A Moonlit Balcony

Chapters

Two/ Invitation
Three/ Stars
Four/ Brownies
Five/ Healing
Six/ Snow
Seven/ Omission
Eight/ Correspondence
Nine/ Diskus
Ten/ Plan
Twelve/ Strategist
One/ Friend
Eleven/ Appointments

Two/ Invitation

2: The Invitation

Moonlight spilled over the grounds of Canterlot Castle, blanketing the magnificent structure in an ethereal luminescence. Silence had fallen on Equestria; the only remaining sounds were the whispers of the night breeze.

The highest room in the tower of the Night Princess was shrouded in darkness, its owner having pulled down all the drapes in her room – she did not want to be distracted at all from the task at hoof.

Luna seated herself at her writing desk, and with a touch of her magic, a row of candles on the desk flickered to life with azure flames, illuminating the royal letterhead that adorned the otherwise-blank scrolls arranged on it.

A quill hovered in the air, surrounded in a starry, deep blue aura. What to write, what to write? The younger ruler of Equestria furrowed her brow in thought. I should use this new, casual form of the language and not the formal royal writing, as Celly advised.

She had pestered the Princess of the Sun to lend her a letter from her faithful student for use as a reference and now levitated her prize to eye level, carefully analyzing the words used.

So I shall place ‘dear’ in front of her name… Her concentration was broken by the appearance of the scroll, which irked her. Luna wrinkled her nose at Spike’s untidy scrawl. This writing is terrible! Pfft, if a mere scribe had been so *imprudent** in correspondence with their monarch back in the time of …*

The lunar goddess frowned, not wanting to bring up memories of ‘the time’. No, this era was indeed different – she even had a friend other than Celestia now, a pony that did not grovel and please her out of fear, but a friend that she could talk to! Or whatever it is that friends do… I am not sure, but I hope Twilight Sparkle will tell me everything.

Smiling, the alicorn pressed the nib of the quill to the parchment on the desk before her.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Luna made a face as she realized that she did not know how to proceed – the only words that came to mind were along the lines of ‘Her Royal Majesty hereby extends her benign hoof in invitation…’, and that was exactly the kind of language her sister had warned against using.

“Friends should not be overly formal with each other, unless the situation requires; after all, if you cannot be relaxed and open around a pony then you would just be acquaintances,” she had advised, and the Princess of the Night turned that piece of information around in her mind.

I cordially invite you to tea at sunset on this day next week-

The alicorn studied her sentence with a hoof under her chin. Is it ‘casual’ enough? She started writing again, pausing now and then to scrutinize Twilight’s friendship report letter which she had placed on the table.

However, as I am aware that you may wish to return to your Ponyville residence for the night, I understand if sunset is not a convenient time for you. Should that be the case, please inform me of a more suitable time and I shall adjust my own schedule accordingly. It will be no trouble at all for me to do so, as I am keen to enjoy your company once more.

Yours sincerely,

Princess Luna

Luna smoothed out the scroll and surveyed her hoofiwork. It seems adequate to me, but perhaps I should ask Celly to take a look at it before I send it?

Grabbing the letter with her magic, she trotted out of the door and descended the winding staircase of the tower, mumbling encouragingly to herself on the way. “Yes, it shall be all right. Twilight Sparkle will not be scared by my writing, she will not. And big sister will tell me if there are strange phrases in it.”

The younger alicorn rapped on the door of her sister’s sleeping quarters in the tower next to hers. The guards had greeted her with their usual poker faces, allowing her to step right up to the door.

Truth be told, she could have flown over and knocked on Celestia’s window, but as it was nighttime, the only time when her sister had time to herself, she was loath to interrupt her sister’s nightly grooming routine so abruptly.

“Luna?” the alabaster alicorn queried as she opened her chamber door and poked her head through the gap. Her mane and coat were damp; she had taken off her regalia and was dressed in a pink bathing robe.

"Celly, are you busy at the moment? I need your help..."

“Oh, of course I have time, I was just washing up, do come on in."

“Thanks, Celly! I finished penning the letter to Twilight! But could you take a look at it for me, please?” Luna said, following her sister inside her chambers.

“I’ll see what I can do,” the elder Princess replied, “but I am afraid I cannot be very specific, it is your own personal letter to Twilight after all.” She grinned playfully as she levitated a towel over and started drying herself with it. “If you’ll just wait for a minute…”

Alicorns and unicorns, being blessed with magical abilities, could complete a multitude of tasks without the need for direct interaction. However, most of the time they preferred to carry on with their daily lives without relying too much on magic; perhaps it was just the satisfying simplicity of carrying out a procedure with their own hooves.

The younger Princess found a rug, settled herself on it, and gently placed the scroll down beside her. Resting her head on her hooves and staring at nothing in particular, she waited until Celestia finally looped a fluffy headband around where her tiara would normally rest and wrapped her towel around her withers.

“So, Luna, you wanted me to take a look at your letter?” the Goddess of the Sun prompted as she lay down beside her sister.

“Oh yes, here it is.” Luna used her telekinesis to pass the scroll to her sister, giggling when she saw that Celestia still wore her bright pink robe. “You know, this shade really reminds me of your mane when we were fillies!”

“In fact, it is my original mane color…” the solar Princess smiled sheepishly, running a hoof over her woolen garment. “Maybe I could get you one in your blue, too.”

“Huzzah! I’d like that!” Luna joyously nuzzled her sister and then gestured again to the letter. “But, could you please, please proof read this for me first?”

Princess Celestia cocked her eyebrow playfully at her sister. “You are really so enthusiastic about this, aren’t you? Can’t wait to see Twilight again?” she teased, getting a light hoof-punch in return.

“Yes! – I mean, just a bit!” The lunar princess widened her eyes at her outburst, clapping her hooves to her cheeks. Her elder sister’s features lit up in a delighted smile at her reaction.

“Oh Luna, I know it’s very exciting to make a new friend, not least Twilight Sparkle! You’ve read some of her friendship reports, you know that having friends is one the most magical things in the world. Now you can experience it for yourself, and I’m very happy for both of you.”

Celestia carefully levitated the scroll to eye level and unfurled it, lifting a hoof to her chin in concentration. “It’s pretty good, Luna! But isn’t the signature a bit… formal? ‘Yours sincerely’, a bit distant, don't you think?”

The younger alicorn practically snatched the scroll from her sister and glared at the offending wording. “Oh! I thought it was in fact a bit formal, but I simply could not think of anything else.” Twilight signs her letters to Celly ‘Your faithful student’, but I could hardly do the same. “Celly, please do tell me how I should amend it!”

“I’m afraid I cannot, dear Luna,” the alabaster Princess smiled apologetically. “That is for you to decide.”

“Please, please?” Luna bit her lip and blinked pleadingly.

“Well, how would you describe Twilight, as a friend?”

“Ah, Twilight?” The lunar princess cocked her head. “My good friend, Twilight?”

“I should have put it another way, sorry Luna,” Celestia fluffed her feathers and put a hoof around her sister’s withers. “You’ve seen how Twilight signs her letters to me, have you not?”

Luna nodded vigorously. “She signs them ‘Your faithful student’.”

“And that is because … ?”

“… she is your faithful student?”

“Exactly, Luna! So who, to Twilight, are you?”

“I am … her friend? Aha! I should sign ‘Your friend’, am I right? HUZZAH!” The younger Princess threw her hooves up in delight.

“That is one way, yes. Oh Luna, I am so happy to see you like this, did I ever tell you-” She was cut off by an excited Luna, who could only focus on the letter once she had found a solution.

“WHERE DOST THOU KEEP THY WRITING QUILLS, DEAREST SISTER?”

A baby dragon smiled in its slumber, occasionally letting out a tiny snore of contentment. Suddenly his body jerked and was lifted up like a marionette, convulsing as a sickening sensation welled up in his stomach, which finally released with a retch, propelling forcibly out of his throat. “Arrggh – ekkk!”

A stream of sparkling emerald fire appeared along with a scroll, the sudden cessation of flame causing Spike to fall to the floor with a dull thump.

“What?” His mouth hung agape in disbelief, all sleepiness shaken off by the unpleasant shock. “Hey! Why did Princess Celestia have to send a letter while I was asleep?”

Twilight, awoken by the sound of her assistant hitting the ground, leapt from her bed and trotted over to Spike worriedly. “Spike? What happened? Are you alright?” Then she spotted the scroll lying next to the dragon. “Huh? A letter from Princess Celestia?”

“I’m alright, it just really, really scared me!” answered Spike. “I didn’t even know this could work when I was asleep!”

“I’m really glad you’re not hurt, Spike. But if the Princess sent me a letter so late at night then it must be very urgent! Oh no, oh no, please, read it right now!” said Twilight, furrowing her brow anxiously.

The dragon hurriedly picked up the scroll and unraveled it. “Hey, it’s from Princess Luna!” he said, spotting the crescent moon insignia at the top.

“But didn’t it have Princess Celestia’s seal?” The lilac unicorn peered at the back of the parchment, still nervous. “Oh I get it, only Princess Celestia can send dragonfire letters directly to you, so Princess Luna must have asked her to help! And that explains the hour as well.” She patted Spike on the arm. “But that doesn’t make it not urgent!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll read it,” The baby dragon cleared his throat. “Dear Twilight Sparkle…”

“I couldn’t possibly ask her to change her schedule!” Twilight exclaimed , now in a sitting position on her bed. "I’ll send a reply to her immediately and tell her it’s completely fine with me."

“Do you want me to write it?” offered her assistant.

“No, it’s okay Spike, but you’ll have to help send it, and then you really should go back to sleep.” The bookworm smiled gratefully at the dragon, then trotted out her room and down the stairs to where she kept her writing tools.

The main room of the library was dark, so Twilight illuminated some candles with a flick of her magic. Levitating out her quill and parchment, she quickly composed a letter, muttering to herself as she wrote.

Dear Princess Luna,

Of course the time you suggest will be fine with me. I was thinking also that perhaps I could stay in my old tower, so we will not be pressured for time at all. I really look forward to seeing you again!

The studious mare looked her letter over. Assured that there was nothing she had failed to mention, she dipped her quill into the ink again and pressed the nib to the paper to sign her name.

Your dear friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Three days had passed since Luna had received the letter from Twilight, and she was reclining on her lawn chair, idly watching as birds glided past and critters romped amidst the bushes of the Castle gardens. It was late afternoon, and she had just finished her waking-up grooming routine.

“Thinking about your date with Twilight, Luna?”

The dark blue alicorn jumped, not expecting her sister to be dropping by at this time of day. “Celly? I-I thought you were tending to your court?”

“I thought you looked somewhat frustrated last night, Luna, so I dismissed court for the afternoon so I could check up on you. Now pray tell what has been bothering you?” The alabaster princess summoned a second lawn chair with her telekinesis and settled herself on it, watching her sister attentively.

“Very well then, I am worrying about the meeting with Twilight Sparkle, although I am not sure what you mean by the date. I thought I already told you that Twilight has agreed on the time that I proposed.”

“Oh, yes, of course I remember now.” Celestia stifled a giggle as she realized her sister's obliviousness to her teasing. I really need to explain to her some of the modern usage of some words, although now that she is finally her old self again I do worry that constantly reminding her will make her think I’m being too nosy…

“I am actually not very sure what to do when we meet – I am afraid she will find me boring.” Luna squirmed uncomfortably on her lawn chair, all her anxiety suddenly coming back. “What if I do not know what to talk about? I have been reading up on modern history, but there is still much that I do not know!”

“Relax, Luna, I’m sure you’ll have a lot to talk about. Twilight is very knowledgeable in many subjects – in fact, one of her favorite activities is stargazing, did you know that?”

Luna’s cheeks grew warm, and she beamed in delight. “I did not know that…”

“Why, you two are just fit for each other.” The solar princess grinned impishly. “If you are still worried, I could slip her some love potion – then you wouldn’t ever have to worry about her getting bored!”

The younger alicorn merely rolled her eyes in exasperation, but the phrase ‘love potion’ rang a bell – something she had read about recently?

“Ha, you would not dare. You do not wish to destroy Equestria, do you? After all, did not such a potion cause the destruction of at least one kingdom already?”

“Hmm. For you, Luna, and Twilight, I might.” The Princess of the Sun gazed deep into her sister’s eyes, and Luna saw the plain truth in them.

“No, but-but,” the lunar alicorn sputtered, “but dear sister!”

“I would do anything to make you happy, Luna, although preferably not at such a huge price,” Celestia clarified. “The point I wanted to make was that you will have no trouble at all conversing with Twilight, but I shall of course give you any advice you wish for.”

The younger alicorn gave Celestia a grateful smile in response, then remembered something she had been meaning to ask for a while, but had never gotten the chance to do so. “Celly?”

“Yes, Luna?”

“I just wanted to ask… why did you not correct me when I continued using the Royal Canterlot Voice on my … return? I know you mentioned that it is not common anymore, but you never told me that ponies had grown so averse to it.”

The elder Goddess gave her sister an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry if It has caused you inconvenience, Luna, but the truth is, I didn’t want to appear interfering – hovering over you all the time like a mother hen; I was afraid you would resent it. Would you forgive me, dear sister?”

Luna grinned in response. “Of course I do, Celly, I just didn’t understand your reasons. I know now that you were just being considerate towards me.”

“Well, I’m glad that I did so – otherwise you might not have become acquainted with my dear pupil!”

Luna shot Celestia what was meant to be a dark glare, but the elder alicorn could still read the subtle gratefulness in her eyes. She gave her sister a wink, and the two rulers of Equestria laughed together, their voices carrying like the sweet jingle of bells across the Royal Gardens.

“Oh, and Luna?” Celestia said, still grinning widely. That she could spend such a carefree time with her sister was simply magical – she also felt she owed no small part of this to her faithful student.

“Yes, Celly?”

“I was thinking that, should you need some additional attire, I could arrange for some well-known dressmakers to prepare something suitable. A nice saddle, perhaps?”

No. She is jesting. She *must** be jesting.* Luna’s jaw dropped, her eyes widened in mortification and she leapt to her hooves. “But, but Celestia! I must protest! Are you suggesting that I meet Twilight in the-the attire of a consort?”

”No, no, Luna, please wait, you misunderstand!” The alabaster alicorn quickly held up a hoof as she realized the source of her sister's agitation. “Luna, saddles are no longer just for… consorts, whether male or female. Have you not seen the common workpony wearing them as a protection for their backs? They have also become popular accessories in fashion as well; many ponies wear them nowadays.”

“Oh. That does explain it,” muttered Luna dully. “I am sorry for reacting so strongly – and I thank you for the suggestion, sister, but if I were to wear one I would still think of it that way.” She raised a hoof to her chin in thought. “I think I shall refrain from wearing anything special this time; I would not want Twilight to feel pressured if she had not as well.”

“Always thinking about her feelings, aren’t you?” Celestia eyes twinkled in merriment. “Perhaps you should consider getting that saddle after all…”

“WE PLEAD THAT THOU CEASE SPEAKING, CELESTIA!”

The mellow warmth of the afternoon sun cast golden rays through the windows of the Boutique, glimmering off the gems and trinkets that were placed around the front room. Twilight entered through the door, and was welcomed by the lyrical voice of the owner of the shop.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique – oh, it’s you Twilight!” Rarity quickly trotted over to Twilight with a brilliant smile and put a hoof over her withers. “So, darling, what brings you here today?”

“Well, um, I have this meeting with Princess Luna… in three days; I was kind of hoping to get your advice?” The studious mare bit her lip in a dorky expression.

“Of course, Twilight! I am willing to answer any query you might have, if I am able to.” The fashionista led her friend over to a pair of cushions and gestured for her to make herself comfortable before resuming their conversation. “So, do tell me about this meeting of yours, is it a private affair or an official visit?”

“Well, it’s kind of private I think – Princess Luna invited me to tea at the castle, at sunset.”

“Ooh, so what did you want to ask? No, wait, let me guess – Did you need a fabulous new dress?” Rarity’s eyes lit up as she looked at the bookworm expectantly.

“Um, actually, I was just wondering whether I should wear something special, you know; or just go like I normally am?”

“Oh, Twilight, I must absolutely make you a marvelous, special new garment. Although I do agree that it should be simple; it is a casual affair as I take it?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I think so. It’s just tea, right? Between two friends.”

Rarity leapt to her hooves, her magical aura already levitating various ribbons and fabrics over. “Well then, in that case, how about a nice… saddle?”

Three/ Stars

3: Luna's Star

Twilight Sparkle fought back a giggle at the ticklish sensations that were coming from the pale blue aura and measuring tapes that were now flying around her, wrapping around her foreleg or brushing against her flank. “Wait, Rarity, but I haven’t decided whether to -”

“Darling, what is there to decide?” responded the fashionista, who had donned her orange glasses and was now sketching a design while simultaneously measuring the bookworm. “You are meeting a princess, who also happens to be your newest friend! There's simply no reason not to look stylish!”

“But that’s just it!” exclaimed Twilight as something clicked. “Rarity, we’re friends, right?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “and we’re spending time together, right now. And I’m not wearing anything special…”

Rarity looked up from her design, giving her friend a quizzical look. "Of course you're not dear, at least... not yet.” She winked, levitating a saddle over to Twilight. “Try this one on, ever since I saw your outfit for the winter wrap-up I've absolutely been waiting for a chance to design you a saddle!” Rarity nearly squealed at this point, which gave Twilight a good impression about how happy she was to be designing a saddle.

Twilight gaped at the saddle. It was hot pink, and very frilly. "Um, it's very nice, I really like it! But... are you sure I should wear this when..."

“The saddle is my gift to you; it is for you to decide when you are to wear it, not me.”

The studious mare grinned sheepishly. “So… you don't mind if I don’t wear it when I visit Princess Luna?”

“Of course not, darling,” replied Rarity, trotting up to Twilight and pulling her chaise longue over with her telekinesis. ”Now, I'm done with the measurements, so if you want you can rest here while I finish your new saddle.”

Twilight smiled at her friend gratefully. “Thanks Rarity! I’m really lucky to have a friend like you. And I’m sorry for giving you all this trouble.”

“Don't mention it, dear,” said the ivory mare as she went back to her sewing machine. “And even if you do not want to wear something special, you could always bring another gift,” she added as she started stitching the straps to the saddle.

“You’re right! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before!” Twilight exclaimed, now resting on the crimson fainting couch. “But I can't think of anything,” she moaned, slumping in a manner more befitting the couch’s owner.

“Don't worry Twilight dear, I'm sure I can help you with that.” assured Rarity. “I am very glad that you could become friends with the Princess, and I shall do anything I can to help you make that friendship a success.”

“You’re the best, Rarity,” replied the bookworm, relieved. “But she can already get anything she wants from the castle, what could I give her that would be… special?”

“Something unique from Ponyville, perhaps? Or you could make her something with your own hooves; that would be the most special gift anypony could ever receive!”

Special things from Ponyville… maybe Sweet Apple Acres Cider? But cider season’s not even here yet. The studious mare racked her brain, but couldn’t come up with anything. Looking over to Rarity in exasperation, she shrugged and said, “I guess I could make something for her, but I wouldn't know where to start.”

Rarity lifted a hoof to her chin, pausing her work on the sewing machine. “The princess will provide everything, correct? So if you brought some hoof-made pastries? Or even some cupcakes? Just a suggestion of course.”

“No, it’s a perfect idea!” Twilight slid off the couch and went to Rarity’s side. “I’ll ask Pinkie if she can give me some help - thanks Rarity!”

“Goodbye, Twilight, and you can come pick up the saddle in the evening, it should be done by then,” replied the fashionista, giving the other unicorn an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

After the door had closed, leaving the alabaster mare alone again, she proceeded with her work on the saddle. Well, if she’s going to keep this for later I’ll just have to make *sure that she wears it… maybe the next time she meets the Princess?*

Wind currents swirled along the grass, flattening the blades as the chariot descended with the strong flaps of the pegasi guards’ wings, their plumage shimmering in the explosion of heavenly colors radiated by the setting sun.

“Princess! Luna!” Twilight’s voice, directed at the two regal alicorns waiting on the lawn, rang joyously through the air as she caught sight of the Goddesses.

As soon as the chariot glided to a stop, the lilac unicorn upon it leapt out and trotted to the princesses, the string handle of a pastry box held carefully in her mouth.

“My faithful student,” greeted the elder princess, dipping her neck gracefully over Twilight’s in an equine hug.

“Will you be joining us, too?” The lavender unicorn asked, transferring the container to her telepathic hold before she spoke.

"Luna did in fact invite me-" The alicorn lowered her head and stared at the ground, "-but I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to." She looked up, giving Twilight a wry grin before continuing: "Besides, having an ancient mare such as myself around probably wouldn't be very fun."

“That’s not true,” giggled Twilight, nuzzling her mentor.

Lifting her head from the embrace, Celestia addressed them both with a serene smile. “Well then, I will be retiring to my study. I hope you have a wonderful time together!”

“We will, big sister,” responded the deep blue alicorn, before casting a shy glance at Twilight.

“See you later, Princess!”

Luna and Twilight waved as Celestia raised a hoof in farewell before departing elegantly through one of the archways. Neither of them saw the satisfied grin on her face.

