//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12.2 - Counting Down The Days 
// Story: Becoming One With the Night 
// by Spacecowboy 
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        Celestia sat in her study, reading the mail by the light of her early afternoon sun.  So far, nothing too interesting had surfaced, mostly petitions for funding frivolous endeavors.  Researching for a reason as to why manticores are deadly.  Celestia snorted in amusement, eyeing the letter in front of her.  Fairly easy to research, just go into the Everfree and wait for one to show up.  It'll become readily apparent as to why they're deadly.  She laughed aloud, then abruptly halted.  Oh, yes.  I suppose not the Everfree manticores...

        Tossing it into the bin, she looked towards the next letter on the rapidly dwindling stack situated on her desk.  Oh, a letter from Sharp Plane. I am most curious as to how their progress has been.  Removing the seal, Celestia unfurled the scroll and began to read.

        Princess Celestia,

        I am writing you this letter to inform you of our progress towards the Everfree project.  We have managed to make substantial headway so far.  The initial clearing to the old castle from Canterlot has nearly been completed.  We are awaiting delivery of the paving stones.  The order was put in, and I have been informed that it will take two weeks for the first batch to arrive.

        We have had no major issues with the local fauna and beasts that inhabit the forest.  Oddly enough, an earth pony worker that was scouting a path encountered a manticore, and it fled in abrupt terror after defecating itself.  I have no clue what exactly what hoof you had in its reaction, however I must thank you for keeping us safe.  We have had one or two fools encounter the dreadful Poison Joke, however thanks to a zebra sage, we had the remedy on hoof.

        I do have some news regarding the timeline, and sadly it isn't positive.  I saw firsthoof the state of the castle, as well as the immediate area surrounding it.  It's state of disrepair is quite bad, and although it is indeed salvageable, it will take much work.  Plus, we much build a bridge or two to span the large chasm between it and the planned road to Ponyville.  The good news to this, though, is that I have requested the aid of a large force of Manehatten's construction union, and they are set to arrive within the week.

        Respectfully,
                Sharp Plane, Pres. of Canterlot Construction Union

        "I suppose I did base the timeline off of what it would take myself to do the renovations firsthoof..."  She hummed a little, giving the letter a quick second read.  "Well, it seems like things are moving decently.  I suppose the announcement can be pushed back by a little bit."

        Setting the letter to the side, she quickly finished the remainder of the pile, tossing the last one into the waste bin with a sigh.  With but a thought, the contents were incinerated, leaving not even ash in the container.  "Now, to write that letter..."  Freeing a loose piece of parchment from a stack, Celestia brought a quill, its tip wet with ink, to bear on the page.

        To Velvet Twilight and Crescent Dusk,

        I wish to thank you...


~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~


        The trio of mares exited the spa, each one relaxed after the session, with one exception.  Twilight's normally purple coat more than hinted at a flush of crimson staining it.  "Flutters...  don't EVER tell me about the games you and Pinkie play, ever, ever again!"  Rarity laughed, a lone hoof over her mouth.

        "I thought you might want to play with Luna, though, sorry..."  Fluttershy demurely muttered in reply, causing Rarity to further devolve into laughter in a most unlady-like manner.  "Eeep!"  She joined Twilight in blushing, partially hiding her face with her mane.

        “Rarity!”  Twilight exclaimed, surprised at the fashionista.

        Rarity’s laughs died as she quickly coughed and checked her mane with a hoof.  “I’m sorry, darlings, but that was just too good to pass up!”  She leaned in close to Fluttershy, raising one hoof to try and muffle her voice.  “However, Fluttershy, I would absolutely love to hear about such games later on.”

        “Uh, Rarity...  you really weren’t whispering there.”  Twilight smacked her forehead with a hoof, sighing.  Poor Shy...  Clearing her throat, both Rarity and Fluttershy looked in her direction as she lowered her hoof.  “Anyhoof, you two cannot tell anypony that Luna and I are dating, okay?  We’ll be telling everypony this weekend once Luna and Celestia come visit.”

        Fluttershy's mane bobbed up and down as she nodded her head.  "Don't worry, I won't tell anypony."  She looked up at the sun briefly, then let out a quick eep.  "I need to get back to the cottage; Pinkie will be by soon.  Goodbye, girls."  She quickly waved in their direction before taking off.

        Rarity and Twilight returned the wave before the fashionista spoke once more.  "Darling, don't worry about me saying anything; I'm not one to spoil such a wondrous announcement!"  A stray thought entered Rarity's mind, causing her eyes to quickly appear haunted.  "You do realize, Twilight, that you'll most likely have to tell Pinkie not to spoil it with a party before then...  I don't envy you one bit, not at all."

