The Party was in full swing and joyful, merry music filled the Canterlot Castle room. Hearth’s Warming decorations covered the walls and spread along the ceiling and floor, tables and chairs.
Presents of all shapes and sizes for each pony sat stacked against the far wall near the tree. There were a few fat, cube-like presents. A tall, wide, and somewhat thin present. Some small, flat ones, a tall and skinny one, and even a couple that looked suspiciously like books.
Twilight’s salivary glands definitely did not become over-productive at such a thought.
Shaking the thought free from her head, Twilight poured herself a glass of punch. She smiled as she looked over the other thirteen ponies enjoying Pinkie’s latest Hearth’s Warming Eve celebration.
She eyed Princess Celestia and Rarity chatting, the latter likely dropping hints about how amazing it would be to fashion up an outfit for the former’s next garden party.
Next to them were Cadance and Fluttershy, the two talking and glancing occasionally at the nearby Flurry Heart playing with her father.
At a nearby table sat Applejack and Rainbow Dash, surprisingly not in some sort of competition. Twilight let out a relieved sigh. It seemed they’d finally gotten past their phase of needing to rigorously out-impress one another and instead moved on to simply being friendly and enjoying the other’s company.
Beyond them, Starlight Glimmer gave big sweeps of her forelegs as she regaled Twilight’s parents with some tale. Probably an embarrassing one about Twilight herself, Twilight figured with an unamused purse of her lips and a roll of her eyes. Knowing her parents, they’d both likely asked how their “favorite princess” was doing and what “amazing accomplishments” she’d managed this time.
With a snort, Twilight continued her gaze to the last group. There, against the wall nearest the door, Pinkie sat with Luna. Her pink friend was still trying to explain the rules, or more likely the point, of a silly, awkward little game. A game which consisted of nothing more than a mat with four rows of four different-colored circles and a spinner with the same four colors on it four times. Pinkie swished the spinner then moved her right foreleg to a green circle behind her rear left leg. She then began an even more enthusiastic explanation, making up for her lack of limb movement, but received only an adorable head tilt and triple blink in return from the pretty blue mare.
The blue princess, who had apparently noticed Twilight’s not-stare, glanced up to meet Twilight with a smile. The smile was returned, but quickly fell from Twilight’s face and definitely wasn’t replaced by a blush when Luna sent a slow wink her way. Before Twilight could look away in not-embarrassment, Luna tugged her head backwards, silently beckoning Twilight to her royal highness’s side.
A deep breath and a downed drink later, Twilight followed the command and walked the half-a-dozen meters over.
“...pony that happens to be the last one standing wins!” Pinkie exclaimed, attempting to throw her hooves in the air, but only managed to sweep her own legs out from under herself. “Oof! Anyway, it’s super fun with lots of other—Oh! Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie waved from her tangled position on the floor.
“Hi, Pinkie.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the prone mare. “Are you terrorizing my marefriend?”
Pinkie gasped and shot straight to her hooves. “As if! I’m showing her the rules of the bestest drunk and slash or awkward teenage party game in the world!”
“Uhh, Pinkie,” Twilight’s raised eyebrow stayed frozen in place, “none of us are teenagers and there’s no alcohol at this party.”
Luna coughed out what sounded like a “yet”, but Twilight chose to ignore it.
“Perhaps not, my little Twilight Sparkle,” Luna teased, unfreezing Twilight’s brow and instead drawing a frown from her, “but Pinkie tells me that you have never played this game, neither drunk nor sober nor as a teenager.”
“Of course not!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s a very silly game that inevitably ends with a pile of ponies and legs with their faces shoved uncomfortably close to…” A blush definitely didn’t return to her face as she cleared her throat and looked in the opposite direction of Luna. “Anyway. It’s silly and besides, I was busy as a filly, studying for important things.”
“I should think they were quite important indeed! Though it is a shame, since silly things are sometimes the most fun.” Luna grinned and took a couple slow steps towards Twilight. If she didn’t know better, Twilight would have sworn someone was fiddling with the light dimmer. “Mayhaps we should rectify this after the little ones have gone to sleep.”