“Ahem..” Luna cleared her throat, suddenly very nervous. “Welcome to the castle, Twilight.” She thought about what she had said for a few seconds before chuckling. “Or I suppose 'welcome back' would be better, in your case.”

“Indeed, Luna,” replied the unicorn, beaming. “I’ve been looking forward to this since Nightmare Night; I just know that we’ll have a great time!”

“I must admit, I have been looking forward to this as well.” The lunar princess drew a hoof on the ground shyly. "If you’ll follow me?” She waited until Twilight nodded her agreement, then led the unicorn across the lawn and into the Great Hall.

They wound their way through halls and staircases that were very familiar to the bookworm at first, but eventually they turned into a corridor that Twilight had never seen before. This is strange; I thought I knew the entire castle and I’m sure that this place used to be just a blank wall with that strange painting of a dark blue mare– oh!

The younger princess noticed Twilight’s confusion and hesitantly said. “Apparently my big sister had an extra wing built for me when she constructed this new castle, but sealed it off to await my return…” She paused, unsure how to continue explaining.

The lilac mare patted her royal companion gently on the shoulder. “At least it’s not sealed now,” she said with a warm smile. “There used to be a picture of you on the wall that hid this wing, but I never would have guessed that it was you since it only showed your head. I didn't know who it was when I was a filly... I remember thinking that she was very beautiful, but when I asked princess Celestia about it, she became sad, so I didn't ask any more after that."

They both blushed slightly and proceeded to a grand hall in silence, the walls of which were clad in blue obsidian.

Twilight's eyes widened, taking in the spacious hall. “This place is huge! I can’t believe I didn’t realize that there was space here when I looked from outside the castle.”

“I am not sure if my sister had also placed an illusion spell upon my wing, but if that were so your eyes would only slide from one point to the other without seeing the space in between,” replied Luna, leading them further along the airy passage.

The dark blue walls that they passed had a pearly sheen; at the other end of the corridor was a mosaic bordered with a thick circle of gold. As they trotted closer, Twilight saw that it depicted the lunar phase; twelve moons of different stages were arranged in a circle starting from the new moon at the very top, surrounding a map of the stars. The center was inlaid with a dark gem in the shape of Luna’s crown; an astral glow emanated from it.

Twilight gasped at the beauty of the mosaic, turning to look at Luna in wonder. “Oh Luna, it's beautiful!”

The alicorn smiled. ”Celestia designed it herself.”

The lilac mare took a closer look at the delicate patterns of the colored glass, and was surprised when a spark of magic escaped her horn and was seemingly siphoned off by the dark central gem.

“It is a magical resonance,” the princess explained, her mouth agape in surprise. “The gem is a great magical artifact and contains a vast amount of magic, but I have only known it to resonate to myself and my sister. You must have quite an exceptional amount of magical energy within you, Twilight Sparkle; possibly enough to rival myself and my sister!”

“Thank you Princess, but I really don’t think I’m that powerful,” Twilight replied, grinning sheepishly. Oh, no, I couldn't possibly be as powerful as that... I'm just a little bit more talented than the usual unicorn, after all - gotta change subject, gotta change subject... “Well, um, I guess we should - keep going?”

“Oh, of course! I forgot that we shall have to get there in time for me to raise the moon!” exclaimed the lunar princess.

They entered a narrower corridor, and passed through an open door, which led to a surprisingly spacious balcony.

They had climbed high within the castle, and the view on the balcony was stunning. To the far left Twilight could see the majestic cliff the castle was situated against, and turning in a clockwise direction she could see Ponyville in the far distance, then the entirety of the nearby Canterlot. It was as if she were suspended in space; the houses of the capitol looked like dollhouses arranged on a gigantic blanket.

Along the horizon the sun was just beginning its descent; slowly the sky took on an orange and purple tint, the shades swirling and melting into one another as they were seemingly pulled down by the setting sun. Finally the orange faded into a deep crimson, the hues of twilight, then winked out of existence as the heavens were enveloped in a dark purple.

“Twilight?” Luna looked at her companion, who had watched the sunset with a tranquil expression, and smiled shyly. “It is time for me to raise the moon now, would you mind waiting until I have finished?"

The lilac unicorn lit up at the princess’s words. “No, of course not, and I've never seen you raise the moon before, Luna!” And she’s going to do it right beside me!

The lunar princess closed her eyes, a smile dancing on her lips. A deep aura surrounded her horn, releasing an energy that pulsed through the entire world. It was so powerful that Twilight could feel it like a ton of bricks hitting her, and it was difficult to remain on her hooves. The alicorn’s mane rippled with the power as she grasped control of the celestial body waiting just below the horizon, slowly nudging it into the sky.

All the while Twilight watched breathless as Luna spread her magic across the sky – but the princess wasn’t finished yet. With a final glow of her horn the stars came out, a thousand twinkles lighting up the cosmos.

“Well then, now that is finished, I believe we should… start our tea session?” The alicorn trotted over to a tea table but noticed that Twilight was still rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the night sky. The unicorn had always been fascinated by it, but to actually see the creator at work – it made her previous studies seem juvenile in comparison.

“Oh, of course! I uh, guess I kinda spaced out a little, heh.” Twilight quickly followed the princess to the table, which was already laden with an exquisite china tea set and various pastries.

“Please, take a seat,” said Luna, gesturing to one of the chairs. They settled themselves accordingly and glanced at each other, suddenly not knowing what to say. Each grinned awkwardly until the alicorn hesitantly asked, “So, Twilight, would you like a cup of tea?”

“Thank you, Luna!” said Twilight, gratefully accepting the cup of hot tea that the princess had poured her and taking a sip. The tea was warm but not scalding, the fresh tang lingering on her tongue and the back of her mouth.

The younger goddess peered over the brink of her cup, watching Twilight’s reaction. “Is it satisfactory?” she asked, after taking a sip of her own tea.

“It's wonderful Luna!” replied the unicorn. “It’s my favorite tea, but this is also just about the best I’ve ever tasted.” She levitated up the box she had brought with her to the table and opened it; inside were six cupcakes covered with rich raspberry frosting. “Oh, and I brought something as well…” she grinned weakly. “I’m not sure if they’re good, I’m not experienced with baking, but I’d hoped to share them with you.” Twilight suddenly felt very apprehensive. What if she doesn’t like them?

The lunar alicorn carefully lifted a cupcake out with her telekinesis. “They look good! I remember seeing these before – they are called cupcakes, are they not?”

The unicorn nodded, and Luna took a bite. Her eyes widened as she chewed, and as soon as the cupcake was gone she blurted, “They are scrumptious, Twilight! You are a very skilled baker!”

“Well, I think it’s probably because one of my friends helped me…”

“Ah, a friend? One of the Elements of Harmony, I presume?”

“Yes, her name’s Pinkie Pie and she works at at Sugarcube Corner - which is a bakery. She’s very… energetic!”

“May I ask… how you became friends?” said the princess, genuinely wanting to know. If Twilight tells me how she became friends with others I could learn more about friendship and about her as well!

“Oh, I’m not sure how it happened, actually,” Twilight said, tilting her head as she thought. “We met each other and she threw a party to welcome me to Ponyville. Then she came along with me to find the Elements, and along the way we just became friends! I think when you get to know a pony more and if you also get along well, you just become friends.”

“Much like how we met?” asked Luna, unconsciously arching her neck to mimic Twilight.

“Yes, it was just like that, and Princess Celestia has always told me not to judge anypony just on the first encounter alone, Luna, so even when the others were frightened… I knew I had to help you.”

The princess beamed, which Twilight found very adorable.

“I really am grateful-”

“No, no, Luna, there’s no need to thank me again,” said Twilight, holding up a hoof. “And I understand what it was like to not have any friends – did Princess Celestia tell you about when I still lived in the castle? I didn’t want to talk to anypony and spent most of my time on my studies. Luckily I was sent to Ponyville, where I found the magic of friendship! Otherwise…” She trailed off, not wanting to make Luna uncomfortable by bringing up Nightmare Moon.

The princess had listened attentively while eating another of Twilight’s cupcakes. She put a hoof to her chin, then asked, a bit timidly, “Ah, do you think I could learn more about this ‘magic of friendship’ as well?”

“Oh, of course you could, Luna! Anypony can.”

“Would you teach me?” The alicorn’s eyes were soft and earnest, like a little filly discovering a wonder for the first time.

“Um, I don’t know if I could ‘teach’ you, but since you’re my friend, we’re already learning from each other,” said Twilight, giving the princess a kind smile.

Luna returned it warmly, her countenance brightening as that realization sank in. “Thank you, Twilight,” she murmured, noticing that the bookworm had finished her tea, and helped refill her cup.

The lights from the city of Canterlot could be seen below them; but they were dim compared to the dazzling sparkle of the stars that dotted the vast night sky spreading from one edge of the horizon to the other. Twilight surveyed the sight, spotting stars that she could name in an instant: Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra; Altair, of Aquila the eagle; Deneb, the graceful swan – together they also made up what was called the Summer Triangle.

“Luna?” asked Twilight, enthralled by the canvas that the lunar princess had created. No matter how many times she had studied the night sky, she still felt her knowledge was nothing when compared to the vastness of it; she never ceased to be amazed by it, the view of the universe limitless beyond what she could see even with her telescope. And the pony that created all of them, now her friend, was sitting right beside her. “Could you tell me about the stars?”

“Certainly, what would you like to know? I presume you know most of their names – Celestia has told me that you are very interested in the stars,” said the princess, a bit shy that Twilight was actually asking her about her creations.

“Uh, maybe why you made them? I mean, are there stories behind them? I’ve read many stories about the constellations, but I don’t know if they are true or not – or anything else you want to tell me will be fine,” said Twilight, her eagerness already showing on her face.

“Well… I was aware that ponies have made up many names and patterns for the stars, but truth be told, I have forgotten the reasons I made most of them. When I was younger, I would sometimes create a star to mark something special that had happened; but as time passed, there grew to be too many for me to remember the exact story behind all of them. I seldom named them; the sky was simply like a drawing paper for me to scribble on at will. The most recent stars I made… I could tell you about them, but actually, you already know the story of them.”

Luna paused to take a sip from her cup, and Twilight, who had listened to the princess’s narrative with all of her attention, did as well. “I do?”

“You do,” said Luna in a mysterious tone – or rather, she tried to. “I created the first one approximately a year ago.”

“But that means -” Twilight thought back. The defeat of Nightmare Moon – approximately one year ago. The discovery of a newborn star in the Orion Nebula – also roughly a year ago. The pieces came together in an instant. “- you made that one right after your return to Equestria?”

“Yes,” said the regal alicorn, touching her hooves together. “It was a thousand years since I made a star that had meaning… the stars I created before my... absence... were mostly just to pass the time, when I-” She sniffled, but continued anyway. “When I got lonely.”

“Oh, Luna…” The lilac unicorn quickly slipped off her chair and went to the princess’s side, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry – I shouldn’t have brought this up. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Luna blinked away the moistness that had gathered in her eyes. “No, Twilight, I’m not sad, or upset; the reason I made the star was because I was so happy. Happy to be free, after so long!” She suddenly embraced Twilight, resting her head on the unicorn’s shoulder.

Twilight patted the princess on the back, and after Luna had released her, she gave the alicorn a warm smile. “Could you show me which one it is?”

The younger goddess grinned sheepishly. “Unfortunately we cannot see it now – I placed it in the winter cycle, but I could call it out if you wish to see it.”

“No, that's okay,” said Twilight, “I can just come back when the time is right and you can show it to me then.” She returned to her chair as Luna spoke again.

“I'd love to! In fact, the second star I was talking about will be visible in a few days. If you would like to see it, I shall also show it to you when you visit again.”

“Sure, Luna,” smiled the unicorn, happy at the prospect of another meeting with the princess; perhaps they could spend the whole night studying the stars together! No, not studying, the princess doesn’t have to do that – star-gazing, Twilight reminded herself.

“Oh, and I'll tell you the story of the second star - I made it just a week ago, the night after Nightmare Night. I made it to remind me of you, Twilight.”

“Me?”The lilac mare gaped. “It-it’s an honor, Luna! But, why did you make a star to remind yourself of me?”

“Do you recall the prophecy regarding my return? The star will aid in her escape. I wanted that star to be in my night sky.”

“But, wasn’t it the stars? Oh, the book I read must have got it wrong.” Twilight believed Luna, although the prophecy was made in her absence. After all, she’d rather believe the goddess whom the prophecy had been referring to in the first place than a third party.

“I have read many accounts that have all mentioned the stars. But that refers to those that helped the Nightmare escape. No, the star I was speaking about was the one that would bring me - Luna -, back. I believe that star is you, Twilight.”

Luna and Twilight made their way up the winding staircase of an ivory tower. It was midnight, and a peaceful quiet surrounded the pair as they came to a stop outside the door to Twilight’s old residence.

“Thank you for the wonderful night, Luna,” said Twilight, beaming at the lunar princess.

“I should be the one thanking you for another wonderful night, Twilight,” said Luna happily. “Although if Celestia knew that I had kept you up so late she might scold me,” she added with a grin.

“I’m not a filly anymore, I can stay up as long as I want,” chuckled Twilight, using her magic to open the door. “So… good night, I guess.”

“Rest well, Twilight.”

The unicorn gave the princess a quick hug before trotting in and closing the door slowly.

Luna looked at the closed door for a few more seconds, then spread her wings and with a few starting flaps, took off into the air to glide back to her own tower. The cool breeze under her wings always gave the younger goddess a simple comfort, and she circled a few more times above the castle, taking in all the lights of Canterlot as well as the lights of her own creation, before landing on the balcony of her own chambers.

She let out a small sigh, finally released of a small part of her worries. At least Celly didn’t make any insensitive remarks or follow up with her threat about that love potion...

Four/ Brownies

4: Momentum

“Heeeey Twiliiiiiight!” Ponyville’s premier party pony warbled in her perky, high pitched voice.

Rarity was standing behind her in the doorway of the library; the two had decided to visit Twilight together, curious to hear how her meeting with the Princess of the Moon had gone.

“Oh, hi, Pinkie, Rarity!” said Twilight. She turned from the books she had been reading and trotted over to the two mares.

“We were just wondering how your date with the Princess turned out, did she like the cupcakes? I thought they were pretty good, but just tell me straight, did she like them?” Pinkie asked, bouncing in anticipation.

“Ah… apart from the cupcakes – did you have a wonderful time, darling?” Rarity asked as well, her eyes shining.

“Yeah, I did, it was great! Would you like to hear about it?” said Twilight.

Pinkie and Rarity both nodded vigorously. The bookworm grinned and levitated out three cushions, motioning with a hoof for her friends to make themselves comfortable.

The three mares settled themselves side by side on the cushions, and Twilight started speaking – telling them about how a painting she had wondered about when she was a filly was in fact of Luna, how Luna had shown her the mosaic – and about how Luna had raised the Moon.

“…and then she told me about some of the stars and why she made them – she’s really such a nice pony,” she finished, smiling happily.

Rarity and Pinkie looked at her, both of them beaming as well.

“We’re so happy for you, darling,” said Rarity, putting a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders.

“Yeah! It’s terrific that you two had so much fun last night!” said Pinkie, giving the librarian a hug.

“Thanks girls, I’m really happy, too,” said Twilight, after hugging them back, “and she really liked the cupcakes! I’m so glad you helped me, and well, I feel like trying some more baking… maybe I could bring something else with me next time I see Luna.”

“Sooo when are you going to visit her again?” the fashionista asked.

“I’m not sure yet, but I know Luna’s going to show me some new stars she made.” The bookworm stretched to a more comfortable position on her cushion.

“Well if you wanna bake something else for next time, you can come over anytime you want and I’ll help you out!” said Pinkie.

“Thanks, Pinkie, and I was thinking – maybe I should practice baking the same thing a few more times, so I can be good enough to start making things on my own?”

“Oki doki loki !” the earth pony replied brightly.

“And you could wear that gorgeous saddle!” Rarity sighed, glancing at Twilight’s back, where she imagined the pink saddle she had given her friend would rest. It was not as frilly as the model she had made Twilight try out the first time, but she had decided to keep the color; it would go perfectly with Twilight’s coat as well as bring out the highlight in her mane.

“Um, maybe next time– but I promise I will wear it,” said Twilight, smiling reassuringly at her friend. “Don’t worry about it gathering dust on a shelf or anything!”

“Oh I just remembered!” exclaimed Pinkie, suddenly bouncing to her hooves. “I have to go back to help the Cakes now! I’m reeeeally glad you had a nice time Twilight, just come over whenever you want and we can bake some more! Bye!” She waved, and then disappeared in a blur.

“Bye, Pinkie-” the two unicorns said in unison, but the pink pony was already out of sight.

“Sometimes I could swear she can teleport.” Twilight chuckled, catching Rarity’s expression.

They shared a laugh, and then the fashion designer rose as well. “Well, I must be returning to my work too…I must confess that I really enjoyed designing that saddle for you, after all you are such a perfect model for them,” Rarity gushed, her eyes gleaming. “You gave me so much inspiration for my new saddle line – which I have in fact already sent to Hoity Toity!” With that, she trotted to the doorway before turning to give Twilight a farewell smile. “See you tomorrow, darling!”

“Bye, Rarity,” said Twilight, waving to her friend before closing the library door. She put away the cushions and trotted to her writing stand, where she took out her schedule book and a quill.

I should make sure I leave an afternoon free to visit Pinkie. Using her quill, she crossed some entries out, then drew arrows to rearrange others. Quantum Mechanics… that could go in the one a.m. time slot… She transferred that item to the new time slot.

And I’ll have to complete the thesis on the flare experiment – Tuesday two a.m.? But I’ll have to get up at five for the dawn dew research. Maybe another day…?

“Baking pan, check,” said Twilight, looking down at the notes that she had jotted down as Pinkie rapidly babbled a list of the equipment and ingredients that they would need to make brownies. “Aluminum foil… chocolate chunks-”

“Butter sugar eggs flour bananas salt vaaaannnillllla!” the energetic pony sang shrilly, jabbing a hoof at each of the ingredients on the counter. “All set! You ready Twilight? Llllleeeeet’s bake!”

“Um… actually… I was wondering if I could try it myself this time,” Twilight said, pawing a hoof sheepishly. “So I can see if, you know, I can actually bake something edible on my own… please?”

Pinkie blinked, and grinned brightly. “Sure! Just ask me if you get stuck – I’ll be adding the frosting to these cupcakes!” she said, pulling out a tray of cupcakes (from, it seemed to Twilight, thin air).

The bookworm beamed. “Thanks, Pinkie!”

“No problem Twilight!” the party pony replied, placing the tray on the far end of the kitchen counter and grabbing several pastry bags. “Just ask if you have any questions!”

Twilight nodded and put on an apron with her telekinesis, her expression determined.

“So… I should heat up the oven first,” she muttered as she consulted her notes. She turned the knob of the oven with her magic. “And second, add the butter then the chocolate into a saucepan and heat it.”

She levitated the utensil over… and paused. ”Um, Pinkie ? How much butter and chocolate do I have to add, exactly?”

The pink pony looked up from the cupcakes. “Just toss in as much as you want! Or as little as you want!”

“Erm…” Now that she recalled it, the last time Pinkie had done most of the measuring while she had just poured and mixed everything together. This is a complication… I *hate** ‘trial and error’ methods.* The unicorn bit her lip; she always preferred to get things perfect the first time.

It’s too late to go back to the library to find a proper cookbook and I don’t even know if there would be a recipe for brownies in them… all right, fine.

She frowned and poured in a small amount of butter, then as much chocolate as she dared. Chocolate brownies are supposed to be… well, brown. The color must come from the chocolate, so I’ll have to add lots. She placed the pan onto the stove, and started heating it.

Stirring the mixture with a whisk, she glanced at her friend. “Does this look okay?”

Pinkie scooted over and peered into the pan. “Nope, it’s still too hard; wait until it’s just about melted!” she said with a wide encouraging grin. “Then you can turn off the heat and keep on stirring until it’s smooth!”

“Oh, okay,” replied Twilight, gently swirling the melting chocolate until it had become more like a thick liquid. She turned the heat off and proceeded to stir until the mix was even. “Um, so now I put the other stuff in…?” She grabbed her notes and scrutinized them again.

Pinkie nodded approvingly and bounced back to her tray of cupcakes so that Twilight had more room to maneuver. “Oh! And the eggs go in one at a time, I think I forgot to tell you that!” she added mid-jump.

“One at a time, got it,” said Twilight, pouring the mixture into a larger bowl and stirring in the sugar. She then took an egg and attempted to crack it –

Splat! The contents spurted out, trickling down her hooves and making a mess on the counter. “Urrgh,” she groaned weakly, “why can’t I get the hang of that?”

“It’s okay! I’ll just show you again!” said Pinkie. She bounced back over, grabbed an egg, and effortlessly cracked it against the brim of the bowl. The shell split neatly in two halves, which Pinkie pulled apart to let the egg slide into the bowl gracefully. “There you go, easy as my last name! There’s another egg to add - c’mon, have another go!”

Twilight nodded determinedly, holding up another egg. I can do this. She brought her hoof down on the brim – splat!

“I’m so sorry Pinkie! I’ll buy you another carton of eggs to make up for this and the eggs I ruined last time,” she said hurriedly, disappointed at herself for failing to crack the latest egg correctly. But whenever I try to do it lightly, nothing happens!

