//------------------------------//
// Part 3a 
// Story: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying 
// by l0x0r 
//------------------------------//

I do not own My Little Pony

You've done well to make it this far, but let's see how you deal with THIS!





As the wind rushed by their chariot, creating a veil of noise which protected them from the rest of the world, Celestia let the silence between her and Luna stretch out for several seconds longer than strictly necessary following Luna's confession concerning her lie of omission. Luna fearfully looked up at Celestia through her long lashes, and she seemed to almost cringe while she waited to hear her sister's judgment on her actions. While she may not have caused the rift between Celestia and Twilight, she had certainly allowed it to widen drastically.

Celestia tried to school her expression into one befitting a stern monarch, but honestly she was too relieved to put very much effort into it. Despite all that had happened, Nightmare Moon and the many long years aside, she still had some insight into her sister's mind. Certainly, Luna could surprise her from time to time, but that only proved they were different ponies. No matter what happened, she would always be Celestia's little sister.

Finally, after after allowing Luna to torture herself for long enough, Celestia let her facade crumble and dumbfounded her with a brilliant smile. “It's all right, Luna. I forgive you. You haven't caused any permanent damage to the relationship I share with Twilight, none more than I myself have. And I can understand why you did what you did. Although, I must say the line of thought which led you to  remain silent to both Twilight and myself, wasn't quite ... “ She paused, searching for a wording that would be delicate enough not to offend Luna.

“Contemporary?” Luna suggested.

Celestia had been thinking more along the lines of 'healthy.' “Er, yes.” With concern filling her eyes she examined Luna's face, trying to understand her a bit better. “Surely you don't really believe that by forming new relationships, a pony's feelings for their old friends simply fade away?”

Luna's cheeks darkened and she avoided Celestia's eyes. “No. Well, not anymore. Twilight has been a wonderful friend, and she's shown me how my previous understanding of friendship was flawed. How there's no set amount of affection in a pony's heart. It grows and shrinks depending on the pony and her friends, and by loving some pony more, it doesn't mean you love anypony else less. The more relationships you have, the more connections with other ponies you make, the greater your love can be. I must admit that at first I was a tad skeptical, but Twilight has shown me that her heart at least is large enough for everypony. She still cares for you greatly, Celestia, but she also has shown me greater kindness and affection than anypony else.”

Celestia chuckled lightly. “As always, Twilight has become quite an expert in what I've assigned her to study.” Canterlot was still a ways off, and Celestia wanted to hear more about Luna's adventures, straight from the pony's mouth. “But tell me, did you and Twilight spend all your time together discussing friendship? What other fun and exciting things did you two get up to while on your vacation?”

A variety of emotions flickered across Luna's face, from joy, to embarrassment, to pain, and regret, before calming into an introspective, almost severe, and yet wistfully longing expression. 

“We did a great many things during my visit. In all honesty, it blurs and runs together somewhat. Somehow it feels as if I squeezed in a year's worth of experience into only a few days. Yet at the same time it feels as if I'd just but arrived.” She sighed and smiled softly. “I've learned so much on this trip and from my friendship with Twilight Sparkle.”  Her smile grew larger and she let out a soft chuckle. “Although, there are a few points that stand out above the rest. On the day of my arrival, Pinkie Pie threw me a wonderful welcome party, one unlike any of the parties that I've attended in Canterlot. There were so many ponies, and up-tempo music, and a wide assortment of foods. I'm certain that I'm not explaining it well enough, but the atmosphere ... it was relaxed and unrestrained compared to our parties, and somehow more ... fun. Or at least fun in a different manner than I'm used to.”

“I can only imagine,” Celesita said with an amused smile. Her thoughts turned toward the report she'd had about Luna drinking to excess. She could perfectly picture her sister expounding on some seemingly insignificant subject while tipsy, drunkenly grasping for the right polysyllabic words.

Luna excitedly continued, “The next day we visited Applejack's farm. It's rather large, and I must admit that the realities of farm life are vastly different from what one comes to expect by reading books. Who knew that earth ponies did so much walking? But I must admit that the fruits of her labor are well worth it. Perhaps we can discuss adding Sweet Apple Acres to the list of Royal Suppliers in the near future.”

“Certainly,” Celestia easily agreed.

Luna tilted her head up toward her and revealed her wonderfully unguarded smile. The one that had become so rare as they grew older. “Thank you, Celestia. I know that it would mean so very much to Applejack and her family.”

It was moments like this that Celestia wished she could save, to treasure forever. Moments where the sun warmly bathed them, the wind roared around them, coupling with the dizzying heights to separate them from everypony else. Moments when, for an all too short amount of time, Luna was sincerely happy in her presence.

Celestia closed her eyes in contentment, trying to crystallize the moment in her mind. “It does sound like you had an interesting time, Luna.”

Her sister's laughter was pure and clean. “I certainly did. Especially when Twilight and I attempted to help Pinkie Pie bake.”

Celestia suffered a few abrupt flashbacks, and she quickly opened her eyes, checking Luna once more for injuries, her heart palpitating wildly from long forgotten fear. “I hope nothing untoward happened, or at least there wasn't too much reconstruction that had to be done.”

Luna chuckled a bit weakly in embarrassment. “No, not really. We did create a new hole in Pinkie's ceiling, but it was easily mended. I'm afraid the most lasting damage was to my pride. I felt so confident that I could do something as seemingly simple as baking, but I was terribly wrong.”

Celestia felt her heart slowing, relieved that her student had made some progress in her culinary skill. “Don't be so hard on yourself, Luna. Causing so little damage, despite cooking with Twilight, shows you're quite a talented chef, I believe.”

They lapsed into silence for a moment as Luna mulled over Celestia's words. Deciding the less said about the incident the better, Luna softly continued, “Well, after that, I spent a lot of time with Rainbow Dash and learned quite a bit about how to improve my flying. I also learned much from Fluttershy, though on a drastically different subject. And that led to Twilight and I ...” Luna trailed off with a far away look in her eyes, and after a few moments, a light blush tinged her cheeks.

After waiting a few second, Celestia prompted, “Twilight and you ...”

“W-we had that encounter with Blue Blazer, and you know the rest,” Luna hastily explained.

Celestia frowned darkly as she remembered the state she'd found Luna and Twilight in. How bedraggled they had been, how much pain they had been in which she could have prevented, somehow. Rage began to coil through her thoughts, and she quickly pushed it away. Both her sister and protege seemed to have recovered from their brush with danger, and the culprit was safely apprehended and dealt with. But the sobering feelings the memory had brought forth lingered and attached themselves to a growing worry that had taken root in Celesita's mind. 

From her words, tone, and reactions concerning Twilight, it was obvious that Luna had come to view the young unicorn as a close friend. There was a certain expression and inflection Luna had when speaking of Twilight, of happiness tempered with longing and a hint of pleasant wistfulness whenever she mentioned her name, which was absent when she spoke of anypony else.

While Celestia was overjoyed to see Luna so animated, so happy and carefree, she couldn't simply stand by and see her sister sow the seeds for a great pain in her future. Of course Celestia was sure that their relationship hadn't progressed beyond close friendship, and likely it never would, but still, there would come a time when Twilight would be ... gone, and Luna would still remain. Celestia didn't enjoy acknowledging the fact of Twilight's mortality, it caused her stomach to drop and for a tight hollowness to create a void in her chest. But at the same time, she knew it was inevitable, and that for friends the loss would be devastating, and for ponies who were more than that, it was soul crushing.

Celestia never wanted her sister to feel pain such as that. If she had her way, Luna would always be laughing, smiling, and enjoying life as much as possible. But it seemed as if despite her best efforts to shield Luna from the unpleasant things in the world, such as ruling an entire kingdom as varied and diverse as theirs, the more unhappy Luna became. Now, with such an obvious cause of monumental grief looming in the distance, Celestia knew she had to warn Luna, to guide her sister away from it and hopefully toward the happiness long denied her.

She allowed herself to bask in the rare moment, when everything seemed almost perfect with the world, for a few seconds more. But Canterlot was quickly growing in the distance, and time was running short. Celestia let out a soft sigh through her nose, and not entirely sure how to begin, hesitantly observed, “Luna, you care for Twilight Sparkle a great deal, don't you?”

Luna bashfully looked away for a moment, her blushing face not quite hidden from Celestia's eyes. But she quickly looked back again and with a simple, guileless smile replied, “Yes. Yes I do. She is the greatest friend anypony could ask for.”

With a twinge of worry, Celestia hid her pained grimace. She had to tread carefully, but no matter how delicate she was, she knew that what she was about to tell Luna was going to be painful. “It's wonderful that you're making new friends, and that you and Twilight have grown to be so close. But have you considered that there will come a time when Twilight can no longer be your friend?” 

Her face crumpled into confusion, Luna asked, “What do you mean?”

Inwardly Celestia asked herself why this had to be so hard. Outwardly though she calmly explained, “It's just that, you seem to be ... very attached to Twilight. I simply wanted to make sure that before you invest too much emotionally into your friendship, that you realize Twilight is mortal, and one day she will ... no longer be here to return your feelings.” Celestia sighed and looked off into the distance. “I just don't want you to be unprepared. I know how bad the pain is when you lose somepony close, somepony special to you, and I don't want to see you hurt again Luna.”

Luna had stared at Celestia with a betrayed expression for a few moments, and then her gaze shifted, staring at nothing as her mind worked, her mouth slightly parted in a worried frown. It was painfully obvious to Celestia that Twilight's eventual death and Luna's long life had never entered her sister's thoughts. Now, from the corner of her eye, Celestia watched as Luna's mind began to digest the idea, and began to logically examine all the future scenarios her friendship with Twilight could pursue.

Celestia knew that Luna would need time to acclimate to this new reality, but Canterlot was just a few minutes away, and soon they would be separated by the necessities of court life. Gently she placed a sisterly wing over Luna's shoulder and pulled them closer together. “I'm sorry Luna. I know that it can be a bit jarring, but it's best to think of these things now, to make sure that you don't hurt yourself in the future.” Unnerved by Luna's continued silence and general lack of response, Celestia asked with concern, “Luna, I know it's a lot to take in, but are you all right?”

It took a few long moments for Luna to wake from her reverie and when she finally returned to her senses enough to meet Celestia's eyes again, she still had a far-away, haunted expression that pleaded for the world to be a kind place, for Celestia to be wrong. Celestia could feel her heart cracking from her sister's desperation, especially when she heard Luna reply in a small, quiet voice, “Y-yes. Yes. I'm fine. You were correct though, I had not considered ... that. I was just thinking about ...” She trailed off as she once more turned her attention to the issue of Twilight Sparkle's eventual death.

Celestia sorrowfully turned her thoughts inward and sighed out, “Yes, I know. But it's something we must think about. We've seen many ponies live and die while we ruled Equestria, and while Twilight Sparkle is one of the brightest of them, she too will grow old and leave us. It's simply a fact of life that we must accept, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Luna. We're not like other ponies, and while we can have deep, meaningful friendships with them, we must always keep in mind that we can't simply live for the moment as they do. We must always think of the future.”

“But isn't there something, anything that we can do?” Luna asked despondently, her eyes searching Celestia's face hopelessly. “Surely there is a spell, a potion, something to lengthen the span of a pony's life. If anypony deserves to live a life as long as ours, it's Twilight. She's no mere dray pony, part of the common herd. She's unique, intelligent, powerful, beautiful. Her fate can not be the same as everypony else's!”

