Love versus Society

The door opened to the Sun Conference room in the castle of Canterlot. A dark figure stood at the threshold. The whispering from the others in the room ceased and all became still. The vaulted high ceilings , alabaster marble floors, and walls normally made every sound echo. There was no sound to echo. The expressions of the ponies were grave.

The silhouette stepped into the small patch of light from the rising sun. Her normal deep blue leg turned a dark red. It didn’t falter or pause but brought the large pony into the dim twilight for all to see.

“Luna,” Princess Celestia hailed her sister as the shimmering, star-filled mane passed the patch of red sun.

The Princess of the night slowly looked at each party member, giving each their proper due. Celestia sat on her high-backed throne. Not as large as the one in the main hall but still impressive compared to the other chairs available.

Ok her right side sat her society advisors, Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis. Both were staring at the smaller princess out of either amusement or concern. Luna could never tell with them. She swore that Fancy Pants had no other expression than the one he bore now. Fleur whispered something in his ear and received a nod.

The pony on Celestia’s left was one she did not recognize. It was a brown stallion with a timepiece cutie mark and neck tie. He kept looking at his watch and looking uncomfortable.

“Thank you for ending your duties early so we could have this meeting,” Celetia began in her business voice. “We all made sure to wake early to be here.”

“I can see,” Luna affirmed, watching the uncomfortable stallion yawn. “But why was it necessary? What is this meeting regarding?”

“Please, sit,” the elder sister offered with a shift of a chair at the other side of the table. She gave no hint to her intent and Luna was weary of her motives.

“I prefer to stand, it has been a long night and I don’t wish to fall asleep in the chair.” It seemed as reasonable an excuse as any to remain where she was. The table placed too much distance from her and the other participants. It felt too much like an inquiry.

“I see, and how has your sleep been, Luna?” The sun princess was choosing her words carefully. She was leading somewhere. Luna’s mind was a whirl of possibilities, everything from not enough lavender placed in the halls to choking down those horrendous, carb-filled, sugar bombs Celestia called waffles every morning. Something was amiss.

“Fine,” Luna said offhandedly. “And yours?”

“Well my dreams had been rather strange as of late.” The Princess emphasized this with a pointed stare at her little sister.

“So is that this meeting’s purpose? To discuss your strange dreams? I admit I have not been monitoring yours that closely but it isn’t often I need to.”

“Partially. It’s more about why I think my dreams are strange.” The sun sister was being more coy than usual. Luna was not some delicate flower. She was the Princess of the Night. If her sister had a complaint she should just say so.

“So what is the problem?” With any luck it was a simple solution. Perhaps too much cake. Luna had warned her against eating too much sugar before bed. Food can affect dreams.

“Well my dreams have featured a lot of muffins latey. And mail. And packages. Wouldn’t you say that’s strange?”

“What are you implying?” Luna took a step back and her voice grew cold. She suspected the meeting’s purpose. It was not something that needed to be discussed.

“Luna…you have been treading some questionable waters as of late and the kingdom has noticed.” The tone sounded authoritative and motherly. She was being scolded for something that wasn’t their business.

“I do not care for what the kingdom believes.”

“You should. You are their leader, you should listen-“

“Wrong! You are their leader, I simply protect them from psychological trauma.”

Celestial sighed. Luna fixed her eye on her elder sister. “I’m not having this debate yet again, Luna. You are also their leader. You need the kingdom’s trust as much as I. Especially since your return.”

“I have not done anything to break that trust,” Luna defiantly proclaimed. “This is my business. I have not violated any laws.”

“No, but you have to see how it’s being perceived. A princess allowing a mare like her into your bed every night for over the last three months is bound to be noticed and raise questions.” Celestia shuffled her forehooves. She even had a redness to her cheeks.

“Wait! What do you think we are doing in that bed?” Luna’s hackles raised. It was not her sister's place to judge her anymore. The last judgment landed her on the moon for a thousand years. Furthermore, to judge on an assumption was beyond insulting.

“I don’t know but that doesn’t mean ponies won’t speculate.”

“We were not copulating!”

Celestia put her hoof up in a silencing gesture. “It’s not my place to say, however, think of the ramifications. To date a pony like Derpy at best becomes a point of jest, at worst questions your decision making abilities or suggests you are taking advantage of her.”

“What?!” Luna’s horn and eyes flashed. “This is nonsense! Why would any pony care about my love life? It isn’t any pony’s business! No pony has the right to dictate who I can date or not.”