“Aww, you don’t have to do that Twilight, I’ve ruined way more than you have!” Pinkie said reassuringly. “Though most of them were kinda on purpose… and nopony is an expert on their first few tries, just keep practicing and you’ll be cracking ‘em like a pro – wait, Twilight I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you use your magic? I'm sure you'll be a lot better if you use that!”

“Oh, yeah! Why didn’t I think of that before?” Twilight laughed. I guess since I kept seeing Pinkie use her hooves I just unconsciously did the same; she’s the one teaching me, after all.

Trying it a third time – this time with her magic – she cut the egg neatly through the middle. Twilight smiled proudly and pulled the two halves apart with her telekinesis, emptying the egg into the mix.

“Great!” she exclaimed, before checking her notes to see what the next step was.

Add flour, salt, and vanilla…Twilight knit her brow. Urgh, more things with no specific measurements. She tried to remember how Pinkie had added the ingredients – a pinch and a toss? She made a face, and then added what she hoped were suitable amounts into the bowl.

After stirring the mix thoroughly she peeled the bananas with her magic and diced them, then added the chunks to the bowl. Following Pinkie’s instructions, she poured and scraped the mixture into the baking pan and placed it into the pre-heated oven.

“Whew, finally done!” she said, rubbing her hooves on a kitchen towel. “I hope it turns out okay…”

“I bet it’ll be better than okay! And ‘cause this is just practice, when you bake next time it’ll be even better!”

“Maybe… and it’s all thanks to your help, Pinkie,” the unicorn replied warmly.

Ding! The timer alerted both ponies that the brownies were ready. They trotted to the oven and the bookworm glanced to the gloves hanging on the wall; but then she decided to just use her telekinesis to open the oven and pull the tray out.

“Oooooh!” the two friends marveled at Twilight's creation. The tantalizing smell of chocolate and banana wafted from it, its texture a rich, glossy, dark brown with the fruit chunks wedged inside. They set it to cool for a while before Pinkie cut it into neat chunks.

“Wanna try it out?” asked Pinkie excitedly, for once refraining from stuffing some of the desserts into her mouth in an instant.

“Oh, okay,” said Twilight, floating a piece with her telekinesis and observing it carefully. It smells good, and the surface is quite smooth, not lumpy at all…

Hoping it was a success, she hesitantly took a bite…and her tongue seemed to shrivel up. She gagged, expelling the half-chewed brownie from her mouth forcibly, but even that could not extinguish the burning in her mouth. While it smelled good, she had added way too much chocolate, making it taste sickly and… it was like a very dense sweetness had congealed within her.

“Pinkie,” she said, an eye twitching. “I need more practice.”

Dear Twilight,

I enjoyed our recent meeting very much and was wondering if we could have tea again soon. Would two o’clock in the afternoon next Saturday be convenient for you? I would really like to show you my new star, and something else as well!

Your friend,

Luna

The Princess of the Night rolled up the parchment, a satisfied smile dancing on her lips. Now off to Celly to send it - she was right, I should find time to place the linking spell on Twilight’s dragon scribe. If I keep asking her to send my letters she’ll only start making implications …

“I wonder what Luna’s going to show me?” Twilight said, eagerly re-reading the scroll for a third time. “Saturday afternoon… that should be fine, though I don't know how we’re going to see a star during the daytime – Spike, would you mind looking after the library for the afternoon? I might not be back until Sunday, so I’ll ask Fluttershy if she’s okay with letting you stay overnight, like last time.”

“Okay, sure,” the dragon replied cheerfully, stacking up a pile of books. “So you’re hanging out with her pretty often now, huh?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I’ll be visiting all that often… though I really hope so,” Twilight chuckled. Trotting over to her writing stand, she gathered her writing stationary and quill.

Dear Luna,

Thank you for the invitation, I would love to meet again! Saturday at two o’clock is fine for me.

I’m really looking forward to seeing your new star and I can’t wait to find out what else you want to show me!

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight stepped off the chariot, levitating a box containing the fifth batch of brownies she had made. The scene gave her a sense of déjà-vu despite two obvious differences: it was the afternoon, and this time only the lunar princess stood waiting on the lawn.

“It is good to see you again, Twilight,” Luna said warmly.

“It’s great to see you too, Luna,” the unicorn replied.

They grinned at each other, and the alicorn noticed the box Twilight was levitating. “Oh, are those more of your delicious cupcakes?”

“Um, it’s actually something else I wanted to share with you, they’re called brownies.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” said the princess, beaming. “So… shall we go then?”

The unicorn nodded. “Okay, sure.”

Luna led Twilight along the route that they had taken during the previous visit: through the grand hall, up a few levels, and through the entrance to her wing. “This is what I wanted to show you, ”she said, coming to a stop in front of the circular mosaic in the spacious hallway.

Twilight looked at the black gem in the center of the mosaic curiously, remembering how it had absorbed a trickle of magic from her horn. Luna said that it’s a magical artifact…I wonder why it needs to drain magical energy. Should have asked last time – but I was nervous because Luna said it meant that I was powerful…

Luna then summoned a dark blue couch; it was quite puffy and was complemented by a few light blue cushions. The two sat down, and Luna motioned to the mosaic. “I am going to show you the purpose of this gem, and perhaps you might be able to use it as well.”

She released a flow of magic into the wall, and the energy was immediately absorbed into the gem. “You see, the stone in the center is a means of channeling magic… are you familiar with foci?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, they’re objects that are used to focus and direct spells.” She furrowed her brow in thought as she tried to grasp the implications of what Luna had said. A passage in Spellcasting: Level 3 surfaced in her mind:

‘In instances when a spell is difficult to focus or maintain, unicorns (or alicorns) can choose to enchant an object – preferably a gem, which of all suitable items can absorb magic most easily – so that the object can direct the spell automatically. The spell caster would only need to provide the required energy and the object would complete the spell so that the caster could spare more attention on other matters.

This essentially means that the gem is probably used for a powerful spell which originally would have been very difficult to cast; but with this, it would only require a sufficient amount of energy to be provided and the gem would maintain the spell for as long as the energy lasted-’

She snapped out of her thoughts as Luna started speaking again.

“This,” the princess explained, “helps me and my sister to view the night sky, even during the day. Although the spell itself is hardly tiring to us, she thought it would be convenient to enchant the gem to allow other ponies to cast it – although it would be unheard of for ponies other than my sister and myself to have enough energy, or magical prowess, to power it. From what happened last time, I believe you are an exception!”

Twilight froze. “I-I don’t think I can,” she said, shifting nervously on the couch, ”wouldn’t it take an immense amount of energy for magic to be distributed across the entire sky? I mean, it’s so vast, and deep, and even with the gem to help direct the spell…”

“From the way my sister speaks about you, and the way the gem reacted to you, I would say that there is a distinct possibility that you have both the skill and energy to use it…” the princess paused, suddenly a bit worried. She had thought that Twilight would be interested in the gem and its uses, but the unicorn beside her seemed… hesitant; uneasy, even.

Twilight looked up, and saw that Luna’s ears were drooping, her eyes blinking uncertainly. She realized that the princess was waiting for a reaction, so she quickly put on a smile. Get a grip, Twilight! Luna says I can do it, and she knows the spell better than I do! “Oh, so…so, uhhh, should I give it a try?”

“That is what I had hoped, but if you do not want to do it, it is all right. I just thought you would be interested in watching the stars…” Luna frowned, concerned – Twilight’s expression seemed a bit forced. “Twilight, is something the matter?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all -it sounds difficult. But I’ll never know if I don’t try,” she replied, not wanting to disappoint Luna or come off as scared.

Luna let out a sigh of relief. “It’s simple; just send a strong and steady flow of magic into the gem; it will be absorbed for the spell.”

Twilight nodded, and tentatively released a flow of magenta energy from her horn into the gem. Her magic was quickly sucked in, vanishing like water into a whirlpool. Twilight looked at the gem expectantly. A second passed, then two. Nothing happened.

Bleh… I knew it. She peered at the princess beside her, who was looking back hopefully. Twilight relented. Oh, fine. I’ll try again.

She glared at the gem. Not enough, huh? She drew on more energy from her magic reservoir, letting it build in a bright ball of light on her horn before discharging it. The aura was vacuumed in, disappearing without a trace again, but still the gem was unyielding.

Urrggh. The unicorn gritted her teeth. Fizzling sparks erupted from her horn now, her magic pulsing and crackling as she poured more and more energy into the foci.

Luna raised a hoof as the glow from Twilight’s aura turned a brilliant white, her eyes clouded over by the immense power she was releasing. “Twilight-”

The built-up energy exploded with a bang and a blinding glare which lit up the entire space, the force of the backlash throwing the unicorn off the couch with the speed of a bullet towards the opposite wall of the grand hall. Luna watched in horror. Time seemed to slow as she cast her starry aura to reach for her friend. No!

But she was too late. In a split second Twilight slammed into the wall with a sickening crack, the force of the impact leaving a dent in the marble wall.

Five/ Healing

5: Second Verse

Oh no, please no… The lunar princess threw herself onto the floor beside Twilight’s unmoving body, her heart hammering against her chest. Quickly she checked her friend’s vital signs. Twilight was unconscious but still breathing, and after listening for a few moments Luna let out a sigh of relief; the unicorn still had a heartbeat. But the respite was only temporary as Twilight’s body was sprawled in a most unnatural position, and Luna choked as she saw what was definitely the whiteness of bone protruding from her friend’s thigh near the hip.

Why wasn’t I faster! The alicorn raged in her mind, livid at herself. No, I can’t waste any time agonizing, I have to save her!

She knew better than to shift or levitate Twilight in her current state – the movement might cause any broken bones to be dislocated further or even penetrate vital organs.

The alicorn’s mind worked furiously, in stark contrast to her muscles, which felt as if they had seized up from the graveness of the situation just when she most needed their full cooperation. I have to heal her immediately… and I have to keep my composure!

She bent her head so that her horn was lightly touching Twilight and sent a continuous flow of her magic into the unicorn, straining to maintain the massive influx of power; if there were even a slight waver, everything could go horribly wrong.

The alicorn clenched her teeth as she concentrated on the healing spell – a spell that she not used in over a thousand years.

The magic ran though the unicorn’s awkwardly angled hind leg and then slowly, almost surreally, Luna could see the bone sink back into Twilight’s flesh; the skin and tissue knitting back, smoothing out, and becoming whole once again.

Luna permitted herself another small sigh of relief before spreading the magic to Twilight’s torso, but then winced as she felt a slight bulge in the center of the librarian’s back through the spell. She instantly regretted not running a more thorough magical scan of Twilight’s injuries before trying to heal her. She could have fractured her spine, I should have checked that first!

Knowing that she had made a severe mistake in not tending to the more life-threatening injuries first, the princess started to panic. Millennia of experience… and I am still so careless!

The cold certainty that if Twilight actually died then no amount of magic could ever bring her back dug into Luna’s heart like a steel thorn. No, I have to have hope. I can do this. Deep breaths…

She sent an even stronger pulse into the swelling in Twilight’s back; in her haste, a little too much. Twilight’s vertebrae repositioned itself with the spell, but then snapped under the extra strain. The unicorn’s body jerked violently, and then fell still again.

No, no! Luna tried again to calm herself down but failed spectacularly, her tangling thoughts finally jamming up completely, her knees shaking violently. I must have severed some of her nerves! The starry twinkles in her mane dimmed as tears fell from her eyes.

She shook her head and blinked the moisture away. I have to be strong now, for Twilight. Her despairing expression replaced with one of determination, she sent another stream of energy into Twilight. Hold on Twilight, please, hold on…

The sparks of pure magic orbiting her horn crackled, and Luna felt the fractured bones becoming whole once again. When she was sure that they had sealed correctly she checked Twilight’s body for more major injuries, and was relieved when she found nothing serious remaining.

She finally released the hold on her emotions and promptly burst into tears, most of the worry and tension she had felt washing away with them. She buried her face in her hooves and simply sat there crying; after the healing spell had been completed it usually didn't take long for the target of the spell to regain consciousness.

After a few moments, Twilight slowly blinked her way into consciousness and sat up, taking stock of her surroundings. “What… just happened?” Her eyes fell on Luna, who was hunched up on the floor beside her, sobbing. “Luna? What happened? Are you... are you okay?” She put a hoof on the princess’ withers, her face falling at seeing Luna in such a state.

“I should be the one asking if you are all right!” the alicorn wailed.

Twilight blinked again, nonplussed. “I feel fine,” she replied. It was true that she had felt a bit sore after the spell backfired… then she remembered more. I was thrown back… and then – She winced. “Luna, really, I’m fine. I didn’t hit the wall that hard – see, I’m not even hurt!” In truth, now that the soreness was fading, she actually felt better than before, like a stretch after waking up from a nap.

Luna looked up, still sobbing uncontrollably, and wrapped Twilight in a tight embrace.

“I’m okay, really,” Twilight hugged Luna back, which was a bit difficult; the alicorn was squeezing her so tightly that it was hard to move. Why is she so upset? “I’m not sure what happened though, one moment I was using my magic, and the next...”

“You – I thought you might die! It really scared me!” Luna buried her face in Twilight’s mane, soaking it with her tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I should never have asked you to try that!”

“What? Why? I was just going to try again – I think I’ve figured out the problem-”

“No, no, please… don’t,” said Luna, holding the unicorn even tighter.

“But didn’t you-”

“Please.”

Twilight was surprised at Luna’s pleading tone and slightly loosened their embrace so that she could look her friend in the eye. “Luna… what happened?”

“You… you did hit the wall. And you were… your back, the broken bones…” The princess gasped as another bout of tears escaped her; it hurt just to remember what had happened. “I thought…”

A bit perplexed, Twilight tried to reach a hoof to her back. From what little Luna had said it seemed that she had hit the wall pretty hard. And bones? Had she broken any bones? It certainly didn’t feel like she had; none of her movements after getting back up had caused her to feel pain. She patted Luna’s shoulder, trying to soothe her. “It’s okay, nothing’s wrong, really! I feel fine…”

“And your spine, it was broken…!” The alicorn gripped Twilight at the thought of the angle it had been in. “I had to heal you!”

Twilight reared her head back in shock. Had she really been that badly hurt? With an annoyed flick of her mane, she put it to the back of her mind and concentrated on soothing her companion. “Um, well then thank you Luna. Whatever was wrong, you’ve fixed it and I feel fine now!”

“I –it’s all my fault. What if you had gotten hurt so badly that I couldn’t have healed you?”

“No it isn’t, you didn’t even know what would happen. And it’s my fault for ignoring your instructions in the first place. You said to feed it a steady flow, but I blasted it! That was what went wrong.”

"I should have been more specific – I should have told you that it would backfire if you tried that!" Luna released Twilight and pulled herself to her hooves. "I'm sorry, I'm terrible at this friends thing... I let you get hurt." She lowered her head and trudged away from the unicorn. "It is best if you – if you don't waste any more time on me. It's safer that way."

It wasn't her fault... Twilight stared numbly at the retreating form of the princess. It wasn't your fault Luna! "Luna! Wait!" She teleported in front of the alicorn, briefly stunning the princess with the flash of light accompanying her reappearance. "Where are you going?"

"I am far too irresponsible," Luna muttered, trying to avoid looking at Twilight. "And not at all suitable to be a friend." She sighed, her frame sagging. "We've been friends for only two weeks and I almost got you killed already!"

"Friendship isn't something you can pick up instantly Luna." said Twilight, extending a hoof to the sad alicorn. "I'm still learning myself!" She smiled at Luna when the alicorn finally looked at her. "And because we’re friends, we can learn about it together!"

The princess lifted her head slightly, her face straining to settle on an expression in response to the familiar words. That’s what she said last week... She hesitantly reached out her hoof.

"Come on, Luna!" Twilight said, grasping Luna's hoof and leading her back to the couch. "I really enjoy spending time with you, and what happened wasn't your fault, so don't dwell on it."

They sat down again, side by side, still holding hooves. “I’m going to try again,” said Twilight.

Luna almost crushed Twilight in another hug. "This time, I'm helping you." She sniffed once. "And I'll make sure you won't get hit by any feedback!" she exclaimed, until a cough from the unicorn in her forelegs brought her back to the present.

"Luna, too tight," Twilight wheezed.

Luna let go like she'd burned herself. "Sorry Twilight, my deepest apologies."

The bookworm smiled, composed herself and shut her eyes, lighting up her horn. The alicorn released her magic as well, reaching her hoof to hold Twilight's again, and together they sent their energy into the gem.

This time Twilight knew what to do. Instead of trying to force her magic in, she let her energy pool in the gem, until there was enough to trickle steadily along the programmed pathways enchanted inside the facets.

Her flow of magic intensified and connected within the focus as the spell was cast and she felt an energy similar to that which she had felt when Luna had raised the moon, but this time, it also felt as if she were linked with something vast beyond everything she had ever perceived.

She opened her eyes. And she froze.

She could see. She could see through the walls of the castle, she could see everything, past any boundary. It was day, but it was as if she had double vision, like two layers of transparent film laid on top of each other. She could distinguish both of them with perfect clarity; one with sunlight and one with every single star, as clearly as if it were nighttime.

She experimented a little with her new Sight, discovering with delight that she could see the dimmest of stars which were difficult to find even when using the most elaborate telescopes in the Canterlot observatory. Switching to the sunlit view out of curiosity, she grinned when she found it could extend into Canterlot: ponies on the streets as visible as if she were right there beside them.

She let both of the layers snap back into her perception, marveling at the interplay she could detect between the magics of the day and the night, of Celestia and Luna. She giggled with renewed wonder as she turned her head to look at the wall facing the mountain on which Canterlot perched – and also through the mountain, the constellations that covered the sky beyond perfectly visible.

She expanded her sight again, which was a disorienting sensation, but she found that she could even see to Ponyville – then she swapped to the night again, wanting to make the most of the opportunity to explore these new aspects of it at will.

After a while, Twilight finally pulled herself from the mesmerizing sight and turned to Luna. The view beyond the walls behind her friend was still visible, and it struck her how natural it looked for the alicorn to be framed with starlight. Blinking, she concentrated to ‘fade’ the night sky into the background so that she could focus on Luna.

They locked gazes, Twilight’s eyes glowing with both magic and happiness as she grinned smugly. “See? Told you I could do it.”

They giggled, noticing at the same time that they were still holding hooves, and rather tightly at that. They let go slowly, blushing but trying to act nonchalantly, both figuring that pulling away abruptly would be too alarming to the other.

“That’s wonderful!” Luna said, relieved that it had succeeded this time. “So tell me Twilight, can you see that star?” She pointed a hoof.

“Um, which?”

"That pink one, slightly to the right of the moon? It should be a little brighter than the rest."

The bookworm narrowed her eyes and swept her Sight across the patch of sky Luna had indicated, quickly spotting a star that was easily the brightest in its cluster, a pink jewel winking merrily in the heavens.

“Oh, I found it! I found it!” she squealed, pointing excitedly at her discovery. “I’ve never seen that one before!” Automatically, she started analyzing. That shade – the surface temperature should be fairly low when compared with other stars. But the luminosity would probably be… I couldn’t be sure without more time.

Luna grinned sheepishly. The sparkles in her mane had regained their brilliance, and she reached her hoof for Twilight’s foreleg, hooking them together. She didn’t know what made her do it; maybe the contact assured her that she was real, the pony she had come to care for so much.

The unicorn smiled warmly at Luna’s gesture and gave Luna’s foreleg a little squeeze.

“I thought it would be a good idea to wait for you before naming this star,” said the princess.

“What are you going to call it?”

The alicorn blushed and smiled. “The Moon’s Friend.”

Twilight blinked once, bit her lip, and burst out giggling.

“I created the seasonal cycles and variations in my stars so that ponies would be able to tell when to change the seasons, although they eventually developed more diverse ways to tell the time and count the passage of days,” explained Luna, finishing the last of the brownies that they had quickly devoured (Luna to replenish her energy after such strenuous magic, Twilight simply because she was starving). “However, explorers and sailor ponies also used them to navigate at night and guide their way if they were lost. I have learned they still do nowadays!”

Twilight nodded. “I’ve wondered about that, but it makes sense. You can make new stars when you want, but you couldn’t change a star once it had been made, or else it might have caused great inconvenience for anypony relying on them.”

The alicorn sighed. “I wish that were so… but truth be told, the stars were rearranged a thousand years ago… for that exact purpose.”

“Do you mean…”

The princess took a pillow on the couch and hugged it. “Yes, it was the Nightmare…”

Twilight gave Luna a sympathetic look and nuzzled the princess, trying to convey all the warmth she could in the gesture. “That time is over, Luna. The stars are back under your care – and you’ve done a wonderful job of setting them right.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” murmured the princess, snuggling closer to the unicorn. “And I told you that I made stars when I was on the moon, although most of the time it was her that was in control…” she paused, taking a deep breath. “But sometimes, when she wanted absolute concentration on her plotting, she would retreat to the back of my mind.

“The first time I set the stars right she was furious and scattered them again, even destroying some. I can’t remember clearly… I was so sad and afraid…” Luna buried her face into the pillow, tears dampening the soft material.

