Twilight stifled another yawn as she gazed up at the night sky in content, her tired eyes opened wide through shear willpower as she tried to take in as much of the view as she could. In a small gesture of apology for her earlier actions, Luna had made the stars noticeably brighter and had, after a bit of prompting, spent the past few hours talking about her creations. As tired as she was, Luna’s low soothing voice had lulled her into a state near sleep even as the subject matter and the celestial show above prompted her to fight to stay awake.
Conversation having petered off scant minutes earlier, the two sat in comfortable silence as they gazed up at the sky, each lost in their own thoughts. Completely alone in the night, the two sat secreted away atop a small platform located on the roof of one of the taller towers of the castle. This particular viewing platform was Luna’s favorite, for it was on the edge of the castle and gave an unimpeded view of the sky.
Shivering slightly as a cool breeze swirled around her, Twilight reflexively ruffled her feathers, puffing them up in warmth. The night itself wasn’t inherently cold; however, whether it was due to the coming winter or to their elevation, the wind had a slight bite to it. She wished she had thought to bring a blanket, and briefly entertained the thought of fetching one. After a moment of thought, she discarded the idea; she was loath to abandon her viewing of the beautiful night, even for the handful of minutes it would take for her to locate something warm. Movement in the corner of her eye broke her from her reverie, causing her to tilt her head slightly to the side as she regarded her companion.
Luna stood up and stretched her limbs before settling down once again, this time lying down on her stomach. Looking at her companion out of the corner of her eye, she took in the slightly drooping eyes and slight yet periodic shivers. “You are cold,” Luna spoke softly, yet her voice was easily carried through the otherwise quiet night. Raising a dark blue wing in invitation, she beckoned the smaller mare closer. “Come; we shall keep you warm.”
“Ah,” Twilight hesitated, before declining politely. “I’m fine, really. It’s not actually that cold out.”
“Yes, well, perhaps cold is too strong a word,” Luna agreed, watching another light shiver run through her companion despite her efforts to conceal it. “The wind does, however, carry a certain chill to it. We should have had the forethought to bring a blanket.” Another shiver wracked the purple body, causing Luna to sigh in exasperation as she rolled her eyes. “Come now, we will not bite.”
A slight blush dusted Twilight’s cheeks at the words. “I didn’t think you would,” she mumbled. Fidgeting slightly, she finally gave in and shuffled closer. Lying down next to the larger alicorn, she made sure to leave nearly a foot of space between them. “Happy?”
“No.” Luna stated bluntly. Not giving her companion time to react, she swept her wing down and pulled the shocked mare closer, ignoring her startled yelp. Casually tightening her grasp, she smiled brightly up at the stars, pointedly ignoring the younger alicorn’s attempts to increase the distance between them.
After a few minutes of futilely trying to escape, Twilight finally gave up with a disgruntled huff. Settling down, she ended up leaning further into Luna’s side, grudgingly admitting to herself, but never out loud, that she was a lot warmer now. “You know, that’s completely unfair.”
“Oh?”
“Using your wings against me like that. The both of you do it, and I get caught one hundred percent of the time, with zero percent success at escaping.” Twilight whined slightly with a pout. “Just how come your wings are so strong, while mine feel like falling off after a short game of tag?”
“Ah, well,” Luna lifted a brow in thought, before shrugging faintly. “Countless years of exercise? With time the muscles in your wings will strengthen as well.” A few moments of silence passed before she glanced down awkwardly, voice oddly hesitant. “Are you… Do you mind? If you are truly uncomfortable, we will remove our wing. It was impulsive on our part, we admit, though we meant no discomfort…”
“I… No,” Twilight hurriedly assured her companion as she took stock of her feelings. Though she had never cuddled with the princess of the night, she couldn’t deny that though it was different than cuddling with Celestia, the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. “No. You just startled me, is all.” Shifting closer, she smiled as the wing moved with her, continually conforming to her side and blocking the wind. “I have to admit, I’ve come to really enjoy wing… hugs…” She stumbled, slightly confused over what exactly to call the act.
Luna relaxed slightly in relief, before glancing awkwardly down at her companion once more. “We are not sure how knowledgeable you are on the subject, but embracing with the wing is the main way for pegasi to show affection; familial or otherwise. It also shows a great deal of trust, as it leaves the sensitive wing joints beneath the wing exposed.” Clearing her throat, she timidly continued. “We have always enjoyed lying like this with our sister. She is the only one we have ever felt close enough to…” Luna’s voice diminished drastically until her last words came out in a mumble that would put even Fluttershy’s whispering to shame.
“Hmm?” Twilight peered up at Luna, having been listening intently yet not having caught the end of the sentence. Her brow raised in bemusement when the older alicorn shyly refused to meet her gaze. “What was that?”
“We… I consider you to be a… a good friend, and…” Luna trailed off, shifting vaguely in discomfort before continuing awkwardly. “I wanted to… to share that experience.” Glancing down into startled purple eyes, Luna’s gaze quickly darted away before continuing. “With you.”
