :3

Chapter Six

Equilibrium. Balance. Stability. Call it what you will, it can be found everywhere. From the harmony between Night and Day, to the way a pony walks. But, every so often, there is a gap in the balance, much like a Lucid Dream, or the place between Day and Night, the invisible line that marks the transition, there, in these places, no such harmony exists, it is just nothing. No light nor dark, not reality nor a dream. It is conflict. This conflict was happening in the sky right now, the stars winked out and the sunlight claimed the land, and this conflict was reflected in the eyes of a Princess who was trapped in a Lucid Dream.

Her and Twilight, back in the clearing, but not the clearing, in the night, but it was bright as day. Meteors fell all around them, there were no trees though, just them, and the sky, and the ground. All was silent, yet the silence felt too loud. She felt content just sitting there, leaning on Twilight yet she also wanted nothing more than to turn and kiss her. The whole dream was a paradox to her.

She sighed and rolled over, breaking the trance-like dream state and returning to reality.

Reality. She didn't want it. Feelings she thought sequestered and contained bubbled to the surface for the first time in years. Memories she didn't want to see ever again found their way to the front of her mind, playing across her eyelids as she tried to get back to some semblance of seep. Her mother, her father, her 'destiny'. More like her dictated future.

She was nearly face to face with Twilight, in their respective sleeping bags Rarity had provided. A smile was plastered on her face and she giggled in her sleep, a strand of her lavender mane falling over her face in an unruly fashion. It made Luna smile widely and nearly fall back to sleep.

But then she noticed the sun peeking over the horizon and sighed, closing her eyes and gently wrapping a thread of magic around the moon, pulling it towards the horizon. She felt it shift and move before she opened her eyes and let it continue at its own pace.

They were still in the clearing, as Pinkie Pie had been content to cancel her party at Sugarcube Corner and instead hold, as Rarity called it, a 'Light Soiree' in the clearing as she didn't want to miss what she had called it; 'a super fundiful shower'

Luna giggled as the magical blue fire still flickered nervously. Luna admired it, and admired how the sleeping form of Twilight was able to sustain the spell even now. The fire flickered and changed shape, and Luna smiled. It must be affected by her dreams, and right now, it had formed the same pony from the night before, but this time, it had more detail, an elongated snout, stunning blue eyes surrounded by white flames, and a mane that sparkled as if filled with a million stars. Luna yawned and sat up. She felt as though she should know this pony, but then the sudden realization that Twilight was DREAMING about this pony made her gasp in surprise.

In her experience, ponies only dreamt of other ponies, and wore that kind of expression in a dream when they, well, coveted said pony. Maybe Twilight had a crush on the pony who now sparkled in the fire. Her excitement was offset only by her jealousy. She sighed and sat down on the grass, watching the fire morph into tiny ribbons of light and dance around the clearing, weaving intricate patterns around each other and joining together much like they had before, except this time the magic disappeared and sparked out into nothing.

Luna turned to see Twilight wide awake and staring at her, she looked afraid, like someone had found out a secret they weren't meant to find out.

Twilight's dream was simple, yet to her, it was the best thing she had ever experienced, it was just her and Luna talking, sometimes she would laugh and toss her head, her mane flicking over her shoulder only to fly back to its original position, riding on the unseen wind.

Twilight would smile, they would talk, until she was aware of a dull throbbing in the back of her skull, and a light coming through her eyes. She opened them to face the fire pit from the night before. The fire still burned, brighter than before, but it had taken the shape of the mare from her dreams almost perfectly, and there, watching it, was the mare herself.

Twilight focused on the magical fire and pulled it apart strand by strand, until nothing remained of the magical blue fire. Luna turned around and saw her, then smiled.

"I may have forgotten to mention" she whispered with only a slight hint of coyness in her voice "that when asleep, the fire takes the shape of our dreams" she continued, stepping closer to her and sitting beside her.

Twilight kept her eyes forward, waiting for the inevitable. To Twilight, this wasn't like her dreams, this was her nightmare.

"What did you see?" Twilight asked her, and Luna turned her eyes towards the fire pit in the center, still smiling.

"I saw a pony, vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place their face" she said, and Twilight turned to her, hope flaring in her eyes, and also disappointment. Luna nodded and turned to her, the smile turning fake.

"You couldn't place it?" she asked, and Luna shook her head.

"I'll admit, the eyes and mane were very similar to that of your friend, Rainbow Dash, but, I thought the mane too, uh, 'graceful' for that, so I thought of Rarity instead. Any of those hold a hint of truth?" she asked, batting her eyelids, and Twilight giggled.

"Hm, no, Princess, Rainbow is cool, but, she's not my type, and Rarity, well, I hear Pinkie is smitten with her, and I've never thought of her like that" she admitted truthfully.

Then, Twilight grew adventurous. Where was the harm in a few soft hints? She could get some of her feelings off of her chest and in turn, keep the Princess in the dark.

"But, this pony, well, she is graceful, incredibly beautiful, and, well, she's one of the kindest, most talented ponies I know" Twilight said wistfully, gazing into Luna's eyes. Luna smirked at her and prodded her playfully in the shoulder.

"Aww, Twilight, you've got it bad" she quipped, and Twilight blushed and prodded her back.

"I do not, those were just casual observations, Princess" she retorted, and Luna laughed loudly.

"Oh-ho! Yeah, and the blush is just the heat of the sun getting to you, right?" she quipped, jabbing at her side jokingly, Twilight tensed, covering her side protectively with her hoof.

"Well, I, I..." she gave up and sighed, and Luna stopped laughing almost immediately. Clearly this was making Twilight upset, and she had probably done more harm than good by laughing like that. Luna put what she believed to be a comforting hoof around her friend's shoulder, but unbeknownst to her it made Twilight's heart race. Being in such close proximity with the mare she just described wasn't good for her state of mind.

"Listen, Twilight. If you like her, then, just tell her. The worst that happens is that she rejects you, and then, you'll always have her friendship" she said, and Twilight looked up at her.

"But we barely even know each other, we've spoken, but, we haven't really talked if you know what I mean" she said, and Luna nodded.

"You don't know how she feels, if she has secrets or anything, am I right?" Luna gently asked, and Twilight nodded.

"I want to get to know her, but she never seems to have time to really talk in detail about herself, even though I've indirectly asked her to. And then there's the fact that we're both mares, what if she calls me a freak?" she asked, trying to hold back tears. Luna shifted in her seat and drew herself closer to Twilight, wiping away a tear with her hoof, causing Twilight to look up into a pair of compassionate, Sapphire eyes.

"Well, I see two options here, either you can just stay the way you are, and be hurt for sure, or you could get to know her for a while, see if you still feel the same, then tell her. From what I've seen nowadays, admitting one's feelings to another, regardless of gender, is something done everywhere. Trust me, she won't think any less of you if, and when, you do" she said with a smile, and Twilight looked at her with her large, lavender eyes.

"Promise?" She asked, and Luna smiled, then it faded as the gears of thought turned and clicked. Her eyes widened and she looked back at the unicorn who was twitching in fear. She was about to say something when a voice called out to them from across the clearing.

"Well hello there darlings, how long have you two been up?" Rarity said as she squirmed out of her sleeping bag, pushing off the dirt from her sleeping bag, and her coat, even though there seemed to be none. Rarity looked at the pair and smiled inwardly. She was right.

Twilight and Luna shared a look, but did not separate.

"We've only been up ten minutes or so" Luna said, and Rarity's eyes widened.

"Twilight, you really should have gotten more sleep, you did stay up all night the other night organizing this, and you had that fire spell going last night" she admonished, and Twilight blushed again, rubbing her neck.

"If you don't stop then you'll get bags under your eyes. Oh! Which reminds me! I need to talk to you about something important, and it simply cannot wait. Come with me dear" she said, and before Twilight could protest, her fetlock was seized in a magical blue aura and she felt herself pulled along beside Rarity. Luna giggled and waved her goodbye, shaking her head at Twilight's silent pleas for help.

Twilight and Rarity turned around a group of trees, and Rarity turned to her smiling widely like her cat when it's caused somepony grief.

"So, I heard you talking to the Princess just now" she broke the ice with, gauging Twilight's reaction as she stood there. Twilight blushed a hot red and averted her eyes.

"Oh, do you know who it was about?" She asked her, and Rarity smiled wider, giving a nod.

"I saw it last night darling, when you and her were so close by the fire. I'm not sure if she feels the same way, but, if what her reaction to what you said this morning was anything to go by, she knows now" she said gently, and Twilight's head shot up, her pupils dilating to pinpricks.

"No! Nononononono! She can't! Oh Celestia!" Twilight began to panic, until Rarity lay a soothing hoof on her shoulder.

"Shh, Twilight, calm down, just, calm down, isn't it better that she knows? Maybe she'll feel the same way" Rarity said, and Twilight sighed, dejectedly.

"She can't. It would never work. She's a Princess, and I'm just a unicorn" Twilight said, and Rarity sighed at her, stepping closer and hugging her.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are more than just an ordinary Unicorn. You're the most powerful Unicorn in Equestria. And if you're flustered by Love, well..." she began, and was cut off by her own thoughts silencing her. Twilight looked up at the compliment.

"I just... I don't know what to do Rarity, I want to tell her, so badly, but I can't" She admitted, and Rarity drew away, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow.

"My dear why ever not?" she asked, and Twilight looked at her.

"I'm scared if she says no, and never wants to talk to me again" she admitted, and Rarity laughed, which made Twilight confused.

"Oh Twilight, did she not say she didn't think it weird? In fact, I remember it, as I was there. It's not a big deal, so you're in love with a Princess, who just happens to be one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria... Actually maybe it is rather a big deal..." she trailed off and Twilight's ears drooped.

"Rarity, you're not helping here" she said and Rarity laughed awkwardly.

"Well, from what I know of Love, this is what they call Unrequited Love, you love her, but she doesn't know it, and you don't know if she loves you back. Usually one will confess, and if all goes well, they kiss in a moonlit scene that is all terribly cliché" she said, waving her hoof at the last word and flipping her mane. Twilight listened as a question formed in her mind.

"And if it goes wrong?" she asked, and Rarity looked at her and smiled.

"Well then there's a period of awkwardness for a few days, but they eventually become friends again. Don't worry. You'll be fine. Now let's go and wake up the others" she said as she walked away, leaving Twilight feeling a little bit better. She followed Rarity back to the camp and smiled when she saw Luna apparently engaged in conversation with the others who had apparently already woken up.

Luna watched Twilight leave and shook her head, still smiling as she turned back to the fire pit and sighed. He smile slowly wavered to a mere grin as she thought about Twilight's words. Someone talented, kind, graceful, and beautiful. Well, if Twilight was talking about who she thought she was talking about, she certainly didn't view her as graceful, or beautiful, and certainly not talented. And even kind was pushing it.

She sighed. Of course Twilight wasn't talking about her, that would just be wishful thinking, and besides, Twilight knew she was a Princess, she knew that Luna would live forever. She couldn't do that to Twilight.

She never wanted to be a princess. She just wanted a normal life. To be a normal filly that grew into a normal mare, found a normal husband and settled down. Now, she was a Princess, who would never age, never settle down, and was falling for a mare she knew only through letters and one casual visit.

She sighed again and kicked a stone into the ashes, watching it kick up a small cloud.

Just then, a small thought kicked up in the back of her mind; However long you have, it would be worth it.

She smiled at it then looked towards the woodlands. Maybe she should tell Twilight, or wait for her to admit in on her own. She knew Twilight would no doubt come up with a meticulous plan to follow through with, and see to it everything is perfect before she admitted it.

"Well howdy there Princess" a voice said, breaking her out of her train of thought. She looked up, startled, and Applejack let out a laugh.

"Well, that must've been some thought process ya had there Princess" she quipped, and Luna smiled.

"It was. And please, I would prefer if you called me Luna" she said, and Applejack nodded.

"So, what were you thinkin' 'bout?" she asked, and Luna shrugged, looking towards where Twilight and Rarity had disappeared into the bushes.

"Twilight" she said without thinking, and Applejack made a sound of realization. She looked between the trees and her.

"What about her?" she asked, although she already knew.

"Well, I think I love her. And I think she loves me too. I just don't know how to tell her" she said, and Applejack nodded. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had begun to rouse from their sleeps.

"Well, before e'erypony else comes to, Ah think y'all should jus' let her tell you in her own time" she said, and Luna nodded.

"I was going to wait for her to do it first. No doubt she'll have some plan or other that she'll see through to the letter" Luna said with a smile, and Applejack laughed slightly.

"She's always been... methodical in anythin' she does" she said, and Luna laughed with her as the others woke up fully.

"What are we laughing about? Was it a joke? Oh! Was it the one about the cooky old grandpa and his saddlebags?" Pinkie said enthusiastically, leaping out of her sleeping bag and bouncing on the spot, her mane poofing to her signature style as she seemingly drew energy from nowhere. Pinkie's energy only made Luna and Applejack laugh harder as Twilight and Rarity came back to join them.

Twilight and Luna shared a look, time seemed to stop, both lost themselves in the others eyes. Now that they had accepted their own feelings, it left them with blushes kissing their cheeks. Luna still didn't know why Twilight chose her, but she was happy that she had. Twilight sat down on the log next to her.

Chapter Seven

Walking back to the small town of Ponyville, Princess Luna had a lot to occupy her mind. Ever since she came back, up until the fiasco at Nightmare Night, she was an introverted Princess. Never straying too far into realms unknown. She was brought up on a strict set of beliefs, and in one night she had to discard them. It wasn't easy, but she did it. And she could honestly say she couldn't be happier.

The day and night she had spent with Twilight and her friends had reinforced her happiness. She had friends now, and they were the very ponies who had saved her from herself. That time seemed like an eternity ago.

Luna cast a glance around what she could now call her friends, and couldn't help a smile. Rarity was talking animatedly with Applejack, who was trying her best not to look too bored, about how her mane could make her look dazzling if Rarity only had the time with her. Rainbow Dash was flitting a few feet above the group, laughing at Applejack's reactions to Rarity, Pinkie Pie was bouncing next to Fluttershy, rambling to the Pegasus as she walked. Then, her gaze found Twilight.