“I’m not forbidding you, Luna,” the calm princess corrected. “I am telling you what could happen and what others could see. Despite the belief that our love lives are not another's affair, we are still rulers. We are judged by our decisions and whom we choose to date or… sleep with, is a decision. The populace will judge, whether right or wrong of them.”

“Let me make this clear.” Luna’s tone was deadly. “Whom I date shall not change no matter what our populace thinks. And secondly, Derpy and I are not dating.”

“Oh?” The brown pony finally stopped fiddling with his watch and looked at Luna with interest.

“This is Doctor Whooves,” Celestia introduced. “He is Derpy’s closest friend.”

“It is nice to meet you. I have heard of you. You are the Doctor she speaks of?” Luna’s tone softened. Derpy loved to prattle on and on about what her and the Doc had done. It brought her such joy and Luna listened to all their strange adventures with interest.

“I am. And you are the ‘Snuggle Princess’ I presume.”

The high society advisers began to chortle and Celestia placed a hoof over her smile. The ‘snuggle princess’ followed Luna everywhere. She sighed.

It began with a typical morning. Luna prepared to slumber after a long night of dream tending. She had her sleep mask ready and her most comfortable blankets. She was able to lay down when a crash caused her to sit up. She had a brief glance of something grey only to be bombarded with a little pegasus. She knew the little mare but her penchant for destruction annoyed the Princess.

On that occasion Derpy was delivering a letter. She presented it as if she hadn’t crashed through the windows and landed in the Princess’s bed. While Luna read it Derpy made herself comfortable and fell asleep. Luna was too tired to argue and simply joined the pegasus in slumber.

Sometime during the day she must have grabbed the little pegasus like a side pillow and brought her close. Of course Luna had been asleep and had no knowledge of it come that evening.

Derpy had happily told her friends that she slept with a princess and that she was snuggled with. The story circulated and “snuggle princess” was whispered throughout Canterlot followed by snickers. Luna heard the term multiple times. She did not care for it.

“I am not fond of this ‘nickname’” snorted the snuggle princess.

“The way she uses it is more of a term of endearment,” Derpy’s friend said. “Still, I’m sure she’ll stop if you ask. She’s quite smitten with you. She says you two have been dating for the last two months. I was surprised of course, but I had the utmost respect for you because of it.”

“I am sorry to disappoint. We have not entered that sort of relationship.” Luna kept her face completely flat. She didn’t want to give the Doctor false hope.

“Well that’s a relief,” sighed Fleur. “That would be a public relations disaster.”

“Why?” Luna quickly turned on her. “She is a cheerful, determined, cute mare.”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Fleur said in a low tone.

“I would not joke about her qualities.” Luna looked away from the insulting unicorn. They may not be dating but something inside her felt this was wrong and that they were underestimating her friend.

“Uhh…” Fleur shrank a little. Fancy Pants cleared his throat. The annoyed princess locked her lasers on his monocled eye.

“Ahem, well you see. Because of Ms Hooves' different simple ways, those in our circles would see it as an egregious error.” Fancy polished his monocle. He was unfazed. Luna wondered if he ever blinked at all. “My companions wouldn’t back the castle as readily and it might be harder to secure trade and quell descension.”

“Because of who I choose to date?!” Luna’s nostrils began to flair. “Are your companions truly that shallow?!”

“Shallow?!” Fleur stood up and glared at the princess. “We’re talking about a ruler of a kingdom dating a re-“

“Do not finish that word!” Darkness filled the room except for Luna’s wild eyes. “If I hear any utterance of that word or others like it regarding her you shall regret it.”

“Luna!” Celestia was on her hooves looking down on her battle ready sibling. “That is not the way we discuss things here. And Fleur, she is right. It is a word not fit for my castle or kingdom.”

“I was going to say real liability. She has been known to topple full festivals. She smashes works of art, breaks expensive windows, drops packages that very clearly say fragile on them. And once that happens you can’t ever find all the pieces of it…”

“I can see your point.” The sun monarch returned to her seat. “Think about it Luna. If Derpy was here during a delegation meeting and crashed into the delegates or broke something of theirs it could lead to a scandal or war.”

“Perhaps…” Fancy Pant’s smug voice lilted through the air. “Perhaps she can be trained in the ways of grace. I’m sure Fleur would be happy to work with her on the Princess’s behalf. She could also be instructed on the ways of society as well.”