“I, uh, well,” Twilight looked down to the side as the dark mare loomed over her. “Flurry’s really the only foal here and I’m sure Caddy and Shiny are going to let her stay up later than usual. ‘Cause, you know, it’s a special night and she’s getting older and while sleep is important, reinforcing relations by developing new memories with family and friends can be equally—”
“What do you say, Pinkie?” The light suddenly returned to normal and Luna was somehow, irritatingly right back where she was before. “It certainly sounds as if Twilight is on board. Do you think we could convince a couple others to join in?”
Pinkie Pie giggle-gasped. “Yes! Yes yes yes! I have been trying to get Twilight to play for years! I’m gonna go find ponies to play right now!”
“Pinkie, wait! Present opening is up… next.” Twilight huffed and glared at Luna. “That was a low blow, Luna.”
Luna merely raised her nose to the air and brushed her mane away with a hoof. “I know not of what you speak, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight growled and stepped forward. “And you know how much I hate you using my full name. It's so impersonal and you sound like my mom.”
“Hmm… I cannot seem to recall you mentioning it. Regardless, come with me, Twilight.” She reached up and booped Twilight on the nose before walking to the hall door. “I am in need of assistance.”
“Wh—hey!” Twilight bound after her infuriating marefriend and out into the hall. “Luna! Present opening is in ten!”
“Yes, yes, worry not.” Luna waved a hoof at Twilight behind her as she exited the room. “This should only take but a few minutes.”
“Mmm… alright, fine.” Twilight caught up and walked alongside Luna, giving her a sideways glance. “And what exactly do you need my help with this late in the night? It better not be anything… untowards, as Rarity would say. We don’t have time for those kinds of shenanigans.”
Luna quickly trotted ahead before abruptly cutting Twilight off. “Number one, I could easily shove you into one of these rooms and have you in many ‘untoward’ ways before those ten minutes had passed.”
Twilight quietly gasped as her eyes grew wide and her blush definitely came in full force. Right before she could stammer out a reply, Luna pecked her on the nose and continued down the hallway.
“Number two, you need to learn to lighten up and have some fun. Live a little! Enjoy some risk!”
Twilight shook her stupor away and caught up with her marefriend again. “Excuse you! If I’m not mistaken, which I know I’m not, last vacation you were the one that wanted to sit at home with a cup of tea and a book while Celestia and I went out and ‘lived a little.’”
“You are not incorrect. However, unlike some lavender mares, I do not have qualms with such activities. I merely had had enough of them for the time being.”
“What?!” Twilight cried out. “I don’t have any qualms! Nor any apprehension nor objections nor anxieties about… about whatever activities you’re referring to!”
Luna stopped at a door to a secretarial room, one hoof on the handle as she leaned in towards Twilight with a grin. “Methinks mine thesaurus doth protest too much.” She then opened the door and trotted inside.
Twilight grumbled as she followed Luna in. It wasn’t a daily occurrence, but Luna knew Twilight’s buttons like the back of her hoof and Hearth’s Warming offered prime opportunities for embarrassing Twilight. One day she’d figure out how to guard them from Luna. Or maybe she could get new buttons! But then she’d simply find those too and push them just as hard. No, having a button guard was certainly more ideal. She simply had to figure out how…
She was knocked from her thoughts as her snout bumped into something soft and warm. The blush whose existence she was trying to deny returned. Now that was definitely a daily occurrence.
“Lost in thought again, Purple Dream?” Luna nuzzled Twilight’s mane.
“Luna! Stop it!” Twilight giggled and batted her away.
“Why? It’s quite fun! You should try it some time.”
Twilight grumbled again. “Anyway… what exactly did you need my help with?”
“Mmm, yes.” Luna nodded and levitated a pair of saddlebags from a nearby desk. She strapped them on before slinging a camera around her neck. “There is a present for my sister that I have wanted to… acquire for quite some time.”
An incredulous eyebrow was raised in response. “And you decided to wait until only a few minutes before we open presents on Hearth’s Warming Eve to get it?”
“Not quite.” Luna levitated a tattered scroll from the desk. “I’m sure you recognize this?”
Twilight leaned in and squinted at the parchment. Before finishing even the first line of runes did she gasp and reel at her crazy blue marefriend. “Luna! This is Starswirl’s time travel spell! And,” she glanced at the familiar tear in the side of the paper, “the same one Starlight used! Where did you find this? I thought it was consumed by the Friendship Map!”
