A Nightly Romance

*Click*

Celestia remained still as a statue as the shutter went off. She kept that pose as the small white pegasii jumped out around her. They seized the desk, the flag, the globe, the briefcases, and the rest of the props in a matter of seconds. They bounced right back with a small set of books, two cups filled with quills, and a box crammed with parchments.

"Would your majesty sit down and lean a little bit closer to the camera, please?" asked the mare behind the camera. Celestia obliged, and then the mare perked up her bright blue ears. "Yes, yes, thank you... That's just..." She nudged the tripod a few inches forward-- catching a little bit of her shimmering white mane in the tripod's big black gears.

Almost... We're almost done, finally. Thank goodness! Celestia's eyes darted from Photo Finish to the gaggle of assistants now lined up against the studio wall to her sister-- standing against the wall on the far corner. Lulu... You don't have to be so nervous.

"Please, eyes on me your highness," Finish said. She took another picture. "Yes, yes... The loneliness of command. The isolation. The stature." The camera clicked again. "The responsibility. Thousands of ponies are reaching out to you for help. And you sit there as lawgiver." The camera clicked once again. "You are stoic. You are calm. You are reserved." Finish leaned her head up atop the camera. "You control Equestria's destiny."

Finish took a flurry of pictures. Celestia strained not to blink or let her eyes water. Finish suddenly jumped back a few feet. She rubbed her front right hoof upon her purple sash, and she leaned up. Finish cracked a huge smile.

"All done," Finish squeaked.

Celestia coughed. Alright, Lulu... Your turn... She waggled her head for a second. She blinked rapidly-- spotting the white pegasii moving about once again between blinks.

"I must say, your highness," Finish said, and she trotted across the studio for a moment. She swooshing her long white tail upon the end of her elegant black and white dress. "To have the honor of photographing the 'Royal Administrative Bulletin' for a second time in a row..." She stopped, and then she bowed. "I am truly speechless."

"We believe that you're work is excellent," Celestia replied. Finish flinched slightly, and then she smiled while bowing once again. Well, Dazzling Marks does at least... The sun goddess stepped aside as her sister walked towards the middle of the stage.

Luna jiggled with every step. The nervousness seemed to just drip off of her like sweat. She finally made it in front of the camera. She then clutched her head with her hooves.

"Another headache?" Celestia asked, motherly concern coming naturally to her words.

"It's... It will be fine..." Luna muttered, and she looked up. She held a hoof above her head. "Could we... do something about the lights, please..."

"Your highness, please," one of the bright white pegasii replied. He moved behind the camera-- propping her hooves at the edge of the tripod. Finish stood behind in pure silence. "That is like asking a bird to do something about its wings. Or a fish to do something about its tail. Or..."

Celestia glared at the pegasus. He stopped. He then seemed to want to hide under the tripod. Finish held up a hoof and then pointed at a gigantic yellow unicorn sitting in the corner. Finish then nestled herself back right behind the camera. The offending pegasus slinked off to the rest of his compatriots adjacent to the stage.

Celestia gestured for Luna to received another drink. One of the white pegasii trotted out of the room, and he returned with a little tray with two glasses and a small creamy pudding treat. At the same time, the gigantic unicorn sped from light umbrella to light umbrella. The room dimmed step by step. Although fear coursed through her body, Luna giggled a little at the refreshments and promptly seemed to inhale them.

Finish made a small smile. She then leaned even closer to the camera. "There would be nothing wrong with a more..." Finish began, and then she paused. Celestia tried to stare behind those comically oversize glasses and see what flashed across photographer's eyes. "Intimate setting for these new pictures... As your majesty wishes..."

"Oh, please, call me Luna," the blue alicorn said with a nervous wave of her right hoof. The attendants shifted about the stage around her in total silence. "Luna..." She found herself standing behind a short darkish grey table and a small, comfy looking light grey couch. "I insist... Please..." Luna's eyes traced around the tiny blue boxes and blue pillows around her hooves.

"As Luna wishes," Finish said, and then she reached up with her right hoof, "Please, concentrate right on my hoof." Luna did as she asked. "Now, I'd like you to back up a few inches and sit calmly upon the edge of the couch." Luna obeyed. "Could you curl your head down besides the table, please. If you could hover just a few inches above without actually touching it..." Finish pursed her mouth. "Good, Luna, thank you... But... But..." She paused.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked.

"My... Luna, I'm sorry, but I must be frank," Finish said, leaning a little bit back from the camera, "This expression does not work. I'm afraid that you look as if you're waiting for your execution." She suddenly stepped back futher and sat down. She clearly wondered if she had said something that crossed a line, and she looked over at Celestia.

Celestia took a sip of tea. She blankly looked back at Finish. The sun goddess then walked over to the side of the stage. She motioned around with her mane, and she smiled at Luna. Lulu, you know that you're one of the most beautiful things to ever grace Equestria. Believe in yourself. I do. Celestia's silent, caring gaze meant more than any words.