Twilight tried to drape her foreleg over Luna’s withers. She couldn’t reach all the way but she knew that that didn’t matter; what did was that she could stay with Luna and listen, and just be there for her.

The princess breathed shakily. ”I kept trying, whenever I could free myself from her influence. After a few times, she let them stay that way. ‘If ponies stop using the stars as directions then there is no point,’ she said. But then she made those stars. They were so dark, it was like they were sucking the light in, instead of glowing…

“I knew that Celestia brought out the stars during that period - I could not control when they were visible to Equestria during my… absence… but I could still make new ones. There are so many things I have done wrong… and I’m so glad to be back…”

Twilight nuzzled Luna gently. "But that's all over now, right? You are yourself again, ponies adore your night and you have friends now!"

Luna sniffed before smiling at the unicorn. "Yes, yes I do – I have a wonderful friend now!" she exclaimed as she summoned a hoofkerchief and dried her tears with it.

The sun was already setting, drawing close to the horizon and ushering in twilight; the princess found that she could chuckle at the fact that it, like its namesake, offered her a measure of comfort from the painful memories.

“It’s almost time for me to raise the moon, Twilight,” said the princess, her eyes slightly puffy.

“Okay.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to the balcony to do it… you should rest here, you just healed from some serious injuries after all – I’ll be right back,” said Luna, rising from the couch.

“I feel all right, I’ll go with you.” Twilight smiled at the princess, and together they trotted to the familiar balcony.

Luna lit up her horn with her dark aura and Twilight braced her hooves firmly against the floor for the impact that she knew would be coming. The wind grew in intensity as the alicorn spread her power along the vast span of the sky, rippling the manes of the two mares.

Twilight was standing closer to the Princess of the Night this time, and she felt the air whoosh out of her as Luna released more energy into the world, making the unicorn’s magical sense go haywire. Her horn was tingling with the aura that emanated from the alicorn, and her eyes shone as she watched the moon rise, slowly, ever so gracefully, over the horizon.

The world was enveloped in rich, dark blue – and each star shone brightly in the celestial tapestry as Luna touched it. Twilight scanned the sky, searching for the star that the alicorn had shown her. When she found it, shining brightly, it seemed even more brilliant without the magical vision which had made all the stars more visible. Now, with her naked eye, most of the other stars were dimmer in comparison.

"Luna…" Twilight pointed up to the star. "You've made more than one friend."She looked up at Luna with a twinkle in her eye that reminded the princess of her sister, and the princess laughed with renewed joy as Twilight gently nudged her.

Twilight and Luna trotted down the grand staircase to the grand hall of the castle, where they met the Goddess of the Sun.

“Good evening, you two,” said Celestia, her eyes twinkling as she strode towards them. “I was wondering if you were going to skip dinner.”

“Of course not,” said Luna, looking askance at her sister. “We were just going to order from the kitchen.”

The alabaster alicorn grinned. “Maybe you could go to Canterlot to eat? It would be good to take a walk around the city, especially with Twilight to … guide you.”

“That’s a great idea, Princess!” said Twilight, beaming. “Would you like to join us?”

Luna was wary of the wide grin on her sister's face. She had better not be planning something, she thought, still remembering the ‘love potion’ threat. Even though Celestia hadn't actually gone through with it, Luna immediately became suspicious when she saw the same grin on the elder alicorn’s face. I guess a walk around the city would be nice enough, and it's not like there's much Celly could do in public.

“I’m afraid I can’t, Twilight… I have some paperwork that needs to be finished,” Celestia replied, nuzzling her pupil gently. “I do hope you have a great time though!” She stepped back and waved, as if urging the two to go on.

“We will, I know the perfect place to go!” said the unicorn, waving at her mentor. “See you later, Princess!”

“Yes, see you later, sister,” said Luna, waving to her sister as well before trotting off with Twilight.

Canterlot at night was as lively and bustling a city as during the day, something Luna found particularly appealing. It had the dignity of a capitol, yet it was still young; not as metropolitan and youthful as some others like Manehattan, but it had a playful air as well as an artistic romance about it.

As Twilight and Luna walked through the wide streets many ponies stopped to bow to the princess, who smiled demurely in return.

Twilight eventually led the alicorn past some dazzlingly lit shops in the fashion district. She glanced at the windows, something familiar in one of the bigger shops catching her eye; the display featured what appeared to be a turquoise variant of the frilly saddle that Rarity had let her try out a week ago. She checked the sign of the store and her suspicion was confirmed. Hoity Toity’s Boutique – so that must be one of the saddles that Rarity designed!

Luna stopped as well when she realized that Twilight was looking at one of the display windows, and moved closer to glance inside. She regretted it instantly, fighting back a grimace as she gazed at some of the, to her, least appealing garments she had encountered for some time.

I wonder what's gotten into her, doesn't she like saddles? Noticing Luna’s abrupt change of expression, the unicorn examined her thoughts for a few seconds before having to fight the urge to slap herself. Of course! She's hungry but too polite to say anything, and I'm just standing here gawking at clothing.

Her face flushed, she turned to Luna, "Sorry, enough standing around! Let's go get something to eat."

Luna nodded and followed her away from the boutique. Twilight couldn't resist glancing back one more time. I really should show Luna the saddle Rarity made for me.

They took a left turn and trotted up to a hedge that separated the outside seating area of a restaurant from the road. A menu stand was situated near an opening in the hedge, underneath a small but ornate plaque which proclaimed that this was ‘L’Autre Sabot’.

They trotted though the opening into the seating area. Garden lamps spread a warm glow over the tables as fireflies drifted lazily near the hedges. A waiter in a smart uniform saw them and hurried over. “Your Majesty! And Twilight!” he said, recognizing the unicorn that had once been a frequent patron, and bowed low. “It is an honor…”

The other guests fell silent upon noticing the princess and there was followed a flurry of movement and chair scraping as everypony hurried to pay their respects.

“Please, no need to get up on my account,” said Luna, waving a hoof as gracefully as she could.

“Long time no see, Serving Plate!” Twilight said to the stallion.

Serving Plate grinned. “Hi, Twilight! You’ve made friends with a princess?”

“Yeah…” Twilight replied, grinning as well. “Hey, could we sit at that table to the side? Don’t want too much attention.” She pointed to a secluded corner at the far end of the outdoor dining section.

Serving Plate nodded and led them to the circular wooden table. Twilight and Luna sat down on the cushioned seats and relaxed against the wooden backboards as the waiter placed two menus before them, then left them to decide their orders.

“Twilight, what did you usually eat when you came here?” Luna asked, leafing through her menu.

“Oh, I really like the zucchini and mint risotto, and the cauliflower cheese and chili one is great, too. Or maybe you’d like the rigatonis or farfalles…” She flipped to the corresponding page as she spoke so the alicorn could see the pictures on the menu.

They took some more time before Luna finally made up her mind. “I’ll order a mushroom and mozzarella rigatoni meal set, then.”

“Okay, and I’ll have the zucchini risotto one,” said Twilight, raising a hoof to catch a waitress’s attention. The mare took their order and bowed her head respectfully before trotting back to the kitchens.

“Luna,” said Twilight, looking up at the starry sky. “I can still see The Moon’s Friend…”

They giggled and leaned back, gazing at the sky for a while, before Twilight broke the silence again. "Uhm... Luna?"

The Princess of the Night shifted her gaze from the sky filled with stars to eyes filled with emotions. "Yes, Twilight?"

Twilight shifted a little in her seat. "Can I tell you something personal?"

"Of course, Twilight, anything for a friend." Luna said with a demure smile, though in her head she was cheering at the thought of having somepony trust her with their personal secrets.

“Well, when we were going to use the gem, and you were telling me that I was powerful… I never really liked it when ponies have told me that before. I still get a bit uncomfortable, though I learned in Ponyville that I was really worrying too much.”

Luna nodded, listening attentively.

“When I was studying in the School for Gifted Unicorns, I didn’t go out much; in fact, I never really went out at all until I visited Ponyville. Sometimes I was teased… I knew most of the ponies were just jealous, but then it got worse – once I lost control of a spell that we had to practice in class. My classmates were, um… transformed into stone.

“They hated and feared me for it and every time I came through the door or down the corridor, they would all shy away like I was diseased or something. They made even more fun of me, calling me the princess's pet, snob... they wouldn't ever let me play with them.”

At that moment Serving arrived at their table and set down their orders. “We hope you enjoy your meal Your Majesty, Twilight,” he said.

Luna surveyed her dish. The mushrooms and other vegetables were arranged delicately on the mozzarella pasta, and she levitated her fork to scoop a bite up. The cheese stretched and its aroma wafted out as it was pulled up by the fork. Luna grinned and glanced sideways to see that Twilight was doing the same with her risotto.

She took a bite, the cheese melting delightfully in her mouth to complement the fresh taste of the mushrooms. “And then…? What happened?” she asked softly.

“I guess there were some nice ponies left that still wanted to talk to me, but I’d given up by then – I decided that studying would be a much better use of my time. Nopony seemed to like me at all, so most of the time I would just keep quiet and hope nopony would notice me; it was better than being teased. I'm so glad I was sent to Ponyville, otherwise I wouldn't have met all my friends!" She sighed and scooped up a zucchini. “It’s not that important anymore… but it really made me sad back then.”

“I like you,” said Luna, patting the unicorn’s shoulder.

Twilight smiled and looked at the alicorn gratefully. “I know.”

Their hunger well and truly satisfied, Twilight and Luna stepped out of the restaurant. There were fewer ponies on the streets then when they had first arrived, allowing them to walk comfortably side by side though the city.

The alicorn of the moon turned to her scholarly friend, her face bright with happiness. “It’s been a great evening.” Her expression then became a bit wistful. “But the time has passed so quickly…”

“Yeah, it really has …” I wish we could do this more often… the unicorn thought, glancing to the side.

“Twilight?” Luna asked, her eyes lighting up as she came up with an idea, almost as if in answer to Twilight’s thoughts. “If you have time… could I visit you in Ponyville soon?”

The librarian smiled, and then nuzzled her friend. “That would be wonderful.”

Six/ Snow

6: In the Cold

Brisk winds rippled Luna’s mane as her chariot sped towards Ponyville. The sun was at its zenith, but white droplets still misted up in front of her with every breath. She had her traveling cloak on, which billowed behind her in the icy currents of wind that swept past as her Night Guard pulled in their wings to start their descent.

The princess noted that the town already had its first layer of snow, lying like a white blanket over the once-familiar features of the landscape. First buildings, then individual ponies started to become discernable as her chariot gradually glided to a halt in front of the library.

She gracefully stepped down from her transport, the guards saluting to her before taking off again in a flurry of displaced white fluff. The few ponies that had braved the colder weather bowed to the princess, some with adoring calls of, “Princess Luna!”

Luna smiled. “Good afternoon, my dear ponies.” She waved to them, and then turned to knock on the door of the tree house. Within a few seconds it swung open, the inside of the house emanating warmth, but there was nopony behind it, only tall shelves arranged around the room and stacks of books scattered beside a writing stand.

“Hello Princess! Nice to see you.” The voice made her look down – a purple dragon stood at the door, waving a claw at her.

“Hello,” Luna said, cocking her head curiously at her welcomer.

“Come on in!” Spike raised an eyebrow slightly, noticing Luna’s inquiring look. “Um, are you all right, Princess?”

“I was just wondering how I should address you.”

The dragon chuckled sheepishly. “Right, sorry… name’s Spike, I’m Twilight’s number one assistant!”

“Her scribe, you mean? What tasks do you perform as her scribe, then?”

“Scribe? What’s a scribe?”

“You serve Twilight and run errands for her as she sees fit, do you not?” Luna almost pursed her lips but hastily arranged them back into a smile.

“Uh, yeah, like I said, I’m her number one assistant.” Spike scratched his face with a claw, his expression confused.

Luna nodded, following the dragon inside, and looked around.

“Twilight’s still getting ready but she’ll be down in a moment - would you like something to drink while you wait, Princess?” Spike asked as he led the alicorn to a few cushions laid out in the main room.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.” Luna inclined her head and settled down on one of the cushions rather stiffly, glancing around again.

“What would you like, I mean…?” Spike asked uncertainly, pausing on the way to the kitchen.

“Tea please, if you have it.” One corner of the princess’ mouth turned up in a patient smile.

“Right.” The baby dragon shuffled his feet. “Er, what flavor?”

“Any flavor will do.” Luna fluffed her feathers and tried to settle in a more comfortable position, but frowned again after the dragon had entered the kitchen – there was something strange about their exchange that she couldn’t quite put her hoof on.

Spike reappeared after a few moments, a cup of steaming daffodil tea in his claws. “Here you go, Princess.”

“Thank you.” The alicorn took the cup with her magic, and at that moment she heard what sounded like a pony stumbling, followed by a series of loud thuds. She looked around again, her expression hopeful.

A few seconds later, Twilight hurtled down the stairs, skidding to a stop and looking at Luna in alarm. “Luna! You’re early!” Her mane was disheveled, her coat mussed and there was a damp brown splotch on her chest, the liquid dribbling down her hoof and leaving a sweet-smelling puddle on the floor. The unicorn glanced nervously at her coat and her voice became quieter. “Very early…”

“I completed my duties ahead of schedule so I decided to arrive earlier, it’s much better than spending time with those stuffy officials.” Luna tilted her head, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, are you busy?”

“N-no, of course not, I was just finishing up my research into chocolate.” Twilight chuckled weakly.

“Chocolate? What for?”

“Oh, well…”Twilight shiftily looked to the side, smiling a little too widely. “No reason!”

“Could I see what progress you have made?” Luna asked the unicorn, intrigued.

“No!” Twilight gasped, but quickly clapped a hoof to her mouth. “I mean, um, it’s ongoing research!” She nodded frantically. “I’ll show you once I’m happy with my results.”

“I understand…” Luna tried to keep her face from falling. “Would you like to finish your research before we do anything, then?”

“That can wait, there’s actually more we can do now that you’re here.” Twilight frowned briefly. “Though I might have to adjust my schedule a bit…” She trotted to her writing stand and levitated out a schedule book. “Hmm, we could do this, I think there’s even time for this… Would you like to get something to eat from Sugar Cube Corner? Pinkie Pie works there, she’s the one that’s been teaching me to bake.”

Luna nodded, forcing a smile back on her face. “Anything will do.”

“Hmm, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea…” Twilight looked at Luna before scratching something out in her book. “How about a walk through Whitetail Wood?”

Luna kept nodding. “Anything would be fine with me, really.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight bit her lower lip. “I don’t want you to feel like you need to agree with everything I suggest.”

“Not at all, I am happy to do as you propose. I am not as familiar with Ponyville as you, after all.”

“All right then… Spike,” she turned to the baby dragon, “Luna and I are going for a walk, can you take care of the library while I’m gone?”

“You can count on me!” Spike snapped off a salute and tried to hide his relief.

Twilight turned back to the alicorn. “Shall we?” She took a few steps toward the door, but upon noticing that she was leaving sticky chocolate hoofprints she grinned sheepishly. “Right… could you wait for just a moment? Oh, and I wanted to show you something first!” She teleported back up the stairs before Luna could say a word.

Several faint bubbling and snapping sounds floated down the stairs, then the bedroom door slammed and down trotted Twilight, her coat and mane free of the dark sticky liquid… and a light pink saddle with fluffy white trim adorning her back.

Luna gaped, feeling a little faint, the blood rising to her cheeks in a way she was sure was clearly visible even with her dark coat; she barely registered that her mouth was slightly lopsided and twitching. It isn’t like that anymore, it isn’t like that anymore… she reminded herself, squeezing out a smile from her rigid expression. “It-it’s lovely,” she managed to force out.

“It’s okay, Luna…” Twilight pawed a hoof on the ground, at first confused but then understanding. “You don’t have to say you like it if you don’t.”

“No!” Luna shook her head frantically. She straightened her expression with an effort. “No, Twilight, it was just… I was just a bit surprised. I like it, and it looks good on you.”

The unicorn beamed, relieved. “I’m so glad you like it!”

“It really does look good on you – it brings out the pink in your mane,” the dark alicorn said quietly, almost demurely.

“Rarity made it for me… that reminds me, we should probably be going now.”

“Yes, of course.”

Twilight opened the door and trotted outside. “So, where would you like to go?”

Luna followed her out onto the snow covered street. “Maybe we could visit your other friends, as you suggested?”

“Oh! I thought you didn’t want to?” Twilight shot a confused look at Luna, but immediately chastised herself. Why do I always say things I shouldn’t? She didn’t seem that enthusiastic before though…

“No, no, I never said that,” Luna replied hastily.

“Oh…” Twilight looked even more confused, but recovered quickly. “Let’s go to Sugarcube Corner then? I’m sure Pinkie would love to know you better.”

“Isn’t she the -” Luna frowned, her expression darkening before she could fight it back. She hadn’t thought any more of it when Twilight had mentioned Pinkie Pie in Canterlot but being in Ponyville again jogged her memory – a pink pony, shrieking in horror…

“Hmm?” Twilight had started to canter down the street, but now turned back to Luna.

“She was frightened of me last time…” Luna hesitated, her hoofsteps slowing.

“No, no, she was just pretending! Apparently she likes to do that now and then. She’s a little, well, random…”

“Pretending to be scared? Why would she do that?” Luna frowned, her ears drooping.

Twilight shrugged. “I have no idea… but she’s really nice once you get to know her.”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“If you don’t want to do this then it’s fine, we can go somewhere else.” Twilight pawed a hoof in the snow.

“Could we talk to Pinkie Pie again next time?”

Twilight nodded. “Then is there anypony else you’d like to meet?”

“I believe I have met all your friends twice...” Luna licked her suddenly dry lips, her voice small. “Though the first time wasn’t under the best of circumstances.”

“Except for Rarity,” Twilight corrected Luna as she looked in the direction of the Boutique. “She was too busy making nice costumes for everypony else! So would you like to meet her again?”

“Yes, I’d like that, given that we didn’t have the chance to talk again on Nightmare Night.”

Twilight nodded, leading the princess through the streets until they came to a tall building decorated in the style of a colourful carousel - which, Luna thought, was very fitting given its name. Twilight pushed open the door and a cheery, melodious voice rang out.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique-” The alabaster unicorn saw Twilight and waved. “Twilight!”

“Hey Rarity!”

Luna stepped inside as well, and upon seeing her the fashionista promptly dropped the pair of scissors and ribbons she was levitating, moving out from behind her working table.

“Rarity, this is Luna; Luna, this is Rarity.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Rarity.” Luna bowed her head slightly and smiled at Rarity.

“It is an honor, Princess.” Rarity beamed and curtsied. “How may I be of assistance?”

Luna was taken aback by Rarity’s question and glanced at Twilight for some assistance, but her friend was looking at Rarity with a grin. She couldn’t tell if some secret signal passed between them, but the fashionista suddenly beamed and clapped her hooves together.

“Ooh, I have the most wonderful idea!” She turned to Luna, nodding to herself as her gaze swept along the other’s body. “Princess, would you allow me to take your measurements?”

“I… of course?” Luna looked to Twilight again for any sign of what they were planning, but the lavender unicorn only gave her an encouraging nod before looking back to Rarity.

The fashionista led Luna to a pedestal, Twilight following behind, and took out a few measuring tapes and a clipboard. Rarity’s blue aura surrounded the tapes, alternately curling and straightening them around the blue alicorn in practiced movements.

Finally the alabaster unicorn let the tapes drop, once again beaming; she pranced over to her drawing board and sketching materials, gesturing to her guests to make themselves comfortable on the two cushions beside it.

“It won’t take too long,” she chimed as Twilight and Luna settled down on the cushions.

Rarity floated up a piece of charcoal, drawing a rough outline of a saddle much like Twilight’s, but sleeker and longer, with more elegant curves and more lace along the borders. She then showed it to the librarian and the princess. “What do you think of this design?”

Luna felt her body heat rising again, her sweat glands suddenly fully functional despite the cool weather, and nervously looked at the lavender unicorn, who looked back expectantly.

“Oh, well, it’s wonderful…” she said, involuntarily leaning back, her voice becoming smaller and smaller.

That however was enough to satisfy the fashionista, who immediately got to her hooves and levitated different bolts of fabric of varying shades of purple, cutting them into interlacing pieces according to her design. She then assembled and sewed up the pieces into a finished saddle, though without the lace and straps, making a few notes on her design where she felt the buckles could be attached more comfortably.

She floated out more fabric of a stiffer quality, which she then cut out, curving and stitching together several pieces to make the central part which would rest over Luna’s back. She then cut more pieces of satiny lavender fabric, sewing that on the top and back separately.

With a fluid motion she spread a length of indigo ribbon along the border, weaving it in ripples before stitching them up. The needle and thread flowed up and down, spacing the stitches in precisely identical intervals, Rarity’s skilled and elegant threadwork like a performance in itself.

Luna rested her head on her hooves, leaning onto Twilight. “She truly is amazing, is she not?” Her thoughts then took a more unpleasant turn as she remembered that it was a saddle – for her – that Rarity was making, her smile vanishing.

Luckily for her Twilight had her attention on the fashionista, and did not notice. “Yeah, she’s very talented,” she replied, her voice swelling with pride for her dressmaker friend.