“It certainly was not easy and may or may not have required some, well, we shall call it ‘bargaining’ with the Map and the Tree of Harmony. But, in the end, I persevered and was successful in acquiring it.”
“Okay… Alright… that still doesn’t explain why you need it. I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous this spell can be. You better have a good reason for this.”
“I do, actually,” Luna said as her horn began to glow, starting the initial cast of the spell. “A far better reason than it would seem even at second glance. The Tree of Harmony trusted me enough to grant it to me. Will you, Twilight?” Luna held out her hoof.
She pursed her lips and looked from Luna’s hoof into her eyes. A long moment later, she let out a deep sigh. “Fine. I trust you. I just wish you’d have talked to me about this before now.” She reached up and grasped Luna’s hoof.
“I promise it will be more than worthwhile.” Not a moment later, Luna finished the spell and pulled them up and into the past.
The familiar, infinite gray streaming tunnel of time whipped past the two mares and Twilight made sure to grip Luna’s hoof as tight as she could.
After both an eternity and a mere second passed, the two dropped out of the tunnel and into open sky. Well versed with this particular chronomancy, Twilight immediately began flapping her wings and readied her horn to catch Luna. She was surprised to find Luna not falling below her, but deftly hovering beside her, camera and saddlebags still in tow.
“Come, Twilight. It is this way.” Luna turned and lazily flew away.
Twilight quickly made to follow and looked around at the quaint town below them. Many of the buildings were wooden with thatched roofs and it appeared somewhat similar to Ponyville, if a fair bit less developed. Most of the ponies wore hooded cloaks as they trudged through the snow for their last few activities on the wintery, mid-evening day.
“Where are we?” Twilight asked. “Or better yet, when are we?”
“We are in my and Celestia’s home town,” Luna answered as she curved around the edges of town, “and this is approximately eleven hundred and forty years before our current present.”
“Huh. Okay.” Twilight looked down and noticed a couple ponies glancing up at them before continuing on their way. “Uhh, Luna?”
“Mhm?”
“Aren’t you a bit worried about us being here? What with us looking like, well, us? Or even visible at all?”
“Not particularly.” Luna shook her head. “For reasons that will become apparent later, there is no need to worry about such things.”
“Really?” Twilight asked with no small amount of incredulity. “You don’t think it might be strange for the locals to see a couple of alicorns, one of which is larger than the local timeline’s version and already has her cutie mark? Are you familiar with the Butterfly Effect?”
Luna looked back at her for a moment with a hint of surprise and pride. “I should not be astounded that you could deduce this time’s version of me would yet to have her cutie mark.”
“Well, I mean, sure.” Twilight flushed with happiness at her marefriend’s attention. “Celestia’s ones-versary was a few years ago in our time, which was celebrating when you both raised the sun and moon for the first time and got your cutie marks.”
“Indeed.” Luna nodded and began to fly lower to the ground. “And the answer to your last question is yes. I am familiar with the theory and, though I do not know whether the change of a single flap of a butterfly’s wings could alter time as we know it, it is not something that is applicable here.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll wait for your contrived explanation.” Twilight harrumphed, then said under her breath, “I swear, you and your sister both.”
“Care to repeat that?” Luna glanced sidelong at Twilight.
“I said ‘I love you and your sister, both!’ But you more, of course.”
“Uh huh. That is what I thought,” Luna said as she and Twilight landed in a wide, snow-coated alley on what seemed to be the backsides of some hovels.
Twilight followed down the alley, before speaking up. “Alright, then would you mind telling me why we’re here? What present are we, I assume, taking a photograph of?”
“We are here because a long while ago from our current present, quite close to this time in fact, something precious to Sister and myself was lost. Perhaps not destroyed, but certainly no longer to be found in its original form.”
Luna turned to a tall, rickety wooden fence. She hummed and examined each board as she slowly walked along. “Ah ha!” she exclaimed and pushed aside a board nailed only at the top. She gleefully strutted through the gap, but before she could even get halfway through, her shoulders just barely caught between the boards.
Twilight gaped as the already unstable fence began to sag and veer forward. With a quick light of her horn, she grasped both the entire section of fence and Luna, carefully setting the wood back straight and dragging her mare back through the snow to her. Twilight gave her a glare and barely managed to keep it in place at the rare, sheepish look that came across her marefriend’s adorable face.