Doctor Whooves opened his mouth only to be cut off by Luna’s retort. “No! You want me to change her for your benefit?! She is not some clothes or statue to be remolded in the image you want her to be. She is fine the way she is. It is society that must change.”

“Luna, you are getting quite defensive of a mare you said you weren’t dating.” Celestia leaned forward with eyes that judged and eyebrows that folded in disapproval.

“I said we are not dating. She is a close friend. If I wanted to date her I think such a meeting is insulting as it is questioning my judgment. Perhaps I shall take her out on a date.”

“Luna!” Her elder sister’s warning bellow filled the room.

“Princess Celestia, if I may,” countered the Doc. “I am delighted about how much Derpy means to you Princess but I ask that you don’t date my friend out of spite. She is a gentle innocent soul. To use her to get back at them would be a crime. If you really feel love for her then rely on that, not vengeance.”

The Doc looked up at her and gave her a small wink. Luna’s cheeks filled with pigment and she looked away from the assembled comity. She hadn’t really processed her feelings. But this was not the place or time.

“Leave us, please,” Celestia commanded. It was a gentle tone but one that needed to be obeyed. The group slowly filtered out of the room. Fleur glowered at the fuming alicorn but kept silent and strode out of the room with a shake of her head. The door to the chamber closed with a definitive click.

“Surely you don’t agree with this… this… discrimination,” Luna began, looking at the door with disgust.

“I can see their point. Can you?”

“It is not right!”

“Luna…” sighed the exasperated sister. She looked at the ground, losing the air of royalty she normally held.

“I think we should issue an edict about equal treatment of all of our subjects.” The door still remained closed and unaffected by Luna’s snark.

“Do you love her?” It was a quiet question. One that pleaded for an answer.

Luna took a step back from that voice as if attacked. Her foreleg reared up protecting her heart. Her narrowed eyes widened.

“That’s what I thought,” the monarch sighed.

“I said nothing!”

“You don’t have to, Luna. She has been visiting your bed almost every day for the past three months.” Celestia stood and slowly trotted towards her dense sister.

“I sleep better with her there. She is warm and her enthusiasm lightens my dark thoughts.”

The persecution advanced her argument. “I see you when she doesn’t show. You pace your bedroom for hours, constantly looking into the sky and sighing that longing sigh.”

“I worry for her. She is quite accident prone. I don’t know if she can’t come or she has injured herself or-“

“Luna, please. If not for your sake then for hers. Admit your feelings. Or end this odd affair. There will be fallout either way.” Celestia finally cornered her sister and embraced her. “Follow your heart my sister. I just wanted to make you aware of the consequences.”

“It is wrong.” Luna protested from underneath the massive wing.

“Yes. But they are still present. You must be mindful of them. Maybe you can help change them.” She let go of the smaller alicorn before any protest could begin again and left the room.

Luna was left with a gnawing feeling in her stomach and butterflies in her chest. It had been a long time since love had visited her and she wondered if it had now.

The walk to her bed chambers was a long one. The sun had taken on its yellow cast and filled the corridors with golden streams of light. The tired night pony felt further reminded of how exhausted she was.

Would Derpy come today? What should she tell her? Why did the mail mare believe they had been dating for months? Did she really need to ask that when she shared her bed with that same pony for this season? Any pony would begin to think more had developed between them. Why did she not notice it sooner?

These questions hid the largest one of them all and Luna knew it. She had been to many dreams where the deeper issue was obscured by smaller ones. This was no different. She was no different. Was she in love?

It was true her heart leapt at the sight of her bed mate every morning. She told herself it was just the comfort of not sleeping alone. That Derpy’s warmth relaxed her. But were these just signs that she had been lonely and Derpy had unknowingly crashed to her aid? Did the pony that landed matter or was it desperation?

She considered the reaction that other ponies would have taken. Twilight would have given a thousand pardons and apologized ad nauseum. Luna would have spent all day consoling the embarrassed Princess and she would have still left.

Other possible ponies came to mind but the end result would have been the same. She would have been apologized to then left alone. Derpy was the only one that would carefreely lay next to her and simply slept by her side. It was as if she just instinctively knew it was what the princess had wanted.

The door to her bed chamber opened with the guard’s practiced ease. It was unnecessary. Luna could have easily just used her magic but the guard had been waiting to do it for a half an hour. She nodded and entered.