Celestia comfortingly caressed Luna's side with her wing, trying to calm the distraught princess down. “Yes she's an exceptional mare, and one of the most deserving ponies I've come across in centuries. There's been extensive research in the past thousand years, but the spells to push the boundaries of nature are powerful, dangerous, painful magic. Besides which, who are we, Luna, to decide which ponies live longer than they should, while letting other ponies die? We're princesses, not goddesses.”

Luna closed her eyes and whispered, “But still, it's not fair.”

“No, it's not. It simply is what it is, and we must learn to live with it.”

At that moment the royal chariot smoothly landed on one of the palace's terraces. As it rolled to a stop, Celestia examined Luna's sullen face one final time. She expected her sister would be wearing it for some time as she rethought her relationship with Twilight. Celestia's heart was heavy as well, but she schooled her face into a pleasant mask, and looked forward regally.

Awaiting their arrival was a veritable host of ponies. Palace attendants, court officials, and members of the royal guard were all attentively waiting for the return of their princesses. Inwardly Celestia steeled herself for the trials that no doubt awaited her. As her steward and his entourage rushed out to meet them, Celestia had time to look upon Luna with uneasy pity. “I know that this is a difficult truth to accept. But, Luna,” hearing her name caused Luna to jerk her head up and meet Celestia's eyes, “Remember that ponies, no matter how important they are, will come and go, but Equestria will always be here, and no matter what, Equestria will always rely on us. I'll see you soon, little sister.”

Luna absently murmured, “Yes. Farewell,” as Celestia stepped off the chariot and into the waiting crowd of ponies. Immediately she was deluged by a stream of voices, asking her questions about the trip, apprising her of what had happened during her absence, asking her opinion on a wide variety of matters that urgently needed her attention, and a wide variety of other things she didn't have time to process. They herded her away from the sunlit terrace and into the palace. Within seconds she'd lost sight of Luna, and had delved back into her normal world of administration and politics.

As they squeezed through the wide, polished corridors, Celestia focused on what her steward was saying.  ... rescheduled to next week, meaning that we have a fairly light afternoon ahead of us.”

Celestia had no idea who or what he had been talking about, but she quickly covered for herself by softly replying, “I hope they weren't too upset over having to reschedule.”

He beamed up at her, obviously dazzled by her kindness. “Not at all, Your Highness. In fact all your supplicants were all very understanding.”

“I'm glad that they weren't too distraught. And what about the ponies that are scheduled to see Luna instead of me, did any of them have any issues with the change?”

“Oh no, not at all, Princess Celestia. In fact there were several ponies who seemed relieved to be presenting their arguments before her, rather than yourself. Especially the ponies from the other side of Equestria who have a difficult time adjusting to a different time zone.”

“Excellent. Tell me, you said that we had a fairly light afternoon ahead of us, correct?”

The studious pony quickly checked his notes one more time before he answered, “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then would there be time for me to stop off at my study and freshen up for a bit?”

Although the question had been more of a statement, he quickly replied, “Of course.”

With a hint of her true feelings bleeding into her voice, Celestia replied, “Wonderful.”

Since they had been on the way to the throne room, it was mere moments until Celestia found herself alone in the sanctity of her study. She gently but firmly closed the door behind her, and before she moved any further into the room, she closed her eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. Much had happened in the past few days, and she hadn't had the time to fully assimilate it all. Even as she rested in her sanctuary, one of the few places she could be alone in the palace, Celestia knew she only had minutes at best until she was interrupted by some problem that only she could resolve.

With that in mind, she opened her eyes and crossed the distance to her desk, where she settled heavily into her well-worn seat. Only then did she allow herself to shiver as she remembered the scene that had greeted her as she stepped through the portal in the Everfree Forest. How weakened and pained Luna had appeared, how close she'd come to losing Twilight, just as they'd begun to rekindle their relationship.

Celestia had thought that she'd already resigned herself to Twilight growing up, becoming older, and eventually leaving her. Although, it still felt as if it had been only yesterday that the awkward, young unicorn had become her student. It was hard sometimes to remember that such a small thing had grown up so quickly. To have her ripped away suddenly, in the prime of her life, caused complicated feelings to crowd Celestia's heart; emotions that she had neither the time nor the inclination to decipher. Instead she turned her thoughts to her sister.

Luna had opened up to her last night, something else Celestia could credit Twilight with, and had revealed just how frightened and isolated she felt. With a frown, Celestia thought back over her words, not just last night's, but all the conversations that she'd had with her sister since Luna's return. It wasn't a very time consuming task.

She'd promised Luna that things would be different after her return, but had they been? Celestia had meant with all her heart to keep her word, but their schedules were just so different, and they both seemed to always be busy all hours of the day. Perhaps that was why Luna had latched so tightly to Twilight, she'd been lonely and Twilight was the first pony to offer her a hoof in friendship.

Thoughts of the relationship between Luna and Twilight naturally led to the advice Celestia had given her sister minutes before. She didn't regret the talk, it was better to have a shock of pain now, rather than let it fester, and become even more painful years later. Still, Celestia felt terrible, not only for causing her sister pain, but for not keeping her word to her. But perhaps she could make it up to her. 

With the workload of ruling a kingdom divided between them, Celestia would have more time in her schedule to spend with Luna. If she absolutely had to, she'd just create another holiday and take a vacation to catch up with her sister. She was a princess after all.

For the next few minutes, during the stolen time between duties, Celestia contemplated the picture that Twilight had drawn her comparatively not that long ago, and reminisced about the distant, painful past.






Luna was lost in a daze. Celestia had disappeared into the palace in the midst of a gaggle of attendants, but her words lingered and reverberated through Luna's mind. Did Celestia suspect the true depths of Luna's feelings for Twilight? Why else would she give Luna such a dire and spontaneous warning?

A small part of her worried how Celestia viewed her relationship with Twilight, but the majority of Luna's mind was occupied by turning over and over the horrifyingly obvious truth that she would long outlive her friend, her love. No matter the outcome of their friendship, whether they remained lifelong friends, became lovers, or even, somehow,  bitter enemies, Luna would watch Twilight grow old and fade away, while time would leave her nearly unscathed. She had simply been so occupied by her own insecurities and the crazily twisting emotions that Twilight had led her through, that she'd forgotten all about that simple truth. In a single instant, Luna's happiness had crumbled away, leaving her cold, and alone.

She didn't notice as the guards in the chariot's harnesses snorted and fidgeted, waiting for her to make her exit. Nor did she pay much attention to her own swarm of attendants, only slightly smaller than Celestia's, as they coalesced around the chariot, eagerly awaiting her. She was lost in the twists and turns of her mind, contemplating how just as she'd found Twilight, the world was taking her away, until a tentative hoof lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

Luna refocused on her surroundings and followed the hoof up to the face of its owner, Gimlet Lime. “Princess Luna, are you well?” she asked with sincere concern outweighing her reverence. 

Luna knew that she had to compose herself for the sake of her subjects. But, the blow to her happiness, was too fresh, too raw for her to have properly felt the pain, much less to have learned how to mask it. Nevertheless, she tried her best and hollowly replied, “I'm fine, Gimlet. I'm fine.”

Gimlet's worried frown only deepened, and her concerned eyes studied Luna closely, but she silently nodded as she stepped back to give Luna room to disembark the royal chariot.

With efficient steps only retarded slightly by her preoccupied mind, Luna stepped down into the nucleus of  the small crowd awaiting her. As soon as she'd cleared the chariot, the guard ponies responsible for pulling it lifted off in a rush of snorts and straining tethers, winging off in the direction of the royal stables and a well deserved rest.

Almost immediately Luna was lost amidst a whirl of updates on court life, details on upcoming events, and questions on the validity of wild rumors that were circulating across all of Canterlot. Luna simply let it wash over her as she doggedly steered the group into the palace proper, finding it difficult to even focus on the seemingly important tidbits.

Gimlet's worried frown hadn't left her face, and she loudly interrupted a pony who had been pontificating for some reason on what sounded like the principle of aggregate supply and demand. “You look very tired, Princess Luna. You probably aren't used to being up this time of day, are you?”

Luna gratefully latched onto the easy explanation for her moodiness. “Yes, I am rather fatigued. I would like to rest before night falls. That is, if you all believe that we could postpone this discussion until a later time?” She asked the group at large.

There was a chorus of eager agreement, and the group turned, changing course slightly. One by one ponies split off from the group until by the time that they reached the corridor leading to the royal apartments, only Gimlet Lime remained by Luna's side, even going so far as to slightly breach etiquette by following her all the way to the door of Luna's room.

They paused there for a moment, and Gimlet awkwardly said, “We've been hearing all sorts of strange things about what happened in Ponyville, and why Princess Celestia had to leave so suddenly. Is it true that Captain Blazer tried to hurt you, Princess Luna? Did he really lead an army of secessionists against you, which Princess Celestia had to banish?”

Luna smiled tiredly at how quickly rumors grew out of hoof, and replied, “It's true that Blue Blazer attempted to harm myself and my friends out of a misguided sense of right and wrong, but he acted alone. Don't worry, he's been safely apprehended and will receive the best psychiatric care possible. Meanwhile the only lasting injury he caused me is to my pride.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “But his actions were the only stain on my otherwise wonderful trip to Ponyville.”

Noticing Luna's somewhat haggard appearance, Gimlet quickly said, “Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you up, Princess Luna. Please go ahead and rest. There will be more than enough time tonight to catch up with what's been happening in Canterlot since you've been gone.”

“Thank you Gimlet, and have a good day, I'll see you tonight.”

Luna opened her door and slipped through into the darkened room beyond. It closed behind her, and thanks to its solid wood and heavy enchantments, cut off the dull buzz of the palace. She sensed, more than heard Gimlet Lime still standing on the other side for several more seconds before turning away, her soft hoofsteps echoing behind her.

Alone again, Luna stood uncertainly at the entrance to her chambers. Her thoughts and feelings seemed to pull her in a thousand directions, and she couldn't decide on which she should pursue. As she stood there indecisively, Luna looked over the room before her, but of course it looked exactly as she'd left it.

From the perfectly made bed, to the tidily shelved books, to the thick drapes that kept nearly all the daylight out, and even the softly lit lamps for her convenience, it was all carefully cleaned, organized, and maintained by the legion of attendants that at times seemed more at home in the palace than Luna. There was a part of her that was surprised that everything was precisely as she'd left it a week ago. But with a start, she realized that while the world hadn't changed during that time, her perspective of it had.

It was a bit disappointing that there wasn't any physical change to mirror the revelation that had taken place inside of her. But she quickly silenced that corner of her mind, and with a soft sigh, she spurred herself into action. She wasn't going to accomplish anything by simply standing around aimlessly.

Thanks to her time away from palace life, Luna's sleep schedule had been thrown out of balance. And though the sun was still high in the sky, she didn't feel the least bit tired. So instead of heading straight to bed, she drifted over to one of the softly curving walls, which faded away as she approached it.