With her frown fighting a losing battle, Twilight calmly pushed the board aside and strutted through the same gap without even grazing the fence. A loud thump of hooves followed by a huff at her side broke Twilight’s bearing and a smile flooded across her face.
“Yes, yes. Congratulations, you’re slightly skinnier than I.” Luna rolled her eyes and continued to the house. “Give it a few decades and you may even exceed my size.”
“Ha! I doubt it. I’ve barely grown a centimeter since I ascended. Besides, I know you like smaller mares.”
“I will neither confirm nor deny such slander.” Luna’s horn lit and the door’s simple lock popped open.
“Well, I could give it to, say, the Equestrian Enquirer, then it can be both slander and libel!”
“Please, go ahead. See how much I prefer smaller mares after that.” Luna stepped inside and bapped Twilight’s nose with her tickly, ethereal tail.
Twilight grinned with a silent hoof pump and excitedly hopped back and forth at a rare win. Luna’s four hundred and thirty seven to Twilight’s fifty-three. She was gaining! Look out, Luna, the underdog is racing up!
“Are you coming? Or are you going to keep Twilight-dancing at getting one over on me?”
Twilight froze on her front right and back left legs before calmly, and definitely absolutely without a hint of red to her cheeks, putting her other two hooves on the ground. She cleared her throat. “Yes. You may… continue.”
“Never change, my Purple Dream.” Luna shook her head, a grin on her face, and turned back into the house.
Twilight entered as well and shut the door behind her. “So, uh,” she cleared her throat again, “remind me what we’re looking for?”
Luna didn’t answer, but rather walked through the little combined kitchen dining room and into the living room. To the left was another hall, to bedrooms, Twilight assumed, but Luna stopped in the middle of the room and faced away from the hall to the wall above a roughshod couch.
Twilight followed and her eyebrows raised in surprise as she saw it. Hanging on the wall was a large painting with an intricate, ivory wood frame. An artist with clear skill had depicted a beautiful field surrounded by a forest with a single, towering oak tree in the center and three cobblestone pathways curving to meet before the tree. One came from the center and the other two from each side. Gleefully galloping towards the viewer along the fields between the paths were a pair of pretty fillies. Neither had cutie marks and one was dark blue with a light blue mane while the other was pure white with a flowing, pink mane.
“Wow,” Twilight whispered. “This is beautiful.”
“Indeed it is.” Luna stepped back and raised the camera’s viewfinder to her eye, beginning to adjust the camera. “This is what we were seeking. Many years before the time we find ourselves at now, our mother painted this. It is one of the few things we were able to bring with us to Equestria before the unification.”
The camera clicked and flashed, lighting up the whole room.
“A short time from now, this painting will disappear, with the world at large none-the-wiser as to its whereabouts.”
“Huh. That’s kind of sad.” Twilight frowned. “And not a single pony will know where it went?”
Luna shrugged. “It is possible there is a pony or two, but it seems they never came forward before most forgot the painting even existed. Not that there were many to begin with.”
Another click and flash filled up the room.
“What happened, err, happens to it?”
“Hmm?” Luna hummed, fiddling with more settings on the camera.
“Your mom’s painting. What’s going to cause it to disappear?”
“It simply vanishes one day.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the overly-simple answer. “Really? That’s it? No big fire or magical fight or—”
A throat being cleared resounded behind them and Twilight froze, her eyes growing wide. She glanced at Luna who was still fiddling with her camera as if nothing had happened. Her first instinct was to chew Luna out, but that might not be the best of ideas in front of their unexpected guest. Instead, she turned to face the newcomer.
The apologetic greeting barely made it to her tongue before her eyes bugged even wider at the sight of another Luna. The younger version stood there, slightly shorter and with a coloration much like the painting. She tapped her forehoof impatiently with a frown, a raised eyebrow, and an unamused stare at Twilight.
“Uhh, Luna?”
“Yea?”
“Yes?”
Twilight nearly facehooved. “Hey, old hag Luna.”
Her Luna lowered the camera and glanced sidelong at Twilight. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not excused.” Twilight and her Luna merely stared for a few long seconds before Twilight loudly whispered, “What the buck, Luna? Look behind us!”
“Hmm?” Luna glanced back at Luna, raised an eyebrow, and went back to her camera. “Oh. Pay her no mind. You will find her to be quite harmless.”