What could she say about the Unicorn? She was beautiful. Framed against the backdrop of autumn leaves, lavender against gold. The sunrise was in its final stages, providing an orange fire against it. Luna was momentarily stunned, until the unicorn caught her gaze. Luna became lost in a sea of lavender and smiled, causing Twilight to blush, but smile back. Never breaking their contact.

Luna finally broke the gaze and looked forward again, staving off the redness that threatened to show on her blue cheeks. They continued to walk, with Luna making general chat with the 6 friends as she walked. Twilight remained uncharacteristically quiet, even when asked a direct question. She was lost in thought.

She now knew she had to tell Luna how she felt about her, that much was clear, otherwise the pain of keeping the secret would eat at her and eventually ruin their friendship. But Twilight was afraid, for the first time in her life. Careful planning had no place in issues when it came to love, she had read enough books to know that plans never went how they were meant to.

For the first time she felt alone, with no references to help her. And yet she couldn't help but make plans, they could just go back to the library and stay with Luna all day, or they could go out until the party, Twilight could show her around. She didn't know.

Then she looked over at Luna again, and realized something shocking; she didn't care. She should have, she should have been meticulously going over every detail, she had already memorized three confessional speeches, and she should have been petrified, but, oh Celestial sisters those eyes, that mane, her graceful coat, the way she smiled as she kept her eyes forward. It was all so much, and Twilight found herself sighing wistfully.

She was still terrified if Luna said no, but also scared to death if she said yes. What would they do? How would they keep the relationship intact when Luna had to be in Canterlot for most, if not all the day?

Those were questions Twilight didn't know the answer to, nor did she want to know them yet. All she knew is that the day was being wasted, the sun would soon set and Luna would have to leave, and she was determined to tell her before the day ended.

Luna watched her from the corner of her eye, blushing slightly at the sigh. She knew Twilight had been watching her, and that made her tingle all over. The fact that she was loved, desired by somepony was enough to put a smile on her face.

Both were brought back to reality by a pink party pony pouncing into the space between them, beginning to talk in her signature way to the two of them.

"Hey! Just wanted to let you two know, the part that we was meant to have last night is tonight; hopefully you can make it Luna! It wouldn't be the same without you, after all it was Twilight who said we should hold the party specifically to celebrate the meteor shower!" she spoke in a single breath, and Luna raised her eyebrows and Twilight at the last part, to which the Unicorn's blush from earlier only deepened.

Luna giggled at her reaction and smiled at Pinkie.

"Of course I can make it. In fact, I could probably convince my sister to let me have another day off" she said, mostly letting her sentence reach Twilight. Gears in Twilight's head began to turn as she thought about it, then came up with something perfect, and at the same time something that can only be described as insane.

"Luna would you like to stay at the Library?" she asked before she could stop herself, and Luna smiled.

"I would love to, that is, if you have the room" she stated, and Twilight nodded.

"Of course, we have an entire spare bedroom we never use, you can stay there, in fact Spike cleaned it up just yesterday I believe" she explained, and Luna smiled at her.

"Well then I would be delighted Twilight" she said with a smile, and Twilight smiled back. Pinkie Pie looked between them both.

"So, you're coming to the party Princess?" she asked, and Luna nodded.

"Yes, and I hope to see everypony there" she said, looking over the group of friends who smiled at her reassuringly.

"You can count on it!"

"O'course Ah'll come"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, darling"

"Oh, I'll, uh, I'll try to"

They all answered one after the other and she smiled at each of them in turn, and then she looked back at Twilight.

"Of course I'll go" she answered before Luna could ask the question Twilight new was on her mind. The rest of the walk back to town was uneventful, until they all had to split to go their separate ways. Pinkie had to help the Cakes and persuade them to let her take control of the bakery for the party, Rarity had to open her boutique, Fluttershy had her animals to care for, Applejack had her apples to buck, and Rainbow Dash had to 'practice for the Wonderbolts'

That left Luna and Twilight alone, they exchanged a look and Luna smiled at her.

"So, what to do until the party?" Luna asked, and Twilight shrugged.

"I actually have to get back to Spike and the library. I left him alone. I really should stop doing that, maybe I should invite him to the party later" Twilight said, looking towards the library in the distance. Luna laughed slightly.

"I am sure he would love to go" Luna said as they both started walking towards the Library. The walk was in silence, not entirely awkward, more like a comfortable blanket. No words were needed at the time. Around them ponies emerged to head off to work or begin their day, some smiled at Twilight, others bowed in respect to the Princess.

Every time one of them bowed Luna would sigh and motion for them to get up and told them "You don't need to bow" with which they would look confused and wander off.

After the fifth time Twilight grew somewhat confused as well. She turned to the Princess as she waved off another pony who bowed with a gentle smile.

"Luna why don't you like ponies bowing? You ARE royalty you know" she said, and the Princess's face fell.

"I know that. And I don't like being reminded" she stated flatly, and Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean-" she started but was cut off by the Luna's commanding glare and the stern sting words.

"This is a conversation best had behind closed doors Twilight Sparkle, let us wait until we are back at the library" She said very sternly, and Twilight recoiled, ears pressed against her head in sadness. The use of her full name and the archaic language made Twilight feel like she had done something wrong, and inside the Princess was now seething at herself for doing it.

She sighed inwardly as they now walked in an unbroken, uncomfortable silence towards the library. Luna was almost glad when it came within distance to make out details, it meant an end to the silence, but also she would have to impart upon Twilight her secrets as to why she hated ponies bowing before her.

She walked behind her now; eyes cast down as Twilight opened the door and walked inside, turning to watch Luna as she followed. Spike was in the main room dusting off the bookshelves and turned towards the source of the noise.

"Hey Twi! I've just finished dusting the bookshelves and I put all the scrolls and books in the basement! I was about to make some breakfast" he said cheerfully and Twilight smiled.

"Thanks Spike, I don't know what I would do without you" She said with a smile and Spike chuckled to himself.

"Well for one you'd be knee-deep in dust" he quipped and Twilight ruffled his scales.

"Very funny Spike, now what's for breakfast?" she asked and Spike shrugged.

"No idea, we've got enough supplies to make cookies, that's about it, or we have three apples from Applejack left" he sad off the top of his head, and Twilight looked at Luna.

"An apple each should be fine, unless you want to run to the store and get some things?" she asked and Spike shrugged.

"I don't mind, but I'll have to go later anyway, might as well get it done now" he said and Twilight smiled.

"Okay, let me just give you some bits and you can go" she said to him as she walked over to a bookshelf holding a coin purse. She grabbed it with her magic and poured six bits into his outstretched claw. He walked to the door and Twilight followed him, opening the door for him and staying in the doorway until he stood outside.

"So, Twilight" he leaned in to whisper "what's wrong with the Princess?" he asked, casting a furtive look back at the seemingly sad Princess as she stood there idly watching Twilight.

"I don't know, but that's what I intend to find out, she seemed so happy until we walked home. Now go and get some lunch, with luck she'll be happy when you come back" she said with a hopeful smile, and Spike saluted and walked away, the bits held firmly in his claw. Twilight watched him leave with a private smile.

She turned back to the Princess, who was now facing a roaring purple fire in the fireplace. She turned back and regarded Twilight with an attempt at a smile as she sat down on a chair, beckoning her to take a seat next to her.

Twilight trotted over to the seat and sat down, patiently waiting for the Princess to begin. Inside the Princess’s mind, her thoughts waged war with each other, trying to find the correct way to begin. There were so many secrets she kept, some even from herself. She learnt a long time ago not to keep secrets, and yet she couldn't tell anypony about what was now rushing throughout her mind

"You wanted to know why I dislike ponies bowing, it's because with you and your friends, I can pretend that I'm a normal unicorn, and ponies bowing merely remind me that I'm not. I am a Princess. But I never wanted to be" she began, and Twilight leaned in closer, as her voice at the last part dropped to a mere whisper.

Princess Luna's eyes were cast down to the floor, gazing at the wood and tracing patterns along it. It calmed her mind as she continued with her story.

"Twilight, have you ever noticed that me and my sister don't have parents?" she asked her, casting her eyes up to meet with intent lavender. Twilight thought about it for the first time, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"No, but, now that you mention it, that is weird" she said, mostly to herself, as Luna went on.

"It's because they were Alicorns like us. But, unlike us, they were not immortal. An Alicorn exists only as long as their tasks are incomplete, do you understand?" she asked, in case Twilight may have trouble processing it, to which she nodded slowly.

"I think so, you're telling me as long as Celestia has to raise the sun and you make the Night sky you'll live forever?"

Luna nodded almost sadly. "Yes" she said "Our mother and father fulfilled their purpose, theirs was to create and sustain harmony, and they did when they created me and my sister. But they gave me a worse job, and simultaneously the better one. They gave me the night sky, and father told me that the night was a canvas for me to create, so I did. And when no pony admired it, that's when I turned into a Nightmare" she said, and Twilight listened intently. A single tear rolled down the Princesses cheek.

"But I didn't want to be a Princess. I wanted a normal life, with normal friends, and only later did we realize that we reached a certain age before we stopped aging. We were to live forever. I had to watch my friends wither and age while I stayed still" she lamented, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks. Twilight held back her own tears. She wrapped her hooves around her and held her in an embrace as she cried.

"Luna, I had no idea. I'm so sorry" she said, not knowing what else to say. Luna just chuckled as she buried her head in Twilight's neck.

"Not even Celestia knows what I've told you Twilight. Thank you for listening" she said, drawing her head back with a smile. Twilight kept her hooves around her.

"Well, of course I listened. You're my friend" she said with a smile, and Luna watched her intently, seeing if she would make the next move, or whether she would have to do it. Eventually after a full minute of silence and staring into each other's eyes, Luna sighed and fixed her with a straight look.

"But do you want just friendship?" she asked flatly, and Twilight simply blinked and blushed furiously.

"Well... I... uh, maybe...? I don't know... How did you know...?" she asked, and Luna simply smiled.

"When you told me around the fire, you weren't exactly subtle" she quipped and Twilight blushed again.

"Did you really mean what you said?" she asked her, and Twilight nodded, still not looking at her, and Luna turned her head with a gentle hoof.

"I think the same of you Twilight. You're beautiful, smart, funny and kind, all the things that make you perfect" she caressed her hoof along her cheek and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on her lips before she could react. Fireworks danced in Twilight's eyes as their lips brushed together, light as a feather. Before she could become lost, however, she braced her hooves against the Princess's and pushed her back.

"But, you're a Princess, I'm just a unicorn, you'll -mmph!" she was cut off by another kiss, Luna wasn't giving up that easily.

"Yes I am, and whatever time we have will be magical, don't ruin it now, you want this, I want this, I love you Twilight, do you Love me?" she asked and Twilight nodded, pressing her lips back to the princess's and cupping her face with her hooves. Luna's snaked around Twilight's back and pulled her closer, their fur rubbing together as their lips locked together.

The thing that made them part was a voice from the door.

"Geez Twilight I know you said you'd make her happy, I didn't think you meant like that" he said as he moved past them with a bag of groceries. They both separated, blushing, then giggling at each other.

"I got us all a salad, and you have 3 bits change Twilight" he called from the kitchen, and Twilight looked at Luna and smiled.

Luna smiled right back and kissed her on the nose playfully.

"Come on Twilight, time for lunch"

It was just a kiss. An oh so fiery kiss. It was a simple caress. One that left her nerves tingling at the ghost of a touch. Luna's lips were so soft, so pliant, so gentle, yet they held back a fire that Twilight was scared to unleash. As she sat at the table, idly pawing at her salad, she thought about that kiss. She longed to return it in its intensity.

That was her first kiss as well. Her first ever kiss, and it was with a Princess. Not just any Princess, Princess Luna to be precise. A dopey smile would likely be plastered on her face for the rest of the day. She took a bite out of one of the lettuce leaves and her gaze caught Luna's, who smiled and gave her a wink. Twilight giggled in response and felt her cheeks light up.

Spike sighed as he ate his salad. "If you two are gonna be all lovey-dovey can I please finish this in the other room?" he asked them and Twilight glared at him.

"Spike, you don't see me complaining when you fawn over Rarity, so please just enjoy your meal" she said with a sweet smile and a slight hint of mischievousness in her eyes, watching Spike's face heat up from the blush. Luna placed her hooves over her mouth and let out a stifled laugh at the pair. Sometimes they were as catty as a brother and sister, and sometimes they were as loving as a mother and son. She continued to smile as Spike fell silent and Twilight returned to her salad with a self-satisfied look.

"I don't fawn over Rarity, I admire her" Spike weakly defended, and Twilight simply shook her head at the pitiful excuse. Luna cleared her throat and got the pairs attention.

"So, there is a party at Sugarcube corner tonight, what are everyone's plans until then?" she asked, clearly trying to change the subject and spare the young dragon any further embarrassment. Twilight shrugged and looked around.

"To be honest I have nothing to do but re-shelve the library, my schedule for the month says that this is one of my days off, and during those days all I do is read or re-shelve the library" she explained somewhat sheepishly, resorting to making herself look as small as possible. Luna laughed and smiled at her.

"A day of reading sounds wonderful, perhaps I could join you?" she asked gently, almost as embarrassed to ask as Twilight was to reveal it. But now she smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically, all traces of her sheepish look and blush fading from her face.

The rest of the meal progressed in relative silence, Twilight and Luna still stole the occasional furtive glance at each other, much to the ire of the young dragon sitting next to them, but he didn't mind, Twilight had come up with a very valid point earlier, every time he fawned over Rarity she had dealt with it, he guessed it was true he owed her a small ounce of tolerance for her not-so-secret glances at each other.