Automatically a host of soft lights burned to life in the chamber beyond her bedroom, reflecting off of myriads of polished dark tiles and revealing a bathroom fit for a princess. The floor and walls were made of dark blue tiles shot through with veins of gold and silver that resembled stars and distant swirling galaxies, all polished by hoof until they gleamed like sapphires reflecting moonlight. The ceiling was a magically created image of the night sky during a new moon, complete with stars that twinkled, and even streaked from one side of the room to the other on occasion. Nearly an entire wall was taken up by a mirror so large and perfect, that the first time she'd stepped hoof into the room, Luna had thought for several moments that she confronted her doppelganger. Before the mirror were several wide sinks, seamlessly carved into a long, low, onyx counter which held the other amenities common to bathrooms. Delicately scented soaps, creams, and sweetly smelling unguents perfectly lined up next to a mountainous stack of soft and voluminous dark blue towels secured in a shallow basin.

But the feature which truly defined the room was the large tub, a pool really, which was sunk into the center of the floor. In contrast to the rest of the room, it was a lighter shade of blue, the color of the sky just before dawn, and from one slightly rounded rim to the other, it could likely hold the entirety of Twilight's bathroom back in Ponyville.

Thanks to the magic permeating the air, Luna's hoofsteps didn't echo noisily throughout the otherwise empty room. As she disrobed, Luna magically opened the necessary valves, and through several discrete faucets, the bath began filling with steaming rose-scented water. In one corner of the room, there was a vaguely pony shaped stool, and as the bath filled, Luna draped her crown and other accouterments upon it.

After only a few minutes, the rushing, splashing water slowed down into first a trickle, and then stopped completely, leaving the room in silence save for the gentle lapping of the tiny waves against the walls of the bath. Luna walked to the shallow end and tested the temperature with a dainty hoof. The water was only a few pleasant degrees above body temperature, so she slowly eased into the pool, letting the water's soothing warmth spread through her body a little at a time. Soon she was making her way to the deeper end of the bath, and as the water began to approach her withers, she spread her wings  out and allowed them to float beside her. In a few more steps they too were submerged, and only Luna's head was still above water, her mane and tail fanning out behind her like shimmering clouds of dark night.

She kicked off lightly from the floor of the bath and floated freely, sighing in contentment as she did. It was a bit like flying, drifting through the water as she was. She could feel the grime of the day soak away, and the warmth of the water ease her weary muscles, penetrating all the way to the roots of her feathers.

As she drifted in the bath, Luna could feel her mind threatening to drift away as well. She dunked her head underwater and allowed the magic infused liquid to work upon her mane. She squeezed her eyes tight and wished that all of her worries would simply disappear. But it was no use. As she burst from the water, gasping for breath, her mane plastered to her forehead and neck, Luna's thoughts turned back toward Twilight, like a lodestone toward the north.

She flipped over onto her back, and continued to drift, staring at the stars in the ceiling with unseeing eyes. 

They'd only been separated for a few hours, but already Luna missed Twilight. The way her eyes sparkled when she was excited, the way the breezes would blow her mane to and fro, the way her coat felt pressed against Luna's, or how she was the perfect size to fit in between Luna's hooves. Luna ached to be back with Twilight. Whether in Canterlot, or in Ponyville, it didn't matter, so long as they were together.

But Luna's yearning was tempered by the knowledge that Twilight only saw her as a friend, as well as by the simple truth Celestia had reminded her of. It felt as if Twilight was slipping through her hooves with every passing second. How could Luna pursue a relationship with her when they'd be torn apart so soon? Besides which, what could a pony such as herself offer a pony as wonderful as Twilight?

Certainly she was a princess, ruler over the entire realm of Equestria, and just as importantly, ruler of the night sky. But truthfully where did any of that fit into Twilight's life? Twilight was a modern, self-reliant mare. She had a wonderful and fulfilling life, one she had built herself, and one that was full of friends and love already.

Luna sighed, she wasn't sure how long she had simply floated, letting her mind wander, but the bath was growing cold, or perhaps it was just her mood, and her mane was growing uncomfortably heavy from all the water it had absorbed. She rolled over and swam back to the shallow end, and climbed out of the bath. With a flick of her magic, the drains opened, and the bath water began to silently flow away. With a tilt of her head, and a flare of her horn, she lifted a few towels from the nearby counter. She floated them across the room and began to vigorously rub her mane, tail, and coat dry.

In a few minutes, mostly dry, and pleasantly warm, Luna left two of her towels in a damp tangle behind her while she continued to dry her mane as she strode back into her bedroom. The simple act of rhythmically stroking her mane, lightly tugging on its roots, was soothing. Just as she was beginning to allow herself to succumb to the subtle, relaxing sensation, she was interrupted by a curl of greenish, sparkling smoke that appeared just in front of her. It coiled around itself, until, with a soft pop, it transformed into a scroll tightly bound with a bright ribbon.

Luna froze at the unexpected sight, and only instinct allowed her to catch the scroll before it landed on the thick carpet. With some trepidation she lifted it back up to eye level. It could only be from Twilight.  The list of ponies who could send her a letter in such a manner was short, and the list of ponies who would be willing to would was even shorter. In fact, aside from Celestia, there was only one. The faintest hint of Twilight's natural perfume permeating the paper, only slightly masked by Spike's sulfuric scent, confirmed her suspicion. 

Twilight had promised to write her, but Luna hadn't expected her to take up her quill quite so soon. With her recent thoughts on Twilight's mortality weighing heavily on her mind, Luna broke the seal on the scroll, while she absently tossed the damp towel away. She unrolled the letter to find Twilight's crisp hoofwriting. Luna settled onto a nearby chaise, and began to read.

“Dear Luna,

This letter will probably surprise you, considering that we just saw each other only a few hours ago, but I just have so very much to say to you. Thanks to your visit, I've learned something about myself that I'd never known before. I'll always be grateful that I met you that day in the library, no matter what the circumstances were that brought me there. I've had a wonderful time getting to know you, getting to know how special and unique you are.

I'm flattered and thankful that you love me as a friend, and I hope that you realize just how much I return your love and friendship. But while I'll always be your friend, I hope that someday your feelings for me will be the same as mine for you. 

Although it's been only a few hours, I already miss you and can't wait to see you again. I know we'll have even more fun together, and I'll be able to show you all the parts of Canterlot that I used to call home. I hope that you will write me soon, and I look forward to deepening our friendship and our feelings for one another.

Love Twilight”

Luna happily read through the letter several times before she allowed herself to digest it's contents. For a moment it was almost as if Twilight were with her once more, her bright face chasing away the dark shadows that clouded Luna's mind. When she reached the part about friendship and deepening their feelings for one another, Luna's breath hitched in excitement. For a short while she allowed hope to blossom in her heart. Could it be that Twilight possibly felt for Luna the same love she held for the beautiful unicorn?

While the letter didn't explicitly declare Twilight's feelings, it's sentiments seemed obvious to Luna. Before she'd realized it, she'd half risen from her seat, her thoughts whirling in a thousand directions, the scroll falling unnoticed to the floor. In fact she'd taken a step toward the door when reality came crashing down on her.

As much as she wanted for Twilight to love her, as a mare and not just as a friend, Luna had to ask herself whether it was fair, not only to herself, but to Twilight as well. Twilight's entire life would last only a fraction of Luna's. Didn't Twilight deserve to have a regular life, a regular love, with a stallion or mare who would be able to give her a real family? A pony to live with, to love with, to grow old with?

What could Luna offer her aside from a pony unstuck in time and an insurmountable gulf between her and the common pony? While Luna's emotions were promising her that she would love Twilight, and nopony else, for all eternity, her calmer, analytical mind knew that while her love for Twilight would certainly last decades, if not centuries after she was gone, given enough time, even the most grievous of wounds must heal. It didn't matter how hard you tried to hold onto the pain, to the hurt, simply to remind you how much you loved them, in time the hurt would dissipate, the memories fade. That was perhaps the worst part of living for so long. You not only outlived everypony else, you eventually outlived the memory of them as well.

Luna picked up the fallen letter and carefully placed it on a nearby end table. She turned around, and narrowed her eyes in thought. The the shadows pervading the room, gave her face a somewhat sinister cast as Luna thought to herself. But what if ... What if she could extend Twilight's lifespan to match her own? Surely there was a spell of some type, some magic somewhere capable of granting a pony more time than they were naturally allotted.

She paced around her room while her mind raced through the possibilities, jumping from fantasies of a future perfect life with the mare she loved, to planning out the details of how she would ask Twilight, and of her love's many possible reactions, to mentally searching through her knowledge of the magical world for something, anything, that could point in the direction of some power capable of making Twilight her equal in all things.

Hours passed, and aside from a few brief naps she unknowingly took standing up, rest eluded Luna. That evening, she greeted Gimlet Lime's soft knock with red, burning eyes and a small, determined frown. She cracked open the door and Gimlet cheerfully smiled, before bowing and pleasantly asking, “Good evening, Princess Luna, how was your rest?”

She'd barely finished speaking, and hadn't had time to come out of her bow before Luna curtly replied with urgency, “I need every book, every tract, every scrap of paper, rumor, or whisper that pertains to research on extending a pony's life.”

Gimlet was understandably caught rather flat hoofed by the request, after a second's worth of racing thoughts, she blurted out, “Well, there has been a lot of research in the past few years about the benefits of exercise and a proper diet -”

Luna abruptly cut her off. “I don't mean by only a few years. I need a spell that can make a pony live for centuries.”

Gimlet regarded her with wide-eyed curiosity, surprise clearly written on her face. But above all else, Gimlet Lime was faithful to her duty, in the role of royal steward, she was the first of Luna's subjects. So she merely nodded her head and replied, “I'll have the royal researchers scour the library, as well as the universities, Your Majesty.” Then, with almost a wince, she examined Luna's face with more care, and asked, “Are you certain that you rested enough, Princess Luna?”

Despite feeling rather haggard due to a sleepless day, and the thoughts and doubts which had caused her mind to roil with turmoil, Luna was quickly growing tired of everypony asking her the same questions about how she was feeling. Trying not to sound too snappish, Luna stated, “I'm feeling well enough, Gimlet Lime, thank you for asking. In fact I feel more than ready to face whatever awaits us tonight.”

Gimlet's mouth pulled into a tight, disapproving frown, but she bent down to scan through her documents and schedules. As she shuffled her paperwork, a few strands of her mane broke loose, giving her a rather frazzled appearance. She looked up and said, “The night is still young, Princess Luna. In fact it's still daylight out. Instead of beginning court right away, perhaps you would prefer to meet with Princess Celestia for breakfast first; possibly take in the evening air?”

Luna was sorely tempted by the thought of instead, immediately delving into the library in search of a cure for Twilight's mortality, but she feared that if she began her research, she wouldn't be able to stop. Unfortunately she had her duties to attend to, and simply couldn't afford to spend the hours, possibly even days it would take to find an answer.

With regret she sighed and said, “No, thank you Gimlet. I understand that we will be meeting with many ponies tonight. Perhaps we should spend the time before night falls discussing the petitions we shall see later this evening.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Gimlet Lime moved back respectfully, and Luna stepped out into the hallway. Behind her the door to her room noiselessly sealed itself as she purposefully began to stride down the hall, Gimlet rushing to catch up to Luna's longer gait. As they drew closer to the rest of the palace, the lighting in the hall grew progressively brighter, until by the time that they'd reached the more public areas, Luna's sensitive eyes had fully acclimated to the bright daylight.

