//------------------------------//
// last 
// Story: Oneiromance 
// by gloamish 
//------------------------------//

It felt like I was trotting on air. How long had it been since so many wonderful things happened in the span of a few short years? My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, grew into a wonderful mare. She proved herself worthy of alicornhood, and returned my sister to me. Though her reintegration into society was slow, every day with her was a joy. And now, two of the most important ponies in my life were dating!

Certainly, it had gotten off to an awkward start with my accidental intercepting of that love letter. I felt a little guilty about lying to my sister, but how could I not read the whole thing? Letters from Twilight were always a treasure, and they'd been getting rarer. I practically taught her the art of correspondence! Who was my sister, to keep me from reading the fruits of my work. The juicy, juicy fruits.

I remembered to stop trotting like a filly, regaining the easy royal gait my subjects expected. Displays of such naked joy could be disconcerting for my little ponies — they were happy to see their Princess happy, of course, but then they'd wonder what I was happy about, and I couldn't tell them. Not yet, at least. I'd managed to get most of the squealing out of my system with Cadence, who was more excited than me, which I would've been annoyed about if it wasn't her duty as Princess.

There was a smidgen of apprehension, of course. I was rather hoping I'd have a good couple hundred years with her before Lulu was ready for deeper social engagements. I wasn't scared of losing her, of course, the honeymoon period was to be expected. I'd even given her the last week off moon duty so she could spend more time with Twilight! A couple more weeks of their relationship being newly minted and we'd fade back into routine as sisters. Twilight would be an addition to our dynamic, not a replacement. Perhaps I'd asked them to high tea with me this morning to hurry that transition along.

I nodded at the guards who stood at attention on either side of the doors to the dining hall and they lit the entry with their magic, pulling it open. Twilight and Luna stood on opposite sides of the room, and the echo of a fallen chair's clatter faded as the doors shut behind me. Twilight's mane was in no state to present to a Princess, peer or no. Luna's lipstick was smeared around her lips, Twilight's lips, Twilight's neck, and more besides. I rolled my eyes, just so we were all on the same level of princessness.

"Goodness," I said, trotting to the table. "You two look like you can barely stand to be in a room together! Your first fight, already?" I knew that that wasn't the truth of their sudden separation, but firstly, teasing was one of the few joys of being a third wheel, and secondly, I did not want to think about my sister sloppily making out with my student.

"Oh! I was just, uh. Fascinated by these drapes!" Twilight said, nuzzling the curtains, which were atrocious. "So... scented!"

"And I was merely checking..." Luna looked up at the empty flowerpots and realized she'd already taken the lavender down for the day. "I was also appreciating these drapes." She cleared her throat. "I think this side's drapes are far better, and Twilight disagrees."

"Just a little couple's spat, hehe!" Twilight offered, moving to hide the drapes which were now also stained with lipstick.

"Of course," I said, hitting them with the full force of the smile I reserved for particularly stupid bureaucrats. Twilight had the decency to flinch, at least. "I'm happy to hear that, actually. I've been meaning to get those things replaced, and the form for budget acquisitions related to interior decorating lists 'caused royal dispute' as a justification."

Twilight laughed nervously, traveling a range of pitches before clamping her mouth shut. Luna simply returned to the table and sat down, ignoring the knocked-over chair, and Twilight joined us across from her. Exercising the sixth sense of a servicepony with a long career, the caterer chose that moment and no sooner to enter, pushing a cart on which sat a tea set and several stands proudly displaying cakes, cupcakes, teacakes, danishes, croissants, pain au chocolats, tiramisu... I dabbed drool away with a napkin and beckoned the service to me with my magic, laying it out on the table as Twilight set out the silverware.

"So, how have things been?" I started, pouring three cups of tea.

"Wonderful," responded Luna with a dopey smile.

"Although," Twilight said, taking her tea and sipping it, "coordinating schedules has been a pain. I'm really living up to my namesake."

I laughed. "Yes, it comes with its own difficulties. I'm sure you'll only come to appreciate the overlaps in your time more deeply, as I have."

"You could become a Princess of the night. It would only be fair, wouldn't it, sister? Two Princesses for the day, two for the night?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure the Princess of Friendship could conduct her court so effectively with everypony asleep, Lulu."

"Well, I manage."

"If Ponyville had a night life or Twilight could dreamwalk, I'm sure she would love the idea. Alas." I took a deep drink of tea, as I always did when making a statement of absolute truth. I was sure Ponyville hadn't sprouted a nightclub while I wasn't looking, after all.

Luna hummed. "Well, soon then. She is a fast learner, as you know. Another few weeks and I'm sure she'll be quite comfortable with oneironavigation."

"What," I said, not taking my eyes off my sister as she wiped the scalding tea off her face with a napkin, "did you say?"

"I said 'I'm sure oneironavigatio—"

With a pulse of golden magic, all the drapes slammed shut and the distant bustle of staff faded to silence.

"Sister," I said, with magnificent calm, "did we not swear an oath to each other, to never speak of that magic again?"

Out of the corner of my eye, Twilight looked like she was about to bolt, but I fixed her with a stare that practically nailed her to the chair. Luna looked similarly cowed, pupils small and hooves trembling. "Of course, Celestia, but... She is one of us."

"She is a foal." Twilight reeled back as if struck, and I gathered myself, then turned to her. "Twilight. I trust you completely, and you are one of the most competent ponies I know. But there are still things I would never have you touch — all the more, for what you mean to me. Oneiromancy," — it took a moment, to force the word from my throat — "is not dark magic, but it is as dangerous as chronomancy. You could not have a better teacher, or any teacher, than Luna in your pursuit of it, but... I must ask that you cease your studies at once." I closed my eyes. "And you must know how grave a danger this is, as I have never asked such a thing of you."

"I— I don't understand, Princess. Chronomancy is still documented in the forbidden archives, but I've never heard any mention of oneiromancy."

Luna spoke up. "While chronomancy requires vast stores of power and knowledge to achieve, the magic of dreams is comparatively simple, especially when you are working with your own mind alone. If it leaked into public perception, it would spread too fast to be contained as restricted magic."

"And its effects would be felt immediately. Half the unicorns in Equestria would likely enter a coma in mere days. Having full access to your own mind, to rewrite its rules... It is a very dangerous, and equally tempting, power." I breathed in, then let out a heavy sigh. "Luna herself knows this well."

Luna looked away, but I held a hoof to her chin and turned her back to look at me. "Let us renew this oath, here and now. None of us will speak of this magic again, and only Luna herself will practice it."

Twilight nodded vigorously, while Luna just blinked slowly at me and raised her hoof to touch mine.

"I swear," all three Princesses said in unison.

Alright, I thought, summoning the well of optimism in myself as large across as the sun. Preventing the proliferation of oneiromancy could be chalked up as another wonderful thing. These years were still the best of my life, and I would keep it that way, in any way I could.