Rarity turned the saddle, securing and sewing the straps and buckles on with quick strokes of her needle, then trotted to the two other mares, a bright smile on her face. “Would you like to try it on, Princess?”

“Ah, I…” Luna glanced around nervously, her stomach fluttering with a strange sensation.

Rarity took that as a yes, and levitated the lavender saddle onto Luna’s back, fastening the buckles. “It looks wonderful on you, Princess!”

Not noticing Luna’s distress and her stammering, the two unicorns looked her over; to Luna it was as if she was somehow being laid bare, naked with nothing but shame, her dignity in tatters.

She scrunched her eyes, thoughts swirling around in her clouded mind, and although she tried to push it away the unwelcome feelings still surfaced. The saddle, in olden times, was designed to convey a sense of ownership, the submission of the pony wearing it; that their only purpose was to be used merely as a tool for carnal release, and the frills and straps only heightened the already flagrantly sexual appearance.

The princess tensed, gulping. It was like her mind was snagged by a net, pulling her deeper down into murky waters. She bolted to her hooves, shaking her head slightly, her breath hitching.

“We need to… go out for some fresh air,” she said frantically, shakily undoing the clasps and loosening the garment before tossing it on the ground and bolting out.

Both Rarity and Twilight followed the princess’ retreat with stunned, wide eyes; in a burst of magic the door slammed shut again, leaving the two unicorns alone in the Boutique.

“Don’t worry Rarity… it was probably something I said,” Twilight said quickly, noticing Rarity’s wide eyes and half-open mouth. She stepped to her friend’s side and wrapped a hoof over her withers. “I’ll go look for her, and if she doesn’t want the saddle in the end, I’ll take it.”

Rarity took a deep breath, looking at the door. “I do hope she’s all right, she didn’t seem very well.”

“I don’t know… sometimes she thinks everything is her fault.”

“Then she needs you Twilight, you can cheer her up and talk some sense into her.” The fashionista nodded and pulled away from Twilight gently. “Like you’ve always done for me.”

“She doesn’t really listen to me, but I’ll try.” Twilight nodded back, trotting to the door and looking over her shoulder.

“Go now, before she feels even worse.” Rarity made a shooing motion with her hoof.

“Got it. Thanks for the saddle, Rarity!” Opening the door, Twilight stepped out into the cool winter air in search of her companion.

After thinking for a moment she turned right, taking the route leading away from the center of town. She was worried and without a single clue as to where Luna had gone, but decided that the princess would want to be alone. As she trotted across the bridge that Luna had moped on during Nightmare Night she looked up into the sky, wondering if the princess might have flown off. The winds were a bit chilly and she forced herself to hurry her steps, glad that she had her saddle on for some protection against the cold.

After tromping further through the snow and past some trees she eventually reached the clearing containing Nightmare Moon’s statue with still with no sign of the alicorn; she was just about to turn back when she heard a soft thudding noise that repeated once in a while.

She pushed through the trees, dislodging a few clumps of snow, following the sound as it grew louder, now accompanied by a faint humming as well. Using her magic to move away a few branches that were in her way, she broke into another, smaller clearing.

A huge snow castle, almost as tall as the trees and resembling the ruins in the Everfree, dominated the clearing. A dark blue aura surrounded the glistening icicle balustrades and delicate ice window panes, more of which were being constructed in a flurry of movement at such high speeds and with such precise use of a large amount of magic that Twilight’s horn tingled from the ambient magical residue.

She watched with awe as snow liquefied before spreading out and solidifying again, and to the side a large mound was lifted and shaped into perfect, heavy rectangles. They thumped to the ground in precise alignment - which Twilight recognised as the source of the thudding she had followed - before magic worked on them to carve out ridges and towers.

Twilight stood breathless, staring at the snow fortress, before finally edging around one of the ‘wings’ of the castle. Luna was lying there, seemingly not feeling the coldness of the snow underneath her.

Luna raised her head weakly upon hearing the light hoofsteps , her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the unicorn approaching. As soon as she recognized Twilight all of the magic-induced movement came to a standstill; the lunar princess herself was also motionless, as if the cold of the surface she was on had spread up to her limbs. “Oh... hello Twilight,” she mumbled.

“Luna, I’m sorry about whatever upset you back there! It’s okay if you don’t like the saddles.” The unicorn took a few steps towards Luna.

“I did mean it when I said yours looks good on you… it’s just…”The princess shook her head infinitesimally, opening her mouth a few times before licking her lips. “I’m just not used to… seeing ponies… in saddles.”

“Well, I know that they only started becoming popular in the last two hundred years, so that explains why you’re not used to them.”

“Yes, my sister has told me that they are common now, but they… had a much different meaning in the past.” She blushed at the memories before continuing. “I’m so sorry for leaving like that, it was rude.” Luna averted her gaze, her mane drifting to cover her face.

“It’s all right, Luna.” Twilight inched closer to Luna slowly, before looking at the snow structure. “This is a pretty great snow castle you’ve built,” she said brightly, trying to distract her companion from her thoughts.

“It’s a model of the castle where my sister and I lived, a long time ago. I - I hope Rarity is not upset with me.”

“She’s not, trust me.” Twilight looked at the sculpture again, the corners of her mouth tilting up. “Say, Luna, have you played in the snow before?”

“Well, if you count this?” Luna gestured to the ice castle. “Playing, that is having fun, is it not?”

“Yes it is…” Twilight smiled impishly, scooping up some of the nearby snow and compressing it into a floating ball. With a flick of her magic she then sent the projectile hurtling towards Luna.

Instinctively Luna tensed, her face twisting into a grimace as she deflected it away with a small shield, the thin blue aura shimmering in front of the snowball and sending it off course. “Why did you…?”

Twilight giggled, trotting over to Luna and looking up into her friend’s eyes. “It’s called a snowball fight! Ponies throw snow at each other for fun.”

Luna relaxed, breaking out into a smile. “For fun… then it is not because - because you dislike me.” She levitated up a few balls, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Of course not!” Twilight tossed another ball at Luna, who didn’t block it this time, letting the ice hit her and slide down her coat.

The princess retaliated with missiles of her own, creating more and more balls which she lobbed at the unicorn in quick succession, taking care not to use too much force. Some Twilight dodged, but many found their mark, squelching into her coat and dripping down her mane.

They grinned at each other goofily, and Twilight shook herself of the ice that had lodged in her coat. They circled around each other, biding their time, until Luna broke the impasse with a well-aimed shot at the unicorn’s torso.

Twilight skipped out of the way of the next hail of attacks, her hooves tossing up the white fluff and her breath coming out as a pale mist. “Missed me!”

“You’re fast,” Luna giggled, dancing nimbly out of the way as a few snowballs shot towards where she had been only moments before. Unseen by her though, one of them curved right back, impacting on her flank with a splatter of ice.

Luna’s eyes glinted and magic flared up around her horn, snowballs erupting from the snow all around Twilight and arcing down to home in on their target. The smaller mare immediately flared up her horn as well, a shield shimmering in place to deflect them.

The lunar princess pouted. “I thought you didn’t want to use shields, that is why I didn’t use them!”

Twilight grinned sheepishly. “You’re right, I probably couldn’t have hit you if you’d used them – no shields from now on, sorry!” She pelted more icy projectiles at her friend, who flapped her wings and sped in a semicircle around the lavender unicorn, launching more missiles that trailed a cool blue aura.

Cantering in pursuit, Twilight dragged up a large cloud of snow as she ran and hurled it towards Luna as soon as she landed on the ground again. The princess answered with an even bigger cloud, the two colliding with each other in the air; it was as if the snow had exploded, ice flecks flying everywhere then slowly settling.

The alicorn leapt up and spread her wings again, swooping up then diving down towards her friend, her horn lighting up. A wave of snow curved up in front of Twilight - who wasn’t quick enough to respond as her attention was fixed on Luna - before washing over her and coating her all over in white.

Disappearing in a magenta flash, Twilight reappeared right behind the princess, levitating another cloud of snow and dropping it right on her just as Luna looked back and tried to jump out of the way.

Luna shook herself and narrowed her eyes, though she was grinning. “This is fun!” she exclaimed joyously, before teleporting behind Twilight as well, a dozen snowballs at the ready.

Twilight disappeared again, just as a few of the balls smacked into her coat, and Luna immediately leapt out of the way, narrowly dodging more snowballs that came from behind her once again. They caught each other’s eye and giggled, then resumed trying to get behind each other in flashes of magenta and dark blue magic, making projectiles that grew larger and larger with each failed attempt.

Lighting up her horn again, Twilight managed to escape the latest horde of missiles – each as large as a watermelon – and reappeared again, smacking right into Luna. The princess was knocked over, just as surprised at the sudden collision, and they landed heavily in a tangle on the ground, sending up a flurry of snow.

Luna craned her neck awkwardly, her body pressed firmly on the ice. Twilight’s head was in the curve under the alicorn’s chin, her cheek pressed into the ice and her torso resting on Luna’s side, pinning down her foreleg. They were both panting slightly, and they could feel each other’s breathing though their physical contact.

“Sorry,” Twilight mumbled, giggling and trying to squirm upright. Her movements only succeeded in making her slide down onto the ice beside her friend, so she tilted her head up to look Luna in the eye.

The lunar princess grinned back; while it wasn’t the most comfortable thing, lying in the snow, somehow neither of them felt any immediate need to get up. She didn’t know what made her do it, but she wrapped a hoof around Twilight and pulled her closer.

Twilight snuggled up to her, leaning against her chest. “That was great, like a game and magic practice all rolled into one!”

Luna chuckled. “We could do it more often if you’d like - there are some more creative methods I can think of that I could show you.” She moved her hoof down, brushing against Twilight’s saddle, and suddenly all the conflicting thoughts and emotions came crashing back; she had been distracted from them by the snowball fight, but now that Twilight was actually lying beside her, in her hooves…

Though she didn’t want to think about it, Twilight’s coat was warm and soft, a marked contrast to the cold and hard surface she was lying on; her mane was redolent with the faint, lingering scent of shampoo, a fragrance that refused to go away even though Luna’s breathing was becoming more and more shallow. She was sure something would happen to her ribcage – and was it even possible for so much blood to flow into her face and ears?

For the second time that day, she found her sweat glands working uncomfortably well despite the weather; she squirmed a bit, hoping Twilight wouldn’t notice. The most logical course of action was to just let go and stand up, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do that – a tiny voice in her brain was telling her that every second stolen was another second gained.

It didn’t help that the unicorn nuzzled her every once in a while, holding her just as closely as she was doing, her chest heaving against Luna’s with every breath Twilight took.

The first time she had met Twilight she had noted a certain self-consciousness with which she carried herself; a result, the alicorn was sure, of the responsibility that came with being her sister’s pupil and one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria.

She had thought of her lavender friend’s attractiveness in the same manner as that of mares she had admired in the past - not just their physical appeal, but the kind of attractiveness that came with respect. Luna was no stranger to admiring mares; many had caught her eye throughout the long years, be it for one or both reasons; she even admired her sister for her grace and learning.

Now, looking down again, holding Twilight’s gaze, she was surprised to realize how keenly she could feel the rise and fall of Twilight’s chest against hers and the warm, moist breath on her muzzle.

Her lungs felt like they had seized up and she had to force herself to take a breath, the scent of Twilight’s shampoo and sweat again filling them. She wished her senses were not as highly attuned to her friend as they were now, the intoxicating aromas already clouding her mind.

She leaned forward, brushing Twilight’s muzzle with her own. The next thing she knew, her mouth had found the unicorn’s lips.

Seven/ Omission

7: For the Best

Their muzzles drifted apart slowly; Luna gazed at Twilight blissfully, but the smaller mare jerked back, her eyes wide.

“Wha-what? Luna... why?” she squeaked, her voice higher-pitched than usual, as she scrambled to her hooves.

Luna started when Twilight pulled away, and remained lying in the snow, her mouth hanging open. “I don’t…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, her expression changing from blissful to miserable as she looked up at Twilight.

Twilight shook her head infinitesimally, her eyes vacant. “Why did you do that, Luna?” she mumbled in confusion.

“I…” Luna scrambled to her hooves as well, moving her mouth soundlessly a few times before she could make her words audible. “I have to go.”

Then, before Twilight could react, she stepped back and teleported.

Luna stumbled as she reappeared in her room, staggering a few steps before throwing herself down on her bed. The sheets were soft, but while comforting under normal circumstances, they did nothing to ease her fear today. She pressed her head into the pillow, rubbing her cheek against the fabric. Her heart was beating like it was attemping to lodge itself in her throat as she tried to blink away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes.

Burrowing deeper under the covers and curling up, she lifted a hoof to her mouth and touched her lips lightly. The memory of the pressure of Twilight’s lips on hers, like warm feathers brushing her, sent pleasant – yes, pleasant – tingles down her body.

She blinked a few times and stared at a spot on the floor beside her bed, wishing Twilight was still beside her, in her embrace…

She shook her head and took a few deep breaths, which didn’t help clear her mind at all – they only further reminded her of inhaling Twilight’s scent, and how she wished to experience it again. She thumped her hoof on the mattress, her delicate features scrunched up in angst. Was it true then, what she had felt as she lay in the snow?

When did it start? Is Twilight really more than a friend to me? She tried to delve further into her thoughts, but it was as if kept running up against a wall. But it all feels right… It was so true, when she thought about Twilight. Snuggling up to her, their hooves linked together as they sat in front of the focus - even the kiss seemed like more puzzle pieces falling together.

Twilight had been the first pony apart from her sister that had really tried to understand her; she just felt so comfortable when they spent time together; Twilight had been the only pony to extend a friendly hoof when she first arrived in Ponyville…

But maybe, maybe she only became my friend because she’s such a kind pony, not because she really thought me worth knowing better. She made a small choking sound. Anyway, she doesn’t like me that way, she pulled away…

Suddenly she was startled by a knock on the door.

“Luna?”

The lunar princess recognized the voice as her sister’s, and pulled the covers up over herself – maybe Celestia would go away if she didn’t answer, then she wouldn’t have to talk about it…

“Luna, are you there?” Celestia’s voice became more insistent, and she knocked on the door again.

“Leave me alone!” She winced at falling for the ploy.

The door opened and her sister stepped inside. “Luna, what’s wrong?”

Luna started forced herself to scramble up into a more dignified sitting position, trying to wipe the tears from her face to hide that she had been crying. “N-nothing, w-why do you ask?” She hoped Celestia wouldn’t notice how unsteady her voice was.

“What happened?” Celestia moved directly beside the bed and sat down, mouth set in worry.

“What d-do you mean?” Luna tried to smooth her face, but with a sinking feeling in her chest she knew that Celestia had already seen right through her.

“You came back early.”

It was more a question than a statement, and Luna knew what her sister was doing – Celestia was giving her a chance to explain for herself before asking outright. She squirmed a little on the bed, and was just about to open her mouth to speak before a thought stopped her. What if Celestia thought her feelings were wrong? It was unlikely that her sister was against same-sex relationships, but maybe her age… She gulped.

“I…”

“It’s all right, you can tell me what happened-”

“Nothing happened! Why must you always patronize me so?” Luna yelled, her volume surprising even herself.

Celestia leaned closer and looked at Luna with sad eyes. “Because whenever you keep these feelings to yourself it hurts me too. We promised each other never to conceal our emotions from each other again, Luna. Please, tell me what is bothering you.”

“I…” Luna lowered her head and buried it between her hooves. She saw no way to continue hiding it anymore; she would have to tell her sister. “I did something to her.”

“Did something?” Celestia arched an eyebrow.

Luna took a ragged breath before continuing. “I kissed her.”

The change in Celestia’s demeanor could not have been more pronounced; her face lit up with a smile and she hugged her sister gleefully. “Luna, I’m so happy for you!”

Luna blinked; luckily her tears had not chosen that moment to flow again. “You’re happy?” she asked quietly.

“Of course I am, Luna. It’s not every day that my sister falls in love.” Celestia nuzzled her, then became sombre once more. “But why did you come back so soon?”

Luna whimpered softly, looking to the side. “I left… after I kissed her.”

“You left?” Celestia’s eyes widened marginally. “Did you talk after the kiss?”

“N-no, I left right away…”

“Why would you do that? Did she yell at you?” Celestia frowned briefly before composing herself again.

“No, she didn’t, but she didn’t seem to like it…” Luna cringed and covered her eyes with her hoof for a moment, the words getting stuck in her throat. “I was afraid she would hate me because of what I did.”

“Luna, look at me,” Celestia said sternly, and Luna timidly peeked out from behind her hoof. “I am sure that Twilight does not hate you.” She sighed tiredly. “Though I am afraid you might have caused a problem by leaving…”

“What do you mean, sister?”

“Why did you kiss Twilight?”

Luna peeked out again, her face a deep crimson. Her heartbeat was erratic again, but the feeling was not as unfamiliar as before. “I don’t know-” She paused, speaking again after a few moments. “No, I suppose I do.”

Celestia smiled gently. “Could you tell me why?”

“I, but I’m not sure…”

“You’re not sure if you like Twilight?”

“Of course I like her,” Luna said hastily, “at least as a friend…?” She knew that avoiding saying what she would have to say sooner or later was futile; her sister would coax it out eventually.

“Where exactly did you kiss Twilight?”

“O-on her…” Luna stammered, licking her lips and opening her mouth without making any more audible sounds.

Celestia nodded with a small smile. “And do friends usually kiss each other on the lips?”

“Ye-” Luna bit her lip. “No.”

“And what do you think that means?” Celestia moved closer and draped a wing over her sister.

“I think I have an idea of what it means,” Luna mumbled, barely louder than a whisper. But I’m afraid to face it…

“Luna…” Celestia nuzzled the blue alicorn. “How would you feel if somepony you liked as a friend kissed you on the lips, then ran off?”

“I honestly cannot imagine what I would think,” Luna said slowly. “Confused?”

“Just confused?”

Luna thought a little more before answering. “Hurt?”

Celestia tilted her head. “How do you think Twilight feels now?”

“Confused…?” Luna trailed off.

“And?”

“Hurt,” Luna mumbled, “b-but, I don’t know how to make things right.”

Celestia nodded gently. “Maybe you should think about what you feel too.”

“But it’s so hard!” Luna avoided her sister’s gaze, her voice almost a whine. “Do I really have to do this now, sister?”

“If you don’t know how you feel, how will you know if you’re making the right decision in anything you do? And maybe you can figure out how to make it right.”

Luna nodded reluctantly. “I… I like Twilight,” she started slowly before pausing for a few moments. She told a deep breath and continued, “I like her very much…”

“Would you say you love her?” Celestia asked quietly.

Luna stared at her hooves like a lost foal. “What does love really mean, sister?”

Celestia sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Love means… wanting to be around that pony for the rest of your life. Being happy when they smile, and wanting to make sure that they have every opportunity to do so.”

“I think, maybe…” There was a long silence before Luna spoke again. “Yes, I would.”

“And what do you think you could do to make it up to Twilight?”

“I could tell her why I… kissed her?”

“Why not write her a letter? That way you can apologize and tell her how you feel.”

“Yes, I think so…”

“Luna, don’t be afraid to lay out your feelings.” Celestia again nuzzled her sister gently. “And if you want to talk more about it, just tell me, all right?”

“All right.” Luna nodded weakly and mustered a small smile.

“Would you like my help in writing the letter?”

Luna shook her head. “No, I think I will be able to do it on my own.”

“All right then, Luna.” Celestia got to her hooves and fluffed her wings before walking towards the door, looking back once as she reached the doorjamb. “You know I always have time for you, so if you need help just ask, okay?”

Luna nodded. “Thank you, sister.”

Twilight trudged along the street, feeling like she were dragging her limbs along; she still felt completely stunned. Arriving at the door of the library, she pushed it open and walked straight in with barely a glance.

Trotting into the room, she didn’t really pay attention to her surroundings, and almost walked into one of the bookshelves before she simply plopped herself down on the floor, staring into space.

What had Luna been playing at? Twilight knew that kissing was something ponies ‘in love’ did, whatever that really meant. In some of the fiction she’d read there were couples that did the same thing - pressing their mouths together, presumably as a sign of affection. Most of the time it was a male and a female, seldom a couple of the same sex, though she had seen some such couples in Ponyville as well as in Canterlot.

Did Luna mean that she thought of them as a couple? Twilight put a hoof to her mouth again; simply thinking about it made her head hurt, muddled as her thoughts were now. Or maybe it was an accident? That was definitely a possibility.

She looked up at the shelves with a frown. If only she knew which tomes could help make everything clear! Growling in frustration she leapt to her hooves. It was as if something had snapped in her; she prowled around the room, levitating large piles of books from psychology, romance and some other sections; it looked like chunks had been torn out of the bookshelves.

With a huff she set down the volumes. The books could easily fill a whole bookshelf on their own, but the research would be worth it. After all, there was no question that books couldn’t answer, right?

Luna rolled over beneath her covers. It was past noon, but she hadn’t slept at all the entire morning; she had been kept awake by her thoughts, most of them about Twilight. Not that she and Celestia really needed sleep, but it was a good way to slightly relieve themselves of the stress that came with being a ruler.

She was surer of a few more things from her ponderings (and imaginings): for one, she did indeed like Twilight, or perhaps even love her - she wasn’t sure how to determine the difference yet. Also, she knew she wanted to kiss Twilight again.