It wasn't too long before a pair of guard ponies fell in behind Luna and her steward. Luna couldn't help but feel a small, niggle of of discomfort at the sight of their ceremonial armor. But their kind, open faces put Luna at ease. Unlike the guards who had been supplied by Blue Blazer, they paid more attention to the path ahead, and their surroundings than to her. They were neither jailers or spies, but protectors. 

“So, what scintillating affairs of state will we be attending to tonight?” Luna asked Gimlet as she led them off her normal path, and into parts of the castle less frequented by Celestia.

Gimlet seemed unfazed by the arrival of the guards and paid them no mind as she flipped back through her paperwork, settling on the first page. “The first supplication will be on the possible relocation of a new branch of the Transequestrian Railroad. I'm afraid that it's an issue that must be addressed as soon as possible due to the project having been delayed by a month already. Princess Celestia had planned on hearing their final arguments and making a decision yesterday, but of course she was ... um, unavoidably detained.”

Luna nodded in understanding. “I see. And will the supplicants take umbrage to me being their arbiter now, do you think? After all, they will have to re-argue their points before me, so that I'll have enough information to make my decision.”

“Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem,” Gimlet replied while rolling her eyes with a small laugh. “The ponies involved have been here all week, and they've presented their sides of the story to every pony who'd listen, over, and over. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to go into excruciating detail about the problem for your benefit. In fact, the arguments and discussions are planned to take most of the night.”

Luna turned her head slightly to look back at Gimlet incredulously. “All night? Just over the location of some railroad crossties? This hardly seems like an issue on par with international politics. How complex could the decision in question be?”

Five hours, innumerable cups of highly caffeinated tea, and an irritating cramp from sitting in one position too long, later and Luna was aware of just how complex the problem was.

“ ... So, as you can see, it's obvious why the new extension of the Transequestrian Line needs to go through Hidden Valley. At the moment it's a one-horse-town, with the rest of the ponies living in the nearby countryside. But with a station on the railway connecting it to the full width and breadth of Equestria, it will turn into a thriving economic powerhouse in no time at all. Besides which, Ranch Point, the mountain that forms part of the shoulder for the valley is at the narrowest section of the Raspberry Vinaigrette, a dangerous and wild river which the railroad must cross somewhere to connect all of Equestria.” Summed up a seemingly well off earth pony stallion. His cravat had wilted as the night dragged on, but his gold watch chain still reflected the fiery passion in his eyes as he spoke about the newly formed municipality of which he had recently been elected mayor. 

As he paused to sip a glass of water one of his fellows had prepared for him, another stallion's voice spoke up, in a manner which could only be described as crotchety. “Ranch Point might be the shortest gap across the big Raspberrry, but you'll waste ten miles of track to get up all the way to the top of it, just to save a couple of hundred yards downstream.”

While the mayor was a mature pony, just on the right side of middle age, Luna wondered whether the other speaker had been alive long enough to have attended her and Celestia's coronation. Whatever color his coat and mane had once been was anypony's guess. Now they were a fine greyish silver and he was squinting so hard it was difficult to tell whether his eyes were still open. His simple, but well cared for clothes were nearly as faded as his coat, but his still muscular frame and firm set to his jaw belied his age. “'Sides which, your plan puts that railroad going smack through the middle of the valley, through near everypony's land, and straight through my kitchen!”

“Don't worry,” the mayor of Hidden Valley quickly replied. “Once the plan is approved, we'll be able to declare eminent domain and repay everypony for their property.”

“I don't want a few measly bits from the government that'll last me only a few months. I want my farm, I want my land. I want to work it for as long as I can pull a plow, and maybe by then my foal of a son will've gained some sense and I'll pass it on to him.”

The mayor raised a hoof and wearily rubbed his temple while sighing. Luna could sympathize, and wished that she had the luxury of copying the maneuver.

“Listen, dad – sir. I know that the ponies of Hidden Valley have traditionally been farmers, living off the land and all that, but times are changing and we need to change with them. Just think about it. With a station in Hidden Valley we could sell our harvest to more markets, ponies all across Equestria could taste the fruits of our labors.”

The elder stallion eyed his son with disappointment. “I don't recall you every putting in all that much effort for any fruits. No, you always did like to talk big instead of doing real, honest work. And that's all you're doing now, talking big, so that other ponies will do all the work and you can cash in on it.” The older stallion sighed and somehow looked even older, more tired than he had been only a few minutes before, while the younger pony turned his head away and lowered his eyes in pain.

In the silence that followed, Luna turned her attention to the third party in this little drama, a young mare pegasus with her mane pulled into a neat bun, wearing a muted suit against which, her tightly folded wings nearly disappeared.

During the preceding hours, the first side to have argued their case had been the concerned farmers of Hidden Valley led by the old stallion. They had railed against the usurpation of farmland for the space necessary for the railroad. The group of younger ponies, led by the new mayor had just finished their arguments for the betterment of the city by allowing it to become a major hub on the Transequestrian Railway. All that was left was to hear the opinion of the pony responsible for building the railway, and Luna would weigh the issue, then give her decision. In all honesty, both sides had valid points and Luna had yet to make up her mind one way or the other.

“And what does the Equestrian Railway have to say about all this, Miss Tagdirt?” She asked the representative of the railway.

With an impassive face which didn't betray even a hint of what she thought, Miss Tagdirt stepped forward to address Luna, “To be quite honest, Your Majesty, it makes little difference to us whether we build the railroad through Hidden Valley, or continue on its current course and cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette ten miles south. Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages. There is no station or rest stop for twenty miles on either side of the Raspberry, and it would be nice to have a place to rest, in case the engine broke down and the crew had to pull the train. However, as Mr. Ranch pointed out, in order to reach the summit of Ranch Point, we would have to extend the railway several miles with switchbacks in order to assure the grade isn't too extreme. But we wouldn't have to build a suspension bridge quite as long as what we would have to further downstream.”

She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, her eyes beginning to blaze with a fierce passion. “To put it plainly, Princess Luna, I can put this railroad wherever you want it. It will stretch across the whole of Equestria, in time connecting all the cities, towns, and villages. What are mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, when measured against the steel of pony muscle and the strength of pony brains? My only concern right now is that the finest crew of steel driving ponies in all Equestria is sitting idle on their hooves while we stand here and debate over a few meager miles. Before we reached this point we were laying fifteen miles of track a day. Give me the word, Princess Luna, Your Majesty, and we'll build you the greatest railroad the world has ever known!”

Miss Tagdirt's chest was heaving from her impassioned speech, and a few drops of sweat ran from her maneline down the side of her face. Even her wings had spread and had become ruffled as she'd strode back and forth in front of the throne, full of energy and zeal. As she returned to Equestria, recollecting just where she was, she coughed awkwardly and attempted to nonchalantly unruffle her feathers.

Luna found it difficult to imagine anypony being so worked up about a railroad, but she could certainly admire the other mare's single-minded dedication to such a large project, one that would impact the lives of ponies for generations to come. As she thought more upon it, perhaps it wasn't so strange that a pony would get so worked up over something so monumental.

Luna had been minutely shifting on the throne, discretely, but it was difficult to find a comfortable position. Now that all eyes had turned from Miss Tagdirt to her, awaiting her pronouncement on the matter, Luna leaned back into the throne, hopefully appearing as wise, regal, and omniscient as Celestia did when she sat in judgment.

Honestly, this problem was rather more complicated than she'd expected it to be. In addition, all those cups of tea had begun making themselves known for the past half hour or so. Luna frowned and rested her chin on her hoof contemplatively. With deliberate gravity she proclaimed, “The hour grows late, and we've heard the arguments from all the parties involved. Let us take a short recess as I meditate upon the problem, and I will deliver my decision when we reconvene.” 

Most of the ponies, the guards and attendants especially, smiled at each other with relief at Luna's pronouncement. The entourages of the three factions began discussing the matter amongst themselves again, creating a low buzz of conversation. The guards threw open the doors, allowing a breeze of cool night air to blow through the stifling hall, made almost uncomfortably warm by the heat of so many ponies' bodies.

Only three ponies didn't look entirely thrilled to have a respite. Tagdirt frowned in annoyance as she turned to confer quietly with one of her colleagues about a sheaf of papers they'd brought to her attention. The mayor of Hidden Valley gazed up at Luna with equal parts hope and fear, while his father watched him with sad eyes, made heavy by disappointment. Luna tried her best to appear aloof as she swept down off the throne and out a conveniently placed door leading into the more private areas of the palace.

Several minutes later, Luna sighed as she regarded herself in the mirror of one of the palatial restrooms contemplatively. Her eyes and her concentration weren't really on her reflection though, so much as on the problem that had been presented to her. On the surface it was simple, build a railway bridge across a river, either at a point approximately in line with the shortest route between two major population centers, or a few miles upstream, adding a few more minutes to the journey, but allowing for a rest area as well. Underneath the simple facade, the realities of the project grew more complicated. 

The town that wished for the railway to detour through it rested in a valley rich with fertile soil and climbing terraces of farmland. While the railway was merely two thin strips of steel on a bed of wooden raisers, the material needed to level and grade the rails, and the easement necessary for the tracks would all leave a sizable scar on the landscape for years to come. As eager as the ponies of the town of Hidden Valley were for a station and the growth in economic prosperity that would come from it, the farmers of Hidden Valley seemed just as determined to have as little to do with the train and the destruction of the way of life it heralded as possible. In addition was the fact that this seemed to touch upon a generational family quarrel, something that Luna could sympathize with.

Perhaps the son viewed this as his chance to prove to his father that the old methods were not the only ways to make a living. Or maybe he just wanted to make his father proud of him by proving that he could make Hidden Valley more prosperous than ever before. At the same time, the elder Ranch did have a point, farming was the cornerstone not only of their community, but of the Equestrian economy as a whole, it was the foundation of modern pony life. Not everypony could, or should be a merchant. But on the other hoof, there had been great advancements in magic and technology since Luna's former heyday and it took far fewer ponies than ever before to produce more food than previously possible. Not everypony should be a merchant, but neither should everypony be a farmer.

Luna sighed again. Truly it was a difficult situation, and no matter which way she ruled, the future of one small part of Equestria would be altered for generations to come. With the arrival of a train station, and the ponies that would come with it, did the tiny little town have the potential to become another Manehatten? Or if the railway didn't move, would it whither away into nothingness? Or perhaps, would that allow the farmers to spread their farms even wider, providing more fruits and vegetables for all Equestria? Or would the new station encourage them to leave their homes in search of greener pastures elsewhere, actually causing the town to shrink? What's more, what if the depot was built, and the farmland spoilt, and the expected boom in ponies coming to visit didn't occur. Or what if the railway bypassed the town, but for one reason or another, the farms in the valley became unprofitable?

It should have been simple for Luna to make a decision such as this, yet she couldn't seem to settle on an answer for fear of misstepping and ruining the lives of innocent ponies. Which was the correct choice? Luna knew there was no right or wrong answer, but still the decision was difficult. What would be wonderful if there was some way to choose a middle ground, to mitigate the outcome of the decision if it went poorly, but if it were that simple, the ponies involved would likely have simply solved it themselves, rather than seeking out mediation from a princess.