"Here is what I have in mind," the photographer began, and she squished herself back behind the camera, "What I said to her majesty before... It wouldn't work here. This is what the camera thinks of you, Luna..." Finish built up her voice, every word filled with drama. "You are love. You are tenderness. You are the soft, soothing embrace of the night. Day has ended-- you're love is here to calm the troubles of what happened with sweet nightly bliss."

Luna panted a little bit. She then motioned herself back deeper upon the couch. She moved her front hooves across the table.

"Yes, yes!" Finish said, and she took a picture, "Luna is tender. Luna is inviting. You are inviting the viewer to yourself." She took another picture, and then she paused. "Look at this camera." Finish bobbed her head above the side of the tripod. "Not me, not anymore... Look right at the camera. Picture somepony familiar right where the lens is."

"Strawwwwwwberry," Luna muttered quietly to herself.

"Perfect, Luna. Just keep going, please," the photographer said, and she made some carefully measured adjustments to the camera-- a little button here, a knob there, and so on.

Luna rested her head down on her front hooves. She rubbed up against the fluffy blue pillows with her bottom hooves. The camera erupted with another loud click. Luna focused right at the lens, and she saw Finish pause once again. A jolt of inspiration shot from the tip of the photographer's tail to the edge of her head.

"This is the magics!" Finish called out, "You have someone special in your life, yes? Of course!" Luna softly nodded. "That someone is now inside this camera. It was a shrink spell. Think of that. Look at the camera. Look at him."

Luna smoothed her face a bit more. She rubbed the end of her chin further upon her hooves. She tried to emphasize her full lips, and she felt her bottom hooves relaxing. The pillow started going up between her legs. The photographer then blazed through a bunch of pictures.

"Yes!" Finish hollered, "This is him. This is your coltfriend." She clicked through a few more. "Your calm, chill embrace. Your smile. You are inviting him." Luna let out a little coo, and then she shifted about. "YES!" Finish went through a few more pictures.

Luna pulled up the couch a lot closer. She curled her legs back upon the side of the couch. She pressed the pillow tightly in between her legs. She head picture after picture with click after click. Luna then cocked her head over, and she held her front hooves up in the air in supplication. Luna felt her beautiful, flowing mane curling up across her chest.

"YES! YES!" Finish screamed. She blazed through a bunch of pictures. She immediately ran out of film. Finish suddenly slammed in another roll with the quick precious of a solider with a wartime weapon. "Luna is love. Luna is glorious. Luna is the seduction of the night."

Luna rolled around a little bit more. She then rammed her front hooves against the table. She scraped the polished wood as she drew her hooves back. She pushed her back body a little bit up over the top of the couch. She felt her mane rubbing alongside the mass of pillows. Luna then kissed the middle of the table.

*Sproing*

The gaggle of pegasii had their wings shoot out at full length. The tallest of them knocked over one of the light umbrellas. The shortest of them sped right over and pressed his wings against it-- righting it back up. They then huddled once again. Luna traced their faces. Every last one of them looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Luna is temptation. Luna is feeling. Luna is emotion. Luna is raw. Luna is sticky sweet," Finish rattled off, still clicking through picture after picture. Luna kept on posing. Finish curled her body across the tripod tightly. The photographer looked like her hooves were about to crush the camera like a grape.

Luna picked up her front hooves and then pushed the table away. She stretched her entire body along the couch. She pressed her bottom hooves against the end of it. The rippling edges of her tail ran down along her bottom left hoof and then fluttered in the air above.

As Finish still sped through photograph after photograph, Luna nestled her head against the edge of the couch. She played with her mane between her front hooves-- eyes still focused straight at the camera. Luna then curled her mane delicately across her chest. She motioned one of the over pillows towards her mouth. She rubbed her head along the side as her legs curled about in turn. She then held the pillow right up on top of her mouth.

Luna bit down.

*Crash*

Three of the light umbrellas smashed upon the ground. The crowd of pegasii shifted about. They panted so hard that they could barely breathe. Puddles of drool gathered on the stuido floor below them.

"And I'm spent!" Finish announced. She triumphantly lifted her hooves from the camera and stepped straight backwards. The pegasii hesitated. They then trotted up around the photographer.

One of them picked up the camera and moved it into a gigantic bluish-grey case. Another collapsed the tripod and placed it into a similar looking case. Several of them sped over and pulled away the couch and table from the middle of the studio. Finish snapped a hoof atop her head, and then a pegasus popped up behind her clutching a huge glass of champagne

Luna stood in place. She had no idea what to think or what to do at that moment. She gave a helpless look over to Celestia. The sun goddess walked over towards her, and then she nestled alongside her. The two of them looked over at Finish, who stopped to give them a huge smile. The alicorns smiled back.

Finish gulped down the champagne in a split-second. "It's been... more than a pleasure, your majesties," she said, "I will see Marks immediately about picking out the best shots."

The sisters nodded, and they walked to the side of the studio They headed out the door into Canterlot's market street. The alicorns took a deep breath, and then the pounded their wings. They both bounced up. As crowds of ponies gawked at them from underneath, the two of them sailed straight to the royal castle.

"I'm... finding those pictures..." Celestia whispered deep under her breath. "And I'm... burning them..."

(To Be Continued)