“I beg thy pardon?!”
“Luna!” Twilight gaped at her marefriend. “Your younger self is right behind you and that’s all you have to say?!”
“Yes. Because she is a harmless little plum.”
“Sayeth that to mine own visage, thee wench!”
“Uh huh.” Another click and flash of the camera. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“Luna,” Twilight actually facehooved, “Please explain to me how this isn’t grossly irresponsible?”
Older Luna sighed and let the camera hang back down on her neck. “Fine. This is not the first instance I have visited this time period. Nor the first time I visited her.”
Twilight’s eye twitched. “I… I cannot comprehend how that makes this situation any better.”
“‘Tis true,” younger Luna spoke up and walked to them. “Mine own older self hath asked if we couldst playth a prank on thee and I did agree,” she said, then crossed her forelegs. “Regardless, she is still a wench.”
“Much like looking into a mirror.” Older Luna smirked.
Younger Luna cleared her throat and held a hoof out. “Though… I seemeth to remember we did agree upon a form of payment.”
“Ah, yes, of course. How in Equestria could I have forgotten?” Older Luna magicked open her saddle bags. Out levitated a cupcake and into her younger self’s open hoof.
Younger Luna took the cupcake in her own magic and cleared her throat again, her hoof still outheld.
Older Luna rolled her eyes and out went two more cupcakes which younger Luna happily grabbed.
“Consider thy debt cleared,” Younger Luna said before munching down on one of her sweets.
Twilight’s eye continued twitching and her mind began involuntarily calculating the chances of the future being destroyed. Over cupcakes. The result was definitively non-zero.
“Careful!” Older Luna remarked with her continued smirk. “Keep that up and you might end up with a rear like your sister’s!”
“Forsooth?! Gazing upon thee, I wouldst beest surprised if I didn’t kicketh the bucket from starvation first!”
Older Luna simply glared at herself as she enjoyed her potentially world-ending cupcakes.
“Anyway…” Older Luna rolled her eyes and faced Twilight. “I am sure you have more than a few questions.”
“Uh huh.” Twilight nodded slowly. “Yep. Definitely. You could say that.”
“Allow me to resolve the most glaring one first. The world as we know it is not about to end. In fact, when we get back, not a single thing will have changed in our timeline.”
Twilight glanced at the smeared frosting and accompanying joyous expression on the other Luna’s face. “And you know that… how?”
“Because I was her.”
Twilight blinked. “Well, of course you were her! That’s you a thousand years in the past!”
“A thouthamth?!” Younger Luna exclaimed through a mouthful of cupcake before swallowing. “Wow. Thou art bucking old, grandma.”
“I certainly am, pipsqueak.” Luna ruffled Luna’s mane.
“Toucheth me again and thy hoof shall remaineth here.”
“Sure, sure.” Older Luna set her hoof down and the younger chomped on her next cupcake. She turned to Twilight again. “What I meant was, I was her. As in right now her. Nomming on that delicious cupcake. So not only was I being responsible by coming here with you, but rather not coming here at all would have been the grossly irresponsible thing to do!”
Twilight stared for several long moments trying and failing to comprehend the possibility of such a thing.
“Methinks thee hath broken her.” Younger Luna poked Twilight in her shoulder.
“I… I, what?” Twilight finally stammered out. “That’s not possible. That would imply an infinite regression and progression of Lunas that get visited and grow up and time travel back to visit themselves. And if that wasn’t the case, then a Luna decided at some point to travel back in time and somehow make available the ability for all subsequent Lunas to do the same thing over and over and over which would mean this isn’t the true timeline and if this one instance of time travel caused an infinite loop there could be a potential infinite number of infinite loops that infinitely stretch forwards and backwards across all time and one single bump against any one of them could cause the entire universe to—”
Twilight gasped, suddenly finding herself lightheaded and in the hooves of her Luna.
“Wow. Forsooth, we picked a keeper.”
“We indeed do. Are you alright, Purple Dream?”
Twilight got to her own hooves and shook clear her head. “Uh, yeah. I think so. I still don’t know what this means, but I guess maybe I can try to figure it out later?”