Luna's eyes felt puffy and they burned from her having been up for so long. She turned on one of the faucets and splashed some cold water on her face to soothe it. The water's briskness helped drive away a bit of her drowsiness. She lifted up one of the nearby towels and brusquely rubbed her face dry, putting careful pressure on her eyes, momentarily relieving some of the burn. She more-or-less refolded the towel, and focused on her appearance, making sure that her face didn't betray her weariness, but only projected a cool, calm, collected aura worthy of a princess. Luna steeled herself and nodded to her reflection before making her way back to the throne room.

All the ponies with a vested interest in the matter had already returned to the throne room and were eagerly awaiting her appearance. In terse, anxious silence, they knelt and watched Luna as she climbed up to the throne, her tail acting as a starry train. With unconscious poise and grace, Luna turned, taking her place as the ruler of all Equestria, and regarded the ponies in the throne room with a benevolent gaze. “You all may rise.”

As the assembled ponies all regained their hooves, Luna struggled against the urge to rub her aching eyes once more. Instead she turned her impartial gaze upon Tagdirt and asked, “Miss Tagdirt, you've said that technically it made little difference whether the railway went through Hidden Valley or further south. But are those the only two locations the railroad can cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette?”

Tagdirt frowned and tilted her head in thought. Slowly she replied, “No, there are one or two spots even further south, but it would make little sense to use them. It would only add an unnecessary length to the trip, and there's not town near either crossing to make the detour worthwhile.”

Luna nodded sagely and paused for a few moments to mull over the additional information. She then turned her attention to the mayor and asked him, “Just how firm is your belief that this railroad will bring prosperity to Hidden Valley?”

The mayor snapped a quick look of confusion toward the ponies behind him, before his impassioned eyes met Luna's. “ I believe it with all my heart, Your Majesty. Enough to make the journey all the way to Canterlot to make my case. Enough to alienate many of my friends and family. Farming has been the lifeblood of Hidden Valley for generations, but this railway will be the engine of change that will allow us to step hoof onto the world stage. Our goods, our name, will reach all across this great land, and ponies everywhere will come to love it as much as I do.”

Luna tilted her head slightly, to acknowledge the obvious passion behind his words. But, without saying anything, her eyes moved to the elderly stallion. He had taken a seat on the cold throne room floor, slightly hunched over, his face wrinkled heavily in thought as he regarded his son. Feeling Luna's eyes upon him, he turned to look up at her, but she could tell he had little hope left. Soon his eyes fell slowly back down the throne, and trailed across the floor until they rested upon the mayor once more.

“You make a fine speech, boy. And you paint a real pretty picture too. But what's in a name if there's nothing behind it? Oh sure, everypony's heard of Manehatten or Fillydelphia, but when you go there, what do you find? Nothing but cold stone buildings and even colder ponies. Every city's the same son, they just have different street names.”

He sighed heavily. “I remember when I was just a colt, no higher than my daddy's knee, Fillydelphia grew some of the finest peaches you ever tasted. They were sweeter than honey, and rosier than the dawn. But now you go there and where are the orchards? Buried under cement buildings, paved over by cobblestone streets with names like Orchard Way and Peach Circle. Is that what you want Hidden Valley to turn into? A cold, heartless city where the hills have been flattened, the valleys filled in, with buildings packed so closely together you can scarcely breath?”

As he'd spoken, the older stallion had slowly come to his hooves, and had stalked toward his son. Now it was the mayor's turn to wilt under the heat of inflamed passion. He took a few steps back, away from his father, while looking around uncertainly.

“Well, no, I don't want that ...” He bumped into one of his supporters, who gave him a disappointed frown and cut a withering gaze at the older stallion. The mayor seemed to gain some confidence, and the puffed out his chest. “And it won't be like that. Hidden Valley can grow without destroying what we already have.”

“How? Anypony can try and design a city, but it's like planning a foaling. It'll never go the way you think it will, it'll be messy, somepony'll be crying, and when all's said and done, you can't put the foal back.”

As much as Luna was entertained by the colorful simile, she felt she needed to interrupt. Gently, she cleared her throat, demanding silence. With everypony's attention captured, she regarded the mayor once more, who was almost nose to nose with his father. “I seem to recall it being said that your town is still young and small, is that correct?”

The mayor backed up slightly and looked up at her uncertainly. “Yes?”

An idea had been formulating in the back of Luna's mind, one that was a bit outrageous, but possibly one that might answer the needs of both the parties involved. Slowly she said, “Gentlecolts, I have a suggestion, if you'd like to hear it.” Without waiting for a reply, she continued, “It appears to me that there is a symbiotic cycle between the city and the countryside. The farms of course produce food and other goods, which are then consolidated at and transported from the city, which is where wealth in the form of bits and manufactured goods arrive at as well, which are then in turn distributed to the farms. Optimally it would be best to have both the farms of Hidden Valley, as well as the town, thrive. Therefore I propose that we move the town of Hidden Valley.”

It took a moment for Luna's suggestion to permeate through the throne room, but as it did, shocked gasps and hurried murmuring followed in its wake. The mayor of Hidden Valley looked as if he'd just been poleaxed, while his father and Miss Tagdirt seemed to be withholding their judgment and merely looked on questioningly.

“E-excuse me?!” the mayor sputtered out, only belatedly adding a “Your Majesty.”

Luna took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to explain her position. “I know the solution might be rather unconventional, but I believe when weighing the various circumstances of this issue, it's the most logical outcome. The nature of Hidden Valley seems to be such that any railroad that would go through it would necessarily spoil it to at least some extent. In order to preserve as much of the farmland as possible, we need to minimize the amount of railway that enters the valley. However, at the same time, it is important to create a center where the produce grown in the valley can be collected and then distributed from across the length of the Transequestrian Railroad. 

“Therefore, I feel that the railroad should cross the Raspberry Vinaigrette in the location it was originally planned to, but create a spur that would serve Hidden Valley by having a terminal at the beginning of the valley. The town of Hidden Valley could be moved to where the spur met the main railroad and would serve not only as a rest point on the Transequestrian Railroad, but as a distribution point for the rest of the valley as well. Of course the additional expense of moving the town, building the spur, and any other necessary deviations from the original plan would be funded by the crown.”

The mayor still appeared flabbergasted. “But you can't just move a city!” he cried out.

Luna cocked an eyebrow and archly asked, “Why not? While I'm sure there would be some sentimental attachments to the current location, physically it should not be all that difficult. Either construct new buildings, or disassemble the current ones and move them.”

“But ... but-”

Luna sighed. “Mayor Ranch, I'm offering you and your compatriots the chance to prove yourselves and your ideas. You are willing to gamble on the railroad bringing new prosperity to Hidden Valley, but at the moment you are playing with the lives ponies who don't wish to take that leap of faith with you. Ponies whose property, whose families, would be irreparably harmed if your gamble does not pay off. By moving the town, the valley will be left as it is, but the town will be given the chance to either thrive or stagnate on its own. 

“If you're firm in your beliefs, if you know that Hidden Valley with become a success by becoming linked with the Transequestrain Railway, then I feel that asking you to move the town should prove to be only a small hurdle.”

The mayor had grown silent and thoughtful. He shot a glance back at his followers, then over at his father. Finally, he looked back up to Luna, and it seemed as if he'd aged years in the span of only a few seconds. The mantle of responsibility rested heavily upon him.

“Your Majesty, please give me a few minutes to discuss this with my fellow ponies from Hidden Valley.”

Luna nodded magnanimously and replied, “Of course.”

With slow steps and bowed shoulders, lacking the confidence he'd had before, the mayor walked back to the crowd of his fellow town dwelling ponies, and soon a flurry of hushed whispering broke out amongst them.

As the townsponies debated their fate, every now and then one raising their voice just enough to be audible, Luna magically lifted up a teacup from the service that had been discretely placed next to the throne. One of the many advantages of being a princess was to always have a hot cup of perfectly prepared tea at hoof. She blew the steam from it, allowing the tea to rest, and cool a bit, while she contemplated her decision. It most likely wasn't the one that Celestia would have come up with, but it seemed to Luna like the most equitable solution to the problem. Hopefully, if the ponies followed her plan, both the town and the countryside would prosper without having to destroy each other.

Luna was on the cusp of finishing her third cup of tea, and could feel the beginnings of the cramp in her  croup returning, when the quiet conversation ceased. None of the ponies huddled together looked very happy, least of all the mayor when he stepped out of the throng and approached the group of farm ponies led by the elder Ranch.

Not quite willing to meet his father's eyes, the mayor asked, “And what do you think of all this ... dad?”

The older pony frowned in thought and replied, “Well, I guess it'd take a while getting used to turning left to get to town, instead of going right. But I don't usually make it to town but once a month or so, so I can't say that I'm all too concerned about which way it is.” He turned his head and called out over his shoulder, “What d'y'all think?”

The ponies behind him all spoke out at once, all reflecting his mellow tones of acceptance. Although, there was one voice which rose above the others, “What'll the cows think?”

Ranch turned back to his son, loudly answering, “I think the cows'll figure it out without too much trouble. Son, I think this choice is up to you and all the ponies who live in town. For what it's worth though, I think the princess has a pretty good idea. Hay, you only got what, ten whole buildings in town? Move Swizzle's general store, and Sneed's Seed and Feed, and that's half the town right there.”

The mayor nodded unhappily at his father's words, and gave the rest of the ponies in his camp one last questioning glance before he turned to face Luna. “Your Majesty, I – we, the ponies of the town of Hidden Valley, accept your decision, and your challenge. We'll move our town, and make it prosper as nopony's ever done before. Soon the name of Hidden Valley will be spread across Equestria.”

“Excellent. The royal bursary will coordinate with you to cover all of your necessary expenses.” Luna turned her attention to the ponies representing the railroad. “And you, Miss Tagdirt, I believe that you now have a plan to proceed with. Please keep us updated with your progress.”

Miss Tagdirt's face broke into a broad smile, and she exuberantly replied, “Yes ma'am! Your Highness, thank you, with your leave, I'll let my ponies know right away!” With a cheerful bounce that was in stark contrast to her conservative appearance, she unfurled her wings and darted out of the open doorway leading to the throne room. Her assistants made embarrassed, apologetic bows to Luna, and with as much decorum as possible, hurried out after their eager superior. 

Luna regally overlooked the breach of etiquette and gazed upon the rest of the ponies still assembled before her. “If everypony is satisfied with the outcome of this petition, then I declare this session to be over.”

All the ponies in attendance bowed low, and then began to make their way out of the throne room. The elder Ranch walked over and put a comforting hoof on his son's shoulder, and gave him some words of encouragement. They walked out together, both the groups of ponies they had led filed out after them, merging into a single herd.

Once she saw the last of the ponies disappearing from the throne room, leaving her alone with her guards and courtiers, Luna allowed her royal veneer to crumble slightly and wearily rubbed her brow with a tired hoof. By the position of the moon, Luna could tell that most of the night had passed, and dawn was only an hour or so away. Seldom did the nights feel quite so long.

The sounds of muffled hoofsteps and fluttering paper heralded Gimlet Lime's arrival, and without opening her eyes, Luna commented, “Well, for better or worse, that's over. For now at least.”

“For what it's worth, Princess Luna, I feel that it was a unique and well thought out solution. It likely is the best compromise that could be hoped for under the circumstances.”