That didn't stop him from finishing his salad quickly and messily, hastily jumping down from the table and placing the dish in the sink, almost running into the living room. Should she ask him later it was because he was preparing her favourite reading spot for her and Luna, and placing an assortment of fiction and non-fiction titles around said spot. In truth he wanted to be as far away from the sickly aura of love as possible. He wasn't ready to see two mares making out just yet. He shivers still at the thought.

In the kitchen, Luna and Twilight watched him leave, before turning back to each other. Twilight smiled awkwardly.

"Perhaps we should be careful with the amount of affection we share around him" she offered, and Luna nodded.

"Indeed, we wouldn't want to scar the poor thing would we? But until we're alone..." she leant over and whispered in Twilight's ear "I'm waiting to continue our kiss in the living room" she whispered as quietly and sultrily as she could, before resuming her salad like nothing happened, leaving a very flustered Twilight to blush in her seat.

They finished the salad and Twilight placed the dishes with Spike's in the sink, before turning to join Luna in walking into the living room, to find four silken cushions lay out on the floor by her assistant who smiled at her and bade a hasty retreat from the living room to do the dishes in the sink. Twilight looked at Luna and motioned her head towards the cushions.

"That's my favourite reading spot, right near the fireplace, and the cushions are so comfortable sometimes I fall asleep" she admitted, her eyes glazing at fond memories. Luna smiled and nuzzled her cheek, breaking her out of her stupor.

"Shall we then?" she asked with a tender smile, and Twilight nodded, walking over to one of the pairs of cushions and laying on them with a satisfied sigh. Luna followed suit, lying beside her, and idly gazed around the books that adorned the shelves.

"So, tell me, Twilight, what are we going to read?" she asked, and Twilight shrugged.

"I have no clue, Spike always gives me too many books" she shifted through some of the tomes, a few were old and battered, and others were fresh and new. Twilight levitated one with her magic, the title read, The Winter's Tale, by Shakespeare. Twilight smiled and showed it to Luna.

"What about some classic literature, it would be nice to have somepony with me who understands some of the words" she said with a grin, and Luna chuckled, slipping into her archaic language.

"I would certainly be honoured to translate the idioms imprinted on the page, dear Twilight, however I am required to analyse their context before any observational judgments or translations can be made" she said, and laughed at Twilight's confused expression. She decided to brush it off and gripped the book with her magic, alleviating it from Twilight's control.

The brief sensation of their magic auras caressing each other was enough to make both of them shiver at the unexpected sensation, the course feeling, yet silky transition. It was strange, yet Twilight made a note to repeat it. Luna tried to stifle a blush as she opened the book and set it between them. Twilight rested her head on Luna's shoulder.

"Luna, would you mind reading it out loud?" she asked her sheepishly, and Luna chuckled, kissing her on the forehead.

"Of course Twilight" she said, before clearing her throat an turning the page of contents to the first line, skimming it, she turned to Twilight.

"Forgive me Twilight, but this is not the work of Shakespeare, his works were that of plays, this is in prose" she said, and Twilight nodded.

"Yes, it was specially printed by the Canterlot Archives in the form of prose, so that those that didn't want to see it performed could still enjoy it" she explained duly, and Luna turned back to it.

"Very well..." she replied, reading the first few lines.

A grand antechamber stretches out before the two men, were it not for the fact that both had been present here before, they would have thought this room served as the main room for any and all Royal events in Leontes palace. The two men in question, Camillo and Archidamus, can be heard by any wandering vagabond passing by, even if they are speaking in rather hushed tones, not for the reason of plotting, but rather the want to keep private a conversation betwixt them.
"If you shall chance, Camillo, to visit Bohemia, on the like occasion whereon my services are now on foot, you shall see, as I have said, great difference betwixt our Bohemia and your Sicilia" Archidamus says, harkening back to a previous conversation, whereupon Camillo refused to believe there were s many differences between their home nations. He shook his head and duly replied.

"I think, this coming summer, the King of Sicilia means to pay Bohemia the visitation which he justly owes him..."

When the book finally closed, an entire three hours had passed. Luna had been brought to tears during some of the reading, not because of sadness, but laughter. The play had been comical back when she had been it as a filly, and it was equally so as a work of prose. Twilight hadn't understood some of the jokes, but Luna dutifully explained them to her, and had earned a giggle or two from her.

Twilight had been more occupied by the way she was reading than anything else, the way her voice made the words come alive with passion, or love, or humour, Twilight had been sitting there, more enraptured by the motion of the Princess' mouth moving and forming silken words, than with the actual jokes and words of Shakespeare.

"Tis a shame" Luna spoke, caressing the book like a childhood heirloom. "Shakespeare was incredible at creating, a master wordsmith, yet he never really thought his plays were perfect. He kept striving for perfection, not realizing what he had in front of him the whole time" she laughed blankly, then turned to Twilight, smiling genuinely.

"So" she said "How did I do reading?" she asked coyly, and Twilight just stammered out a response.
"W-w-well, uh, you were... I'm trying to find a better word than Amazing, but nothing comes to mind" she said, and Luna blushed deeply, resting her head against Twilight's and sighing, content.

"So, what other books do you have?"

Twilight's gentle breathing was a soothing balm, and the way her eyelids fluttered as her head was buried in her mane was adorable to say the least. Luna couldn't help but watch and smile like a goofy love struck fool. She stroked some of Twilight's lavender mane away from her face as she was scrunching her eyes and trying to blow it away, and when she did so Twilight leaned into the touch and rested her full weight on Luna.

Spike came in from the basement after sorting a few things that Twilight had asked him to take down there, seeing the sleeping form of Twilight resting against the princess, he smiled, shaking his head.

“She works too much sometimes" he stated and Luna nodded, still watching her. Spike crouched down on his haunches. "You know, when she heard you were coming she stayed up all night finalizing the details" he said fondly, and Luna looked at him in wonder.

"All night?" she asked and Spike nodded in affirmation. He finally got up and walked to the stairs.

"If Twilight wakes up, tell her I'm cleaning up the bedroom if she needs me" he said with a smile and Luna nodded, going back to her observations of the Lavender Unicorn lying beside her. She shifted and her face contorted in an expression of discomfort. Luna smiled and braced her hooves against her to keep her in her position as she stood. Twilight's head fell slightly, and Luna picked her up, laying her on the couch and covering her with a blanket.

Twilight latched onto her hoof tightly and refused to let go, prompting the dark Alicorn to laugh slightly and kiss her forehead.

"Move over so I can lay next to you then" she said and Twilight shifted herself back so her back pressed against the back of the couch. Luna lifted the blanket and lay down next to Twilight, feeling the comforting feeling of her breath on the back of her neck. Twilight's hooves wrapped around her and pulled her tight against Twilight's prone form, and Luna smiled, letting her eyes shut. The blanket wasn't big enough to cover both of them, but Luna didn't mind having a bit of her exposed to the cold. Twilight's body was warm and comforting, and she soon felt herself drifting into a peaceful slumber.

There was a broken mirror shard on the floor; a single pool of quicksilver against the blackness on the floor. Luna gingerly stepped towards it and lifted it with her hooves, bringing herself to look into it. What she saw made her recoil and step back. A mare with black coat, silvery blue armour adorning her head, wing-guards and leg-guards, a battle ready chest-plate made of the finest onyx and silver interwoven in lace-like patterns.

The mare smiled, baring fangs, which was when Luna dropped the shard, which shattered into a thousand pieces, each one piercing the night of the dream-scape, letting through a blinding bright light. Each piece enlarged, some shading themselves over, connecting with ones that grew brighter than the stars. The light that invaded from the holes had made Luna turn away, obscuring the appearance of the mare from the shard of the mirror.

The pieces and the light now solidified into a towering figure, that loomed over Luna, wings proudly outstretched as she stepped closer to the frightened Princess, who took a step back.

"Greetings, fair Luna" the mare said, before bowing in mock reverence. Luna's face broke into a scowl, as she whispered the creature's name.

"Nightmare..." Luna trailed off, no more words necessary. Nightmare looked at her and smiled again, those eyes boring into her brain, almost hypnotic in their intensity.

"So you went against my advice, and admitted your misguided feelings for your sister's pupil" she stated, and Luna stood firm and resolute in her reply.

"My feelings were hardly misguided, and-" she began a long, detailed explanation in her mind before Nightmare cut her off.

"You refer to them in past tense. Maybe 'tis worse than I feared, you have already convinced yourself it is over" she said with a smile, and Luna recoiled.

"How dare you presume.." and again Luna was cut off.

"I do not presume anything Luna. I know you. I AM you. You fear that Twilight will get tired of watching you stay as you are, and end things before their time, You fear for Twilight, that she will never have a family because with you that is impossible. Now prove me wrong" she said, and watched Luna's reaction.

Luna simply smiled and shook her head.

"Yes I do. All of those things I fear. But after a thousand years with you I learnt something; selfishness. I have Twilight, and nopony else does. And I'll hold on to her for as long as I can. Be it for one day, or one thousand. Now for the first time in nearly two thousand years, I have found love, and you shall not take it away from me. Now leave me ALONE!" She yelled the last word in the Royal Canterlot Voice, and delivered a decisive left hook through the dream Nightmare, letting it disintegrate into smoke.

Luna awoke peacefully, and saw that she was now face to face with Twilight's deep lavender eyes. A smile instantly formed on her lips as she leaned forward and stole a kiss from her. Twilight moaned in surprise, but returned it with a fervor that surprised Luna.

Luna quickly pulled away and stroked through her mane, melting the pink stripe into the lavender and leaving it in a beautiful disarray for the normally sleek and studiously neat Unicorn.

"How long have you been watching me?" she asked as she continued to stroke through her mane, feeling Twilight sigh as her chest rubbed against Luna's She could feel Twilight's breath ghosting across her face.

"A while. You're beautiful when you sleep, and you had the most adorable smile before you woke up" she said, giggling slightly, and Luna smiled too.

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked, and Luna smiled wider.

"Dispelling a Nightmare" she said cryptically, and Twilight furrowed her brow before Luna kissed her again, deeply this time, continuing her ministrations on Twilight's scalp.

Twilight broke away, and Luna followed before Twilight stopped her with a hoof.

"As much as I'd like to, we have a party to attend, and Spike's still here" she said, and Luna sighed heavily, wrapping her hooves around her and pulling her close.

"Soon you won't be able to use them as excuses" she whispered with half-lidded azure eyes and a grin that had Twilight flustered for some reason.

Doubly so when she leaned closer so their cheeks pressed together and she whispered the next part in a hushed, sultry whisper.

"But I am a very patient mare" she said with a giggle, knowing the effect she was having on the Unicorn, who was currently i the process of inventing new colours in which to blush. Luna laughed and delivered a kiss on her cheek before she tried to untangle herself from Twilight's limps and extradite herself from the couch. Twilight saw her situation and attempted to do the same, but only managed to push Luna off the couch, taking her with her.

They both tumbled to the floor, Twilight landing on top of Luna who grunted.

"Oh my, are you okay Luna?" she asked before Luna laughed loudly, Twilight soon joining in, their laughter filling the library. They eventually stopped and Twilight looked Luna in the eyes, wanting to kiss her so badly.

"W-we should really be getting ready for the party" Twilight stuttered, and Luna smiled that devilish smile that made Twilight automatically blush.

"Well, you are the one on top" she said with a chuckle, and Twilight blushed an exceedingly deep shade of crimson for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that evening. Twilight clambered off of the Princess and helped her up.

"I'll, uh, I'll be in the shower. I won't be long" she said quickly before disappearing up the stairs. Luna went to say something before she stopped. She sighed and sat down, wondering if she had been too forward with the young mare. She was, for all intents and purposes, innocent to the ways of the world, and she had just been, well, an outrageous flirt.

She scoffed at herself and lay back on the couch, letting her head rest on the back of it. She heard the sound of running water from the staircase and idly turned her head towards it.

Twilight sighed deeply and let the warm water cascade down her body, shaking her head to clear the images of Luna splayed out on the floor before her, her mane lying around and framing her perfect face, that grin that set her blood aflame and those eyes, once holding innocent compassion, were then filled with something that Twilight could only describe as lust.

She sighed as she felt the soothing waters take away her worries, washing them away with any dirt from the forest down the drain. She just stood for a few minutes, hooves braced against the wall as the waters hit the base of her neck and travelled into her mane, matting it to her face in silky waves, much like a waterfall cascading down an amethyst cliff face.

But then, they were replaced by the issue of the mare downstairs. The strong, confident, flirtatious mare who had her flustered to the point where she could barely speak.
Two days ago it was hard to imagine Princess Luna kissing her, let alone lusting after her and flirting so blatantly. Twilight shuddered and thought, allowing her mind to become clouded with the images of the Princess kissing her tenderly as she gently pressed her back onto a silky mattress at the castle in Canterlot...

She shook her head and blushed deeply, switching the setting of the shower to 'Cold' and grabbing for the shampoo and shower gel, levitating them in her soft magi field, applying some shampoo in her hooves, she reared up to her hind legs and massaged the shampoo into her soft mane, letting her hooves gently massage her scalp.

She sighed and forgot her troubles yet again, allowing the scent of the lavender shampoo to transport her to a field filled with the purple plant.

Had she not been lost in the massage, she would have heard the door open. She might have noticed the shower curtain open. She might have noticed the presence beside hers sooner. As it happens the only warning she got was a pair of hooves stroking along her own, now buried within her own mane. Her eyes flew open and she wheeled around, coming face to face with a smiling Luna.

"Hello Twilight" she said, and Twilight's mouth hung open.

"Luna! I'm taking a shower here!" she said, blushing deeply and trying to cover herself up, causing Luna to chuckle.

"Yes I know, and I felt, rather than wait and risk running late for the party, I could, how shall I put this... share the water?" she said with that smile, oh Celestial Divines that smile! She felt herself blushing just seeing it. Luna's hooves moved and combed through her mane and spread the shampoo.

"But first, that water is really cold, let's 'heat it up'" she whispered, and giggled as Twilight sighed deeply, Luna leaned over her, pressing her closer against the stream as she turned the tap and warmed the water up. Their bodies fitted together like pieces of a puzzle, and Luna's hooves were weaving their magic on her mane so expertly, Twilight's legs buckled as she stood there.

