Time passed quickly for Luna. Every day Celestia asked her to raise the moon, and every night Celestia made her send the moon away. Nothing had been so eventful and exciting as that night when she was only a young foal.
As the years went by, Luna slowly forgot the terror she had felt on that fateful night, only remembering the strange pony who had fallen down the chimney. Celestia eventually grew tired of her story about her mysterious pony, calmly telling her that she was only imagining it for attention.
After an incident where Luna was found stuck inside the chimney of her room, Celestia had been extremely exasperated. Celestia forbade her from leaving the castle for an entire month after that, and made her promise to forget about her imaginary friend. Luna crossed her hooves as she swore, secretly hoping she would meet him again.
It had been more than ten years since it had happened, and Luna still had not met her Doctor. She remembered every detail of her encounter, and checked each clock she saw in her own little ritual.
If only one of them were broken, she thought. The Doctor would appear and save me again.
Ten more years went by, and Luna became lax in her daily rituals. Maybe it was all a fantasy, she sadly thought. The excitement of that night was long forgotten, and Celestia had been giving her more and more duties as she aged. One day she would rule beside her sister, but Luna only saw the responsibilities of power closing in on her. She had not had an adventure by herself in years, and she was always being waited upon by the castle servants.
One day after her studies, she walked towards her bedroom, happy to be away from her strict older sister for a short time. She was supposed to fetch her royal crown, but she would find it as slowly as she could, so as to have as much time alone before she had to go.
Celestia had been adamant that she accompany her to the Grand Galloping Gala as Princess Luna. Luna dreaded meeting the endless number of aristocrats, faking smiles with each other as they exchanged pleasantries. Celestia had explained that it would be one of her duties as a future princess to welcome each and every one of the wealthy ponies that would be attending high-class events like this.
Celestia grimaced as she told Luna that she would have to do this nearly every day as a princess, and Luna knew then that even her perfect sister disliked the events. Maybe she thought they could bond over the hardship they would experience together.
As she wearily pushed open her door, imagining the horrors she would soon endure, she found a pony standing in her room. He was turned away from her towards the fireplace, his face hidden from her immediate sight, but his cutie mark was strangely familiar. She cleared her throat loudly as he strummed the harp placed beside him experimentally. It let out a complex chord that she had taken weeks to master. The pony peeked over his shoulder when he realized he was not alone.
"Oh," the Doctor said, as he took in her royal appearance. "Hello."
As he turned towards her, her eyes took in his unchanged features. He looked exactly the same as twenty years ago, when she had first met him.
"I was just looking, for... Luna." He glanced once more around the the room, taking in the sight of the many books that were piled high, almost to the ceiling in some places.
"Ah, this is still her room, isn't it?" He was carefully staring at her, as if looking for somepony else. "I've been away. Not sure how long," he helplessly shrugged in want of an explanation.
"Luna? Have you found it?" Celestia's voice echoed down the hall to her room. Luna watched the recognition flash across her visitor's face, before she answered, watching his expression turn to shock.
"Go to the carriage, sister. I will join you there," Luna softly replied, not daring to take her eyes off the apparition before her. She listened to Celestia stomping her way down the corridor, before she dared speak again.
"It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's foalhood," Luna said, smiling as she felt the memories come rushing back. "You are to be congratulated on your persistence."
"Luna?" He quietly uttered her name. It sent a shiver down her spine. "Well..." His eyes took in her appearance for the celebration.
"Goodness how you've grown." The words made her blush harder than the time Celestia had caught her outside in the middle of the night, playing under the starry skies.
"And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you." She stepped closer to him as he smiled, fumbling for an answer.
"Right, yes... sorry." His mouth opened and closed, searching for an explanation. "Um, ahh, um..." She was directly in front of him as he finally put together an eloquent sentence.
"Listen. Lovely to catch up, but I should be going. Wouldn't want your sister worrying about you running off with a strange pony, do we?" She considered his words, finding something amusing about what he had said.
"How can you be a stranger to me? I've known you since I was only a foal." He smiled when he realized she was right.
"Yeah, I suppose you have." He looked over to the fireplace briefly as her hoof reached towards him. "I came the quick route." He froze as her hoof alighted on his cheek. She prodded him, staring deeply into his eyes as his breathed lightly. He looked and felt perfectly normal even at this distance. The long wait had been worth it. He was real.
He shifted uncomfortably on the spot as her stare continued. Her hoof finally dropped away, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
"You seem to be flesh and blood at any rate, but this is absurd. My sister tells me you cannot be real."
"Ohh..." He thoughtfully regarded her as she leaned closer to him. "You don't always have to listen to your sister." Her eyes slowly slid shut in preparation.
"Luna, we will be late!" Celestia's voice boomed towards them. Luna's eyes flashed open and the Doctor moved towards the fireplace, the moment ruined.
"I am coming!" She shouted, finding her dark tiara, and placing it atop her head. She turned to the Doctor after she was confident it was securely fastened to her mane. He was standing there nonchalantly, examining the fireplace as if it were the most interesting thing in the room.
"So many questions, so little time," she muttered breathlessly. He looked at her and opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly silenced him before he could utter a word. Her lips were sealed around his as she pushed him lightly against the fireplace.
Her forelegs reached around his neck as she deepened their kiss, and Luna forgot how long they stood there. Finally, she pulled away as she heard her sister yelling.
"Princess Luna!"
She broke the kiss with a gasp, her legs settling down on the floor as the Doctor stared at her in slack-jawed amazement. She ran off before he could get a word in. Her hooves clacked on the marble floor as she dashed towards the carriage. As it came into view, she saw Celestia waiting for her impatiently. She hopped in, taking in loud mouthfuls of air as her blood rushed through her veins.
"Are you alright, dear sister?" Celestia asked, her stern frown disappearing as she took in her tired appearance.
"I have never been better," Luna answered, beaming towards her older sister.
No matter what happens, Luna thought happily. Today will have been perfect.