Luna let out a tired laugh. “I was once informed that a good compromise was painful for all parties involved.” With a sigh she opened her eyes and straightened up, giving herself a small shake to get back into the princess mindset. “At least this decision probably won't come back to haunt me for a few hundred years or so.”

There was a ghost of a smile curing Gimlet's lip as she studied her assorted documents. “There is that, Your Highness.” She cleared her throat, and in a somewhat more serious tone said, “The Hidden Valley station situation was scheduled to take up most of our time tonight, but if you'd like, we could go over the introduction to the next petition.”

“No, not tonight, Gimlet. The hour grows late, and truthfully I'm much too tired to give the details of the next matter at hoof the consideration it deserves.”

Gimlet Lime looked up at Luna with concern. “Then, do I have your leave to bring tonight's court to a close?”

“Yes, please do,” Luna said with a slightly dismissive wave of her hoof.

The throne room seemed almost as tired as Luna. It almost felt as if it breathed a sigh of relief as the lights illuminating it dimmed, and as the last of the night's occupants filed out through the doors. For a little while, at least before the morning staff arrived to prepare it for Celestia's arrival, the throne room slept in uninterrupted silence.

As Luna and Gimlet strode through the door leading into the palace, Luna paused and addressed the closer of the two guards who flanked the doorway. With a slight dip of her head she said, “Thank you, for staying with me the whole night.”

The young colt stood up straighter and while he didn't even turn his eyes in her direction, his cheeks flushed as he loudly replied, “I-it was our honor, ma'am, um, I mean, Your Highness!”

Luna smile tiredly. “Thank you nonetheless. I hope that you and the rest of the guards all have a good morning, and get plenty of rest. You've all earned it.”

“Thank you, ma – Your Highness!” he nervously half-shouted.

Luna gave both the guards a final polite node before moving on again, leading Gimlet back into the more private areas of the palace. In the hall leading to the throne room was a pony of slight build who was in the midst of placing a heavy stack of papers on a small table. He dropped into a hasty and low bow at the sight of Luna, nearly scattering the stack of papers across the hall's floor. But before he could, they were plucked out of the air by Gimlet's magical grasp, and quickly, neatly shuffled and sorted. Gimlet simply added them to the stack of papers already suspended before her, and she began to read through them as they continued on, leaving the still prostrate pony in their wake.

Gimlet rapidly flipped through the pages and summarized for Luna, “It appears that there have been a a few possible results about the matter you asked to be researched earlier, Princess Luna. The researchers are still looking further into the archives, but they've already found some promising research papers and manuscripts, which they've had delivered to your room.”

Honestly, Luna was so exhausted that she simply felt numb. Nevertheless, she tried for a wane smile. “Thank you, Gimlet, I'll look into them the first opportunity I have.”

Gimlet looked up from her papers, and slowed her pace, causing Luna to shorten her stride to keep up with her. “Princess Luna, are you certain you're feeling -”

“Oh, Luna, there you are,” Celestia's chipper voice rang out, inadvertently cutting off Gimlet Lime.

Luna had been steeling herself to once again fend off another pony's concern, and with dull surprise, turned to find her sister in all her glory approaching from the opposite direction. “Celestia, what are you doing here? Isn't it still somewhat early for you to be awake?”

Celestia came to a stop in front of them. “Well, normally yes, but I wanted to come and see you, and hear about how your night went. I also thought that it would be fun to enjoy the morning outside for a change. Won't you come and join me for a breakfast picnic out in the garden?”

The sight of Celestia had brought to the forefront of Luna's mind unwanted memories and unasked for truths. Combined with her fatigue, she was far from feeling up to spending time with her sister. “Actually, I'm feeling rather fatigued after tonight's court. I believe that I'll skip this morning's meal and retire.”

Luna moved to get around Celestia, but the older princess stepped in her way, and kindly nodded to Gimlet Lime. Gimlet took the hint and quickly withdrew with a polite bow, and a murmured, “Excuse me, Your Highness.”

Celestia turned her full attention upon Luna and warmly asked, “Oh, was court that difficult? Let me at least walk with you back to your bedroom, and you can tell be all about it.”

In truth, Luna didn't have any real reason for her slight, inexplicable resentment she felt for Celestia. Besides which, perhaps it would make her feel better to discuss things with somepony else who could understand the burden of making difficult and far-reaching decisions. Celestia turned down the hall and glanced back at her invitingly. Wwith only a moment's hesitation, Luna silently took up her offer and began walking back to her room, Celestia's comforting bulk by her side.

Luna felt a bit guilty for not having welcomed her sister with open hooves. After all, she was merely the messenger of the inevitable issues pursuing a life with Twilight would entail. She had nothing but the best interests of them both at heart. So to bury her unkind thoughts away, Luna resolved to put the matter aside and focus on being closer with her sister. “I fear that tonight wasn't my finest hour,” she admitted.

“Oh? How so?”

“I had before me a simple decision to make, and I'm afraid that I let my uncertainty complicate the matter until it had grown out of all reasonable proportion. Even now, I'm unsure whether I made the right choice.”

“Why don't you tell me the whole story. This sounds like it's bothering you a great deal.” Celestia gave Luna a slight bump. Luna had been thinking over the past few hours so heavily that she'd begun to go down the wrong path. But thanks to Celestia's nudge, she was put back on the proper course.

“Simply put, there was a disagreement about the placement of a bridge for the expansion of the Transequestrian Railway.”

“Yes, I think I skimmed over the case before,” Celestia replied a bit slowly, her eyes turned upward in remembrance. “But I'm afraid that I don't quite remember the details.”

“Well, the ponies constructing the railway seem ambivalent as to where the crossing should go. Although, their representative did seem quite eager to reach a decision, any decision, so long as she could return to work. The true issue was raised by the ponies of Hidden Valley. The ponies living in the town there were quite adamant about having the railway go through their town so that they could have a train depot and the economic gains that stem from such a thing. However, the ponies who live in the valley surrounding the town felt that the railroad would irreparably harm their farmlands.”

“Ah, so it was a disagreement between country and city ponies, and which way of life is better.”

Luna nodded slightly. “It was in part, but there was more to the arguments on both sides as well.” As Luna instinctively followed Celestia, they passed through a pair of glass doors and into the cool night air. “This decision will impact the ponies of that region for generations to come. By diverting the railway through the town, the countryside unique to the region would be forever ruined. By not diverting it, the town would have a difficult time ever growing much larger.”

Celestia thought over the mater for a moment before asking, “So, which of these future did you choose?”

“Neither. I tried to compromise. The town of Hidden Valley is still quite small, so I asked them to move it.”

“You what?!” Celestia asked with a laugh of disbelief. For the first time during their conversation, she  showed some emotion other than calm acceptance. 

Under her sister's shocked eyes, Luna wilted slightly, and explained, “Well, I asked them to move it a few miles south, to where the railway was originally planned to run. Then there would be a spur connecting the rest of the valley to the town, so everypony should be satisfied. The town will have their train station, while the rest of the valley won't have a railroad going through their farmland. If the town's ponies truly believe that a train depot is necessary for their town to grow, then they should be able to make the effort to move in order to make it a reality.”

Celestia tilted her head away and commented, “That is a rather ... interesting solution, Luna.”

“But was it the right one?” Luna asked quietly.

They had come to a stop in the midst of an open space in the middle of the royal garden, a large blanket, covered with a wide variety of foods, spread out perfectly over the manicured grass at their hooves. For the first time, Luna paid attention to their surroundings, and cast about in confusion. “When did we come to the gardens?”

“We must have gotten turned around somewhere,” Celestia pleasantly replied. “But, since we're here, we might as well go ahead and eat. As for whether your choice was the right one ... In matters such as these, there isn't always a clear answer that's better than the others.” Celestia settled down on an empty portion of the blanket between what appeared to be a large creme brulee and several pies.

Luna was far from satisfied with Celestia's answer, and reluctantly settled down on an empty corner of the blanket only when her sister had nodded at it. “But what choice would you have made in that situation? What would you have done differently?”

With an almost placid calmness contrasting Luna's exhaustion fueled desperation, Celestia leaned over and perused a cloth covered basket as she considered her sister's question. In time she answered, “It doesn't matter what I think I would have done in your position. I wasn't there, and it wasn't my decision to make. Your solution isn't bad, it isn't good, it's simply yours. Of course, that's not to say that it's impossible to make a mistake. It's the unintended consequences that makes all our choices difficult ones. But so long as we carefully and thoroughly examine the problem, we can try our best to guide everypony to the best solution. However, there will always be circumstances beyond our control, for both good and bad. When they turn out bad for our ponies, it is our duty to repair things, and when they turn out to be good, well, it's easy to look prophetic, all it takes is time. Bagel?”

Luna cocked her eyebrow in confusion at Celestia's non sequiter until she saw the proffered baked good hovering between them.

“No, thank you, I'm not feeling all that hungry at the moment.”

Celestia shrugged and magically picked up a muffin, which she proceeded to butter. “All things considered, I think it will turn out well. The farms in Hidden Valley will continue to thrive, and the town of New Hidden Valley will prosper economically. Probably.”

“I hope so,” Luna replied with a downward glace. Under her nose she found a scone bespeckled with blueberries and sugar that didn't seem like it would upset her stomach. She held it aloft and delicately nibbled on it.

They ate in silence until Celestia smiled and breathed in deeply through her nose. “Ah, it feels good to wake up early sometimes. The air this time of day is so invigorating. I think it's going to be a wonderful day, don't you?”

Luna looked up with a hint of confusion. “I don't believe we're scheduled to have rain today, so I would assume so.”

Celestia chuckled in response. “It doesn't matter whether it rains or not. A day can be wonderful regardless of weather. No matter what happens today, right now I'm happily spending time with my favorite sister, and that means that the rest of my day will be great.”

Luna blushed and ducked her head slightly at the compliment. “While I'm glad that I'm your favorite sister, I can't help but feel that the field is a bit narrow. Pray tell, who is your least favorite sister?”

Celestia hummed and pretended to think for a few seconds before she playfully replied, “I'm afraid I don't have one. They're all my favorite.”

Luna snorted in amusement at the cop-out and then felt a familiar tugging through her body. Bemusedly she looked east and commented, “It seems it's time.”

In the periphery of Luna's vision, Celestia's head had also turned toward the distant horizon. “Yes, it is.”

The air around them was alive and thick with magic, and Luna could swear that she felt an almost incandescently warm glow radiating from Celestia. She closed her eyes and began to channel her power, pulling back the starry sky and lowering the moon as Celestia's morning painted the edge of the world a rosy hue. Soon the sun was pouring its light across the mountains and tall towers, shrinking the shadows and chasing the black sky into indigo and eventual blue as it climbed into the morning. 

Luna could feel its warmth on her face and opened her eyes. The yellow-white rays of the sun had just struck a nearby domed building made of glass, connected to the palace by a short walkway. The glass panels that made up the many facets of the building acted as giant prisms, refracting the sun's light and breaking it into thousands of shimmering rainbows.

Her curiosity piqued, and their morning duties finished, Luna pointed out the building with a hoof and asked, “I've never noticed that building before, what function does it serve?”