“And I’m sure you will.” Older Luna laid her wing across Twilight’s back. “Or you could do what I do.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”
Luna shrugged. “Shrug and accept it for what it is: the thing that gave me the most wonderful marefriend.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes and thoroughly ignored her not-blush. “Despite how romantic and cheesy that is, don’t think you can just woo your way out of this. You could have at least told me beforehoof!”
“Actually, I could not have.”
“And why not?”
“Because I did not. And because you just said I did not in front of me.”
Twilight’s eye twitch returned as she looked back and forth between Luna and Luna. “You both are going to be the death of me.”
“Perhaps so, but we are running short on time and there is one final thing I wished to show you.”
“Alright, fine. I guess if a you already did this anyway, it couldn’t hurt to do it… again?” Twilight laid her aching head in her hooves. “Or maybe it can. My brain is upset with me.”
Luna turned back to her younger self. “Well, it has been quite a time on this side of things, Luna.”
“The same may beest spoken of mine side. Grant you mercy, this wast quite enjoyable.”
“It was indeed. Fare thee well, young one! We shall see each other again in a thousand years.”
Twilight turned as Luna led the way back to the kitchen.
“Erm, Luna,” Younger Luna stammered out.
“Yes?”
“Doth thee think we couldst…” she shook her head. “Never you mind. ‘Twas a silly thought.”
Twilight’s Luna huffed and Twilight swore she saw her deflate a tiny bit before trotting up to her younger self.
“It was not silly and such a thing never will be. Yes. We absolutely can.” Luna reached out and embraced her younger self tightly for a very long moment. “Times may get a little rough, but I promise you, they will work out.”
Slowly, they broke apart and stepped back. With not but a nod and a smile from each, they both turned and walked away. Silently, Twilight and Luna walked out the door and made their way back to the path between the houses.
“This seems a bit odd to ask, but is she going to be okay?”
Luna trotted on for a moment longer before answering. “She will be. It is going to take some time and there will be a lot of horse apples to trod through, but she has a shining mare waiting on the other side.” She nuzzled Twilight and Twilight was more than happy to return it. Luna took a deep breath before spreading her wings. “In any case, come! We must hurry if we are to make it in time!”
“Time for what?” Twilight spread hers and followed Luna up.
“Come! It shall be a surprise!” Luna shot off into the sky.
Twilight shook her head. “I swear, those sisters…”
Nearly an hour of hearty flying later and Luna finally began to slow her pace. Ahead of them was another town, though most buildings were built from relatively more advanced stone and wooden roofs. What caught Twilight’s eye, however, was the tall, twenty-or-so meter tower. It no doubt belonged to a wizard or sorceress based on the sizable courtyard and large, decorative runes out front. The mere prospect of the knowledge contained within had her giddy.
Slight disappointment filled her as Luna led her not to the tower, but to a hill just outside of town. It was near sunset as the two mares alighted down and crunched their hooves a few centimeters into the fresh snow.
“This is where we shall wait for your surprise,” Luna said as cryptically as usual and opened the saddlebag opposite of the one that had contained the cupcakes. Out in her magic came a red and white checkered blanket, a small wicker basket, and a bottle of wine, all of which settled themselves neatly onto the hilltop. “After you, milady.” Luna bowed and gestured a hoof to her little picnic.
Twilight looked to the snow past her fetlocks, then to the blanket. She gave Luna a skeptical look, but decided to take a step of faith. Instead of sinking in, she found herself pleasantly surprised that not only did the cloth remain firm, but a warmth emanated from it. An enchanted blanket. It seemed Luna came well prepared.
Luna joined her, set her camera and saddlebags off to the side, and snuggled up close. The two began snacking on flowers and cupcakes while wine glasses were magicked out of the basket and filled with deep, red wine.
“Okay,” Twilight spoke up. “You know what? Fine. You were right. As long as it doesn’t actually end up with our timeline destroyed, this was nice. Though,” Twilight furrowed a brow at her marefriend, “you didn’t actually need my help, did you?”
“My dearest Twilight, we have already been over this.” Luna reached up and booped her snoot a second time, much to Twilight’s chagrin. “Not only was your help necessary, it was imperative! For had you not come, our timeline would have actually changed!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, okay, fine. But you know what I—” She stopped herself, narrowing her eyes at her marefriend. “Wait a second. You knew!”
“Knew what? That I needed you to come with me?”