The bed chamber had changed considerably since that time. Her bed was filled with bright colors that Derpy had brought from Ponyville. The four-poster bed still had the moon carvings in the spires but they had become a little battered from misjumps. The top windows were all opened. Luna couldn’t tell which window the little pegasus would sail through so she made a habit of opening them all. The floor was lined with soft pillows for further safety.

Luna shook her mighty head. It must have been obvious to everypony else. Yet here she was, the last to finally see it. She had her whole room Derpy-proofed and still had to wonder about how she truly felt. She wondered if the little pegasus had rubbed off on her.

With her room ready she slowly began to get ready for bed. Her sleeping robe and cap donned her in a dark aura. The bright purple quilt Derpy hoof-stitched pulled back gently. The quilt was sewn in random places and looked more thread than material. But it still had a picture of the moon and some smaller circles.

It was a present one would give their girlfriend. A quilt barring both their cutie marks. She must have been tired when it was presented or just didn’t want to think of the implications.

She climbed underneath the prized possession and floated her sleeping mask onto her head. Then she looked to the skies as they brightened considerably and waited.

The sunrise was picturesque. Her sister had brought their subjects one of the more spectacular views. The tinges of gold on the clouds were just creeping away and were replaced with their gentle white.

This time she was rewarded rather quickly with the small speck of a pegasus flapping in front of the sun. The path was erratic. More like a butterfly than a bird. She looked like she was dancing with the wind rather than riding it. Though the princess was pretty sure she was wrestling with it. Air thermals had a way of pushing a flyer off course if they didn’t anticipate them.

Her heart leapt into her throat as the mailmare got closer. What should she say? Should she just go along with the idea that they were dating all this time? Did she need to know why Derpy assumed? Looking at the way things had happened, most ponies would have assumed as well. Though she would have liked to have been consulted.

The Princess’s thoughts were interrupted as a grey blur sailed through the top of the far window, ricocheting off the wall and landing on a soft cushion, face first. She lifted her head and shook it a bit. Then those large eyes found their target and a huge smile filled her face.

“Morning!” the little mare said cheerfully. “Want a muffin?”

As usual she produced a small basket of muffins from under her wing. How she always managed to keep them safe despite breaking everything else was nothing short of astounding.

Derpy bounced off the landing mat and happily placed the basket on the nightstand. Luna grabbed a muffin. She bit into it as she contemplated how she had never noticed all these details.

“Oh! Hold on, I have to brush my teeth.” Luna stared at the mare in disbelief as she walked into the royal bathroom.

“You have a toothbrush here?” When did she begin to move in? When did they even begin dating? Was Luna that tired every morning that she missed all of this?

“Mmm?” A toothbrush stuck out of Derpy’s mouth at an odd angle as she poked her head out. “Oh I brought it over last week, just in case.”

“In case? In case of?”

Derpy turned beet red. And returned to the bathroom. “In case we.. uh … well in case something good happens.”

Luna felt her mind whirling with possible implications. She might have missed a lot of these signs but Derpy was hoping for something and she could guess what it was.

“Derpy?” She didn’t want to hurt her but she had to know. “I wanted to know when we began to date and how it occurred.”

This time the head that poked out had eyes that were dangerously close to exploding. They pointed in opposite directions and her mouth hung open.

“You-you don’t remember?”

Luna shook her head. She bit her lip and tried not to watch as her innocent face fell. It was quickly shaken off.

“It’s ok. I do that all the time. It took me a while to remember that I had a girlfriend at all. Mmm I don’t remember how long ago it was but I remember you grabbed me in the afternoon. I remember because they were making toasted cheese sandwiches. I love that smell. But you held me so close like I was your favorite pony in the world. It made me want to… well one day. You were behind me so I didn’t get to look into your pretty eyes. But you whispered right into my ear. ‘I like you.’ Then you kissed the back of my ear. So I asked, ‘Are we dating now?’ And you said ‘mmmhmm.’ And kissed my neck a little. It tingled. But in a nice way. Then I asked if you could wait to do that kind of stuff. I wasn’t ready then.”

She quickly shut her mouth and reddened. Luna sighed. She had told Derpy her true feelings in her sleep. The mare wasn’t mistaken. They were a couple. There was no fault in Derpy’s thoughts. There was no way for her to know she was asleep then.

Derpy slowly climbed into bed wearing pajamas that she must have also had in the bathroom. She sat much closer than the princess remembered. Her face was inches away. Those large yellow eyes filled Luna’s vision.

“So..” she said as innocently as possible. “How was your night?”

