Star-Kissed or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sun

A few nightly rendezvous later, (with at least one involving a public threesome, a stuffed unicorn plushie, and copious amounts of wine), Luna found herself wandering the castle half-awake in the early afternoon, once again daydreaming about what other wonderful customs and rituals she should revive next.

The Luna Princess was torn from her thoughts a moment later.

“Luna!” Celestia’s authoritative voice boomed throughout the expansive palace halls.

Luna shuddered, she knew her proclivities had finally caught up to her. She had not engaged in such activities for over a millennia; since the time before her banishment. Laws and society had changed and Luna had fallen far behind in understanding them. She had, as the younger ponies would now say, “bucked up.”

Head hung low and ears splayed back, Luna slowly stepped down the halls towards her sister, her hooves gently echoing as they clopped against the cool marble of the palace halls; her footing grew less sure with every step. Still, Luna knew she would accept her punishment with at least some dignity.

As she came to the throne room she found herself before a stern looking Solar Princess, and Luna's resolve finally shattered, tears slowly leaked down her muzzle hitting the floor with gentle plopping sounds. “Forgive us, sister!” Luna cried out, no longer able to hold her tongue. “We knew wha-t we did, and we did so...without your guidance oo-rr approval!”

Her sobbing abated a little as she spoke further. “We know many things have changed throughout the years we’ve been gone. We-we did not mean to bring harm to our subjects, we only wished to extend the comforts of companionship like we once had before, in the days of old!”

Celestia couldn’t help but smirk slightly as she realized her sister had misunderstood her summons. She quickly moved forward wrapping her large protective wings around the smaller alicorn in a loving embrace; A nearby guard smiled at the display.

Celestia’s voice was almost a whisper. “Dear sister Luna.” Luna’s ears swung forward toward her sister’s warm, gentle voice, but she continued to stare at the floor. Celestia paused, moving a wing under Luna’s chin she lifted her face to look up at her. “Who are you?” Motherly love twinkled in her purple eyes as she looked down at Luna.

Luna used a wingtip to wipe the tears that still streaked her fur and looked into Celestia’s eyes with a small hint of confusion, finding her voice, she answered. “We are Luna. Why does sister ask such a silly question?”

Celestia put away her smile, taking a more serious tone. “Lulamoon Erasmus della Luna, I ask again, who are you?”

Luna stiffened at the pronouncement of her full name, one she had not heard in many lifetimes. She answered, all hesitation pushed aside. “I am Lulamoon Erasmus della Luna; daughter of Faust Zacherle, and Onyx Solaris. I am the guardian of the moon and the dreamwalker. I am the comfort of the night, and the bane of nightmares.”

A slight smile touched her face as she saw Celestia was now beaming down at her with a mixture of love and something… more? Luna’s thoughts were interrupted as Celestia continued. “And who dear sister, am I?”

Hearing it as a command, she answered quickly. “You, sister, are Sol Dominus della Celeston; First of Equus, ruler of the day and protector of all who share the sun’s warmth. You are the bringer of life and the mother of Equestria.”

Luna hesitated a bit, slipping back into her old speech in her confusion. “Thoust knowest such things as these sister, and we are the only souls present, save but for our loyal guardians, why would thou asketh such?”

“Well dear sister of mine, it seemed someone needed a reminder, as you said yourself, am I not first?” Celestia’s smile had become almost predatory.

Luna answered without hesitation once more. “Truly! Thou art eldest and first among ponies in these lands. Why?”

Celestia’s smile had morphed into a look of hunger as she slowly ran her broad tongue over her lips. “Because dear sister Luna, I wanted first dibs… on you.”

All the sadness and fear that had seeped into Luna as she first stepped into the royal throne room had now been squashed into a neatly compacted cube and thrown into the deepest depths of her mind. In their place confusion had been crowned king and taken up residence. As the gears in her brain slowly restarted, a small smile graced her lips as she looked back up at Celestia. “I see dear sister, your humor remains as strange-”

Luna was interrupted by a harrumph from Celestia. “You misunderstand the situation once more.”

Luna was trying her best to study Celestia, to give her some clue of what she meant. However, the solar diarch’s gaze was now so intense, it caused Luna’s fur to stand on end. The smaller alicorn took an involuntary step back, right out of Celestia’s warm wings.