“No! I mean, yes! But more than that, younger you knew we were dating! Which means you’ve known for a thousand years that we would be together!”
“Well… I am not certain that is quite accurate.”
“It’s not, is it?” Twilight gave Luna the look. “You called me ‘your marefriend’ in front of her.”
Luna’s face showed no signs of cracking. “Ah, but how certain are you that ‘marefriend’ means the same thing in this time?”
“You called me ‘purple dream!’”
“A common nickname, as far as you know.” Luna stuck her nose in the air.
“She said ‘we picked a keeper.’”
“Most certainly a normal phrase amongst a nation of budding relations.”
Twilight intensified the look.
A glance came out the corner of Luna’s eye before she sighed. “Very well, Twilight, you have caught me red hooved. I knew long ago that you were my marefriend to-be. Though, admittedly, in my darker years such things escaped my mind. It was not until after you and your friends cleansed me, and I began to accustom myself to this new society, that I even remembered.”
Twilight kept her eyes narrowed for only a moment longer before dropping it and shuffling up to Luna’s side. “Well, I’m glad you did remember. I’m a little confused how an event so extraordinary as this could have gotten lost in your mind, but I believe you.”
“I am glad, my lovely Twilight.” Luna nosed into her mane. “As a token of evidence, why do you think I hid myself away for so long? I may have known in advance that we would date, but I was struck by you, in multiple senses of the word, both moments I first laid eyes on you. A beautiful and talented mare such as yourself deserves nothing but the best.”
Twilight leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her marefriend, fighting and learnedly ignoring her warming cheeks. “You hid away to, what, make yourself more presentable? Bring your vernacular up to date?”
“More the first,” Luna began and glanced away with a tiny hint of an adorable blush across her face. “And I may or may not have been a touch nervous.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. “The strongest, most cheeky and coy mare I know, was nervous over a love interest? You are the silliest, Luna.” She leaned in and nuzzled her.
A few moments of silence passed as the two nipped at a few flowers and sipped wine.
“Ah! It is nearly time!” Luna exclaimed and sat up straight. “Look over there, Twilight.” Luna pointed a hoof near the tower, a few ponies exiting into the cobblestone courtyard in front. “From our current period, it has been quite some time since such a thing happened, over a millenia, in fact.”
“Quite a while since what?”
“Watch and you will see.”
Twilight squinted at the distant ponies, the last one exiting the tower. Soon, they gathered together, facing each other in a circle. A few ponies passing by the circle of ponies stopped, apparently also interested in whatever display was about to happen. Twilight’s eyebrows rose in surprise as their horns lit and she quickly realized that every pony in the center was a unicorn.
She gasped and leaned forward as their purpose immediately became apparent. Off to the side, the sun that had held its place at the horizon slowly began to lower. She looked at the unicorns and her eyes darted between each until they settled on a gray pony in a blue cloak and hat on the opposite side of the circle.
“It’s hard to see from here, but Star Swirl looks so young. His beard isn’t even gray yet!”
Luna nodded. “Indeed. This was well before his foolish attempt at exchanging the heavenly bodies on his own.”
“Gosh, I wish I could meet him.” Her head whipped to Luna just as the moon began to rise behind its patron to-be. Twilight did her best to put an expectant look on her face. “Can I, err, do I get to meet him?”
“I am afraid not,” Luna chuckled and shook her head. “The ponies who previously spotted us from a distance were not ones likely to question. Star Swirl, on the other hoof, is very much one to question. I am afraid his seeing either of us early would certainly change the future in innumerable ways.”
“Figures,” Twilight grumbled before letting out a sigh. “Well, regardless, this was very worthwhile. Thank you very much for bringing me to see this, Luna.” She leaned and settled into Luna’s side.
“You are quite welcome, Purple Dream.” Luna laid her head on Twilight’s mane, just behind her horn. A couple moments later, Twilight felt Luna pull back. “As enjoyable as this is, we should not stay out here too much longer. Nights tended to get cold rather quickly in this time.”
Luna stood and stepped off the blanket, Twilight following suit. The blanket and its fixings glowed blue before they were whisked away into Luna’s Saddlebag. “This way. Let us go away down the hill before returning. I would prefer Star Swirl not see the magic he one day creates.”