Twilight's eyes fluttered closed at the gentle ministrations of Luna's gentle hooves, the water created a relaxing background static as her hooves caressed her and gave her the best and first scalp massage in her life. Twilight couldn't suppress a gentle sigh, which turned into low mumbling as those hooves, oh those magical hooves, began to move down her neck, gently massaging her.

The hooves moved from her neck to her shoulders, rubbing and kneading the knots out of them. Luna levitated the shower gel over to her and squeezed some over her shoulders, spreading it over her fur, moving down her chest, working it into Twilight's soft coat, eliciting slight gasps and subtle moans from her lips. Luna worked her hooves over her chest and stomach, the water washing over her back as she stood on her hind legs.

Luna leaned down and whispered in her ear "turn around" and Twilight did, baring her back to the Princess and letting the water hit her front, washing away the shower gel. Luna's hooves repeated the movements, starting in her mane; washing out the shampoo and making Twilight's head roll from side to side.

Luna smiled as Twilight let out another sigh, and once her mane was free of the shampoo, Luna's hooves trailed down her neck and across her shoulders spreading the shower gel over her back, gently kneading the soft muscles. Twilight let out a hearty moan as her hooves hit a sore spot on her shoulder that she pulled when she fell off the couch with Luna.

Luna washed her back with care and devotion, leaning in to plant a kiss on her neck, brushing away her mane as she did so. A hoof went around her front and pulled Twilight close to her own body. Luna was now caught in the stream of water, her mane losing its ethereal movements and laying down the side of her face in rivulets of midnight blue.
The contours and curves of Twilight's body were now snuggled against Luna's, who was now rubbing her hooves across Twilight's chest seductively, making her moan again.

Luna smiled as she kissed her neck and pulled her even closer to her, one of her hooves rubbing down her stomach. Twilight half wanted to stop her, but wherever her hooves touched, it left a trail of fire on her nerves. She was biting her lip, trying to keep herself from grinding herself into Luna.

Luna leaned in close and whispered her name into her ear, "Twilight..." and then again, quite loudly "Twilight!"

Twilight jolted and came back to reality, finding a hoof on her stomach, and the other on her neck where 'Luna' had been kissing. She looked around, finding herself alone in the shower, and Luna called her name again.

"Twilight? Are you alright? You've been in the shower for quite some time now" she called up the stairs, and Twilight blushed like a beet red tomato as she realized she had been fantasizing the whole thing. She realized the water was still cold, and she was shivering. She shut off the water and got out, calling to Luna shakily.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, I'll just... just be a minute" she dried herself quickly and leaned on the doorframe, sighing and rubbing her eyes with a hoof. It had felt so real, so very real.

Twilight was blushing again, and nearly resorted to slapping herself with her hoof, but
simply shook her head to dispel the last of the images, she walked out of the bathroom, and collided with a very real Luna, who 'oofed' and smiled at her.

"Ah so you are finally done, I was about to come in and see if you were alright" she said with a gentle, compassionate smile, which promptly disappeared. "I also wanted to apologize for my behaviour earlier, when I..." she cleared her throat "Flirted with you, I realize I may have been a bit forward, and I want to make it up to you" she finished with another smile, motioning for her to go into the bedroom.

Twilight blushed and did so, standing in the doorway, looking around 'I am in my bedroom. Alone. With Luna. Trying not to see this as an implication or a metaphor' she thought with warming cheeks. If anymore blood went to her head she was sure she would pass out.

Luna passed her and picked up a brush from the vanity, motioning her head for her to sit, which she did, sitting at the desk and placing her hooves on it. Luna set the brush in her mane and drew it along the strands, straightening them and letting it fall down her neck gracefully. The mane brushing was over very quickly and Luna placed a hoof through it once more time and sighed appreciatively.

"Ah, I think I have done a good job, do you not think so to?" she asked her, and Twilight nodded her head, looking at her freshly brushed mane, feeling even to her like freshly spun silk. She smiled as she touched it. It wasn't different than her normal style, but Luna ha somehow managed to make it so the pink strip was somehow wavy, ever so slightly, but it was a nice touch.

Luna kissed her cheek.

"I am going to have quick shower and then we can get going" She said with a smile and walked away. Twilight watched her flanks as they swayed away out the door, before thumping her head on the vanity.

It's gonna be a long night...

Chapter Eight

Anypony who knew what a party at sugarcube corner was like on a normal day/night, they knew to expect music by the one and only DJ-PON-3, a dance floor the size of half the ground floor, cakes and sweets to rival Canterlot imported produce, and drinks to make a pony forget their own name should they drink too much. That was a party for a new arrival. This was a party for a Royal Princess. Everything was bigger, better, and instead of 50% proof there was 75% proof. Pinkie had spared no expense on everything at the party, from the hoof baked cupcakes and muffins to the strobe lights outside and the spotlights on the roof.

Twilight and Luna, as they left the library, could see them rotating and sending up beams of light into the night sky. Luna's mouth hung agape and Twilight giggled at her reaction.

"This is nothing, you should have seen her Hearths Warming Party" she said as she walked towards the light, where the sound of the bass grew greater and greater. The walk was in silence, the two mares watching the stars and listening to the ever so faint dubtrot music by the town's resident DJ, with a little bit of Cello music thrown in there as well.

The music grew louder, the vibrations under the mare's hooves growing until they were shaking as they stood outside the door. They gave each other a look, and Twilight shouted over the music.

"Not exactly the Grand Galloping Gala I know, but it's fun, come on" she walked towards the door and opened it, allowing Luna to enter first. The music hit them both like a tsunami, the heavy bass and loud drums hitting Luna full force and forcing her to take a step back, her mane frazzled, tiara loose and eyes blinking rapidly, she stepped inside to a rave, strobe lights were flashing inside and ponies were wearing glowing hoof bands. Pinkie bounced over to them nearly instantly.

"Hey girls! I was so glad you could make it! Isn't it amazing? I called in a few favours from Vinyl for the music and Derpy for the shipment of hoof bands!" she slapped one on Twilight's hoof and another onto Luna's, who looked at it curiously, then to the ponies dancing.

"Do you girls want a drink? It's the good stuff, all the way from Stalliongrad" she bounced over to the table set aside with the drinks and snacks and poured the drink into the cups, giving one to each of them, a blue glow enveloping one, a purple glow capturing the other, they then proceeded to bounce somewhere into the crowd of ponies, disappearing among the dancing bodies.

Luna took a look at her drink, then to Twilight who smiled at her reassuringly.

"Take it slow" she warned with her smile morphing into a devilish grin, as she took a sip of her drink and shuddered. Luna looked down at the clear liquid and swirled it once, before drinking a gulp of it. Her eyes widened, her throat burned, and she felt tingly all over. She coughed and nearly dropped the cup, staggering a little. Twilight caught her and laughed.

"I warned you" she shouted over the noise, still giggling as she drunk some more of her own drink. Luna giggled as well, feeling a bit weird, her vision seemed to be hazy, but yet it had never been clearer. She felt the beat of the music and smiled at Twilight, downing the rest of her drink and, to her credit, only suffering a minor coughing fit.

"I wanna dance, come on!" she said with a smile, griping Twilight's hoof and pulling her towards the crowd, making Twilight drop her drink in surprise, the cup spinning once in mid-air before falling. Luna pushed through the crowd and pulling Twilight with her.

"Princess, are you sure you want to dance?" she asked her, pulling back to try and slow her down, but Luna had already reached the middle of the floor.

"Of course! The music is too good not to!" She looked around at everyone, gauging that a few more modern dance moves were required, apart from the old ones she was used to. No matter, this was what practice was for.

"But, do you know how to dance?!" Twilight yelled and Luna smiled, and began to move like everyone else along with the music, Twilight watched her with a slack jaw. She just stood watching her for a song. The Princess was honestly quite a good dancer. Luna saw her look and giggled.

"What?! A thousand years is a long time! I had a lot to catch up on! And catch up I did!" she giggled as she pulled off some mediocre break dancing moves, making a few ponies glance her way. She continued to dance as the songs transitioned, flawlessly like a flowing river.

"Hey!" One of them shouted "Isn't that the Princess?!"

That drew attention, Luna continued to gyrate and move like an element of the music herself, she beckoned for Twilight to join her, but she blushed and shook her head.

"I can't dance!" she yelled over the music, and Luna sighed, grabbing her and pulling her into the middle of the dance floor where a plethora of ponies observed them. Twilight looked around nervously from face to face, until she heard a voice whisper to her.

"Just do as I do, okay?" she turned and saw the Princess with a warm smile. Lost in the smile of a Princess having fun, and wanting to share the experience, she nodded.

"Okay Luna, I'll try to" she said and Luna smiled, beginning to dance once more, Twilight mirroring her actions and, after a while, the two of them danced together in a haze of movements. The Princess was idly aware of cheering around her, but only had ears for the thumping rhythms of the bass. The world faded away to just Twilight and Luna moving in synchronization with each other.

They slowly closed the gap between them and met together, and very quickly the dance grew sensual. They began to press their bodies together, dancing with and around one another.

Song became song, merging with each other as the ponies around them watched whilst dancing themselves. They cheered and clapped and egged the couple on.

At first Twilight was apprehensive, but the movements of Luna enticed her to join in, and soon their fur rubbed in a passionate dance to the dubtrot music, when the song ended they drew each other in for a heated kiss, and the cheers intensified as the ponies realized they had been privy to two ponies in love sharing a dance together. They both looked around, Twilight blushing, Luna laughing.
The mare on stage, Vinyl Scratch, pointed to them.

"How 'bout a hoof for the happy couple!" she shouted, and clapped her hooves together, the rest of the party followed suit, and it drove the pair apart, Twilight blushing profusely and Luna having a faint pink tinge on her cheeks. She grabbed her hoof again and pulled Twilight through the crowd, back to where the others were sitting. Fluttershy was resting her head on the back of the booth, no doubt drinking just plain water. Pinkie was talking animatedly with Rarity, and Rainbow and Applejack had somehow found themselves in a hoof wrestle.

The pair sat down, pulling up some chairs from nearby tables that weren't being used.

"Oh! Princess! Congrats on the dancing! I never knew you could dance like that, I mean everypony can dance but not many can like that!" she said happily, and the others agreed, even the pair hoof wrestling, though their eyes never left each other.

"Yes it was simply splendid, for this type of party that is" Rarity said, sipping her drink demurely, intending it as a veiled compliment. Luna thanked them both, and Twilight looked over the Dash and Applejack.

"What're they doing?" She asked and Fluttershy looked up.

"They're having a drinking game, whenever somepony loses they have to take a drink" she said with a small smile, and Luna looked at their cups, which were both still full.

"But, their drinks..."

"Nopony's won yet" Pinkie said dramatically, and the others chuckled, all except the mares engaged in the fierce hoof wrestle, sweat now pouring off their brows and Applejack made a little bit of progress, but Rainbow soon retorted and set it back to a stalemate.

Pinkie bounced up and quickly brought two drinks over for Luna and Twilight, Luna drinking slowly and Twilight leaving hers alone for the moment. They watched the on-going battle for some time until Applejack finally began to make some headway, pushing Rainbow's hoof slowly down to the table, and with one mighty push, onto the table with a loud *bang*, throwing her hooves into the air with victory.

Rainbow huffed, clearly annoyed.

"Beginner's luck AJ" she said with a smirk and Applejack scoffed.

"Be a good sport Dash, an' drink up!" She said with a chuckle, and Dash sighed, grabbing her drink and downing the whole thing, coughing once before shuddering slightly.

"Hey AJ! How 'bout a rematch?" she asked with a smile, and Applejack shook her head, placing her Stetson on her head and getting up.

"Naw, Ah need to get up early in the mornin', and it's already midnight" she squeezed past Dash and the others and walked towards the door waving to Pinkie.

"Great party as usual Pinks" she said as she waved again and stepped out the door, everypony else saying a fond farewell. The others bade her farewell, and Rainbow sighed, setting her hooves on the table.

"Well, now there's no one else here to hoof wrestle I might head home as well. Unless any of you wanna try your luck?" she asked cockily, eyeing the others in the room. Her gaze found the Princess, and the Princess blinked, then smirked, placing her hoof on the table, signalling she was ready.
Rainbow chuckled and gripped her hoof.

"On three" she said, and Luna nodded.

"Three!" Rainbow yelled and pressed on Luna's hoof, which was nearly pushed to the table in the split second she had taken to react. She pushed back, and Rainbow's hoof was pushed ever closer towards its imminent place on the table. Luna allowed herself a smug smile as Rainbow struggled with a look of surprise as she plunged to her last depths of strength to try and push the Princess back.

Luna smiled a bit wider and pushed Rainbow's hoof down to the table with a *thud*

Luna raised her hooves in the air in triumph.

"Whoo!" she exclaimed and Rainbow rubbed her hoof, staring at the Princess in dis-belief.

"I... I lost..." she said and Luna chuckled, looking around the table at the shocked faces of the others, she waved a hoof.

"Oh, don't look so shocked. After the Changeling invasion the Princesses were trained alongside the guards, we're stronger faster and tougher than we were before now" she smiled and winked at Rainbow, who grumbled and sighed.

"I can understand losing to AJ, but, no offence Princess, not to YOU" she said as she flexed her hoof a bit and Luna chuckled again, placing a hoof on her shoulder sympathetically.

"Maybe next time Rain" she chuckled and Rainbow sighed, drinking some more of her drink, and Luna did the same with a smile. Twilight smiled at Luna and chuckled.

"I could never do that Princess, now whose the most powerful?" she asked coyly and Luna rolled her eyes, nuzzling her cheek against the smaller mare’s.

"You are magically, but I'm stronger physically, deal?" she asked and Twilight nodded.

"Deal" Twilight agreed, and hugged her, to which Luna reciprocated by wrapped her hooves around Twilight as well.