And there was one more thing she was quite certain of – she couldn’t bear it if she lost Twilight. She had thought about her reaction when Twilight had gotten injured, and and how it had been much different from any sense of loss she could ever recall having before. When she had seen Twilight lying there on the floor it had felt like something had been ripped forcibly from her, leaving an empty void; but when Twilight had gotten up and hugged her, it was as if the gaping hole had been filled just by pressing the unicorn to her chest.

One of the most surprising things though, was the realization of how much she wished that Twilight might feel the same way. Conversely, what worried her most was the possibility that Twilight may not even want to be her friend anymore. She shuddered. What if Twilight was angry that she had kissed her without permission? What if she resented, even hated her?

She had already known that love had nothing to do with gender at all – it was about loving the pony, not the gender of the pony. And Twilight was just perfect, so perfect! She buried her face into her pillow. It was funny how simply thinking of Twilight could make her feel all tingly and warm inside; it reminded her of how giddy she’d been after Nightmare Night, after she had gotten back to Canterlot.

Celestia had told her to write a letter to Twilight after she had thought more about her feelings, but she still felt uncertain. Just imagining telling Twilight how she felt made her tremble; she didn’t have the courage to face Twilight’s reaction.

She sighed and after some deliberation sat down in front of the desk, hesitantly gathering a few writing supplies. Taking a deep breath she smoothed out a piece of parchment and levitated a quill.

Dear Twilight,

Luna stared at the parchment before her. She had paused for quite a while, and the nib of the quill was oozing ink onto the paper, leaving a large blot. No… She shook her head, tossing the letter away.

Soon there was a pile of paper littering the ground. It was just so hard getting the words out! If only a few fake, impersonal words could fix everything… but that was not the case. Luna thought back to telling Twilight about her time on the moon, about the stars she had made – things she had not shared with anypony but her sister, and even then there were many details she had left out so as not to alarm Celestia. Twilight had taught her to laugh and to have fun. She had felt so carefree around Twilight; it had been such a long time since she had really been honest about her feelings-

But she was not being honest about her feelings right now, was she? Luna crumpled up the parchment with an anguished cry. Why was it so hard to make sense of everything?

To my friend Twilight-

“No…”

My love T-

“No!” Luna screamed in frustration, ripping the parchment into shreds which scattered and drifted to the ground as she threw them as far from her as possible. To her dazed mind it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion, with fear and anxiety also making everything seem threatening. Nothing seemed to work. She didn’t dare talk to Twilight face to face; she couldn’t even bring herself to write a letter…

What if she doesn’t even want to be friends any longer? Just thinking about it made Luna feel choked; the quill she was levitating snapped as her magic flared with her agitation.

I can’t do this. I can’t lose her… Suddenly an idea came to her; it was so glaringly obvious. What if I pretend it wasn’t like that at all?

An uneasy smile crossed her face. She couldn’t have what she wanted most… but at least she wouldn’t lose Twilight’s friendship. Grabbing a new quill, she started scribbling furiously.

Luna looked at the finished letter. Now the only thing remaining was to send it, and – Luna smacked her forehead with a hoof. She had forgotten to place the linking spell on Twilight’s dragon assistant, and there was no way that Celestia would send it for her if she knew what what it said...

A few hours later, Celestia looked up from a mountain of official documents as Luna entered her study.

“Is there something you need help with, Luna?”

Luna smiled sheepishly. “I wrote the letter, but then I realized that I hadn’t established a link with Twilight’s scribe yet.”

“And you want me to send it for you? That’s not a problem at all.” Celestia picked up the scroll with her magic and scrutinized it; it was already sealed. She shrugged infinitesimally and with a small flash of power, the letter dissolved into the familiar green smoke that wafted out through the window. The elder alicorn turned back to her sister with a smile. “So, what did you write?”

Nervousness gripped Luna again, but she schooled her expression and smiled back. “I wrote about the kiss and what it meant to me, and that I hope she feels the same.”

Celestia grinned playfully. “Who’d have thought that my sister would fall in love with my student?”

“Please, Celestia, it’s hard enough without you teasing me.” Luna smiled shyly, then eyed the large piles of official letters in front of Celestia. “I won’t take up any more of your time, then. Thank you for sending the letter for me.”

Celestia sighed, eying the documents as well. “Don’t mention it, Luna… though rest assured that I’ll ask more about you and Twilight next time we talk,” she finished with a mischievous smile.

Luna nodded, waving as she stepped back out through the door. Safely away from her sister’s eyes, she let out the breath she had been holding. It’s for the best.

Eight/ Correspondence

8: Moments

Twilight squeezed her eyelids together, trying to muster some moisture to soothe her eyes. Her eyeballs felt like they had been scratched with sandpaper, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t slept for days after Luna’s visit, instead working her way through a mountain of books like it was the end of the written word.

“No, eh… that’s not it either,” she muttered groggily, rubbing her eyes and yawning hugely. The text swam before her vision, and she strained to make it out. When a mare and a stallion fall in love… She tossed the book away angrily. “Urgh, no!”

Pulling up another book, she set it down in front of her and, with considerable effort, opened it to the table of contents. She attempted to scan it a few times, realized she had the book upside down and simply slumped forward, her head hitting the pages.

This is useless. She groaned and closed her eyes. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be looking for – no, wait, what was that book called? ‘Best Poems of: L.D. Rey’? Her eyes snapped open, and she dug into the pile of books with her magic. The tome she pulled out wobbled slightly in the air, her magic proving unsteady due to her fatigue, so she impatiently grabbed it with her hooves.

Maybe I should have paid more attention to this. It was a collection of love poems she had merely skimmed the first time, assuming it would be unhelpful. Flipping to the page she was looking for, she grimaced and tried to concentrate on the words.

Every time I close my eyes

It’s like a dark paradise

No pony compares to you

I’m scared that you

Won’t be waiting on the other side

“Hmm, seems like it could be right,” she mumbled. The words had echoed deep in her heart; it was as if the writer had known what her feelings were – what she herself had not known to be true.

Yeah, maybe I should concentrate on thinking about what *I** feel.* She grinned stupidly. She did think about Luna quite frequently – like all my friends, right? But there was no denying that she had been thinking about Luna more and more since they had started visiting each other. And there was also that strange hollow feeling that she’d had since Luna had run off.

It was also true, now she thought of it, that she and Luna shared things that she couldn’t have shared with her other friends. Luna had raised the moon beside her, shown her the stars and told her about their creation; she was also the only pony besides Princess Celestia that Twilight could comfortably talk to about the intricacies of magical power.

Her thoughts then turned to the things between Luna and she that she also shared with her other friends – Luna hugging her, Luna sobbing because something had gone wrong… Looking back on those memories she noticed that it had felt different than with her other friends, but how, she couldn’t really say.

She’d read somewhere in the pile of books that lovers were two halves of one pony that spent their lives looking for each other so that they could finally become whole and perfect; they could be of opposite genders, or they could be the same.

The more she thought about what she had learned about Luna, the more it seemed that Luna understood her in ways she’d never thought another pony would, but did that mean love?

Still not sure, but at least I should be closer to figuring it out… She glanced at the books strewn around her. “Thanks books, you’ve done enough,” she mumbled with a lopsided grin, patting one of them awkwardly. Now if only I could *talk** to somepony about it.*

Unwillingly getting up, she trudged to the bathroom, stumbling a few times along the way. Trotting through the door, she turned on the bath taps before lowering herself into the tub.

A hot bath was always a good way to freshen up after a night-long research session, and she knew from experience that it would help to relieve some of the tension that had built up from staying awake for so long.

The water started to rise and Twilight sighed as she waited for the tub to fill. The soothing warmth soon spread through her limbs, but there was still a big lump of emptiness sitting in her chest. Now, where was I? Oh right, is there somepony who can help me with this?

Twilight raised her hooves to her head, massaging her temples. Maybe Rarity? She seems to know a lot about love… She talked a lot about it, at least. From what she knew of her friends, Rarity did seem to be the one who knew most about these matters.

She turned off the tap with her telekinesis and leaned back, moving a hoof through the water and absentmindedly watching the ripples she created.

She’d go to Rarity’s first thing in the morning – hopefully her friend could help her understand what she was thinking, and everything would be fine once more.

________________________________________

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where – oh, it’s you, Twilight!” Rarity looked up from the dress she was sewing and walked over to Twilight, her eyes wide with worry. “Oh Twilight, I haven’t seen you in days! Where have you been?”

Twilight didn’t answer, instead falling heavily onto the cushions she and Luna had been sitting on before the alicorn had run off.

“Darling, what happened after you went out to look for the princess?” Rarity trotted over and sat down beside her friend. When Twilight only stared dimly at her, she wrapped a foreleg around the bookworm’s withers. “Twilight?” she repeated.

“Oh, I found her, but she…” Twilight trailed off from her mumbling, raising a hoof to absentmindedly brush her lips again.

Twilight didn’t even think when she brushed her mouth, and it would have been meaningless to most ponies, but Rarity deciphered it almost immediately. “You kissed?”

“Wha-?” Twilight blinked a few times in quick succession, shaking her head infinitesimally. “I mean, y-yes, but how’d you know?” When she tried to speak again words kept failing her; she hadn’t anticipated how hard it would be to talk about the kiss with another pony.

Rarity’s eyes widened, shining with delight. “You did?” she squealed, completely ignoring the question, letting go of Twilight and grinning from ear to ear as she looked at her friend. “I’m so happy for you!”

“But…” Twilight looked to the side, not meeting Rarity’s eyes. She drew a hoof uneasily over the cushion.

Rarity didn’t seem to notice Twilight’s distress, her smile growing even brighter. “Oh, Twilight, you’ve found love! Isn’t it marvelous?”

“Um, maybe?” Twilight mumbled.

Rarity tilted her head. “Ooh – did she kiss you first?”

“Yes, I suppose…”

“And how did it happen? What were you doing when she kissed you?”

“We were having a snowball fight, and we knocked each other over into the snow, and then we-” Twilight’s voice became hardly audible, “-kissed.” She did lean closer, that must mean something.

“Hmm.” Rarity put a hoof under her chin. “Did you kiss her back?”

“I think I did,” Twilight replied uncertainly.

“Yooou kissed her back!” Rarity squealed, eyes shining as she beamed widely.

Twilight flushed a deep red; she gulped and kept silent.

The fashionista gave her a concerned look. “Twilight?” When the other unicorn remained quiet she gave her a reassuring pat on her foreleg. “There there, dear, it’s nothing to get so stressed about.”

“I, I guess so?” Twilight smiled weakly.

Rarity leaned forward and looked Twilight in the eye. “Oh Twilight, I’m sooo happy for you!”

“Um, t-thanks, Rarity… but I’m just not completely sure.” Twilight sighed and slumped down. “I’ve never felt this way about somepony before…”

“It is important to know what you feel as well darling – and I am going to help you be sure!” Rarity patted Twilight on the shoulder, smiling gleefully. “Now, do you feel any different when you think about her?”

Twilight nodded, mostly to herself – she would try to be truthful, and hopefully Rarity would help her sort out her thoughts.

“I like spending time with her.” Twilight took a deep breath, repeating the things she had reasoned out on her own the previous day. “I always um, look forward to her letters and to meeting her.”

Rarity nodded. “And?”

Twilight furrowed her brow; there didn’t seem to be anything that was more significant. “Mostly it feels the same as spending time with you girls, I enjoy it a lot…”

“Do you feel you understand each other?” Rarity asked, and Twilight couldn’t help feeling a respect for the fashionista quite unrelated to their discussion – Rarity was asking questions systematically, which Twilight recognized as the system that she herself used as a researcher, and which was sure to analyze and help her find out what her real feelings were.

“I guess? But you and the girls understand me a lot, too.”

“Is there anything that you share with her that you share with nopony else?” Rarity continued relentlessly.

It didn’t take Twilight long to answer – she thought of learning to bake for Luna, and how happy she was when Luna had liked what she’d made, when entering the hidden wing of the castle, how fascinated she had been when Luna had raised the moon right beside her; how Luna had taught her how to use the focus and how wonderful it had felt, exploring the stars and night sky as she had never seen them before, and the fact that Luna had chosen to share it with her… “Yes,” she answered, resolutely.

Rarity nodded again, beaming warmly. “Now, answer me honestly – would you have avoided the kiss if you could?”

Twilight frowned. She had been taken by surprise, but would she really have avoided it? In her mind the scene replayed itself in complete detail for the first time, something she had been supressing her mind from doing. Luna had moved closer and closer… and Twilight remembered, in that split second before their muzzles had met, she had hoped – yes, she had hoped that Luna would not pull away.

“No,” she said, and she knew her answer was honest. “I wouldn’t.”

Rarity leaned back, smiling so brilliantly that Twilight felt she wouldn’t be surprised if stars appeared in her eyes. “I think it is quite clear then, Twilight.”

Twilight bit her lip, lost in thought. Luna was special to her, she couldn’t deny this, and she did wish for them to be more than ‘just’ friends, though she was not yet sure what that implied. Her thoughts divided into two paths: one with her relationship as it was now, and another with something ‘more’. She didn’t need to think to know which one was right.

________________________________________

Twilight trotted along the streets of Ponyville at a brisk pace. She looked up at the sky, and it seemed everything was more colorful than usual; she had found a new hidden beauty in the world.

It was also as if a new window of emotion had been opened to her, a happiness that made her feel like she was flying and couldn’t come back down if it wasn’t for Luna anchoring her to the ground.

Now listen to yourself, that’s just – ‘plain silly’ was what she would have thought before experiencing this joy, but now that she had found her special somepony she knew it was true, and it amazed her just how much happiness she could hold. It still sounds a bit silly though… but I don’t care!

She giggled, waving and smiling widely at ponies she passed on the street; suddenly she could understand Pinkie’s constant need to bounce along.

Pushing open the door to the library, she hopped inside, giggling at her own antics. A letter was perched on her writing stand, where Spike would leave them if she wasn’t there, and she picked it up.

Oh, it’s from Princess Celestia! She grinned and broke the seal, unfurling the letter. No, wait, it’s from Luna… Her smile faded, and her expression froze as she read on; all the joy she’d felt in the previous moments was yanked away from her, and it was like something had been torn up inside her chest.

My dear friend Twilight,

Please forgive me for my careless actions on Saturday, it was horrible of me to force something like that on you. I would also like to apologize for leaving in such a hurry, I wasn’t myself.

It was a joke in poor taste; I hope this has not upset you too much, and I hope that we can continue to be friends.

Luna

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. But, but – Her heart was pounding very loudly, both in her chest and in her ears, and her lungs felt constricted, her breaths coming shallowly. She stared at the letter, everything else around her seeming to be leeched of color.

It was Luna’s writing, no doubt, and there was Luna’s seal. It had just been a joke… Twilight made a choked sound. Just as her heart had been filled with a unfamiliar yet pleasant warmth a short while prior, so now had those feelings been taken away by a few words, to be replaced with a lump of ice that rested uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach. And they were not just a mere few words; they were the words from the pony she cherished and, just a brief while ago, realized that she loved…

And Luna had written that she hoped they could continue being friends. Just friends. She gulped and nodded. That she could do, as long as Luna wanted it. Shakily picking up a quill and parchment and smoothing it out on her writing stand, she started penning a response, each stroke like a slash to her heart.

Dear Luna,

Her magical hold on the quill slipped and ink blotted the parchment. Twilight crumpled the paper, levitating another one into place and starting again. She couldn’t stop the quill from wobbling; tears welled up in her eyes, clouding her vision, and it was only with a considerable effort that she continued writing.

I don’t mind at all, of course we can still be friends!

Twilight swallowed a sob – of course I mind, and I care – as she put the nib to the paper again.

If you have time you should come visit again, there’s so much I still want to show you about Ponyville.

She sniffed, trying to rub the tears from her cheeks. Yeah, that’s right, just like friends do. She put the quill to the paper with yet another pang in her chest.

Would next week be all right for you?

Twilight

________________________________________

Luna glanced towards the opposite corner of the room, at the sealed letter on her desk. She had been trying to ignore it for a while now, ever since she had woken up and found it beside her bed. There had been a note from Celestia beside it – You must tell me about it after my court – and she could see her sister’s smirk every time she thought about it.

The reason for her hesitation was that the letter could only be from Twilight, and Luna was afraid to open it. Dread clung to her, cold and unforgiving; she’d already picked it up a few times, but each time apprehension had won out. Finally she had floated it over to the far end of the room where it hopefully wouldn’t distract her any more.

Just read it and get it over with! She tried convincing herself for almost the thousandth time, but every time she was close to opening it she would wince and put it back down.

Luna tried occupying herself with a book, but she just couldn’t keep her attention on the words and her thoughts kept drifting to the letter; it was still beckoning to her, preventing her from concentrating on anything else. Waiting isn’t going to change things, Luna! What Twilight thinks isn’t going to change, no matter how long you avoid facing it…

Finally she gritted her teeth, picking the letter up again in her magic. Looking away from it she scrunched up her eyes, tearing the seal by sense of magic. Slowly, she turned to look at the scroll, and it took her several attempts before she could bring herself to focus on the words on it.

Reading a mere few sentences had never been so hard. The letters swam in her vision, and she almost turned away before checking herself – “No! How much longer do you want to feel tortured?” she said loudly. Wincing, she brought the letter closer, forcing herself to read from the very first word.

Dear Luna,

She gulped, and she knew she was shaking.

I don’t mind – she found it was easier to read once passing these words, after all that meant Twilight didn’t hate her, right?

As she finished the letter Luna let out a sigh of relief, but it was tinged with sorrow. At the very least, she is willing to stay friends…

Try as she might to suppress it though, scenes of what ‘could have been’ kept playing in her head, refusing to go away. Be satisfied with what you have now, don’t you dare jeopardize it!

And we’ll just continue being… friends. ‘Friends’; that word kept echoing in her head, and as everything just crashed over her it became unbearable. Twilight and the word ‘friend’ just didn’t sit together in her head, and she found herself crying as she staggered to her bed and fell heavily onto it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, heavy and moist. Even though she had made the choice to hide her true feelings from Twilight, she could never hide them from herself.

She curled up, lying motionless on the bed for quite a while, the pillow soaked with her sorrow. Time seemed to pass with no measure as waves of emptiness rolled over her. She reached out for the letter again, tracing the words with the tip of a hoof. Twilight had written it… she shook her head; where were her thoughts going? If she kept this up she would go insane.

And she still had to write a reply. Sighing, she levitated her writing tools to the bed; she didn’t even feel like moving. Even using magic felt arduous, such a large portion of her energy having been sapped away by her emotions.

Dear Twilight,

A tear dripped onto the sheets and she quickly moved the parchment out of the way. She would never let Twilight suspect she had been crying. Try to keep a light tone, she reminded herself, attempting to keep the quill steady as a fresh bout of tears threatened to burst the dams again.

I would love to –

Luna frowned at the sentence. She would have thought it perfectly normal in the past, but not now. She hastily crossed ‘love’ out, pressing the nib to the paper again.

I would like to –

She crossed this line out too, scowling before she balled the parchment up and tossed it to the ground. Floating over a fresh page she started anew.

She couldn’t bring herself to change the wording though, afraid as she was that Twilight might take anything she’d written as offensive. She would leave it, as a hint that Twilight would never get.

I would love to visit you again! Would Tuesday afternoon be a good time for you? If not I am always willing to –

Luna paused, the quill hovering in the air. Sentences such as I would like to visit you at any time you wish, and as many times as you wish, or I am at your call ran through her mind, but she knew that that was crossing a line – too alarming, and too obvious. By now her tears had mostly dried out, and she realized that she had stopped sobbing when she started writing the letter to Twilight. Her heart was still aching, but the simple act of corresponding with Twilight made her feel better, like a balm being rubbed on her aching heart. She sighed and started writing again.

– make time for our meetings.

Your friend,

Luna

She put the quill back on the desk, looking over the letter a few times before rolling it up. At least she now had something to look forward to, but she was dreading how to respond if Twilight brought the whole thing up again…

________________________________________

“Finished writing a reply already?” Celestia asked with a grin.

Luna looked down sheepishly, holding out the letter to her sister. “Yes - you didn’t expect me to wait for tomorrow, did you?”

“Of course not.” Celestia twirled the letter around in her golden magic, and Luna felt nervousness rising up in her chest again. “Well?”

“Well what?” Luna narrowed her eyebrows. Celestia really wasn’t being her normal self, instead acting like an excited filly whenever they talked about her and Twilight.

“What did she say? What did you write?” Celestia leaned forward, a twinkle in her eyes.

Luna drew a hoof on the ground. “She asked me when I would like to go to Ponyville again.”

“Oh, so it’s a date!” Celestia finally made the letter dissolve in green smoke, and Luna had to contain a sigh of relief. Now that the letter was on its way she didn’t have to haggle that much longer with her sister; the longer she kept this up the greater was the possibility that Celestia would see through her ruse.

“I…” Luna didn’t need to pretend to be flustered; the blush came naturally to her face even though a voice in her head was crying foul.

“I’m so happy for you, Luna.” Celestia moved closer and nudged Luna playfully before trotting towards the door. “Well I’ll leave you alone now,” she said, eyeing Luna’s red face, “have fun!”