“Oh that? That was a gift a few decades ago. Actually, a few centuries now, I suppose. It was during the start of another artistic revolution and some ponies decided that the palace needed a 'modern' addition to 'confront and abolish antiquity while boldly cantering into the future.' Originally it was meant to be a ballroom, but unfortunately it's too small to hold the larger parties such as the Grand Galloping Gala, and it heats up rather quickly once the sun is out. It is quite pretty though.”

Luna was silent for a few moments as she imagined what the view must be like from inside the crystal dome when the stars were out in full force. “Do you ... do you think that I may use it? Since it doesn't seem like it's occupied all that often?”

With obvious surprise, Celestia answered, “Of course you may, Luna. But what exactly are you thinking of using it for?”

Honestly Luna had only a seed of an idea sending out fragile tendrils, but while it was still fresh and exciting, she explained, “I think it could make a marvelous throne room. Not during the day, as you said, the sun would make it far too uncomfortable. But just imagine it at night, with the moon and stars shinning above. I'm sure it would be positively magical.”

Celestia regarded the building in question thoughtfully. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and it was no longer scattering rainbows across the garden. The dome still had a timeless beauty about it, but now it seemed less like the glittering backdrop of a dream, and more like a polished jewel, cut to perfection and set in place amongst the rest of the palace like a diamond in an engagement ring. “If I remember correctly, it is quite impressive at night, and if you'd like your own throne room, you shall certainly have it.” She smiled bemusedly down at Luna. Her smile turning radiant as an idea came to her. “I'm sure that it will take at least a few weeks to convert a ballroom into a throne room, and you'll no doubt have much to say about how it's laid out and decorated. How about we use it to host one final ball, to celebrate your new throne room, and your new night court. We could have it when Twilight and all your other friends are here.”

At the mention of Twilight, Luna's heart soared, but just as quickly sank, and her mood soured. She attempted to keep the emotion from her face by turning away from Celestia, but her voice and gone flat as she answered, “Yes, that does sound like it would be quite enjoyable. I'm sure that such a party would delight everypony, especially Rarity and Pinkie Pie.”

“Are you all right?” Celestia asked with concern tinging her voice, trying to catch Luna's eyes again.

Luna sighed and replied, “Yes. I'm just weary. As I've said, it has been a long, long night.”

“Then we should get you off to bed. I'm sorry for keeping you up so late, but I wanted to spend a little more quality time with you.”

“It's fine, Celestia,” Luna said as she rose, giving Celestia a reassuring look over her shoulder. “This morning was ... nice.”

Celestia's mask slipped for a moment, and her relief was apparent. It was only for a second, and by the time she'd climbed to her hooves, she had returned to her normal self. Silently she escorted Luna all the way back to her chambers. They paused before the thick doors decorated with the starry night, and after opening it, Celestia said partingly, “I'll see you this evening when you wake, Luna.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by her weariness, Luna acted upon a sudden impulse and leaned heavily against Celestia, nuzzling her and replying in a tired voice, “I love you, big sister.”

Celestia's body went rigid for a moment, as if a wild animal had just offered itself up to be petted, but she quickly relaxed into the embrace and leaned down to nuzzle the spot just behind Luna's ear in return. “And I love you. Now, go to sleep and rest well. I'll see you tonight.” She lightly kissed the top of Luna's mane and gently ushered her into her room.

The door silently closed on Luna, dimming the darkened room even further. She maneuvered past the new stacks of scrolls and books left out for her perusal. As much as she wanted to dive into them immediately, it would be worse than useless to try and do research in her current state. Instead she pulled off her royal vestments, and let them fall where they would. She then crashed into her bed, and her final thought before being overcome by a long delayed slumber was that she really needed to answer Twilight's letter soon.





“... And done.” Twilight declared as she finished her letter with a final flourish of her quill. While waiting for the ink to dry, she gave it a cursory scan to make sure that this one was perfect. She hoped it wasn't too desperate, or if Luna liked desperate, that it was desperate enough. It was obvious that she'd written it in a hurry, but the hoofwriting was still acceptable in her opinion. Although, some of the y's were a bit too long and trailed into the line below. Did that make it too hard to read? Should she write the letter again? Maybe a few more times to have a wide sampling so that she could choose the one that was closest to perfection. 

A part of her knew that perhaps she was over-analyzing things just a tiny bit, so, before she could continue to scrutinize the letter, she rolled it into a tight cylinder and sealed it with a dark ribbon carrying an echoing whisper of Luna's now familiar magic. She brandished it aloft as she hurried upstairs to her bedroom, intent to send it off before she had time to further second guess herself.

As she approached the door, she slowed down, and resisted the urge to simply burst in. Instead, she tried her best to quietly open the door and found the room beyond dark, the curtains drawn.

Softly she called out, “Hey, Spike, are you feeling any better?” Without waiting for a reply she pushed through the door and cautiously delved deeper into the darkness.

There was a suggestion of movement from the basket at the foot of her bed, accompanied by a pained groan as Spike sat up and blearily peered at her. “I'm never going to eat ice cream again. At least not chocolate. Maybe strawberry.” He eagerly added, “Actually, I think some strawberry ice cream would help settle my stomach.” He suddenly raised a hand up to his mouth as his cheeks bulged, and Twilight stepped back, prepared to catch anything with her magic, if necessary. But after a few moments, Spike's attacked seemed to pass. He closed his eyes and laid back down as he murmured, “then again, maybe not.” 

Crisis averted, Twilight ventured closer to his sickbed. “Honestly, Spike,” she said as she waved the scroll scoldingly at the young dragon. “Can't you at least wait until you're feeling better before you go making yourself sick again?”

“But it wasn't my fault, Twilight. How could I say no to an eating competition with a bunny? I mean he's so tiny, where can he put it all?” Spike asked, with his arms thrown out as if asking somepony to actually answer his question. “And who knew that Fluttershy had like fifty gallons of chocolate ice cream? I'm the victim in all of this.” He grumped as he crossed his arms.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “The only victim here is poor Fluttershy, it was her ice cream you guys ate. And I don't have much sympathy for a dragon that stuffed himself trying to out-eat a bunny. You brought this on yourself, Spike.”

“Aw, have a heart, Twilight.”

“I do, that's why I'm going to wait until you're feeling better before I make you go back and apologize to Fluttershy, then do whatever she asks until she's satisfied you've paid off your debt.”

Spike groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. Twilight might have had some sympathy for him if she didn't know that Fluttershy was going to forgive him immediately and let him off much more lightly than he deserved.

In a huff, Spike rolled over, as if to go back asleep, and Twilight was reminded of the letter she needed to send.

Twilight softened her tone and asked, “Oh, um, Spike, one more thing. Do you mind sending this letter for me? It's kind of important.”

Spike rolled back over and cracked open an eye, looking at her, then the floating scroll, and sighed deeply. “Sure.” He sat up and raised a fist to his chest, looking as if he were trying to swallow something. With a burst of flame more akin to a belch than his normal controlled burn, Spike incinerated the scroll and the resulting green smoke soon curled away.

Twilight's eyes were fixated on the smoke as it magically snaked its way out of the room. More to herself than anypony else, she murmured, “Ooh I hope that goes to the right pony. Not that there's anything in there that I wouldn't want Princess Celestia to read, except I don't want Princess Celestia to read it.”

Spike tried to puzzle through her circuitous logic, and failed to follow her train of thought fully. “Huh? What's so special about that letter? I mean it's just another note to Princess Luna, right?”

Twilight tilted her head and admitted, “Well, yes, but no. It's the first letter I've sent Luna since ... well, since I told her that I loved her.”

“After you did what?” Spike exclaimed, leaping out of his basket. Immediately he doubled over and clutched as his stomach as he let out a pained, “Ow.”

Twilight took little note of Spike's discomfort. She physically had taken only a few steps toward the nearby window, but mentally she was a million miles away. There was a hitch in her voice as she admitted, “I told her that I loved her, and she told me that she loved me as a friend.” Quietly, softly, she sighed, “But that's not good enough, I want so much more.” 

Spike forgot his own pain for a few minutes and said with surprise, “Whoa, you're really serious about this.”

Twilight choked back a frustrated sob and replied, “Yeah.”

Despite his upset stomach and general malaise, Spike waddled over to rest a hand on Twilight's shoulder. “Hey, don't worry, Twilight. Things will turn out all right. I mean, you're Twilight Sparkle; the greatest unicorn ever! If you really want something, you'll figure out a way to get it.”

Distraught, Twilight rounded on Spike and lifted him up to eye level with her magic, putting her face only inches from his as she asked, almost hysterical, “But what if this is as good as it gets? What if this is the closest Luna wants to be with me? What could a pony like her ever really see in a pony like me? I should be happy, that she trusted me enough to open up and reach out to me as a friend; I should be ecstatic! But I can't stop myself from wanting so much closer to her, to become her very special somepony.”

Lost in her thoughts, Twilight turned her head and lowered Spike to the ground. He circled around her until he could look into her eyes again. “That doesn't sound like the Twilight Sparkle I know, the one who's saved Ponyville time after time, not to mention all of Equestria. Why are you being so down on yourself?”

“I don't know. Half an hour ago I felt like a mare who could take on all of Equestria and do anything to make Luna fall in love with me. But now I'm not sure that anypony could ever love me at all. I'm boring, and plain, and -”

“And you're Twilight Sparkle,” Spike soothingly broke in, laying a comforting claw on her neck. “The greatest pony I know. You're smart and pretty, you're always determined, and you can do anything you set your mind to, even time travel. Heck, making a princess fall for you shouldn't be hard at all.”

Twilight looked down at Spike, really looked at him, for the first time since she'd come into the room, and smiled a small, but warm smile. “You're just not going to let me feel down, are you, Spike.”

“Nope!” he cheerfully replied.

She leaned down and nuzzled the top of his head. “Thanks Spike, you're the greatest dragon a pony could ask for.”

“Yeah, I know.” Spike said, full of pride.

Twilight raised her head, eyes full of fiery determination. “And you're right. No matter what it is, a raging ursa minor, a god of chaos, or winning a princess' heart, there's nothing I can't do when it really matters, and this, most definitely matters.”

Spike beamed as he said, “That's the spirit. Besides, I thought you two were already kind of going out anyway.”

Twilight cocked her eyebrow incredulously and eyed Spike. “Where did you get an idea like that from?”

Spike turned beat red and couldn't meet Twilight's eyes. “Well, there were a couple of times when you two were in bed together, and then there was all the stuff you guys were saying about studying love ...” Twilight's obvious continued bewilderment seemed to cow spike and he trailed off before suddenly grasping his stomach. “I mean, oh, my stomach! I feel so sick!” He hurried back over to his basket and quickly burrowed beneath the blankets.

Twilight shook her head in amusement. Obviously Spike had been seeing things, and reading a deeper meaning than really existed in her and Luna's relationship. Nonetheless, he had cheered her up out of her momentary funk. She sedately walked over to his basket. “Well, I hope you begin to feel better soon. For now, just get some rest.” She gave him a quick, sisterly peck on his scaly forehead, and used her magic to securely tuck him in. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Well, I could use -”

“Not ice cream,” she said sternly.

“Actually, now that I think about it, I'm good. I'm just going to take a nice nap. Thanks for the offer though.”