Pinkie 'awwed', Rarity wiped away a tear with a silken hooferchief she apparently materialized from nowhere, Fluttershy smiled sweetly and Rainbow still looked like she was sulking from her loss, but still grinned at the pair.

"Right" Luna said, startling them all somewhat as they listened. "I think we all need another drink hmm?" She blinked and slurred her words ever so slightly as she attempted to get up and grab everypony another drink.

Twilight shook her head slightly and gripped her with a hoof, pulling her back to the seat.

"Luna, I think we need to go home, need to make sure Spikes asleep and I ink I'd prefer if you're not hungover and wishing for death in the morning" she said with a giggle and Luna smiled, leaning her head on Twi's shoulder.

"Oh, you always look out for me Twi" she said with a smile and nuzzled into her, making Twilight blush slightly and cleared her throat.

"W-well, I think it's time for us to go. Thank you Pinkie for another wonderful party and I'll see you soon" she said as she got up, pulling the princess with her, with Pinkie waving at them both.
"Bye girls!"

The walk home was fun for both parties, with Luna stumbling and tripping and leaning on the lavender mare, who giggled as well as she was ever so slightly tipsy as well. The cobbled pathway and concrete roads seemed to shift and twist before them treacherously, with Luna stumbling now every other step and almost fully leaning on Twilight.

"Oh I am so tired Twilight..." she groaned and her eyes closed, letting the smaller mare lead her down the road.

Twilight simply nodded and continued to walk towards the library, which was now in sight just around the next corner. In no time at all she was unlocking the door and leading the Princess in, almost carrying her up the stairs and to her room placing her on the bed and taking off her crown and decorative shoes, placing them on the set of draws beside the bed.

Twilight gently stroked Luna's mane and Luna smiled up at her, no words were spoken, and none were needed. Twilight then turned to walk out of the room, but was stopped by Luna's hoof on hers.

"Twilight, please stay. I don't want you to go tonight" she said pleadingly, and Twilight looked around nervously. She was about to share a bed with a Princess, so she was naturally very nervous.
"W-w-well, I, uh, I don't think..." she began, but Luna cut her off.

"Please Twilight? Just stay here, I promise my intentions are chaste" she smirked wryly and Twilight blushed as she nodded.

"O-okay Luna, I'll stay" She whispered with a shy smile, walking over to the bed and climbing into it, Luna immediately pulling her body into hers and kissing her cheek, smiling as she hugged her, making Twilight blush, but smile all the same as they both fell into a very deep, alcohol-induced sleep.

The morning brought something new for Luna, a voice and an earthquake that shook her awake, the voice belonged to a frantic Twiliht who looked nearly catatonic with fear, except she was shaking her, which was the source of the earthquake. Then she realized the voice was her trying to rouse her.

"Luna! Luna wake up! Wake up something terrible has happened!" she nearly yelled, and Twilight sat bolt upright, staring into the intense teal eyes, her hangover instantly forgotten.

"What is it?"

Oh cliffhangers, how I love them so :3

Chapter Nine

Luna stared at the things on the table the way a farmer would a poisonous snake, or the way a firefighter may stare down a flammable object. She gulped as she saw what they were; A letter from Twilight's brother, another letter from her parents, one from Celestia, the seal still intact, and a newspaper, face down on the table.

She gulped and looked at Twilight, who's mane was askew and sticking out in every which way. Twilight smiled nervously and Luna offered a reassuring one in return.

"Don't worry Twi, it won't be as bad as you think" she said, then turned back to the table, taking another tentative step before adding silently to herself, I hope.

The first letter she picked up was the letter from Twilight's parents. The familiar blue glow of her magic enveloped the scroll and brought it close as she unfurled it and began to read.

Twilight it started sharply, and Luna nearly winced at the force behind that word alone. The impression on the parchment was quiet clear, and had nearly tore through the material.

Twilight.

We saw the paper, and we must say we are both thrilled and concerned. For one thing, you never said you had found yourself a Marefriend, and we're your parents, we should be kept in the loop about such things. But, the paper. What we saw in the paper shocked us. When you went to Ponyville to continue your studies we didn't know you'd be partying with Canterlot's most elite Princess, uh, don't tell Celestia we said that, but, anyway, we're a little worried about whether or not you're really taking your studies seriously.

We're coming to Ponyville, and before you say anything or send a letter back, you can't stop us. Hopefully your Marefriend, Princess Luna, is still there when we get there, because she and I are going to have words, and I don't care if she IS an all powerful goddess. Hell hath no fury like that of a mother and father, or something.

Anyways, we're heading out as soon as we send this, we should be there by nightfall. Oh, and your brother's coming too, he said he'll send you a letter as well.

Hoping to see you soon your parents, Midnight and Dusk.

Luna gulped and set the letter back on the table. That one scared her. Her sister could make threats and give her 'That Look' but a talking to from her marefriend's parents?

To be quiet honest she'd rather be staring down the jaws of a Hydra without her horn or her wings. Twilight stepped closer and ran a hoof comfortingly down Luna's back, to which Luna was very grateful. She looked at her and smiled.

"Well, I guess it can only get better... right?" she smiled hopefully and Twilight looked down at the letters from Celestia and Shining Armor. She gripped one in her lavender field and levitated it to Luna.

"Read that one" she said simply, and Luna gripped it in her own magical aura, ignoring the tingling sensations of pure magics rubbing together in favour of remaining focused and in reality.

She unfurled the scroll, and was met by a rather neat cursive writing lightly applied to the parchment, which comforted her slightly. But the way Twilight had said 'read this' was not.

Twi, I just saw the paper. Mom and Dad are furious, they say they might bring you back to Canterlot, they say that they're coming to Ponyville and they want to force me along and all ah! Damn it!

The letter was cut off by a large purple stain that covered some of the writing, and a large ink splotch where the quill was laid on the paper. Luna became confused, and didn't take this as a good sign.

Mom and dad are arguing, dad just threw that expensive vase you brought him last year for his birthday. Pieces are everywhere Twi. Right, I'm coming to Ponyville too, dad's forcing me. And I don't feel like getting into an argument with him just yet, Dad's already threatening to have the stars ripped from the sky if he must to get Luna to... well... I'll let him explain personally.

Just, be col Twi, okay I'll be there for support. And if Luna is there too I'm sure we can all stand up to them. But you are still my sister, so Luna and I will be having the standard brother-lover talk.

See you soon sis. Bye.

She put the letter down, and Twilight nodded.

"Yeah, its bad. My parents and my brother. Luna, what are we going to do?" she stared at the thinking, elegant form of Luna, eyes glued to the table and she smiled and turned to Twilight, placing a hoof on her cheek.

"Well, first, we're going to read the letter from Celestia, then the paper, and then we're both going to go upstairs, have a shower, and then get some coffee because my head really hurts" she giggled and Twilight smiled as Luna playfully shook her.

"But Luna, what if.." she began, but was cut off by Luna's hoof over her lips.

"No, no 'what if's, we're going to take this one little step at a time, and we'll be together for whatever comes out way, okay?" she smiled at Twilight, and Twilight returned the loving smile, leaning up t peck Luna on the cheek.

Luna smiled at her and then turned to the letter from Celestia, prompting Twilight to turn to said letter from Celestia and sigh as she picks it up, much like a prisoner's sigh right before facing an execution or a firing squad.

She unfurled the letter with painfully slow precise movements of the magical field, and both Luna and Twilight began to read.

Dearest Sister.

I am shocked, quite honestly, at your behavior during your 'personal days off' a Royal, no matter what their reputation should uphold oneself with the highest regard for public image. And they should of course try to keep their private life, well, private.

That being said, I hope you realize that I could not write that last part with a straight face. I would be rather hypocritical of me to scold you wen not last month I was photographed eating cake by Gabby Gums. But, that is one thing. Being photographed dancing provocatively, with my personal student, is cause for uproar. This is the biggest scandal since Cadence and Shining armor's 'affair' came to the public attention.

That being said, they are making some particularly nasty swings at you, AND Twilight. They call her a... well... let's not say what they said, I'm sure you have read it, or are going to read it soon. I would like to come to Ponyville, to see if any of the malicious rumors are true. And I require to have a little chat with my faithful student.

Wishing you both all the best, and hoping to see you soon, your sister Princess Celestia.

P.S Twilight, I know you read this.

Twilight let out an audible gulp as she dropped the letter, her eyelids twitching manically.

"Well, I had a good run" she turned to Luna with that same manic expression, and Luna raised an eyebrow, taking a tentative step back. "When she banishes me, could you visit from time to time?" she asked with a giggle, and Luna shook her head.

"Twilight, she won't banish you. Not right away. It would be me first. But, anyway, let's read the paper, just so we know what we're up against" she reasoned, to be honest she just wanted to see what kind of rumors they had been saying about them both. She flipped the newspaper over, and was immediately rewarded with an image of her and Twilight, for lack of a better word, grinding together on the dance floor at the party.

Her heart instantly dropped. Her fear, apprehension, anger and dis-belief was matched only by her admiration tat the photographer and the journalist had managed to write this article in less than 12 hours. She gulped down her feelings and turned to Twilight, who was already reading wit flattened ears.

Luna turned back to the article and began to scan her eyes across the words.

PONYVILLE’S PARTY PRINCESS

One of Canterlot's Regal Princesses, Luna to be precise, was photographed with Celestia's personal protogé Twilight Sparkle in the early hours of this morning, as they were partying the night away during one of Princess Luna's 'personal days'

The image and news comes as shocking revelation, that one of our Princesses feels it is appropriate to take days off whenever she wishes, and spend the time dancing and partying with her recent concubine. Although we are not here to insult merely convey the news, and this may be one of the biggest scandals in Equestrian history.

Just how loyal is Twilight Sparkle to her teacher? Well, in his reporter's eyes, not very loyal at all if she allows herself t be seduced by the Lady, oh, sorry, we mean, 'Princess' of the night. It seems that even though Luna may be back, she is trying to undermine Celestia's personal court right from under her nose, starting with the Students.

Whatever's next, the Solar Council? Will she sleep with every politician in Canterlot just to get ahead? Well, all this reporter has to say is Cadence, 'keep an eye on your man'

Story continues page 3

Luna saw red, crimson, blackness, fire, all the things associated with rage. She saw Twilight trying to hold back tears at the insults, and for the first time since she had been back, she did something she had never done., nor had she dreamed of doing.

She lost control.

With nothing else to direct her rage at, she transformed into a Goddess of War, full armor, sword strapped to her side. Her black and blue outfit glinted in the sunset, offset by her obsidian black cat. She then let forth a bellow in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"OF ALL THE UNEDUCATED, WORTHLESS, VILE, VINDICTIVE CRETINS TO WRITE THIS ARTICLE!! THIS PONY CLEARLY HAS NO SENSE OF MORALS!! HIS WORDS DRIP WITH ALL TE POISON OF THE BITE OF A HYDRA!! I SHOULD REND HIS VERY SOUL FROM HIS BODY AND BANISH IT TO AN ETERNITY, NOT ON THE MOON, BUT TO THE BOILING SURFACE OF THE SUN FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS!!"

She leveled her horn at the table and paper and let out a spell of high intensity darkness, Twilight felt afraid just watching the spell be cast, let alone how it vaporized the table and left a 5 foot wide crater in the ground. The shock-wave from the impact, along with the force of The Voice, pushed Twilight back a good 10 feet from where she once stood.

Luna was panting, so hard that steam flew from her nostrils. She fired the beam again and cut down into the floor, small blue flames dancing along the wood. Luna finally calmed herself and closed her eyes, sinking to the floor and transforming back into the standard blue Princess. She let out a faint sob.

Twilight gulped and trotted, warily, towards her marefriend, placing a hoof on her shoulder and tenderly nuzzling her cheek. Luna turned and let out another wracking sob, throwing her hooves around Twilight and allowing herself to let her sadness go.

"I-I'm so suh-sorry Twilight..." she sniffed and Twilight stroked through her mane.

"Princess, it's alright, it'll be okay" she calmly spoke into Luna's ear, and Luna eventually calmed herself down. Although Twilight would never admit it, seeing Luna in such a state only worsened her fear and paranoia. How many ponies, who didn't know the full story, would now believe the press's version point blank?

She shook her head lightly to dispel such thoughts, before pulling away and smiling.

"Luna" she spoke softly, prompting Luna to stare deeply into those Lavender eyes as though they held the answers. "Why don't you go for a shower, while I make some coffee?" she smiled and wiped away some of Luna's tears.

The Princess chuckled and nodded, looking down at the ground. "A shower would be nice..." she admitted, and Twilight clapped her hooves, startling the Princess.

"Right then, I'll make the coffee, you take a shower, we'll drink the coffee, I'll take a shower and then we'll..... we'll..." she trailed off with a cough and Luna nodded.

"Baby steps" Twilight said, and Luna looked up with a smile, noding.

"Well, the prospect of a shower is tempting..." she said with a smile, and Twilight smiled as well, smoothing her mane to its signature style. She had slipped back into control.

"Excellent, let's do it" she clapped her hooves together and trotted into the kitchen. Luna giggled and turned away, walking towards and up the stairs.

She stepped into the shower and let the water wash over her mane and wash away her troubles. For a moment she forgot that her sister was coming to talk to her and Twilight. She forgot she was meeting Twilight's parents. She forgot that she was going to meet Shining Armor in an informal setting.

All there was was the soothing water and the fragrant smell of shampoo, coffee, and, was that apple pie?

She was snapped out of the trance-inducing smells by clattering plates and Spike's calls of pain.

Twilight walked into the kitchen to find Spike making breakfast. He tuned to look at Twilight and motions into he living room. "Uh, Twi, did Luna kinda blow up the library?" he asked and Twilight turned back to the living room, chuckling and nodding.

"Kinda, yeah. She read the paper" she stated simply, and Spike snorted.

"Oh so next time I accidentally burn a book by sneezing I can use that as an excuse, huh?" He chuckled as he spoke and Twilight fixed him with a loo.

