"Look," I say as I motion to the layout of stars above us. "That one is the constellation of... uh..." My mind goes blank, prompting me to make several stuttering noises while looking up at the sprawling sky full of bright twinkling stars. Then it wanders over to my marefriend. Oh no, she's watching me! Judging me! Come on, Twilight, think! Alas, my mind draws yet another blank, and demurely I stare at the ground. "I don't know," I mutter.
Luna smiles, tilting my face to meet hers with a wing. "It's okay," she whispers. "Look up."
I oblige her, turning my gaze up to the violet-colored night sky. It is covered with many stars, far too many to count. Perhaps that's why I cannot memorize all of the constellations. "There's so many stars," I gasp. How will I possibly memorize them all?
"Can you count them, Twily?"
I make a futile attempt to do so. But there are simply too many stars. Then, Luna slips her velvety wing around me and speaks. "That's how much I love you, Twilight Sparkle." Before I can respond, she closes the distance between us to deliver a gentle kiss. I'm surprised at first, but the feeling of her warm, soft lips on mine convinces my mind that I want to make it last, so I press into her kiss. Her wings slip around my back before I completely fall onto the grassy floor of the castle garden, and we stay like that for a short while, locked in each other's kiss. I want to keep the feeling forever; that comforting feeling of her lips on mine. However, she pulls away for breath, evoking a slight whimper from me. "I love you too, Luna," I whisper. "So much."
I right myself and scoot closer to her, wrapping a wing around her. She does the same to me, and I lean my head on her side. It's soft and fuzzy, and very, very calming. I close my eyes and sigh contentedly, causing her wing to hold me tighter, as if something were to tear me away from our being together on this cloudless, beautiful night. Suddenly, I sense magic, and open my eyes to see Luna's horn glowing softly with her bluish aura. To my surprise, the stars seem to be realigning themselves as she paints a new picture in the night sky. It's so confusing watching the heavens dart about, and it's nearly frightening. I close my eyes once more and bury my face in Luna's fur, waiting for the sickeningly rapid movements to cease. After what seems like a brief while, they do, and Luna coaxes me out. "I'm sorry, Twilight, I didn't know it could have that effect."
"It's okay Lulu," I say as I look up at her. My eyes catch something in my peripheral vision, and when I turn to look, I see a large heart made of stars shining down on us. I gasp in surprise, for the display of affection is so great it nearly moves me to tears. "Luna," I whisper. "It's so beautiful!"
"And 'tis for a beautiful mare," she replies.
I plant a kiss on her cheek, and then we just sit there, wings around each other, enjoying the moment. I am first to break the silence. "Luna, there's something I wish to ask of you," I begin, unsurely.
"You can ask me anything, love," she replies, turning to look at me with a knowing and reassuring smile.
"What do you think may have caused my dream?"
She is silent for a long moment, musing over my question. After a brief period, she speaks once more. "I attest your dream to an emotion. As you know, there are many things which can cause a dream, emotions being one of them. Which emotion, I cannot tell, however my guess is that it was a kind of hidden fear. I am well aware of your anxieties, and I do not believe they may have sparked your dream."
So, a hidden fear. Interesting. "I worry for you, Twilight," Luna continues.
"Please, don't worry," I reassure her. "I'm sure everything will turn out alright."
"But you haven't been sleeping well as of late, and I do not wish to have you go through such unnecessary stress! You deserve a good night's rest, love."
It's true that I haven't slept well in over four days, something which I find unnerving. However, I'm no stranger to insomnia, for I often times study late into the night and wake early the next day. And I'm tired. Very tired. A yawn escapes my lips, only proving my marefriend's point. Then, my eyelids begin to droop as the emotional toll of the last few days sets in. "Luna," I slur. "Hold me?"
She smiles, laying down next to me and bringing me in close. I feel like I could just fall asleep right here, right on the grass. Slowly she begins to stroke my mane, and I am soon losing consciousness once more in her embrace. However, I feel her lean down and whisper in my ear, "Shall we go to bed, my love?"
I want to stay out here with her forever, but I'm so tired I can't see straight. All I can do is nod, and she smiles and teleports us to our bedchambers. Before I climb into bed, I ask her if we could see the stars again before we fall asleep. She smiles once more, her horn lighting up again. She lights a small candle underneath a cover with her magic, and soon the room's ceiling is bathed with an image of the stars. It's just like the real thing, and I lay there on the bed looking up at the artificial stars as I doze off and enter dreamland. "Thank you," I slur, which comes out more of a whisper. "I love you."
The last thing I feel is the bed shift as Luna crawls in with me, and then her hooves wrap around me again, but not before I cuddle her in return. We begin to fall asleep locked in each other's embrace, ready to see each other once more as we enter the dreamscape. And as I'm finally beginning to drift off, I hear her whisper.
"Goodnight, Twilight. I love you so much."
Author's Note
Just a quick write.