“You do that.” Twilight quietly made her way out of the room, pausing at the doorway to softly call out to Spike, “sweet dreams” before she closed the bedroom door behind her.

As she climbed down the stairs, back into the library proper, Twilight slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Her mind was awash with conflicting thoughts and emotions. It seemed as if she was simultaneously elated at having screwed up enough courage to confess her love, pumped up and ready to do whatever it would take to woo Luna. At the same time she was racked by self-doubt about actually wining the princess over, or anypony for that matter.. 

After all, while Twilight didn't exactly have much experience in romance, she knew that having feelings for somepony was only half the battle. In order for a relationship to happen, they had to have feelings for you back. It was similar to how molecules worked, she mused. In order to create an ionic bond, there had to be an attraction between both atoms. But in the case of some elements, it was hard, if not impossible to create such a bond. Was she just some lonely hydrogen trying vainly to attach itself to Luna's noble gold?

It sometimes seemed impossible that a pony as powerful, self-assured, and beautiful as Luna could ever feel even a hint of the emotions, such as love, that normal ponies fell prey to. But at the same time, it had become painfully obvious that she not only felt such base emotions, but was susceptible to loneliness, just like Twilight. She'd been so fragile, so frightened when she'd confessed to her lie by omission, to trying to monopolize Twilight all to herself. Twilight had rarely seen another pony so vulnerable, and she wanted to see more. Not of Luna in despair or pain, but of her true, honest self, that the princess had to keep locked away. She wanted to help the princess open her heart, and she wanted to be the pony who would help her heal.

And, she admitted to herself, she didn't want anypony else to share that special, tenuous connection she'd made with Luna. Twilight knew this came from a baser, more selfish part of her, but she wanted a deep, personal relationship between the two of them, and somehow, it felt as if anypony else were involved, it would be cheapened.

As close as she was to the situation, Twilight was able to keep enough of her objectivity to realize that while she was head over hooves in love with Luna, she was a complete novice in the practice of romance, especially it came to romancing a princess. She had an elementary, theoretical background in romance thanks to her extensive reading, but none of the books she'd read seemed quite helpful in her current circumstances. In addition, in her real life, she'd never before made the time for love. She'd always pushed her mind and magic to its limits to be the best student she could possibly be. But she'd neglected her feelings, and that had left her woefully unprepared for a matter of the heart such as this.

Unfortunately she was going to have to make up for lost time. With Luna still adjusting to modern life, and her romantic feelings for Twilight questionable at best, Twilight was not only going to have to learn the steps of romance, but she was going to have to take the lead and guide Luna along them as well.

But, what better place to learn about a subject than a library? If she could learn how to run a marathon from a book, she was certain she could learn how to date another mare.

With her confidence renewed, and a clear objective in mind, Twilight eagerly turned to her old friends, the bookshelves that lined her home. With a jaunty gait, she cantered over to the reference section and began pulling out books with her magic, hastily scanning the titles for their relevance. “Princess x Princess, Princess Academy, Judgment Princess, Princess and the Witch ...” None of them seemed like they would be all that helpful to the situation at hoof.

Twilight was quickly growing frustrated over the lack of suitable reading material. Obviously romancing a princess wasn't an everyday affair, but surely there had to have been somepony in the past who had put some thought into it, or had even tried it, and had taken the time to write their thoughts down. Twilight paused as she reasoned through that train of though, and reached the logical conclusion. The only princess until recently to be available would have been Princess Celestia. For several moments, Twilight imagined a faceless pony offering Princess Celestia chocolate and flowers, Princess Celestia laughing gaily, reclining in bed with a come hither stare... And at about that point there came a rapping on her chamber door. Twilight blushed and resolved to think such thoughts nevermore.

With Spike resting upstairs, Twilight pitched her voice to carry just far enough to reach the front door and called out, “Come in.”

The door swung open to reveal a smiling Applejack who stepped into the library, quickly followed by the rest of her friends.

“Heya!” Pinkie said loudly as she bounced in.

Applejack greeted her, “Hey there, Twilight, what'cha -”

Twilight held a hoof up to her lips and shushed her friends. She tilted her head toward the door leading to her room and quietly interrupted, “Hi girls, Spike's still resting from his stomach ache, and I don't want to disturb him.” She laid down the books she'd been holding aloft and approached her friends, giving Fluttershy a sheepish smile. “I'm so sorry Spike tried to eat you out of house and home, Fluttershy. I've already told him that as soon as he feels better, he's going to work his tail off to repay you.”

Fluttershy's smile was warm and forgiving as she softly replied, “Oh, it's alright, Twilight. That was only my emergency supply. Honestly, I'm more worried for Spike than upset. Angel has never gets nearly as sick as Spike is over a little ice cream. In fact, he's perfectly normal this morning.”

Twilight shot Fluttershy a somewhat askance look. “Uh, yeah, well, I guess everypony's system handles a dozen or so gallons of ice cream a bit differently.”

“Oh, I know mine does,” Pinkie broke in. “Especially strawberry. It taste great, and it's great for settling an upset tummy.”

“Yeah, that's great and all, and I hope Spike's feeling better soon,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “But what are you doing here Twilight? We thought you were packing up and would be on your way to Canterlot as soon as possible to chase after your marefriend.” She floated over and playfully nudged Twilight.

Twilight tried to sternly frown at Rainbow Dash as she took a step to the side to put some space between them, but her attempt at a scowl of disapproval was ruined by a hot blush tinting her cheeks. “She's not my marefriend!”

“Yet,” Pinkie cheerfully added.

Twilight shot her a quick glower, but soon gathered herself together and coolly continued, “Besides, I am chasing after her, just in my own way. I've written her a letter about continuing and deepening our friendship, and now I'm beginning to do some research on the right way to court a princess.”

Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight with a stern frown for a second, before she blinked and looked past her, at the rest of their friends with a shrug, and loudly asked, “See what I put up with?”

Applejack let out something between a laugh and a cough, and ambled over. “Twilight, your looking through books and finding answers has saved us all plenty of times, but somethings you just can't read about. You actually hafta go out and try 'em yourself.”

Twilight easily agreed, “Of course you have to apply what you've learned, but before that, you need to adequately understand everything you possibly can about the situation you're going into, don't you?”

With a charming smile, Rarity spoke up. “Twilight, dear, what I believe Applejack is trying to say, is that in some cases, this one for instance, you could stand to do a bit less thinking with your head, and a bit more with your heart.”

Pinkie broke in again as she bounced in a circle around Twilight. “Yep, you should just let go, get wild and crazy. That's when you start having all sorts of fun dating.”

Twilight tried to follow Pinkie's still bouncing form with surprise written on her face. She hadn't thought her friend had all that much experience in relationships. At least she'd never seen her with a steady special somepony.

Unperturbed by Twilight's stare, Pinkie went on, “It always feels great when you're with somepony and you just do what feels good, and don't think about it too much. If you sit around and think about things, you get all sad and introspectivy.” She slowed down and her smile turned into a small frown. “You start asking yourself things like, 'is my mane too long, not long enough? Am I too fat, or too thin? Why won't they answer my letters anymore? Why?!” By that point she was practically bawling, and leaned heavily on Rarity, pressing her tear streaked face into the uncomfortable unicorn's mane. Rarity reached up with an unsure hoof, delicately trying to soothe Pinkie as she quickly searched for the properly placating words.

But, as suddenly as she'd collapsed into an emotional wreck, Pinkie sprung away from Rarity, beaming widely without any hint whatsoever of her tears from just moments ago. “So, even though you're a super smartypants, Twilight, just go with the flow, do what feels right, and you'll have a lot more fun.”

Twilight dealt with Pinkie's antics the best way she knew how, by simply ignoring them. Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and probably Rainbow Dash were obviously against her, arguing for emotions over logic, so she appealed to her final friend, Fluttershy. After all, love was too important to leave to something as inexplicable as sentimental emotions. “Fluttershy, you agree with me, right? Don't you think it's a good idea to take things slowly, to do some research, maybe a few tests, before I jump all the way into this? I mean, to be completely honest, I'm not the most romantically ... er ... experienced pony. I need some theoretical grounding before I go into the field.”

As usual, Fluttershy appeared uncomfortable at being asked a question so directly and being put on the spot. She apparently found it difficult to meet Twilight's eyes as she replied, “Well, it's true that you don't want to rush into anything, especially when it comes to love. But maybe there's such a thing as being too prepared? Remember when we all agreed to go to that concert, and you spent so much time studying acoustics in order to choose the best location, you completely missed it?”

Applejack spoke up again, “She's right, Twilight. Now, Ah'm all for taking your time before jumping into something like this all willy nilly. But once somepony's caught your eye, you've got to run out there and hog tie them as quick as possible, before somepony else comes along and sweeps them off their hooves. Metaphorically speaking of course.”

Rainbow Dash spoke up, “Yeah, I mean, if we left you to do it the way you wanted, you'd probably lock yourself in here and read every book you could get your hooves on about love. You'd probably die of old age before you even got to first base!”

“First base?” Twilight asked, confused. 

Rainbow Dash seemed hesitant to answer, but Pinkie quickly stepped up and answered, “Well, when two ponies love each other very much, and they get their tongues  -”

Rarity quickly cut her off. “I believe what Rainbow Dash is trying to say, in her own blunt way, is that we're simply trying to help you, dear. I know it can be a bit difficult to come out of your shell, but that makes it all the more necessary for us to help you. With us by your side, you'll not waste a second of your trip to Canterlot, and you'll be going after Princess Luna with everything you have, one-hundred percent!”

“A hundred and ten percent,” Rainbow Dash said eagerly.

Twilight felt a bit as if she were backed into a corner, and tried her best to explain herself one last time. “B-but I don't know how to date a princess. I don't even know how to date.”

“Oh, it's quite simple, dear. Flowers, dancing, small talk, sweetly whispered nothings, secret rendezvouses behind tapestries, stolen kisses ...”

As Rarity went on, Twilight hastily picked up a quill, an ink well, and a piece of parchment, and began to take notes.

“But, most importantly, I think, is the dancing.” Rarity looked pained as she continued, “Now, Twilight, I know it was in an informal setting, but the only time I can recollect you dancing was during your birthday ...”

Twilight looked up over her parchment and beamed. “I remember that. I was putting everything I learned about dancing from my extracurricular classes into practice. It wasn't too bad if I do say so myself.”

Rarity bit her lip, not wanting to continue to harp on the disparity between what could be learned from a book and from practice. “Er, right. Well, I'm sure that you would want your time with Princess Luna to be perfect in every way. So I think maybe we should practice a bit, perhaps a lot, and there's no time like the present. However, I'm afraid that there simply isn't enough room in here to serve as an adequate dance floor. Neither is there in Carousel Boutique.”

“Well hay, there's plenty of room in the ol' barn back at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Rarity smiled radiantly at Applejack. “Perfect. To Sweet Apple Acres then, girls!”

“Yay!” Pinkie cried out, and began to nudge Twilight toward the door, aided by Rainbow Dash.

“B-but what about my books?” Twilight said desperately, trying in vain to slow down her friends. 

Sardonically, Rainbow Dash replied, “Trust me, Twilight, they'll be here when you get back.”

In short order, her friends had dragged her from the library, paper, ink, and pen still floating behind her, Leaving the tree house dark and silent, save for the troubled snores of a baby dragon.