"Spike, she read the article that that reporter wrote about us dancing" She said and Spike shrugged.

"Still, blowing up a library is not the answer. What did she want to take revenge on the books?" he chuckled again and received a light smack on his head from Twilight.

"Hush you, or I'll take away your morning 'lie ins'" she raised her hooves to make quotation marks. "For a week" she threatened and Spike made a zipping motion over his mouth. Twilight nodded in victory.

"Good, now, I'm meant to make some coffee, how do I do that?" she asked herself. And Spike forcefully closed his lips. He so wanted to make a quip, but, when he thought about it, a few seconds of laughs wasn't worth a whole week of waking up early. He wouldn't risk it.

"Do I add the coffee to the water then boil it? Or boil the water first?" she reached up into the cupboards to get a pan or a kettle, with Spike struggling to hold back laughter at her naivety.

"And when do I add the milk?" she got out the kettle and a pot fell to the floor, hitting Spike's foot with a *CLANG*.

Spike yelped in pain and Twilight rushed to him. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? I didn't mean to..." she said, but Spike waved it off.

"No, I'm fine, but I have to say something, first of all the fact that you don't know how to make coffee is both hilarious and very sad, Twilight. I honestly don't know how you survive when I'm not here, secondly, you boil the water, add the beans, then the sugar, then the milk" he smiled and Twilight blinked at him, clicking her tongue.

"I know how to make sandwiches" she said, trying to preserve what little of her dignity remained, but Spike simply chuckled.

"Yeah, you know, someday I need to teach you how to cook" He said as he got an apple pie out of the oven and laid it on the table to cool. He walked back into the living room and ignored the crater, and the remnants of their best table, and a single piece of paper that hadn't been burned.

He walked to the base of the stairs and called up to the Princess taking a shower.

"Luna! Breakfast! Apple Pie's cooling down!"

He was about to walk back into the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. He furrowed his brow and walked towards the door, Twilight poking her head out of the kitchen as the kettle boiled on the stove.

"Spike? Who is it?" she asked, and Spike opened the door, coming face to face with four figures in the doorway. Three were unicorns, one was muscular, but held a gentle smile for the dragon, two tones blue hair similar to that of the local village DJ, another with purple and white hair similar to Twilight's, and the third being pure blue with striking gold eyes. He held the demeanor of an authority figure, yet his presence was overshadowed by the fourth at the door. Towering nearly to the oak door frame, bathed in rays of golden sunlight, her mane flowing on an invisible breeze, was the Princess of the Sun herself.

Spike gulped and turned to Twilight. "Uh, if I tell you will you freak out?" he asked and Twilight walked out of the kitchen, stopping dead when she saw the figures. She gulped hard and her eye twitched. Celestia, Armor and Midnight smiled, Dusk, however, did not. He simply regarded his daughter with a cold stare, making Twilight's knees feel like jello, and her stomach do a knot.

Then, as if Lady Luck decided that it was not enough for her to be staring down her father, mother, brother, and her teacher and ruler, who should decide to descend from the shower but her marefriend, Princess Luna.

"Twilight? I heard noises, are you alri-" she too stopped dead when she saw the figures. Celestia's smile disappeared, and so did Armor's. Midnight still had her smile, and she looked between all the figures standing there, while Spike did the same, but did not wear a smile.

"Well" Midnight said, shattering the tension somewhat. "I think this is going to be a most interesting afternoon.."

Well, I did it. I wrote a chapter for you. Enjoy it. Because I will not write one for another month.

Chapter Ten

Twilight didn't remember when she got such a loud clock. Indeed, she couldn't remember when she even had a clock installed in her library. But the incessant ticking noise was mocking in its intensity and overtly loud in the silence of the room. To Twilight, each second that ticked by was another second closer to looming doom.

Her mother was smiling, her dad was frowning, her brother was passive, and her teacher held a knowing half-smirk that for some reason made her want to avert her eyes and colour her cheeks red. Could all Alicorns do that smirk?

She shook her head. Now was not the time for speculation about mind-altering facial expressions, now was a time to face judgement, to justify why they did what they did and share their side of the story. Luna was beside her, fixing Celestia with a passive look. Twilight wondered if they could telepathically talk with each other but dispelled the notion as mythological nonsense.

Celestia turned to Twilight, then to her parents. "Well, I think anymore awkward silence will kill us all." she said to nopony in particular, but gathered the attention of everypony in the room. Dusk snorted and looked at Twilight with disdain.

"I'm waiting for an explanation. Care to give us one?" he asked gruffly, Twilight gulping hard under the fixed glare. She turned to Luna, finding her looking at her with a smile and then turned back to Dusk.

"Mr. Sparkle, it was honestly..." she was about to continue, but a glare from Midnight made her stop. If looks could kill then she would be suffering a heart attack now. That glare was one that would freeze the sun itself. Be that as it may it settled for the moon.

"He didn't ask you now did he, Princess? He asked his daughter," she said simply, and Celestia raised an eyebrow as Armour cleared his throat and turned to his sister. Luna silently counted that as the first strike.

"Twily, care to share your side of the story?" he asked with a gentle smile to show her he was on her side. Twilight sighed in resignation.

"It was just a party dad, we had a lot to drink, and we didn't realize that there was a reporter with a camera at a small party in Ponyville" she said with an awkward chuckle, and Dusk simply blinked, clearly unimpressed. Twilight's giggle turned into a throat-clearing cough, and the room fell once more into silence.

Luna went to break it. "Well, what Twilight's trying to say is that we didn't expect it, and-" she was, however, cut off once again by Midnight's brazen tone.

"Excuse me, Princess, but my daughter isn't finished," she stated flatly, and Luna gritted her teeth. Celestia whistled quietly. Luna would pass that off as the second strike; another and she would defend herself.

Twilight sighed and leaned forward. "Mom, Dad, it was just a party that got out of hand. I am most certainly am not Luna's... concubine" she said defensively, almost desperately and Armour smiled at her.

"No one said you were Twilight, apart from the papers, and we just want to make sure that what they said IS lies. Which moves us on..." he trailed off, not wanting to say it. Midnight, however, had no intention of being so reserved.

"We want to know why you were dancing so provocatively with my daughter, and whether there is any truth to the claim that you're simply using her to get back at Celestia," she said, and Luna opened her mouth. That would have even strike three, were it not for Celestia's intervention.

"Now, Midnight, I know my sister, she wouldn't do that. And besides, Luna loves Twilight. They were sending each other letters for a while, it was only a matter of time before my sister admitted her long hidden feelings for my student," She said with a smile, and Luna blushed. Twilight and her shared a look that spoke volumes.

Midnight nodded. "Well, be that as it may, that still doesn't change the fact that our family has been besmirched by rumours that Twilight is Luna's comfort girl." She said and Luna looked at her, tilted her neck so the bones popped and set her jaw firmly as she leaned forward.

"Mrs. Sparkle. May I remind you, that Twilight is the twice Saviour of Equestria, first from myself, then from Discord, she is the most powerful unicorn in Equestria whose power even rivals my own, your daughter has also stolen the heart of me, which is no mean feat.” She looked back at an extremely red Twilight.

"She's bashful, shy of compliments, always willing to criticize herself and improve, so I think her good qualities overwhelm that one malicious rumour," she turns her head back to face Twilight's parents. Dusk was smiling, and Midnight wasn't above a small grin.

"You really love her." Shining stated. Not a question, not a request for info, just a statement which he knew to be true. Luna simply nodded at him. Twilight held her hoof and stroked it gently. Celestia turned to Midnight and then back to Luna.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way..." Celestia began, but Midnight held up a hoof.

"Not so fast Princess, don't think I missed the little crater over there, did you do that? In a fit of rage? How do we know that you'll take good care of our daughter and not get mad at her?" she asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow. Strike three.

"Actually Mom that was a simple disintegration spell, easily remedied by a..." Twilight began but Midnight held a hoof up.

"Twilight, please, I asked Luna a question." She said and Luna nodded.

"A table is one thing. A living pony is another. My marefriend means the world to me, and I will never allow anything to happen to her," she said with confidence, satisfying Midnight.

Celestia leaned forward in her seat. "Luna. I hope you know just how big this is. I've already had thirty seven letters of complaint and inquiry about your loyalties," she said, and Luna listened intently, nodding as she did.

"Yes sister, and I plan to have a strong word with the author." She raised an eyebrow, giving her an almost malicious look as she said that. Celestia smiled.

"Well, I have word that the author is a one Mr Winter Drifter, a freelance journalist, if you want I could do some digging," she winked and Luna chuckled.

"No, I don't need info to take on a journalist sister." She smiles again and Celestia nodded again.

"Well Mrs Sparkle, I think we've got everything we need. Now, if you don't mind I'd like a chat with my student here," she stood up from the chair and walked towards the kitchen, as Midnight and Dusk got up themselves.

"Only if you would give me a moment with your sister, Celestia." Shining said and Luna looked up at him, gulping.

Twilight turned to her and added in a whisper. "Oh, it's fine, it's just the mandatory possessive brother speech, I have to talk to your sister, who's also my teacher, and the co-ruler of Equestria." She nervously giggled and looked towards the kitchen fearfully. Luna chuckled and kissed her cheek gently.

"You'll be fine. Now don't keep her waiting," she playfully pushed Twilight off of the couch and giggled as she stumbled. Twilight shot her a playful look, shaking her head as she trotted into the kitchen, leaving the Princess alone with her family. Three pairs of eyes watched her, two with gentle smiles, and one with a not quite happy expression.

Twilight trotted into the kitchen of her library and looked at Celestia, who was sitting across the room with an oddly stern expression on her face. She motioned to a chair that sat next to the table where she and her friends had enjoyed many a meal together and forged happy memories. This one, she could tell, was going to be a less than happy one.

"Sit." Celestia gently ordered and made no further remarks, so Twilight sat on the chair and watched her mentor nervously. Celestia got up and pulled out the other chair, sitting on it and placing her hooves on the table.

"Twilight. What I am about to tell you is serious." She said, keeping her eyes level with Twilight's in an almost unnerving stare. Twilight simply nodded in return, so Celestia continued. "You are now in a relationship with a Princess. That is no easy task. You will be the target of journalists, radicals, and maybe even assassins," she said bluntly and Twilight's pupils shrank. Celestia nodded again.

"Ponies will try to use you to get to her, and perhaps even vice versa. But that's just the start. You are a capable unicorn Twilight, the most powerful I have encountered in nearly a thousand years. But this relationship will test the limit of your abilities, and I sincerely hope you're ready for it." Celestia finished gently, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight, who had been listening to her words intently, nodded and Celestia chuckled.

"And if you break her heart, well, there's a nice lovely spot on the moon," she said, and Twilight looked up suddenly, her eyes wide and her pupils near pinpricks. Celestia burst into giggles, and Twilight sighed, shaking her head.

"One more thing, Twilight." Celestia said, and Twilight re-focused on her.

"Yes Princess?" she asked and Celestia smiled gently, not wanting to say it, but feeling that she had to.

"Luna's immortal, she will outlive you. Are you sure you and her can take that kind of heartbreak?" she asked, and Twilight smiled.

"Don't worry Princess, whatever time we have together will be enough to make up for that. We both know that," she said with a smile, and Celestia nodded and got up from the chair, walking towards the doorway into the living room.

"Well, I must return to Canterlot. Oh, and Twilight?" she turned back to face her student, who once again watched her.

"The Elements of Harmony are as Timeless as us," she smiled gently. "Food for thought." Celestia walked back into the living room with the others, leaving a stunned Twilight to mull over her words.

Luna looked up into the eyes of Twilight's parents and her brother. Under any other circumstances she would have been standing to greet them, and it would be a Royal visit to the castle. She was in the presence of the parents of the Element of Magic and the Captain of the Guard, under any other circumstances, yes, they would bow and show all due mannerisms.

This was not normal circumstances.

"So, uh, Luna." Shining spoke first, the causal name sounding strange coming from him. "Are you gonna take good care of my sister?" He asked with a smile and an arched eyebrow, and Luna nodded.

"Of course I will, and don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, I'll be careful with what we are seen doing in public in the future," she said with a smile, and finally got a few chuckles from Dusk.

"Well, Princess, I did this when Shining brought home Cadence, and I'm gonna do it now." He smiled widely, and Shining raised a hoof.

"Dad, wait..." he said anxiously, but Dusk simply leaned down, gripped Luna in a fierce hug and twirled her around. She yelped in surprise, his strength was considerable seeing as how he was able to swing a Princess nearly twice his height and weight around.

Dusk laughed jovially and put her down, and as she stumbled gripped her hoof and shaking it. "I'd like to formally welcome you to our family," he spoke with warmth and Luna couldn't help but giggle and smile at him, shaking back with equal enthusiasm.

"Nice to be welcomed," she said, and Dusk let her hoof go. Luna looked at Midnight, who sighed and smiled genuinely.

"Well, as long as you promise to take care of my daughter, then I have no reason to not approve." She patted her shoulder and stepped back again, and Luna rationalized that that was as close to a hug that she was going to get from the mare. She nodded in return.

"But," Dusk said, and Luna felt dread pool in her stomach. "If you break her heart, well, wouldn't it be a shame if your guards become lacking in their abilities?" He chuckled to show he was half-joking, and Luna nodded.

"I would never do that. But, uh, thanks for the warning I suppose." She giggled and Dusk smiled, as Celestia walked back into the living room.

"Everypony okay in here? No structural collapse? No magical fire-fights?" she asked, and they all chuckled.

"No, we're fine here." Shining said, and Celestia smiled.

"Good, sister, I will be returning to Canterlot now. When can I expect you back?" she asked, and Luna shrugged.

"I don't know. I would like to stay a while longer, if you don't mind," she said and Celestia nodded, bidding farewell and walking out the door.

Twilight walked back in and smiled at Luna. Her family left after a few more minutes as well, and when the door closed, Luna and Twilight stared at each other for a while, before both collapsed on the couch with great sighs. Their eyes closing as they were finally able to relax for the first time since that morning.