Twilight nodded and trotted down after her marefriend. Once they’d reached a distance Luna seemed to be comfortable with, the scroll was levitated out and the spell cast. A moment later and Twilight found herself sucked up into the time vortex once more.
“Oof!”
Twilight and Luna both smacked hard against the castle floor as the spell carelessly spat them out. She slowly rose up and stretched her back. “That’s something I definitely don’t miss about that spell.”
“I would have to agree.” Luna rose up and unstrapped her saddlebags, floating the camera out and back on her neck. “Star Swirl may have been quite the archmage, but his deliveries are certainly lacking.”
“How much time do you think has passed?”
Luna finished setting her bags back on the table and turned to the door. “No more than a few minutes. Come! We should be just in time for present opening, as promised!”
Twilight trailed behind and eyed her Luna as she led the way. A much better mood surrounded them than before they’d gone on this adventure. She was still a little concerned about the infinite loop of Lunas visiting each other, but that was a question for another day, possibly one that didn’t even matter.
She was broken from her thoughts as the party room door swung open in Luna’s magic and jolly music spilled out.
“After you, milady.” Luna bowed a hoof into the room.
“Why thank you.” Twilight nodded and graciously strode into the room.
“There you two are!” Pinkie waved from the group of ponies surrounding the tree and presents. “I was about to send a search party out and those are way less fun than actual parties.”
Luna and Twilight shared a knowing glance before trotting over to the gaggle of ponies. “Worry not, young Pinkie. I had simply stolen Twilight away for… enjoyable reasons.”
“Sister,” Celestia chided, “I don’t think the ponies present wish to hear about your and Twilight’s… relations.”
“I do!” Pinkie called out from her spot at the center of the group. “But that’s going to have to wait, ‘cause it’s time to open presents!”
“Just one each, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said. “No sneaking extras this year. The rest are to be saved for tomorrow morning.”
“Ugh, fine!” Pinkie rolled her eyes before looking at the group. “Now who wants to go first?”
“I think it should be my sister.” Luna quickly spoke up and Twilight sent a look to her marefriend, which swiftly went ignored.
“Luna, don’t you think it would be polite for our guests to go first?” Celestia raised a brow.
“I was thinking we could go on opposite ends. You first, then I shall go last.”
“That sounds like a great idea! Like a sun-moon princess sandwich!” Pinkie hopped up and down, practically vibrating in place.
Celestia looked to the rest of the group and received smiles and nods. “Very well. May I have a present, gift giver Pinkie?”
“You certainly,” Pinkie sent an over-exaggerated wink to Luna, “may!” The pink mare turned around to the pile of presents under the tree that spilled out to the back wall. All the way in the back, she began dragging out the biggest present, the same wide, tall, and a bit thin present Twilight had eyed earlier.
“Uh, Pinkie, don’t you think—” Twilight quickly found a blue hoof in her mouth. She glared up at the marefriend who was pointedly not looking at her.
A short moment later and the huge present was placed in front of Celestia.
“Erm, thank you, Pinkie.” Celestia eyed the wrapped box with a large bow in front. Delicately, her golden magic tore neat lines in the wrapping paper, exposing the box underneath. The top opened and out levitated a large, ivory white framed photograph.
Twilight immediately knew what it was and a smile began to creep on her face, but the photo itself gave her pause. Ignoring the fact that they had just returned, the photo was exceptionally well developed. So well developed, in fact, that the canvas appeared textured. And the picture frame. She scrunched her brows at how similar, yet pristine its intricate, white wood looked. Twilight slowly turned her head to Luna, mouth open in question, but found the mare looking right at her with a grin.
A quiet click drew her attention down to see the camera’s film door swing open. Inside was… nothing. No film at all. Twilight’s eyes grew wide and they darted up to catch Luna’s sly wink.
She glanced back at the all-too-familiar painting before seeing Celestia’s gaze shift to her sister. Twilight’s eyes bounced back to the blue mare and she took a deep breath, hearing Celestia do the same. That little…
“LUNA!”
Author's Note
Well, this was a fun little thing to write! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
I'm also certain I butchered ye old Early Modern ~~English~~ Equestrian. You may send your complaints to Azure Notion at AzureNotion@Azure.Notion.
Merry/happy/joyous/jolly/jovial/jocund/cheerful/festive [insert preferred holiday/non-holiday name here], all you guys, gals, and non-binary pals!