Luna waited till her sister was well out of the room before grimacing, burying her face in her hooves. Now she had lied to both of the ponies most important to her… but maybe if this could save her friendship with Twilight, it would be worth it.

Nine/ Diskus

9: Diskus

Luna stared out the window. Just one more minute and I’ll get up. Everything seemed so peaceful, everything outside looked the same as it had back when her stupidity hadn’t messed up her relationship with the two ponies she cared about most. In fact, she could almost delude herself that she hadn’t – there wasn’t really any need to move yet, right? She lifted her head, before letting it fall back onto the pillow. Five more minutes won’t hurt.

There was a knock on her door, causing her to groan in irritation. Of course Celestia has to come and spoil things. I’m not late yet, and I don’t plan to be! The knocking persisted and grew slightly louder when she didn’t respond.

“Luna?”

Luna groaned again, smacking her face into the pillow. She could just pretend she’d already left…

“Luna? Your chariot’s already here! You don’t want to be late, do you?”

Luna sighed; she should’ve known better than to think that Celestia had not made sure she hadn’t left before coming to her room. She pulled herself up before trotting to the door and pulling it open grudgingly. As expected her sister stood there, a hint of worry in her eyes.

But then Celestia’s face lit up, and Luna realized that she had risen to the bait yet again; there was no way back now that she had opened the door.

“Please, Celestia, I don’t need you to remind me.” Luna tried to keep her voice even, feeling annoyed at herself. It was just absurd how easily she had been fooled into getting out of bed. Luna, you are unbelievable. When will you ever learn?

Celestia smiled at her, reminding Luna of an excited filly. “I had to, seeing as you are definitely going to be late if you take any longer.”

“Well, yes, I -” Luna bit her lip. It was true, she had stalled far longer than she should have, but there was still one way she could get there in half the time she’d have to take by chariot. “I just thought I could fly there, after all it’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to stretch my wings…” To her surprise her sister seemed to eat the excuse up.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Luna!” exclaimed Celestia, beaming at her. “Just be careful, will you?”

“Of course I will, sister,” Luna nodded, backing into her room. She had no choice but to leave - she knew that Celestia would not rest until she was sure Luna had headed out. And that’s what you should have done. Delaying it isn’t going to help! Trotting onto the balcony, she looked out into the distance and gulped once before spreading her wings. It’s just a leap. You can do it.

The wind was cold and unforgiving, piercing its way into Luna’s coat down to her bones. It tore at her throat, and her heart pounded as she pushed her muscles to their limits even though they were already burning. Her breaths were quick and shallow now, and as she looked down Equestria was small below her.

Throwing her hooves before her she lunged at a cloud, pumping her wings and swerving, pushing the cloud as she did so. Gravity was pulling her down now and she folded her wings, keeping the cloud beneath her hooves as she fell until the whooshing air tore it into shreds.

She snapped her wings open and pulled up from her dive, small white puffs of destroyed cloud whipping past her and vanishing as if they had never existed. She huffed out a breath. Her wings were almost numb, and she felt cold. All the body heat that she had generated from her exertion had gone, leeched away by the atmosphere. It was stupid, she knew, and now she was in some difficulties; from her current height she couldn’t even have made out Ponyville if not for the Everfree Forest.

A simple spell could have solved everything, but as it was she didn’t allow herself to use magic. She had made this choice herself and she would go on with it until the end. You can land or you can freeze, Luna, suit yourself. She gulped and looked down, her teeth chattering. How could she have let herself become so cold? Her windpipes were deathly dry and every breath she took only let the icy blades cut deeper into her.

And if you weren’t so cold, might you have stayed up here, circling for eternity? She closed her eyes. Luna, just move! Every moment that she fretted increased the tearing, already unbearable pain of the cold air in her. Taking one last stinging breath she snapped her wings back and let herself fall. More wind rushed up to meet her, but at least she was rapidly approaching ground level now she had a destination. But even as her physical discomfort lessened as the atmosphere grew more charitable, so grew her feeling of dread.

It was illogical, she knew, and useless to keep stalling when she wanted to go to Ponyville so badly. She wanted to see Twilight, but she couldn’t bring herself to face Twilight. Before leaving Canterlot she had tried reasoning it out, but the more she’d thought on it the less sense it had made.

For now she forced herself to focus on her alarming rate of descent towards Ponyville, and convincing herself that she could move her wings once more to control gravity’s hold on her. But her wings felt frozen, frozen on the outside, burnt in the inside, and she gritted her teeth as she wrenched them open.

You’re here now. I hope that makes you happy. Reluctance kept her in the air, until she gently landed on a cloud. Foalish, Luna. And what now? Are you going to hide on this cloud until it’s too late? She sighed, moving her ‘chariot’ slowly towards the tree house.

Edging her lift carefully to one of the balconies, she slid off and crouched low on it. She didn’t worry too much about being seen by passersby – there didn’t appear to be many ponies around and the leaves of the tree provided her with a reasonable amount of cover. She inched forward and peered in through the glass.

It was the same room she remembered, and Luna felt a pang in her chest at that. Twilight lived here… and what Luna wouldn’t give to be inside as well, in a different context. So far she couldn’t see anypony inside, but she could hear voices. She strained to listen, recognising the faint sound of Twilight’s voice even muffled as it was.

“- and on top of that Luna’s going to be here soon!” Twilight’s distress would have made Luna concerned regardless of what she was saying, but at that exclamation she felt her heart stop. She doesn’t want me here at all…

She already regretted her decision to eavesdrop, but pushed her concern aside as another voice, which she recognized to be Spike’s, joined in. “I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“Oh no, what if she sees this? She’s going to be here at any moment!” Twilight’s voice grew louder and Luna ducked down in guilt, heat creeping uncomfortably up her neck as Twilight walked into the room that Luna was looking into.

Despite desperately wanting to understand what they were talking about, she realized that hiding up on the balcony just wasn’t safe anymore. If she spots you it’s only going to make everything you’ve already done even worse!

She moved backwards until she was near the lip of the balcony – all the while hoping that Twilight hadn’t seen her – before leaping off and landing in the snow, her body tense.

Taking a deep breath, she trotted to the main door and raised her hoof to knock.

Twilight froze at the sound of a rap against the door. “Spike, did you hear that?” she whispered. She looked frantically back into the adjacent room, where the baby dragon stood clutching a thick volume.

“Huh?” Spike tottered over to her. “What did you say?”

Twilight almost facehoofed. “Just hide it, okay?” She trotted to the door, feeling herself shaking with nerves. Oh, I hope I haven’t taken too long! She pulled the door open with her magic.

It had only been a few days since she last laid eyes on the Princess, but it seemed to her like ages. How many times had she thought about Luna after that last meeting? All of that seemed insignificant now that Luna was really standing before her. She struggled for words, but her mind chose that moment to fail her, and instead she bit her lip, self-conscious of how idiotic she must look standing there with her mouth open.

“H-hi, Luna,” she finally managed to utter, and her voice sounding like a croak even to herself. She just couldn’t bring herself to meet Luna’s eyes… she couldn’t stop thinking about how she needed to act like they were just friends.

“Hello, Twilight.” Luna smiled, though her voice was subdued.

“Oh um, please come in!” Twilight wanted to smack herself on the head. As if the staring wasn’t enough, she hadn’t even invited Luna in yet. Calm down, Twilight. Whatever you do, just don’t mess it up again!

Luna nodded and stepped inside, while Twilight racked her brains for something else to say. She was being too quiet, Luna probably thought Twilight was purposefully ignoring her.

“What would you like to do today?” She didn’t like the way her voice squeaked, or how clumsy her movements were. Everything was about to go wrong…

“I am not sure.” Luna sounded lacklustre, bored even. But why did her voice still sound like blue velvet – Cut it out, Twilight!

“Um, maybe…” Think of something, think of something, I can’t believe I didn’t plan this out in enough detail! She knew it was absurd to think she could predict what Luna would do down to the word, but she still felt so vulnerable and unprepared. “Maybe take a walk, like last time?”

Luna just looked at her, eyes wide with what Twilight was sure was horror. Oh no, what did I say? She frantically reviewed the conversation in her head and had to fight the urge to cower with her forelegs over her head when it clicked. Why did I have to bring up ‘last time’?!

She looked up timidly at Luna, and it seemed to her that Luna’s expression softened a little before she spoke again. “Yes, that sounds good.”

“Well, if you want to go to the field-” She fell silent as Luna started talking at the same time.

“I think we should go to Rarity’s… I would like to apologize to her.”

“Oh, oh right, of course…” Twilight chuckled nervously. “I’d forgotten about that.”

She trotted to the door, glancing back at Luna before stepping out into the snow. At least I don’t have to worry about Luna seeing that book anymore… what was Spike thinking?

It was mostly the same as the last time, but this time Twilight felt the chill more profoundly. They had walked closer together ‘last time’… she was at a loss to explain why she had even noticed that, but nonetheless she was sure that on average they had been standing closer to each other before, even leaning against each other at times. It’s better than nothing, she tried to tell herself, but if Luna was avoiding touching her because she wanted some personal space, then Twilight wasn’t going to crowd her; that wasn’t something friends did, anyway.

She looked over at Luna a few times, but could only bring herself to smile awkwardly before looking away. Her mind was a blank, whenever she tried to say something the words would just die halfway down her throat.

“Lun-” she finally forced herself to say, but Luna was again saying something too –

“Twi-”

Twilight clamped her mouth shut and waited for Luna to continue, but something akin to fear flashed over the alicorn’s features.

“Y-you first,” Luna muttered.

“No, it’s all right, you first…” She trailed off, and it seemed their words had been snatched away by the wind, as easily as it could blow snowflakes away.

They continued on in silence, every second feeling like several minutes to Twilight. She hunted to find something else to say, the silence stretching on and on until they finally reached the Carousel Boutique.

At least she still had the presence of mind to be able to open the door, Luna following her inside. Sure enough, the fashionista was there, and about to chirp her signature ‘Boutique greeting’ before she recognized her visitors. It was almost a relief to be able to talk again, since Rarity was bound to break the ice, but the relief was short-lived as she remembered that she hadn’t told Rarity about everything that had happened since they last talked.

To her horror, Rarity’s eyes lit up as if there were stars shining in them. “Twilight, Princess! You two-”

Oh, no… Twilight desperately shook her head at Rarity, trying not to be too noticeable but all the while hoping that Rarity would get the hint without Luna noticing.

Rarity froze mid-sentence, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Twilight could only give the other unicorn another warning glance, fully aware that Luna was sure to pick up on their body language if they kept this up.

Rarity looked away. “As I was saying, welcome. It’s so nice to see you two again!”

Luna scuffed a hoof on the ground. “I…” She looked at Twilight, who gave her a little nod. Luckily Rarity seemed to have gotten her hint, so the least she could do was to help Luna apologize, if that was what she wanted.

Luna gave her a small smile, seemingly reassured, and continued, “I just wanted to apologize, Rarity, for running off like that.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all, don’t worry about it,” Rarity replied kindly. Twilight looked at her, and Rarity met her eyes with what was clearly a ‘you had better explain yourself later, Twilight Sparkle’ look.

Twilight gulped. It would be better to proceed with some caution, she reminded herself.

“So, ah, what do the two of you have planned for today?” Rarity tilted her head.

“Well actually, I was just trying to come up with something,” Twilight said quickly, but soon regretted it – it sounded like she hadn’t cared enough about the meeting to plan ahead.

Rarity thought for a few moments. “Perhaps you could try a friendly game?”

Twilight nodded and turned to Luna, only to find that Luna was already looking at her. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, but Luna moved her gaze away before addressing Rarity. “What do you have in mind?”

“Is there anything you’d like to try in particular?” Rarity asked, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel both relieved and useless at the same time; Rarity was basically solving everything for her.

“Well, not really…” Twilight felt deeply ashamed of herself – when she went to Canterlot Luna had always planned out what they could do, but all she could suggest was walking around and visiting her friends when they were in Ponyville, which was a far cry from the special things that Luna had showed her.

“Well then, what about Diskus?” Rarity trotted up to Twilight. “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, I have.” Twilight turned to Luna. “Do you know it, Luna?”

Luna thought for a moment. “No, I do not think so.”

Oh, it hasn’t been around for very long, that’s why… well, less than a thousand years, anyway. I’ll have to show her the rules, as well as refresh myself on them. “Give me just one moment!” Twilight lit her horn, summoning her magic and casting a familiar spell while concentrating on her destination. With a magenta flash she disappeared, then popped up back into being in the library. Games, games… With practiced ease she made her way to the ‘Hobbies’ section and floated out each of the books to inspect their contents. A few books later she’d located one that had an introduction to and rules for a few magic games.

She teleported back into the Boutique, flipping through pages as she sat down. Both Luna and Rarity were looking at her agape, but she didn’t pay them too much attention, trying to find the chapter she was looking for as quickly as she could.

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat, looking from the book to the other two. “The rules are as follows: two ponies make three to six magic disks and have to keep them in plain sight between three to eight meters in the air at all times; no physical contact with or directly using spells on the other pony, and no making illusions of one’s own disks or one’s opponent’s.”

“The objective is to touch all the other pony’s disks with one’s own magic, at which point you win and the game is over. Players can attempt to dodge their opponent’s spells by moving the disks or by countering the spells.”

Twilight looked at Luna and Rarity expectantly, and they nodded confirmation of their understanding. “Would you like to play it?” Twilight asked Luna.

“It sounds good.” Luna smiled and Twilight felt relieved. At least Luna seemed happy, and that made her feel better about the whole thing.

“All right Rarity, we’ll be going then. Thanks for the help!” Twilight got up and grinned at Rarity gratefully. Luna got up as well, and Twilight used the delay to flip through the rules again. A small line of words caught her eye, and her ears flattened. I can’t believe I didn’t notice this! “Oh, it says here that we can’t play without a referee…” She looked at Luna helplessly.

“It’s all right darling, I can be your referee.” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Um, really? It’s okay if you want to finish your work first, Rarity.” Twilight looked at her friends uncertainly.

“No, it is no trouble at all, and I do not have any urgent orders for the day,” Rarity replied, dragging Twilight along to the door.

Luna bit her lip as she looked at the two ponies trotting beside her. At least Twilight is willing to stay friends with me… Maybe things weren’t so bad after all. But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Luna knitted her eyebrows. There’s no way to do it though - I cannot ever be the friend she wants. She’s always so happy whenever she mentions her friends… I wonder if she does that when she talks to others about me.

When they reached the flat, open field they planned to use as a playing ground Luna risked a peek at Twilight. Her friend was frowning, staring at something across the snow, but when she caught Luna’s gaze she quickly looked away again, following Rarity’s lead to the center of the field.

Twilight was just looking into the distance, that’s all. Don’t worry your head off, Luna! Luna nodded to herself and pulled away from her thoughts; Rarity was talking, but it seemed she’d already missed a part of what the unicorn had said.

“- I’m sure you two will have a lot of fun.”

“Luna, are you ready?” Twilight asked. “Um, do you need to hear the rules again?”

Luna shook her head. “Oh, it’s fine, I think I’ll remember them.” Twilight gave her another smile before lighting up her horn, five magenta disks materializing in the air.

Luna frowned as she conjured up her own disks. I wonder how she’s going to try to tag my disks. It should be easy enough to counter her spells and attack her disks as well. If what Celestia told me is correct Twilight uses a lot of power in her spells, so with some simple maneuvering I should be able to beat her easily.

From what she knew, Twilight had gone through many challenges and was without doubt one of the most – if not the most – powerful unicorn in Equestria. She was still sure she had more experience in the use of offensive and defensive magic, but she was genuinely curious as to what spells Twilight would choose to use.

She remembered some tidbits Celestia had told her about Twilight before Nightmare Night, before all of the… misunderstandings that evening had taken place. Sister once mentioned how Twilight teleported onto a royal banquet table when she was a filly because she used too much power… from the other side of the Castle. Luna permitted herself a small smirk before nodding at Twilight and Rarity.

“All right then,” Rarity raised a hoof, “ready… set… go!”

It seemed pretty straightforward to Luna; what she would do was simply send five simultaneous beams of magic at Twilight’s disks while moving all of her own, and watching out for Twilight’s magic.

She lit her horn, targeting Twilight’s magic constructs. She had not expected her spells to meet Twilight’s deflecting spells, but she dipped into her vast store of magical energy to give them the power to pierce any unicorn’s magic with ease. At the same time, Twilight’s own offensive beams were closing on her disks, so Luna conjured a thin shield of magic in front of each to block Twilight’s assault… only to be left in shock when they passed through her thin but magically formidable defences.

And all ten disks disappeared, in that split second.

After a few moments of silence, Rarity spoke. “Ah, I believe you are… tied?”

Luna eventually realised that her mouth had been hanging open for a considerable period of time, and hastily closed it.

“That was fun!” Twilight giggled and looked up at Luna.

“Ah, yes, it was.” Luna made herself smile back. Very well, I underestimated her power, but that’s not going to happen a second time!

“That went faster than I’d imagined…” Twilight chuckled. “Let’s do it again!”

“Of course.” Luna nodded to Rarity, conjuring five disks into the air again.

“Ready… set… go!” Rarity flourished a hoof.

This time Luna used stronger beams, willing them to zigzag before homing in on Twilight’s disks. Twilight sent out her own beams, while animating her disks to dodge Luna’s magic; two of Luna’s beams missed and another was blocked by Twilight’s counter spell, meaning only one of them managed to pierce a magenta disk.

She sent out more beams, brows furrowed. Her focus on targeting Twilight’s disks cost her two of her own, Luna noticing the attacks only a moment before Twilight struck them with her attacks. Twilight then attacked with multiple beams, forcing Luna to deflect them and only giving her enough time to shatter one of Twilight’s shielding spells, leaving Twilight with two disks remaining.

Luna quickly followed with strong beams that sizzled as they ripped through the air, but to her surprise Twilight did the same! Luna tried to retaliate, but her shield spells were shattered just as her own spells met Twilight’s in a firework display of sparks. None of the disks remained.

“Well, that took about five seconds longer than the first time,” said Twilight, a big grin on her face.

Luna raised an eyebrow.

Ten/ Plan

10/1: Plan

Twilight’s horn sparked with fizzling energy as she sent her magic into Luna’s intricate web of laser beams surrounding her disks. Her magic threaded through the formidable defense, and Twilight managed to pierce Luna’s remaining shield, Luna’s attack narrowly missing her own disk as she pulled it out of the way.

“Five to three!” Rarity said, raising a hoof.

“I’m catching up!” Twilight said, grinning at Luna, who was standing a few meters away.

They had adjusted their distance after a previous match when their spells had collided in a huge explosion which had resulted in a few burnt hairs on Twilight’s coat, and couldn’t resist playing more rounds after Twilight had first gotten all of Luna’s disks with a well-placed burst of magic that might have been way brighter than it should have been, and distracted Luna, allowing Twilight to claim victory. To her dismay though, Luna’s attention was not diverted so easily the next few rounds and soon pulled ahead.

At least I’m spending time with her – and learning things of course! Normally she would have wanted to take a break if she had been using intense magic for a prolonged period of time though it would be more out of boredom than fatigue, but with another pony (Just Luna, more specifically, but she pushed that thought down) it was just so easy to keep on going. And back in the Academy nopony even wanted to be my sparring partner anyway.

She had to be grateful for what she had now, she repeated to herself again, and turned her attention back to the real world. Now that Luna was a bit further away from her it made it easier to look at her and while seeming like she was just looking at the distance.

“Twilight? Are you ready for another round?”

Rarity’s voice provided a good reason to turn her head back, and she nodded.

“You’re not going to win again this time, Twilight,” said Luna with a smug grin, and as much as that smile made Twilight want to just look at Luna forever, it was still a challenge.

Twilight smiled back, although she was sure it looked goofy. “We’ll see about that!”

“That was amazing!” Twilight beamed at Luna and Rarity as they trotted back from the field. They had played for hours, finally ending the session when it was almost time for Luna to leave for Canterlot, their score a hundred to a hundred and two, with Luna two matches ahead. If it had been somepony else Twilight knew she’d be more worried about whether or not she had given her best, but as Luna was the one princess who controlled the moon she was oddly satisfied with her score, still – if only she could have won two more matches…

At least she had acted more or less normally during the matches, perhaps because she had spent the days leading up to Luna’s visit thinking and making herself learn acceptance. Whether it had worked or not she couldn’t say for sure, but she knew it had helped her keep herself together when she and Luna were face to face again. She could handle it, even though things would never be the same again, with what had happened between them.

They entered the library, and Twilight looked up to find Luna looking at her. “I had a wonderful day, Twilight, thank you.”

Twilight smiled, looking slightly to the side before facing Luna again. “I’m glad you did, I really enjoyed it too.”

Luna looked to the door; there was a nagging feeling there was something she had to do before going back to Canterlot, and after thinking hard for a few seconds she remembered. “Oh yes, may I place the linking spell on your dragon scribe?” Luna grinned. “I nearly forgot again.”

Twilight nodded, trotting to the doorjamb leading to another room of the library. “Spike?” she called.

“I’m here, I’m here!” She heard a scraping sound, before her assistant tottered out from behind a pile of books.