        Twilight raised a brow  "What are you talking about, Rarity, Pinkie just knows I have a crush on Luna, not that we're, you know..."  She trailed off, hesitant to mention the word dating in public.

        Rarity gave a short, chopped laugh.  "Twilight, we're talking about Pinkie...  She knows, trust me."


~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~        

        
        Twilight opened her eyes, momentarily blinded by the light.  She found herself standing on Luna’s moon, the brilliance of Equus the source of the light.  The void of space was devoid of stars, however the planet below thoroughly captivated her attention.  All across the globe, she could see the multitude of dreamers below, each one a bright beacon of light to her eyes.  Weird, this isn’t how I thought dreams would present themselves to me.

        “Twilight...”  A voice found its way to her ear, its origin distant.  She jerked her head up, looking around for the speaker.

        “Luna?  Is that you?”  She continued to search, although her love was nowhere to be found.  Her gaze settled on a lone star that shimmered close to the moon, its pale blue color very distinct to her eyes.

        "We...  not...  her."  A broken voice reached her ears, its gender indistinguishable.  "...time is... short... soon."

        Twilight sat on the lunar surface, focused on her star, confusion running rampant across     her face.  "I can't really understand you.  Who are you, where are you, where are we?"  Questions echoed through the void, Twilight's voice assuming an eerie quality.  This can't be a dream, but I have no clue what it is...

        She continued to look around, a multitude of stars slowly blinking into existence, joining her pale blue one in the emptiness of space.  A gentle, quiet hum began, a melody emerging from it.  Twilight simply laid down, her back to the lunar surface, as the song continued to grow in strength.  The tone it carried to her ears spoke volumes without words, uplifting yet sorrowful at the same time.  Twilight simply listened as she slept, the stars providing a symphony to her ears.



~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~


        Luna's eyes were closed, her realm of dreams laid bare before her as she intently looked for one in particular.  Ah, there it is.  A gentle purple glow filled her vision as she quickly checked on Twilight.  Satisfied, she withdrew from her realm, her bedroom coming back into focus.  "Good, she should be well rested for our visit tomorrow morning."

        She let out a relaxing sigh as her vision came to rest on the calendar containing the schedule her love had made for her.  It is nearly embarrassing how some of the most obvious things were blind to us.  To think, Tia and I had gotten so used to trying to get closer again that we were attending most of the meetings together.  She looked at the mix of meetings that had filled the days leading into the massive blank spot that was the weekend.

        Luna tore her gaze from the calendar, meticulously scanning the titles of books on one shelf.  She plucked a few of them from their places and gently set them within a small luggage bag, attempting to get everything ready for the trip she and Celestia would be taking to Ponyville tomorrow morning.

        A gentle knock rapped at the door.  Focusing for a moment, Luna discerned who it was.  "Come on in, sister.  The door is unlocked."  A slight creaking of hinges was the only sign of her sister's entry, Luna’s focus still on packing for the trip.

        "Night, sister.  I thought that I would come by before retiring for the day.  It seems that I've become a bit too reliant on others packing for me.  It took me the better part of two hours to track down everything I needed.  Can you believe I couldn't find the toothpaste?"  Celestia let out a hearty laugh, Luna joining her for a few moments.

        "Tia, sometimes I think you've gotten a bit too lazy and used to others doing things for you.  Besides, it is a travesty to not know where one's traveling toiletries are located!"  Luna snickered as Celestia attempted to stare at her with a level gaze but failed miserably as soon as Luna struck a dramatic pose.

        Celestia and Luna joined together in laughter, each one enjoying the mirth that they shared.  Eventually Celestia found her breath.  "Oh, Lulu, I'm so glad that we've managed to grow close once more...  I was truly concerned for some time, but I'm truly glad that my fears were put to rest."  She gently embraced her sister.  "I love you, Luna.  Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."

        Luna leaned into the embrace.  "And I am gladdened as well, Tia.  You seem to have finally stopped blaming yourself for events that were truly beyond your control.  Goodnight, dear sister of mine."

        Celestia quietly left the room, walking to her own quarters, ignoring the presence of the posted guards.  She walked to the sun emblazoned on the wall and once more performed a spell that she had long ago memorized.  She gently removed an old scroll and a black box, layering the latter with wards designed to contain magic, then placed them in her bags for the trip in the morning.


~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~