A bittersweet parting

It was a cool, crisp autumn's morning. The wind blew softly through the leaves and rustled them like a soothing alarm. Songbirds began their melancholy call from atop the trees and provided a relaxing sonnet of sounds with which to rouse the two figures sleeping by the lakeside.

There on the soft sand and dirt, there existed, beneath the tangle of hooves and mane, a pair of lovers who had spent much of the night before celebrating their love in the most carnal of ways, yet also the most tender, falling asleep against the other to share the warmth during the cold night. The princess was the first to rouse herself from the slumber, her eyes fluttering open and a yawn threatening to burst forth.

Waking up was never easy. Especially when you knew you had to leave somewhere you really liked that morning. Fortunately for her, or, unfortunately, she had been disturbed by much of last night by tremendous nightmares. Yet she could not remember what they were about. Oddly enough, she could remember one thing, a most inconspicuous thing; a song. Not a soothing one, it was oddly, hauntingly poetic, and it had been sung in a whisper as quiet as an evening wind. The nightmares made it particularly easy for her to wake that morning.

That, and she had spent too much time away from her home. Her duty. Her life. It was times like this she would sigh, try and get a few more precious minutes of sleep and attempt to stave off the thoughts relating to the thought track of; if only I was a normal unicorn.

Alas, she was not. She was a princess, and even now she felt the tell-tale pull in her gut that reminded her of her duty. Habitually, she lowered her moon to make way for her sister's brazen sunlight, wishing for one minute that she could freeze time and continue on this moment, where Twilight, the one thing that held her close to any semblance of a normal life was now sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.

A quick nuzzle to the cheek, and the lavender mare stirred, curling up into graceful coils before stretching and opening her luminous amethyst eyes unto the world.

"Morning" she said simply, yawning as Luna smiled and stretched her back, staving off her own show of fatigue once more.

"Good morning Twilight" she curtly replied, leaning down to plant a kiss on the mare's cheek. She smiled and stretched herself out much like Twilight did not one minute earlier and rested back beside her lover.

Twilight watched her curiously then turned her attention to the lake.

"Princess... what happened last night was..." she began, only to be cut off by a nuzzle from the Princess. That very muzzle that not hours before had showered her with affection of a less chaste nature. The thought made her blush once more.

"Last night was wonderful, and I do not regret it." she said with a smile as she pulled back from her lover's soft lavender coat. Twilight smiled and sighed.

"I don't regret it either, but, what do I tell my friends?" she asked and Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have to?" she tilted her head and Twilight giggled gently.

"Well, Rarity tends to have an eye for such things. Once she sees the, no doubt noticeable, change in demeanor, as I've heard that's a trait after a particularly... I'm rambling aren't I?" she asked and Luna, who had, until that point, been successfully holding in her laughter at the unicorn's rant, burst into a fit of laughter. She was promptly joined by Twilight, and after a few minutes they both sighed. Luna looked towards the shining cliff-city of Canterlot, just visible as an outlined blob of colour on the mountainside.

Twilight followed her gaze and sighed, making Luna look back at her.

"You have to leave don't you?" she asked and Luna smiled gently, nodding.

"I am afraid so. Duty calls, and while I love spending time here, I am still a princess." she solemnly whispered the last part as though the thought still caused her pain. Twilight slumped gently.

Luna looked up and trotted over to Twilight's side.

"I'll miss you" Twilight said and Luna smiled to the lake, wrapping a wing around Twilight and pulling her closer.

"I know, and I will miss you. But, I hear the Summer Sun Celebration is coming up soon, perhaps you and your friends could come to Canterlot? I would love to see you there" she said, marked by a kiss upon her lover's cheek.

Twilight smiled and leant into the kiss.

"I would love to, Princess"

The rest of their time at the lake consisted of merely watching the waves lap the shore. Every now and then a breeze would ruffle their coats and, in the case of Luna, her wings. They, however, had to eventually go back to town. Luna's chariot had already arrived, the two night-black guards with their serpentine wings had drawn quite a crowd.

Almost as one the ponies turned and smiled at the Princess, some even waving. She smiled back, happier that she had come to the town amidst bows and respectful, even fearful looks, but left with smiles and even waves from friends.

As she climbed into the chariot, Twilight waved her off as the guards began to flap their wings as they ran, the chariot rising into the air back towards Canterlot.

As Twilight watched her go, she heard the tell-tale footfalls of her assistant, Spike.

"Twilight! Where have you been all this time, hmm?" he asked, and Twilight giggled and tapped him on the head.

"Tell you later. Now come on, I'm in the mood for some apple pie, let's go annoy Applejack for the day."

Author's Note

Yes, the last chapter. Maybe. If there's enough interest in this I may post one or two more chapters, but they won't be happy ones.
Or will they?
~Senorita-De-La-Nieve

Chapter One

Princess Luna walked along the royal gardens with a slight smile on her face, the simple pleasure of having a sunset stroll and smelling the flowers of autumn appealed to Luna greatly. Sometimes she liked to pretend that that was the only reason she was out there besides what she currently had to do, but, royal duties applied, being the Princess of the Night had its perks, like bestowing dreams to those she favoured, and dispelling nightmares, or getting Twilight Sparkle's nightly letters, but it also had its downs, like making the daily, or, rather, nightly trek to the gardens to actually begin the night.

She sighed as she saw the pedestal where her sister currently stood, hooves applied on the pedestal's shiny stone surface and horn aglow with power. Her eyes were closed as she focussed on the great Celestial body she was now controlling, inching its way down towards the horizon to light the other side of the world. Even from where she was she could feel the power, it tugged at her gut and invaded her mind creating a sense of fear deep within her. She ignored it and pushed it towards the pack of her thoughts. The side effect of Alicorn magic was that it created a kind of fear factor as soon as a spell was charged, even the smallest one, the unconscious part of the spell would reach into the target's mind and ignite images of defeat and failure. When performing simple tasks such as levitation where there were no targets there was not such an effect, but now Celestia was focussing all her power on the sun as it drooped low in the sky, and she could no control the aura of fear as it spread. Even the guards on the battlements looked a little uneasy.

The stone slab where her sister's hooves were resting shone too, almost like the sun itself. It was a mere reflection from the sun and her sister's horn though, and it was shaped like the sun itself, with tiny rivers of fire sparking out of it and twirling around it. They were stone carvings of course, but the pedestal had been kept polished and clean for centuries. It was beautiful, but Luna preferred when it changed.

She watched her sister for a few more minutes as she felt the spell come to a close and Celestia control her powers. She opened her eyes and smiled at Luna.

"Ah Luna, you're here, you should have said something rather than nothing" Celestia said with a smile, and Luna returned it.

"I have always enjoyed watching you lower the sun sister, it reminds me of the way Mother and Father would do it" she said and Celestia smiled wider. "Although you do do it with much more... flair than they did" she said and Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"Was that a fancy way of saying I make it too colourful?" Celestia asked and Luna shrugged before they both giggled.

"To tell you the truth Lulu, I personally prefer watching you raise the moon and stars, each night seems to be unique/ You always were more artistic than me, I think father made the right choice about handing the night over to you" she complimented, and Luna faked a smile at the sentiment, keeping buried the three thousand year guilt and regret. She had loved her parents as much as any Unicorn filly would, but...

She snapped herself out of it as Celestia's front hooves connected with the ground.

"Well Lulu, now it's your turn, see what magic you can weave on the sky tonight" Celestia said as she stepped away from the stone, which had now turned to a crescent moon surrounded by three stars. The absence of light made it behave like that, it spent all day absorbing the light of the sun and at night, it shone like the moon itself. The pedestal was really a ceremonial piece, but Luna and Celestia still used it as tradition. It helped Luna craft the sky and it helped Celestia make the colours of sunset.

Luna trotted up to the pedestal and placed her hooves on it, focussing on the niggling feeling at the back of her mind that signified the moon wanted to shine. A dash of moonlight erupted from the horizon as Luna wove an imaginary chord around it and pulled, the moonlight spread and disappeared, yet lingered in the tinkling dashes of stars, like sprinkles on a large cake. The moon rose over the mountains and flooded the land with light, illuminating everything in its pale white glow. She focussed her magic and decided tonight, she would be just as showy as Celestia, her mane now sparkled, holding in her stars, and she let them go, erupting into the darkness, the stars were set free all across the night, and anypony watching Canterlot as far away as Manehatten would have seen it.

She then decided to spend more time tonight working on the stars. She felt along the sky for each and every one, and once she found the all, she then decided to move them. There was a cluster near the moon she wanted the world to see, and another cluster she felt had been stealing the spotlight too long. She focussed and they moved together, claiming each other's places. Just for good measure she added a streaking light to the sky in the form of a meteorite just for any lucky pony who might be needing a wish.

The sky was vast, and she had lost count of the stars nearly as soon as she finished moving them, there were too many to change them now, she could only hope no one missed the cluster she had moved. She would never hear the end of it from the astronomers and star-mappers.

Down off the pedestal and onto the ground went her hooves, her eyes, which she hadn't noticed she had closed, opened and surveyed her work. She felt a surge of pride and turned to Celestia.

"Well sister, I think that counts as art, wouldn't you say?" she said and Celestia's jaw was nearly halfway to the floor. Luna giggled and Celestia clapped her hooves twice, Luna taking a bow.

"How long have you been practicing that Lulu?" she asked and Luna blushed.

"All week sister, and now that I've perfected it, I'd say that calls for a celebration, wouldn't you?" she asked, and Celestia nodded.

"Most definitely" she agreed, and they both walked towards the castle where they would take dinner.

Twilight watched the night in awe, she had never seen that before, the way the stars just seemed to explode from nowhere, then move of their own accord, she didn't miss the shooting star and was half tempted to wish for something... something she knew she couldn't have.

It was no secret to anypony who knew Twilight well, that she was a night-owl in nearly every sense of the word, she had a telescope in the library, several books on Astronomy, and she had stayed up late studying the stars Celestia knew how many times.

Yes, Twilight was a night-owl, but for more reasons than the ones stated above. She loved the night-time, she loved the moon, she loved the stars, she loved the way the night stifled and silencd the land, leaving everything asleep while she stayed awake. She felt adventurous when she stayed up late, the night was privately hers to enjoy to its fullest.

She also loved something, or rather, somepony else. Granted, she had met her in person only twice, but, they had been swapping letters, for some time now, she had been added to Spikes send roster, and a linking spell had linked her to him so they could now swap letters without the need for Celestia sending them. She had now sent nearly twice as many letters to her as she had Celestia, friendship reports, responses to questions, even advice. Yes, she had given the goddess of the night advice.

Twilight sighed as she stared out the window at the stars.

Luna. The name danced in her head, rolled off of her tongue whenever she spoke it, and made her smile just with the thought of those eyes, and that oh so gentle smile. She could get lost in that smile and those blue sapphire eyes.

She sighed and dropped down to her bed, covering her face with her pillow. She had to stop thinking things like that. She idly glanced towards the quill and scroll on the bedside cabinet. Maybe she could get away with not sending a letter that night, maybe Luna was getting annoyed with the nearly nightly updates.

She nodded to herself. Twilight really didn't want Luna to get boreed with her, call it her one allowance of selfish belief. She had been supressing her feelings for the dark Alicorn for so long she thought she deserved at least one tiny bit of selfishness.

Another sigh. She really should send a letter, if only as an update.

No, she wouldn't, she just had to avoid the temptation. She turned over in her bed and lifted the covers, letting herself sink into the mattress and her head sunk into the plush pillows. She wished for a peaceful sleep, but as soon as her eyes were closed, she saw images of a mane filled with stars, sapphire eyes filled with compassion and archaic beliefs. In a way they were so similar, yet they couldn't be more different.

And then she felt it, an almost subconscious yearning, backed up by her very conscious dreams. It was ten past midnight, well past the time she would normally send Luna her letters, but she thought one late scroll never hurt anypony.

She rolled back over to the bedside unit and picked up the scroll and quill, pressing the tip to the paper surface, she began to write...

Dinner was pleasant to say the least, it was a shame Luna seemed... Off somehow, Celestia didn't miss the odd glances towards the large clock that hung above the door to the dining room, and Luna kept glancing at it like she had an appointment. Celestia took her own glance at the clock then back to Luna, who busied herself by pretending to see something on her fork.

The clock read 8 minutes past midnight exactly.

Celestia smiled.

"Am I keeping you from a previous engagement?" Celestia asked and Luna looked back up and shook her head.

"No no, of course not Sister, I was just... well, it sounds silly" she said, glancing down at her empty plate. Celestia offered a warm smile.

"Tell me Luna" she gently commanded, and Luna shrugged.

"Well, it's just that I've been exchanging letters with your student Twilight Sparkle, and it has gotten to the point where we have been exchanging letters on a nightly basis, she normally sends them around now, midnight exactly, when she knows I'm awake but not overcome with royal duties" she explained, and Celestia listened intently, a little surprised how she had not known about this nightly letter exchange, she made a note to ask Twilight about it next time she saw her faithful student.

"Maybe she's just running late" Celestia offered, and Luna shrugged.

"It could be, but have you ever known Twilight to willingly run late?" she asked her siser, and Celestia giggled as she remembered the days o the young filly's childhood.

"No, I honestly cannot" Celestia admitted.

"She was always turning things in on time exactly, or even early" Celestia said, and Luna smiled, shaking her head. That was so like Twilight.

"Maybe I should send her a scroll asking if there's anything wrong, I mean, better safe than sorry, isn't that what you always tell me?" she said, and Celestia nodded once more.

"Yes indeed, although, perhaps-" Celestia was cut off by a loud puff of green smoke and a scroll landing on the table. Luna and Celestia shared a look, Celestia's one of humour, Luna's one of relief. Luna delicately picked up the scroll with her magic and began to read quietly t herself the words scribbled in the Unicorn Cursive she had come to associate with Twilight.