“Great, Luna wants to put a linking spell on you so she can send you letters directly.”

“Oh yeah, sure!”

Spike nodded and Twilight smiled at him before trotting back to the front room with Spike following behind her before sitting beside Luna.

“H-hello, princess,” said Spike, biting his lip as he stood before the alicorn.

“Nice to see you again, young scribe,” said Luna.

“Um, I guess you could call him that, but I see him more as an assistant, Luna.” Twilight chuckled.

“Oh, of course.” Luna looked surprised, before she turned back to Spike. “You do agree to this, yes… young assistant?”

“Yes, princess!”

Twilight chuckled upon seeing Spike more at ease. That was probably the first time anyone has called him a scribe…

Luna lit her horn, and shaped her magic into the shape of her crescent moon insignia, letting the glowing energy sink into the dragon’s chest. It kept shining for a few moments, before fading away.

“There, it’s done.”

“Thanks, Luna!” said Twilight. Luna smiled at her, and Twilight felt the ache slowly forcing its way to the surface again. Despite being happy that Luna was making the effort so that they could correspond more easily, despite the day going well, there was just something holding her back now she had to act like she only thought of Luna as a friend. She shook her head infinitesimally, looking at Luna.

“Thank you again, Twilight… I really enjoyed the game.” Luna paused for a moment. “But I have to go now, royal duties do not resolve themselves sadly, and my sister is counting on my help.”

“Yes, of course,” Twilight said hesitantly, getting to her hooves. She walked with Luna out the door, with Rarity and Spike standing near the doorjamb. “Is your chariot going to pick you up?”

“Ah, no. I’ve decided to test myself tonight so I will be flying back on my own.”

“Okay… it’s kind of dark out there though,” Twilight said worriedly. The many matches they had played had taken a lot out of her, and if anything it was an indication of Luna’s stamina if she was still feeling up to flying the whole way back to Canterlot.

“Don’t worry, I will be fine.” Luna leaned closer and Twilight felt her breath catch, but then Luna moved back as if she had thought better of it. “See you next time, Twilight.”

“Yeah… write me, alright?” Twilight stepped back.

“Goodbye princess!” said Rarity, and Spike echoed her, waving a claw as Luna spread her wings.

Luna waved a wing in their direction with a smile before turning to Twilight, looking into her eyes. They held contact for a few seconds, before Luna blinked, brow furrowed. Then she leapt up, flapping her wings. And just like that, she was gone. Twilight could see her still of course as she rose up in the air, the sound of her wing flaps slowly becoming more inaudible, but gone was even the slightest possibility of Luna loving her that way.

Luna landed lightly in her room. She had used a spell that kept the cold air from touching her coat, and the flight had been much more comfortable than her first trip. She still had a few minutes before her night court began; it was something Celestia had suggested, and while Luna never really liked holding court she had promised her sister to give it a try again. So far there had been zero ponies for the two weeks since she had started (apart from one that had apparently gotten lost), and she was quite ready to give up on the whole thing but Celestia said that more ponies would start coming eventually and that Luna would have to be ready for them then.

Or you could just take over day court for a couple of days, Celestia had said, but Luna had refused. In the old days they would switch places sometimes or sit together for night or day court – they had ruled together. Sleep not a necessity but a luxury for them, they’d even done both day and night side by side for a few years, before Luna complained that it was boring and needed more free time. She smiled weakly at the memory, yes she knew she’d always been the more restless of the two of them, and she knew deep down were it not for her sister Equestria likely would not have survived her thousand year absence.

She trotted out the door and down the stairs, glancing over her shoulder every now and then. Celestia should probably be at her study at this time, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful… The guilt that she had outright lied to her sister and was even avoiding her for it gnawed at her, but she forced herself to gulp it down. As long as she doesn’t find out, it’ll be fine – right?

She turned the last corner to the throne room, and standing right there, beaming brightly, was the source of her discomfort.

Ugh. Luna wanted nothing more than to plant her head into the wall.

“Luna!”

Celestia was as close to squealing as Luna had ever heard, and Luna was reminded once again of an excited filly as she stared at her sister. Keep calm Luna, you’ve done this before, and you can do it again. She had no choice but to school herself lest Celestia find out that something was wrong, but she was doing it so often now she was becoming numb.

“Yes, Celestia, what is it?”

“Come, Luna, you know what it is,” said Celestia, trotting up close with her smile ever brighter. “How was your… date?”

“Well, I -” At the word date Luna couldn’t help but feel heat creeping up her cheeks, but it was helpful at the very least. And the sooner she tossed together an answer the quicker Celestia would leave her alone. “Well, we played a game called Diskus – attacking the opponent’s disks while defending our own.”

“Ah yes, I am quite familiar with that game.” Celestia tilted her head. “How’d it go?”

“Well, I won by two matches.”

Celestia nodded slowly, still beaming though thankfully it seemed her normal demeanor had begun inching its way back into her. “How many matches did you play?”

“Oh, we played two hundred and two matches, and Twilight won almost half of them.”

“That’s interesting. What interesting spells did you two come up with? They must have been spectacular I’m sure.”

“Well…” Luna did a mental rewind of the afternoon’s events. “I was quite impressed when she started surrounding each of her disks with a magical globe while moving them around, that was very precise magic and they were hard to get through.”

Celestia’s smile turned somewhat smug, though Luna knew that the normal pony wouldn’t be able to tell; it was hard enough for her to decipher her sister’s expressions but that was the minute change in Celestia’s smile when it was reserved for Twilight.

“And how about you? You must have found some way to cut off her attacks, right?”

“Well, the most fun I had was with a laser web that I kept moving very quickly, she had a hard time dodging those.”

Celestia eyes twinkled. “I would really like to go against you two as well – why don’t you invite Twilight over next week? Some rest would do me good and I haven’t seen her in a while.” She winked at Luna. “But don’t worry, I’ll of course leave a lot of time for you two to be alone.”

She is just unbelievable. Luna shrugged weakly; she couldn’t refuse, as it would make Celestia suspicious. “Yes, of course. I’ll tell her in my next letter.”

“Wonderful!” Celestia gave her a quick hug with a wing before stepping aside. “I’ll let you be now, have fun at court!” As she trotted off Luna heard her mutter to herself, “Maybe I’ll invite Twilight to help her with night court as well, it would be helpful for the both of them…”

Luna sighed after she was sure Celestia had gone, and entered the grand hall, sitting down on her gilded throne. The night felt long whenever she was on this seat, and nopony would come anyway… Maybe someday she could permit herself to enter other ponies’ dreams again, but not until she was ready. She had hours of time – time that she was not going to let go to waste.

I shall have to come up with a plan to stop Celestia from seeing Twilight when she comes over next week.

Twelve/ Strategist

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

One/ Friend

1: New Moon

The gentle night breeze rippled the leaves of the tree that was Ponyville’s library, making a pleasant rustle as the branches swayed in the wind.

Inside the structure, a dark alicorn watched as her elder sister’s personal protégé tucked a light purple dragon into the covers of his bed, the most tender of expressions on her face.

“Goodnight Spike,” murmured Twilight Sparkle as she pulled the sheets over her number one assistant.

“G’night…”

Twilight chuckled as Spike started to snore almost immediately. “You must be really tired out from Nightmare Night!”

Luna smiled at the sight. Twilight was such a kind, kind pony; the night princess felt lucky indeed to have met her.

“Wow Princess, it was such a wonderful night,” said the unicorn, turning to address the Goddess of the Moon, “you really should come back sometime! Oh, and I can walk with you to your chariot… I’m so glad you had a good time tonight.”

The Princess had requested that her chariot await her by the statue of Nightmare Moon when it had arrived to escort her back to the castle, insisting that she wanted to accompany Twilight back to her tree house.

She knew it was not necessary, but all she really wanted was to steal some more time with the unicorn that had taught her so much about friendship. She had never felt so carefree in her whole life; at least, not since she was a little filly – and that was thousands of years ago.

She looked at the purple mare as they stepped onto the landing of the library and into the cool dark night. Making their way back to the clearing with Nightmare’s statue, Luna smiled with heartfelt warmth.

“Twilight Sparkle, I really do have to express my gratitude for everything you have done for me .”

The bookish unicorn looked up, beaming at the Princess of the Night. “Really, it was nothing! And I’m so happy that you’re happy, Princess!”

Luna couldn’t help the wide grin that was spreading across her face. Happiness radiated from her. “I do not think it was… nothing. No pony has ever cared so much about me, apart from my dear sister. And you, Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies, should call me Luna.”

“Okay… Luna.” The scholarly mare and her regal companion finally arrived at the small meadow. The royal guards nodded at the pair.

“If there is something I may ask, Twilight?” the lunar princess asked, pausing before the chariot. “Would you like to join me for tea at the castle…? At a time convenient to you, of course.”

The lavender unicorn looked up in wonder at the alicorn. “I would be honored, Prin – Luna. But I wouldn’t want to impose, I’m sure you have quite a busy schedule.”

The princess pouted pleadingly. “It was your kindness that taught me the magic of friendship, Twilight Sparkle, and I would most love your companionship…”

“Well, then… I’d love to spend more time with you, Luna, but I have to tell you, you also taught me something very important about friendship!” the unicorn smiled. “You can send me a letter to tell me when you would like me to visit, I’m sure your agenda is much fuller than mine.”

“Very well, we shall meet anon!” The alicorn raised her hoof in farewell as her guards extended their bat-like wings to take off. “Goodbye, my friend!” Warmth blossomed in her heart upon hearing herself utter the words. A friend… I have made a friend.

Luna squirmed a little in her sheets, giggling to herself. It was mad, feeling so hyped like this when she was all alone, but she just couldn’t contain the joy that seemed to have taken hold of her. A friend, a friend, a friend! She hugged her blankets, the stars in her astral mane twinkling like tiny supernovas.

The happy princess couldn’t wait to check – or adjust if need be – her schedule for some free time.

Princess Celestia watched as her sister trotted to their royal dining table. It was evident that she was in high spirits; the bounce in her steps and the sparkles in her mane were a just a few signs.

“Luna, you seem to be in a good mood today! I presume Nightmare Night went well?”

The lunar goddess grinned – a bit goofily, for a princess – and sat down on her gilded seat. “My dear sister, it was… to say the least, the most wonderful of nights!”

Celestia was smiling as well. She had never seen her sister so radiant and happy since she broke free of Nightmare Moon, and it was infectious. “I’d like to hear what happened in detail. Twilight Sparkle told me in her letter that you made some friends?”

“Yes! And I have her to thank for it! But to tell you the truth, Celly, the night did not go well for us-me at first…” The younger sister’s head bowed slightly at the recollection.

The solar princess gave Luna an encouraging smile, urging her to continue. She noted happily that her sister was now taking care not to use the Royal Canterlot Speech in daily conversation.

“The ponies of Ponyville were very afraid of me in the beginning. Whomever I talked with cowered in fear, even the mayor mare. But your student, Twilight Sparkle, was always there for me. It was she that taught us-me how to get along with the citizens.”

Princess Celestia beamed with pride. “I am glad both of you learned something about friendship last night. And I am so proud of you, Luna.”

“I am so happy! The ponies, they all laughed with me when I played the games. I got high scores too.” The blissful alicorn grinned playfully. “Oh, and I have invited Twilight Sparkle over to tea. I was wondering if you would like to join us.”

“Did you set a date yet?”

“I was thinking next week, after I raise the moon.”

The elder alicorn lifted a hoof thoughtfully. “Dusk tea? But that would probably be afternoon for you, since you usually get up in the afternoon… you need to remember that Twilight might want to go back to Ponyville for the night, though. If that were the case, the time would be somewhat limited.”

“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that! Very well, I shall compose a letter as soon as I return to my chambers. If she wishes to return to Ponyville, I will simply have to adjust the time.”

Princess Celestia leaned over and gently nuzzled her sister. “Good, you are learning to be considerate towards your friends.”

“Thank you, sister,” answered Luna happily. “Oh, and could you help me send the letter? I am aware that thou art – I mean, you are – the only one at present connected to Twilight’s dragon scribe.”

“Of course, but if you would like to contact her more frequently, you could place the linking spell on him next time you visit Ponyville,” said the Sun Goddess. “And you’re starting to get used to the new Equestrian now! A night with Twilight Sparkle and you have changed so much…” She smirked teasingly at her sister. “I think I may be a bit jealous of her.”

Eleven/ Appointments

10/2: Found

Twilight stepped out of the chariot after it landed in front of the castle, smiling as Luna walked up to her. Everything seemed to have gone back to how it was before; they were good friends and they would, hopefully, continue to be so. It still hurt, but she had long since resigned herself to taking what she could get, if it meant she could keep their friendship intact.

“Hello, Luna!”

“Greetings, Twilight, so nice to see you again,” Luna replied, smiling back.

Twilight wanted to nuzzle Luna, like she would have done in the past, but decided against it. I guess it’s not ‘exactly’ the same as before…

“Yeah, it's nice to see you, too.” Twilight fell in step beside Luna as they started making their way towards the castle.

“My sister wanted to greet you as well, but most unfortunately she is quite overwhelmed by the amount of appointments she has at the moment.”

“Oh...” Twilight hesitated for a few moments. Princess Celestia was usually able to make time for her, but it was also true that she couldn’t expect it every time. “It’s alright, I understand.”

They entered the great hall, Luna leading them deeper into the castle. She had said in the letter that they’d have lunch and then think of something to do together, and Twilight had quickly written a reply saying that she was looking forward to it.

“So how was your week?” Twilight asked.

“Well, it was fine – I have been opening night court, at my sister’s suggestion, and helping her out with some paperwork. I’ve been raising and lowering the moon as usual… and Celestia is constantly asking me to join her at day court.”

Twilight tilted her head. “That sounds great! Are there a lot of ponies that come to the night court?”

“I can’t really say that there are, it’s night after all and I don’t think many ponies know about it either.” Luna shrugged, making her way to one of the smaller rooms in the dining area, which was close to the kitchens.

It wasn’t a large room, and surprisingly plain compared to the main dining hall that hosted the royal meals, with its long ornate dining table and tinted glass decorations on the walls. This room simply had a small table in the centre and two couches, one light blue, one a soft pink.

“This is where my sister and I usually dine, when we want some privacy,” said Luna, moving to the blue couch and sitting down. She gestured to the other seat. “Please, sit, I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t mind if you used her chair.”

Twilight nodded and sat down, and Luna looked at her. “What would you like to eat?”

“Hmm,” Twilight grinned. She was no stranger to getting food straight from the kitchen staff either; it was her to-go place for light meals between study sessions back when she still lived in the castle and her order rolled off her tongue automatically. “I’ll have a daffodil and daisy sandwich, and rose petal tea.”

“Splendid.” Luna rose from her seat and headed to the door. “I’m going to tell them our orders, I shall be right back.”

Twilight nodded and shifted slightly on her couch so she was sitting more comfortably. Luna returned shortly afterwards with two plates, a teapot and two cups.

“Um, is there no staff?” asked Twilight curiously as she saw Luna carrying their meal herself.

“Celestia and I usually get our food ourselves when we’re using this room, it’s meant to be a ‘hideout’ of sorts after all,” chuckled Luna as she sat down.

“Oh, that makes sense,” said Twilight. She tilted her head as Luna set the plates on the table; each had a daffodil and daisy sandwich.

“I just thought I’d try out what you like to eat as well,” said Luna with a chuckle, in response to Twilight’s inquiring gaze.

“Yeah, they’re really delicious,” said Twilight enthusiastically. “You made a good choice.”

“Good to hear,” Luna replied, pouring some tea into both of their cups.

They sat for a few moments, neither of them saying a word, as Twilight pretended to be particularly interested in eating her sandwich while she racked her brains for something to talk about.

Luckily Luna broke the silence, which Twilight was grateful for, but she still wished that everything could be as easy as it had been. “How was your week? I told you about mine, it’s only fair that you tell me about yours as well.”

“I didn’t really do much – well, a lot of reading and cleaning the library, yelling at Spike to not eat all the gems…” Twilight chuckled drily. “And I also went on a picnic with Rarity and Fluttershy, and then we had one of our pet days where we relax with all our pets, and I helped Applejack clean up a few fallen trees around her farm.”

What she had left out was that she had also hit low points a few times during the week, even cried once, but she wasn't about to tell Luna about that. The upside was that she was learning – learning to hide her emotions through the hurt, but learning nevertheless.

“That sounds nice. I’m glad that we can still -” Luna sighed softly, pausing briefly before speaking again, “-talk every week, Twilight.”

“Of course!” Twilight quickly swallowed her bite of sandwich as she looked across the table at Luna. “I wouldn’t miss our visits – for the world…” Her voice grew quiet as she trailed off.

Luna smiled and looked down, and they both fell silent again. They continued their meal in quiet, neither of them speaking until they had both finished their sandwiches.

“Would you like some more tea?” Luna asked, and Twilight nodded, levitating her cup to Luna.

“Thanks,” said Twilight, as Luna poured more tea into it.

“So, what would -”

Just then the door opened, and in walked the one pony that Twilight hadn’t expected to see – Princess Celestia.

“Princess!” Twilight said, surprised. “Luna said you couldn’t come!”

Celestia smiled and moved to stand beside Twilight, drawing her into a gentle hug with a wing. “I was sure I’d arranged for all my meetings to be finished before your visit, but apparently my secretary thought it was tomorrow and pushed most of my appointments to today.” Her ears perked up as she surveyed her sister. “Why so silent, Luna?” When Luna didn’t respond she tilted her head. “I’m not… disturbing anything am I?”

It took Luna a few more seconds before she finally looked up at her sister, eyes wide.

“I w-well, no,” Luna spluttered, “of course not.” She jerked her head towards the door. “But is it really wise to keep them waiting?”

“Which is why I was wondering if you could take over for me for a few minutes, while I say hi to my faithful student.” Celestia grinned. “Much as I know you’d love to keep Twilight to yourself it’s been so long since I last saw my dearest student face to face.”

“Wait, sister, are you seriously asking me to go out there and take over court for you?”

Celestia nodded, and Luna frowned. “B-but, I don’t have any experience -”

“Luna, you’ve been telling me that there are no ponies at night court, and this is your chance to get some experience.” Celestia looked reassuringly at her sister. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

“But they won’t be expecting me -”

“They’d be expecting a princess, Luna, it doesn’t have to be me.”

“Uh… All right, fine,” Luna huffed, getting up and striding out the door, but not without a reluctant backward glance.

Celestia walked to the now vacant seat and sat down with her usual grace. “How are you doing, my faithful student?”

“I’m fine, princess,” Twilight replied, “I missed talking to you… I suppose we have letters but -”

“There is only so much you can convey on paper my dear Twilight – especially if you keep your time with Luna out of it,” Celestia said with a chuckle.

“Well yes, but my friends wouldn’t talk about Luna in their letters.” Twilight sat up and waved her hooves. “Not that they don’t like Luna! It’s just…” She sighed. “I’m sorry Princess, I promise I’ll start writing about my friendship with Luna as well.”

Celestia looked confused, though Twilight couldn’t imagine why she would be. “Actually, Twilight, I would much rather hear about how you and Luna have been getting along in person.” Celestia grinned again, though there was visibly something different about it.

“Us…?” Twilight looked confused. “We’ve been getting along just fine, I guess.”

“That’s good to hear -” Celestia shifted in her seat, fluffing her wings. “Luna told me about the game you played last week, but she wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

“Well, we had a lot of fun.” Twilight furrowed her brow. What else was there to say?

“But you didn’t…?”

“We didn’t… what?” Twilight racked her brains. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that happened, was there? “I’m sorry Princess, I don’t understand.”

Celestia held up a hoof. “It’s quite alright Twilight, I suppose I was wondering about something irrelevant.” She inclined her head and pursed her lips. “Twilight?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“Has Luna been a good friend? She’s still learning to interact with ponies again and I’m worried I’ve placed too much of a burden on your shoulders when I insisted she go to Ponyville on Nightmare Night.”

“She’s a wonderful friend!” Twilight waved her hooves. “And she’s far from a burden, there’s nothing to worry about at all!”

Celestia smiled serenely. “I’m glad to hear that.” She looked off into the distance, then back again. “Oh, and before I forget… I was wondering if I could join the two of you for a game sometime tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Twilight bit her lip. “But I’ll be back in Ponyville tomorrow.”

“I see. Is it an important appointment?”

Twilight shook her head hurriedly. “No, I don’t have anything important tomorrow.” She looked up, waiting for Celestia to speak.

“Then, would you like to stay in Canterlot for another day? I’m sure your old books have missed you,” Celestia said with a wink.

Twilight’s face lit up, and she held her hooves to her mouth, but she was too late to stifle her giggle. “Of course, Princess!”

“And we shall have ourselves a game of… Diskus – was it?”

Twilight nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, I can’t wait!”

Celestia nodded and got up. “I’ll hold you to that then. For now, however, I think I had better go and save my little sister more embarrassment.” She flashed a sly smile. “Do you remember that mare who kept insisting she be made mayor of Vanhoover?”

Twilight cringed. “Oh, is she still coming every day?”

“Indeed, it would be a shame if she droned on to Luna in that manner of hers wouldn’t it?”

Twilight nodded, raising a hoof in goodbye as Celestia gave her a quick smile before walking out.