Seeing her sister’s reaction, Celestia dialed down the intensity before continuing. “I am the first of Equus dear sister, you shared your body with our ponies, as is your choice to do so. However, in your haste, you’ve forgotten the needs of your older sister.” Celestia tried to look crestfallen.

Realization dawned on Luna’s face and she fell to her haunches in shock. “Sister-” Luna was practically whimpering now, “have-have you...all this time I was banished, have you not?”

“No.” Celestia replied with a small sigh. She gently helped her younger sibling back onto her hooves. “For over one thousand years I have not seeded nor carried a life for our beloved Equestria.”

The elder princess sighed once again, her slender neck twisting as she turned her head to the side noticing now that several guards from around the throne room had gathered nearby, watching with unmasked curiosity.

Celestia stifled a smile before continuing. “Equestria, neigh Equus in general has indeed been much more peaceful these last few generations. The pony population, while still small compared to some kingdoms, has nevertheless remained strong without recent...contributions.”

Celestia smiled now as she remembered the grand days of the past. “I miss those days Lulamoon, the days of the true Sun Celebration where I helped foster new 'Star-Kissed Daughters of Equestria' into our world.”

Luna’s brow crinkled in confusion. “But sister, we have studied the laws written in our absence, what of the new indecency laws?”

Celestia winced slightly. “Yes...those.” Celestia let out a long sigh. “Those laws are thanks to a certain pair of Pink and Purple Princesses.” she shook her head slightly. “Let’s just say that when those two discovered our productive past, they decided it was time to ‘modernize’ Equestria.” “I certainly never signed off on them,” she added with a sly wink.

Celestia began walking around the throne room now, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth of the sun as she approached one of the massive palace windows. Her hair caught the rays of sunlight, splashing the throne room with the dancing colors of the sky. As she opened them again she looked out upon the city and countryside spread out before her. More than a quarter of the ponies that dwelled under the warmth of the sun she guided could trace their lineage back to her. It was quite a matter of pride among the nobles of Canterlot, who often bickered about which of them was more closely related to the "First of Equus".

After a short while, she turned her head back towards her sister who had slowly begun to approach her. Celestia breathed calmly. “Ponies of late have forgotten those difficult days, when like an earth pony, I planted and cultivated life. I did so in order to ensure we could outlast the darkness that rallied against us on all sides; the changelings, Discord, Sombra, so many deaths but even then so many new lives lived out in joy.”

Luna stood next to her now, sharing a smile as she also remembered the many joys found in those days. Then she remembered too much and a deep frown darkened her face. “Indeed we saw the gifts of life bloom and bring warmth to all of our subjects.” she held back the tears as she continued. “That is why we grew jealous of you, we became the very darkness we swore to protect our ponies from and then we forced you to banish us-”

She was cut off as Celestia’s left wing wrapped her in an embrace and pulled her to her side; the larger alicorn’s core radiated through her snow-white fur and brought a wonderful warmth to Luna’s cooler body.

At this point, the previously gathered guards realized the moment being shared should be private and they moved their posts to just outside the throne room with a few of them locking the outer palace doors; ensuring the day court was closed.

After giving the guards a moment to leave, Celestia looked down at her sister. “Luna, you have given so much for Equestria, yet you still treat your barrenness as a mark against you; as if our subjects saw you as anything less for it.” She shook her head as if to dismiss the very notion. “You were never anything less than the protector of the lives I sowed! You safeguarded their very dreams and helped them grow and prosper! That being said, the biggest mistake I ever made was not finding a way to help you share in the joy of creating life.”

Luna looked absolutely devastated at that, once again inwardly blaming herself for failing to bring life into the kingdom. Celestia sensed this and pulled her wing tighter against Luna’s body. To Luna it felt as if the heat from Celestia’s core had doubled, causing her to become slightly toasty. It calmed her, if only a little.

Celestia could feel Luna relaxing slightly and waited for a few minutes before speaking, “Luna, I am the mother of Equestria, how many children do you think I’ve both seeded and birthed?”

Luna rubbed one foreleg against the other, her ears splayed back, thinking of Celestia’s fertility was not a subject she found herself dwelling on often. “Well…” She thought for a moment. Gods! Celestia’s lineage of children was like counting the grains of sand on a beach! “If you were to include the 'Star-Kissed Daughters of Equestria' you seeded in ceremony, then perhaps thousands?”

