“But sister, what if she does refuse?” Luna asked, her head buried in her hooves on the dining table.
“Luna, for the last time. If she does refuse the invitation, it will be for a good reason. Considering the way you wrote the letter, nopony would be able to tell it’s for romantic reasons, it simply looks like a friendly invitation.” Celestia replied irritably.
Luna had been asking the same question over and over that morning during breakfast. Celestia had been slowly losing her composure the whole while as she attempted to eat her breakfast and calm Luna’s fears. It was easy to tell that the matter of Twilight’s reply had kept Luna awake all night.
When Celestia had walked into the dining hall for breakfast that morning, she was shocked to see Luna already there, sitting next to Celestia’s usual seat. A bowl of porridge in front of her, untouched and it looked as if it had long since cooled. Celestia had wondered just how long Luna had been sitting there.
Celestia’s trail of thought was interrupted by Luna, who had just started to speak again.
“Sister-“
“LUNA!” Celestia yelled, finally breaking from the constant worries of her sister. “If you ask that question one more time, I swear I will make sure that Twilight Sparkle never shows up for dinner. EVER!”
Luna jumped back at her sister’s rage, looked down at her porridge and began to sob. She hadn’t realized that she had been upsetting Celestia and she never thought she could snap like that, she had always kept herself calm and collected no matter the situation.
Celestia, realizing her actions, quickly abated her anger and moved over to Luna, putting her wing around her sister. Luna recoiled, fearing that Celestia was about to snap at her again, but Celestia held her firmly and comfortingly.
“I’m so sorry, Lulu, I’m just worried about you.” She said in her most comforting, motherly tone she could muster. “If you keep focusing on the fear then that’s all you’ll ever do, is be afraid. That’s how you became Nightmare Moon and I will not let that happen again.”
“I’m sorry Tia, I’m just... I really like her and I don’t want her to not like me.”
“Then think about the joy it will bring you if she does like you as you like her. Don’t focus on the things that you fear or they will come to pass, focus on the things that make you happy.”
Luna relaxed into the embrace and dried her tears. “Thank you, Tia”
“Now, if you are hungry, I suggest you get a new bowl or heat that one up. The porridge is freezing cold.” Celestia said with a weak smile.
Luna chuckled lightly and began to focus her magic, her horn glowing its dark blue aura. The bowl began to steam as it became engulfed in the aura as well. Luna smiled at it and picked up her spoon in her magic and started to eat.
Celestia moved back to her own seat and finished her own bowl before smiling, a big, bright smile at Luna and leaving to attend her duties. Luna sat there for a while, eating her porridge and smiling.
Her smile dropped however when the thought forced its way back into her mind, ‘What if…’
Luna shook her head vigorously to stop her thought. She frowned as she tried to force good thoughts into her head.
A vision of her and Twilight running through a meadow together popped into her head. The two were laughing and Luna was chasing Twilight. She was having so much fun, her heart pounded as she caught up with the giggling unicorn. She tackled her down into the grass and they rolled around before Luna, stopped it with herself perched above Twilight, who was now smiling shyly. She bent her head down and kissed Twilight on the lips, the thought lingered in her mind as the imaginary moment seemed to last forever.
Luna smiled brightly to herself as she finished her porridge, keeping the thought held fast in her mind. It made her heart race and she so wished for that imaginary scene to happen in real life.
She put her spoon down on the table and began to walk out of the dining hall. The servants who had been standing, waiting at the door, moved to take the dishes away and clean the table.
Luna walked silently up to her room, smiling all the way as she kept playing the scene over and over in her head. When she opened the door, she was pleased to see a new scroll had appeared on her desk, sealed by a simple red ribbon, Twilight’s usual way of sealing her letters. A twinkle filled her eye as she practically ran over to it, pulled the ribbon carefully off the scroll, and rolled it open as she sat down to read the letter.
Her smile grew as her eyes ran across the parchment, drinking in the words greedily. She didn’t care for the name of the author of the book she had mentioned in her letter, she had already known his name. That was merely small talk to make the letter more innocent. She was ecstatic to see the answer to her request. So ecstatic in fact, that she immediately ran to Celestia’s room to tell her the news. Then to the kitchen to tell them to make their best dishes for the occasion.
Luna was so happy she felt she would burst. She made her way back to her room, she wanted to show Twilight how happy this was making her.
She sat down at her desk again and pulled out her quill and ink and a piece of parchment.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I am so very glad that you are going to be joining us for dinner. It has been too long since we last saw each other and I am very excited to catch up, as they say, on most recent events with you. I am having the kitchen staff prepare their best dishes for your visit, though, if you want something specific I am positive that we can have it made. As for Written Paradox, I’m glad that he has found friends amongst the ponies of Ponyville, I sent him there for that reason after all, though I am surprised that he and Pinkie Pie are, hanging around together, as you say.
Sincerely,
Princess Luna
Luna didn’t even look over the letter, she quickly rolled it up and placed her seal on it before sending it away in her magic to Twilight in the usual green flames. She watched as it vanished before jumping onto her bed, the weariness of having stayed up all night catching up with her. With her mind back on the thought of her and Twilight in the meadow, she smiled as she drifted off into a calm and happy sleep.