Dear Luna

How are you today? I'm doing fine and just sent this scroll because I would like to know when you're next free, my friends and I are holding a gathering to watch the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower, and we were really hoping you could attend because, well, it'll be nice to have you there. Also because it's been so long since you relaxed and took a personal day.

Afterwards we're going to Sugarcube Corner for Pinkie Pie's after meteor party, we don't actually know why she's holding a party for us, but, well, it's Pinkie Pie, she's known for throwing surprise parties like the one to celebrate your return.

We're really hoping you decide to come Luna.

Hoping for a reply soon, your friend, Twilight Sparkle.

Luna arched her brow and looked onwards her sister, then back to the note. Princesses could rarely just take a personal day, as Twilight had so delicately put it, and Luna was torn between severely wanting to go and finding out the real reason why Twilight invited her, because that excuse seemed a bit far-fetched and fanciful even for Twilight, Luna sincerely doubted that all of Twilight Sparkle's friends wanted her there.

She stole a glance at Celestia and then back at the letter again, She sincerely wanted to go, but she doubted Celestia wanted to accept all of her royal duties just like that. She was still the goddess of the night, and she wouldn't abandon her post to go and watch a meteor shower and party like a common pony.

But, then again, this was Twilight Sparkle, her saviour and, in recent times, confidant. She didn't want to disappoint her. She sighed dejectedly and her ears drooped a little as she re-read the note.

Celestia watched her with a curious look and then spoke after a few minutes.

"Luna, is there something wrong?" Celestia asked her with an air of almost motherly concern, and Luna looked at her again.

"Nothing's wrong, per se, it's just your student Twilight Sparkle wants me to attend tomorrow's meteor shower in Ponyville, with her and her friends, and then go partying at a place called Sugarcube corner" she explained, and Celestia smiled.

"I love that place, best cupcakes in all of Equestria" she interjected, and Luna watched her with a curious look.

"Please go on" Celestia said gently, and Luna sighed.

"I really want to go, mostly because I don't want to upset Twilight, but, can I just take a 'personal day' as Twilight put it? I don't think I can abandon my post for a whole day and night, can I?" she asked, and Celestia smiled gently.

"Luna, you know I can handle things until you get back, and you can just as easily raise the moon and command the meteor shower from anywhere else, even if it wasn't here, you should go, take a day just for yourself and hang out with your friends" Celestia said, and Luna looked at her like an excited young filly.

"Really? I can go?" she asked dis-believingly, and Celestia nodded.

"Yes, you can go, in fact, I am telling you to go" she said jokingly, and Luna sprang off of her seat and jumped in the air, doing a backflip as she unconsciously pumped her wings.

"Yes! I'm going to a social gathering! Oh, I need to tell Twilight I'm going! See you in the morning sister!" She yelled back as she ran down the corridor. Celestia watched her go with a smile, before she sighed and looked back down at her plate.

"Oh Luna" she said to herself. "If only you knew..."

Chapter Eleven

Yay enjoy the mediocre writings and half-assed attempt at fiction. This chapter is very fast paced, and I regret nothing. At all. inb4 hate in the comments

In the library, darkness had nearly fallen. The remaining beams of sunlight sliced through the opening of the linen curtains and set a dim glow wherever they could reach. A single ray penetrated the dim light and cast its glow upon the faces of two sleeping figures, the two figures in question lay together on a large couch and slept almost silently, the only sound being their gentle breathing. Their eyelids flickering in their realm of dreams, their chests rising and falling soothingly. They had fallen asleep almost exactly where they had collapsed that very afternoon. Tiny particles of dust drifted and danced lazily into and out of the sunbeams as the silence invaded the small room.

Out of the kitchen came Spike, whistling merrily as he wiped his claws with a linen towel and headed towards the stairs, shattering the calming silence and the reverie around the two figures with which they had become settled in. Rousing from their state of dreams, they both stirred and opened their eyes. looking towards him with faint smiles tugging at the corner of their lips.

"Hey Spike, how long were we out?" Twilight asked and Spike merely shrugged.

"Well" he said nonchalantly as he carried a few books from one shelf to another "It's 6 now so, a couple of hours I guess" he placed the books on the shelves and looked back at Twilight, whose eyes were twitching. He raised an eyebrow and Luna stretched languidly behind her, giggling slightly.

"I...I've wasted a whole day SLEEPING?!" she almost shot vertically upwards, an impressive feat considering her lack of wings and her choosing not to use magic to assist her. She ran frantically around the room.

"I had so many plans! So much to study! I was going to take Luna out for a walk! I was going to visit Applejack and get some Cider! I was going to..." she would continue, had Luna not stepped off of the couch in the short time she HAD been speaking, trotting over to her nearly distraught marefriend and placing a tender kiss on her lips, silencing the lavender unicorn and turning her to putty in her hooves.

Spike chuckled gently as he resumed his re-stacking of the shelves. That certain display of affection was something he sincerely did not want to focus his attention on just yet, so he busied himself with re-shelving Twilight's copy of Equestrian Almanac v-II

Luna broke away from Twilight and stroked a gentle hoof through her mane. "Calm down Twilight, there's still time to take a walk, I'm not going back to Canterlot until tomorrow, and it's not that late, we could do it tonight. We could go the Whitetail Woods, or the edge of the Everfree." she said with a cheerful smile, and Twilight sighed, relaxing in the Princess's gentle embrace.

"Well, do you think it would be safe? she asked, her voice betraying her ever so slight fear, and Luna nuzzled her cheek tenderly, making the comparatively young mare blush.

"Come now Twilight, I'm an Alicorn Princess, I'll protect you, I promise" she said gently, and her words were that of a soothing balm running over Twilight's fears and sequestering them in that tiny pocket of her mind that she did not need to pay attention to. Twilight returned the gentle nuzzles. Outside, the sun dipped ever lower towards the horizon.

Luna's comment had made Twilight's mind briefly recall Celestia's odd statement earlier, but it was dismissed with a shake of the head and a smile, coupled with a happy sigh.

Twilight suddenly stood a bit straighter. "But what about all the other stuff I was supposed to do?" she asked, panicking again. Before Luna could tell her not to worry, Spike piped up as he stocked the last book on the shelf and stood back to admire his work.

"I sent the Mayor the letter about hosting the Summer and Lunar Celebrations this year, and I sent Celestia the letter about ORGANIZING a Lunar celebration" he turned to face the pair with a rather smug smile on his draconic features. "Lords know we need one for you too Luna" he said, making the Alicorn chuckle gently. Spike hummed a tune as he walked into the kitchen to get himself a snack as Twilight sat on the couch again.

"Ugh, I won't be able to sleep tonight" she said with a small chuckle, and Luna smiled gently, pacing restlessly and looking out at the sunset.

"Well then let's go for a walk now" she said with an excited smile, and Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"What, now?" she asked with an incredulous raise of her brow "as in, right now?"

Luna nodded like an excited filly that could not wait to try out some new running shoes or a new bike. Absolutely ecstatic. Twilight could not help but giggle at her energy as she stood up and stretched her back, feeling a few pops and cracks.

"Well, no time to lose then. Spike, do you want to come?" she called to the kitchen, and Spike's head popped out from around the door way, smiling.

"Nah, you two go ahead, it's getting late and I fancy an early night" he said, wiping his claws down with a cloth. Twilight tilted her head at him and smiled. Somewhere between contentment and the faint sign of worry. Again, thoughts filled her head of Celestia's comment earlier.

"Something wrong Twilight?" Luna asked her with a gentle nuzzle of muzzle against cheek. Twilight leaned into the embrace and shook her head, both returning the show of affection and answering the Princess's question.

"No, nothing. Come on, we're supposed to be going for a walk" She chuckled and walked towards the door, opening it and stepping out into the cool night-time air. Luna followed and kissed Twilight's cheek fleetingly, making the mare blush and bring a hoof to her cheek, rubbing it gently.

"What was that for?" she asked, and Luna chuckled, a hoof to her mouth.

"Because you're cute when you blush" she said, making Twilight's cheeks darken a little bit more and a smile come to her lips. Luna walked ahead, whistling a merry tune. Twilight followed close behind her. The whistling was rather infectious, and Twilight soon found herself joining in with the tune.

They passed through the town, other ponies regarding them with a strange expression, some with comical expressions, some with a mix of confusion and worry. Especially when other ponies started whistling as well. Twilight watched as one particular stallion walked past them into the town.

Twilight halted her whistling and turned to the Princess. "I think we started something" she said with a giggle, and Luna merely smiled and continued to whistle "Sometimes a catchy whistle can brighten anypony's spirits" she said and Twilight giggled as they walked ever closer to the White Tail Woods, already they could see the golden leaves on the all-but bare trees sparkling in the distance.

Twilight watched Luna framed against the sunset, and tilted her head. With a sly grin, she opted to take a page from her good friend, Rainbow's book and bumped into her playfully, rushing off and calling back "Race you to The Lake!" as she cantered away.

"Hey! No fair!" she yelled and took off after her. The studious unicorn was hardly a match for an Alicorn, and Luna had soon caught up with the lavender mare, but they had still made it well into the tree line. Twilight cast a glance behind her and laughed as she saw Luna pull up beside her.

Luna and Twilight were both laughing madly as they ran together, but, being a studious mare, Twilight's stamina was anything but as grand as Rainbow Dash's or Applejack's, and she soon found herself out of breath as they moved past the line of trees and onto the shores of the lake. As Twilight came to a stop, panting and nearly collapsing on the ground, Luna slowed to a simple trot and was giggling as she looked her marefriend over.

Twilight looked up at her and shook her head. "Not all of us have perfect stamina..." she said after a while of panting, and Luna chuckled, looking out over the surface of the lake. After a few more seconds Twilight's breathing returned to normal and she lay at the water’s edge, joined by Luna who lay beside her. The lake was a perfect mirror, the stars and moonlight reflected over the slightly shimmering surface.

A leaf landed in the water and spoiled the image, causing ripples to emit over the surface and break the illusion of the lake being made of pure quicksilver.

Twilight leaned her head on Luna's shoulder, Luna's head resting atop Twilight's.

"This is peaceful." she said with a smile, and Twilight nodded, murmuring her assent. Luna continued to stare across the surface of the mirror, one of her wings wrapping around Twilight and pulling her a little bit closer. Twilight planted a kiss on Luna's cheek and sighed.

"It's beautiful out here Luna" Twilight said as she rested her head on the Princess's shoulder. Luna chuckled and pulled her head away, looking down at the studious unicorn and planting an almost chaste kiss on the mare's lips.

"Not as beautiful as you Twilight" she said and pressed her lips once again against Twilight's This kiss, however, was different. Her lips tasted like moonlight itself, it ignited a fire inside Twilight that she couldn't ignore, a blush, so fierce that it threatened to burn rose to her cheeks, and she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her.

But she pulled away and gazed into the Princess's eyes. "Luna, wait.." was all she managed to get out before another kiss stole her breath and made her forget all he objections she once had. Was the Princess using a spell? Twilight opened her eyes to check, and sure enough, Luna's horn remained its original colour, no magic around it. Nothing.

So why was she so open to this?

The faint ghost of a kiss flashed across her cheek.

Did she want this?

The ever so sweet scent of starlight and morning dew invaded her senses.

Would she ever regret it?

Another breath caught in her throat.

Why couldn't she breathe?

Another second of bliss overcame her.

Why couldn't she move?

Another faint whimper, another scolding kiss, a pair of hooves rubbed her cheek, closing the distance between them they locked lips, tongues fought, hooves rubbed through fur and mane, they danced together, giving each other time to get used to the other, they established a rhythm, they moved in tandem, euphoria washing over them both. She found the answer to her questions; she didn't want to move. She wanted everything. She couldn't breathe because the one above her was stealing it in gasps and moans elicited from her like she was the instrument, and her Princess the musician. She didn't want to move, save for pressing back against her gentle touch.

Another second ticked by on the clock, yet it felt like an eternity, a minute became an eon, who cared? For them, time would wait, it would still and preserve the moment forever like a painting or a sculpture. A fine symphony created in the midst of nature.

Arching her back to the near shape of a horseshoe she cried out as Luna broke the kiss, moving to her neck. A bite, a kiss, a lick, pleasure mingled with pain to create delicious sensations. A wave cresting the shore, and she was swept in the current.

She sighed as she saw stars, they never said it would be like this. Another explosion of colour, hooves wrapped around her, snaked over her and pulled her close, and she was gone, inhaling her Princess's gentle scent, feeling her fur slide over her own, fire traced where her hooves were touching, lighting her nerves like Roman candles in a darkened night, tipped over the edge that she had been held at for so long, held by the delicate hooves, tantalizingly close, she had felt it, and now, she had let go, and she was flying higher than she had ever flown before. And Luna was there with her, ready to catch her when she came back down.

She was away from that place, she wasn't even on the same planet, stars and galaxies and planets rushed past and accompanying her was naught but pleasure. A whole life of waiting, and she had found her, the one she wanted forever. Princess Luna.

Bathed in rays of gossamer moonlight, the Unicorn lay with her marefriend, her lover, and couldn't help but smile. Luna sealed their moment with another loving kiss, and they fell, together, into their dreams. The cool air around them better than the best blanket, and each other better than the best pillow.

Together they tumbled and sank ever deeper into their feelings, their thoughts, never wanting to come out again.

But sure enough, they had to eventually but for now, their gentle breathing filled the shore-line, joined by the chirruping calls of crickets. Peaceful night fell upon them.

Chapter Twelve

Ask not, the sun, why she sets,
Why she shrouds her light away
Or why she hides her golden gaze
When night turns crimson gold to grey

Silent, falls the guilty sun
As day to dark does turn
One simple truth she dare not speak
Her light can only blind and burn

No mercy for the guilty
Bring down their lying sun
Blood, so silver, black by night
Upon their faces, palest white

Cruel moon bring the end
The dawn will never rise again.
The night time moon, quick to ascend
No more sun, she can’t contend

Stars will light the traveler's path
Before the sun may share her wrath
Time has come to soothe thy pain
The dawn will never rise again