Celestia smiled as the memories flowed into her. “Close enough, if my memory serves, the exact number would be 6,200, of which several hundred are Star-Kissed. This of course does not include, as they say in the common parlance, any ‘flings’ I may have had.” she winked down at her younger sister who blanched in good humor.

“The point I wish to press here is that I believe that the 'Star-Kissed Daughters' should make a return. I could very well see my faithful student, now Princess, take one as a protege. Twilight is herself after-all the great, great, great… ad nauseum, granddaughter of Captain Dawn Glint.”

Luna interrupted. “Who was a great, great, great thorn in our plans of overthrowing you. Guess that runs in their family too.”

Luna and Celestia glanced at each other before breaking out into giggles.

Slowly they quieted down and simply watched through the windows as pegasi dock workers began unloading a distant dirigible; no doubt restocking the castle’s cake-making supplies. Celestia’s horn began glowing a subtle gold as she nudged magic into the sun, pushing it along its curving course as mid-afternoon approached.

Luna was first to break the silence. “So sister, please do explain. Everything we’ve spoken of so far, the teasing, the dredging up of the past; why not just have told us that you seek to revive some of the old ways?”

Celestia blushed before clearing her throat. “Have you still not figured it out, lulu?”

Luna shivered slightly upon hearing her old pet name, she leaned into Celestia’s side, relaxing into her warmth again before nudging her gently. “Alright Tia.” she said, teasing Celestia with her own pet name. “Enough with these games, speak plainly.”

Celestia let out a good-humored humph. “Very well, you were always such a serious pony.”

Luna rolled her eyes at that motioning her hoof in a please continue gesture.

“As I said before,” Celestia began. “I believe one of my greatest failures was not finding a way to help you conceive.” she paused for a moment. “Unlike myself and some of my star-kissed and their descendants, you are biologically female and only female.”

Luna rolled her eyes once more before saying with no lack of sarcasm, “You are most observant.”

Celestia ignored Luna’s sass. “This means your only option is to carry a foal to term, which even with much magical study and countless physician exams, we never found a way for you to do...successfully.”

Both Luna and Celestia’s eyes grew misty as they remembered those difficult days. Celestia once again tightened her wing protectively around her little sister, her core was now so warm that Luna sweated slightly beneath her blue fur.

Celestia tilted her head toward Luna. “However, there was one way that I’ve dwelled on since your banishment, something I never considered before your fall to the Nightmare.”

Suddenly Celestia released Luna from her wing, turning to face her, she crouched on her haunches, putting both of the Princesses at the same height. Celestia smiled deeply at Luna before continuing. “Luna, I wish to mate with you in an official Sun Celebration ritual, giving you the greatest gift that I can bestow upon another: a 'Star-Kissed Daughter of Equestria'!”

After Celestia had sat down and beamed at her, Luna had looked away in partial embarrassment for a moment, her eyes wandering to the sights outside the window as the dirigible had finished its unloading and was gently coasting away from the Canterlot docks. However, upon processing Celestia’s statement, Luna’s heart skipped and she suddenly bolted upright doing a proper spit-take. “Gahblah-pfft… WHAT?!”

Luna was blushing furiously now, her wings completely splayed outwards, her ears swiveling and twitching uncontrollably. She looked at Celestia while what seemed like dozens of conflicting emotions danced across her face, after a moment she practically shouted, “Dearest Celestia, we art the moon and sun, stalwarts of Equestria, thy advances would be most uncouth!” After a short pause her posture deflated and she let out in an almost whisper, “I would also be unworthy of such a gift.”

Celestia covered her muzzle and gasped in shock as Luna berated herself. Suddenly Celestia stood to her full height, wings outstretched, she radiated absolute, unflinching power. She raised her head, proclaiming in the full Canterlot voice, loud enough that most in the castle if not the surrounding grounds would hear. “Lulamoon Erasmus della Luna!”

Luna once again shot upright standing at attention from the use of her ancient name.

Celestia’s booming declaration continued. “I, Sol Dominus della Celeston, First of Equus, hereby declare on this day, during the Season of the Falling Leaves and in the presence of all in this castle: I shall hold a Sun Celebration, and my mate shall be my sister, Luna. Celestia’s eyes practically glowed with an inner fire now. “Any who would stand in opposition to this proclamation...can kindly go buck themselves.”