Luna relaxed. The little mare was the only one that asked how her night was. She listened to all the strange dreams and nightmares with a large smile on her face. Surprisingly she often added suggestions. Crazy suggestions that made no sense in the regular world but in the dream lands they were helpful.

“That sounds like you had an interesting night!” The bedmate responded after Luna had told her all the unnatural doings in Equestria after dark. “I liked the tap dancing gargoyle part. It sounded fun.”

“I also had a meeting concerning our relationship,”Luna admitted. She hadn’t been in a relationship in millennia but she knew honesty was best. “My sister and some of our advisors are concerned. They’re worried that ponies won’t understand us being together.”

“That’s silly,” her bed mate laughed. “We’re dating ‘cause we love each other. What's there to understand?”

Derpy’s eyes grew wide then she clamped her hooves over her mouth. She looked like she was caught dropping a package down the stairs. Again. Her lip quivered and those yellow eyes pleaded.

“I’m sorry. Doc said I was supposed to wait until a special moment to tell you I love you.” She looked down and tears began to form.

“Any moment somepony hears that they are loved is a special moment.” Luna’s hoof gently lifted that innocent face. “Especially when that love is returned.”

“That’s when it’s broken.”

“What?”

“They return the packages when they get broken.”

Luna chuckled. “Yes but when love is returned it means the other feels it too. The love is doubled.”

Derpy looked up with those eyes once again. They darted back and forth. Then opened wide and the little pegasus threw her forehooves around her Princess’s neck. “You love me! You love me! Ha ha ha!”

“Indeed.” Luna couldn’t help but laugh. It was so uplifting to see her and feel her elation. Her soft body had such warmth and strength.

Luna lost herself to the embrace. The world slipped away, all the neigh-sayers, the strange feelings of others' pain. All slipped from Luna’s mind and were lost to the winds of new love.

What she also missed was Derpy’s head moving from her shoulder in one smooth motion. It was in front of her before she could think and those small nimble lips locked with hers.

Luna found a whole new level of peace and exaltation. Her mind raced to places it hadn’t in centuries. No matter who or why the feeling was still the same. The first kiss of love nearly stopped her breath and stilled her heart. The mind shut down. No analysis or further stimulation was necessary. Her being was in that moment. Waking the clouds with Derpy.

Slowly the massive grey eyelids pulled away and became a normal size again. Derpy held her eyes closed placing her hooves to her moist lips. She sat back and just held the sensation.

“Pr-Princess was that real? Just now?” The pegasus could barely be heard from behind her hooves.

“Yes, Derpy. And please if we have moved to that level in our relationship you may call me Luna.” There was giddiness in the Princess. A delight in her voice rather than a tolerance. A small seed of hope that incinerated despair.

“I thought about doing that so much. I wasn’t sure if I thought about it again or if it really happened.” She finally opened her eyes. It took a few blinks for them to refocus. Then they locked on her girlfriend’s. “I’ve never kissed somepony like that. Even the Doc. Is it ok that I did?”

“Yes. You may kiss me as often as you wish. That is the privilege of being my girlfriend.” Luna was almost awed by the sheer elation that spread over the young mare’s face.

“Any time?”

“Well within reason. Not while I’m eating or giving a speech but when it is just us, I don’t see why I couldn’t accommodate. Would you like another?”

“Y-yes. But not now.” Derpy backed away slightly. “I have one. The first one. Any others won’t be the first. And I want to keep the first one a little longer.”

Luna smiled. It was a logic like no other. It was simple, yet profound in the depth she held in seemingly simple things. The smallest details of life still had the same weight as the larger ones. This was no exception. And it was a chance to savor the experience.

“I want to go to sleep now. So I can dream about that kiss and keep it going.” Derpy slid under the covers and pulled up close to the mighty alicorn.

“Derpy?”

“Mm?”

“When we wake, would you like to go out on a true date?” Luna slid into her side of the bed and pulled her girlfriend close. Derpy sighed a satisfied sigh.

“You’re being really nice to me today. You told me you love me. You let me kiss you. You want to go somewhere together and now you’re holding me close when you’re awake. I feel really lucky. I am really lucky. Maybe all the bad stuff that happened before was so
I could have such good things now. Is that how it works?”

“No. But we have the bad things to help us see the good things easier when they happen. So, I take it you will go.” Luna shifted her head gently on top of Derpy’s.

The mare didn’t respond until a few seconds later with a heavy sigh and a soft snore. Luna kissed the top of her head and joined her in sleep.