Twilight was silent for a few long moments as she attempted to gather her thoughts together. “So let me get this straight; wrapping your wing around someone implies a certain level of intimacy, more than I had initially thought,” she started slowly, carefully choosing her words. “And this,” she nodded at the wing covering her, “is essentially you showing me that you trust me and… and care about me. A lot.” Twilight blushed faintly as her words garnered a very hesitant nod in response.
Falling silent again, Twilight was pulled from her introspective thoughts as the blue alicorn fidgeted slightly in unease. Aware of how her statement may have sounded, she consciously relaxed her limbs and leaned more fully into the embrace. “I… Don’t get me wrong; the feeling… isn’t unpleasant.” It was Twilight’s turn to fidget slightly, the light blush adorning her cheeks darkening a shade. “It may just take me a little while to get used to it, that’s all. I um…” She glanced up shyly. “I’d wing… hug… you too, but my wings are kind of small compared to yours.”
Luna beamed down at Twilight, her smile brighter than any of the stars lacing the sky. Twilight’s answering smile was smaller, yet by no means less genuine. Nuzzling the smaller pony warmly, Luna began humming happily as the purple mare slowly nuzzled back. Tucking her head underneath Luna’s, Twilight let out a face-splitting yawn, her current level of comfort and Luna’s faint humming relaxing her. As Luna leaned her head atop Twilights and closed her eyes in content, a trio of shooting stars shot merrily across the sky.
-0-0-
Opening her eyes slowly, Luna gave a small start as she glanced up at the sky. The moon had moved a considerable distance from last she remembered, indicating she had unintentionally fallen asleep. Glancing down at the small purple alicorn tucked into her side, a slightly confused smile slid onto her face. She didn’t need as much rest as Twilight, whose body was still trying to compensate for the changes it had undergone, and hadn’t expected to follow the younger mare into sleep. Glancing up at the moon again, she shook her head in disbelief. Especially not that early in the night; she must have been more comfortable than she had first thought.
Carefully unwrapping her wing from her sleeping companion, Luna stood up and stretched. A large yawn escaped her lips as she ruffled her feathers, shaking feeling back into her wing. Looking down at the sleeping alicorn, she couldn’t help but smile as her heart melted slightly at the adorable sight. Shivering in her sleep at the sudden absence of warmth, Twilight whined faintly in discontent, curling into a ball in an attempt to ward off the night air.
Not wanting to disturb the tired pony, Luna bit her lip in thought. Brightening as an idea came to her, her horn glowed a deep blue as she enveloped the smaller pony and slowly levitated her friend onto her back. Sensing the warmth, Twilight uncurled enough to burrow her head into the soft fur of Luna’s neck. Her forelegs, no longer cradling her own head, now dangled freely above the large blue wings, one hoof on either side of a soft neck. Sighing happily as the body heat seeped into her and caused her shivering to abate, Twilight’s own smaller lavender wings unclenched, the limbs now hanging limply at her sides.
Standing still for a few moments, Luna waited for her unconscious passenger to settle down while she got used to the weight. Though larger than Twilight, they were still close enough in height to make the whole process slightly awkward, yet still doable. Taking a few tentative steps forward, Luna shifted her wings, testing their maneuverability. Nodding her head in satisfaction, she stepped off of the tower.
Spreading her wings out, she immediately caught a draft, the wind pushing up against her wings and slowing her descent considerably. Mindful of her precious cargo, she tilted her wings so as to glide slowly down towards a large balcony close to her quarters. Landing as gently as she could, Luna froze as she felt movement on her back. Long seconds went by before she heard another sigh, her cargo going limp once more. Relaxing, she quietly made her way through the room and down the halls. Ignoring the poorly hidden stares of the maids working the nightshift, she walked right past the door to Twilight’s bedroom with nary a glance in its direction.
Coming upon her chambers, Luna acknowledged the two night guards standing at attention on either side of the large double doors. Her magic flickered into existence once more as she opened the doors with a thought, the heavy barrier shutting with a faint click behind her. Finally giving in to the urge to yawn now that she was out of the public eye, the lunar princess shuffled tiredly to the side of her large bed. Shifting the dark blue canopy to the side, she turned down the matching thick blanket.
Carefully placing the lavender mare on the side of the bed, she climbed up herself and slowly made her way to the middle. All but collapsing into the delectably soft cushion in satisfaction, she stretched her wing out and, for the second time that night, pulled Twilight into a warm embrace. Curling as much as she could around the smaller body, she cocooned the soft blanket around the two of them, giggling tiredly as Twilight nuzzled further into her, the younger alicorn’s breath tickling her slightly as it rustled the fur on her neck.
Yawning one last time, Luna finally allowed her eyes to close, a small smile painted across her muzzle. Now she knew why Celestia had always been so clingy whenever they slept together; being able to hold someone close while cuddling was an altogether pleasant sensation. The fact that she genuinely cared a great deal for her unwitting teddy bear only served to make the experience that much more enjoyable.