Celestia sighed inaudibly in disappointment as she finished reading the official scroll in front of her. Rolling it up, she handed it back to the guard and gave him a nod. Watching as he stoically bowed and left the room, she turned her attention to her inquisitive companions. With another sigh, this one of regret, she spoke. “It seems I’m going to have to cut breakfast short; something has cropped up that, unfortunately, requires my attention.”
“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked as she stood up, concerned. “Should I round up the Elements?”
“Should I mobilize the guard?” Shining Armor stood as well, only seconds behind his sister.
“No, no,” Celestia motioned for them to sit back down. “Nothing like that.” A faintly irritated expression crossed her face. “Apparently there was another altercation with Blueblood; this time he got into a scuffle with a member of the minor nobility.”
“Is the noble okay?” Twilight questioned. She had grown up around the colt after all; she knew how unpleasant he could be.
“Oh yes; she unsurprisingly won the fight with nary a scratch on her.” Celestia rubbed her forehead wearily.
“So what you’re basically saying is that my darling cousin is putting up a stink because he’s not only a foal but a sore loser as well, right?” Cadence asked dryly, eyes rolling in exasperation as her aunt nodded in response, a similar expression adorning her alabaster face.
“Ah well; duty calls, right?” Cadence smiled wryly, before perking up. “This was fun, though. We should totally do this again sometime, preferably before we leave.”
“Right…” Shining mumbled, wincing as he couldn’t help but remember how horribly awkward the whole affair had been. “Totally…”
“Of course,” Celestia smiled as she came to a stop beside her student. “Perhaps next time Luna will join us.”
“Oh, yes,” Cadence smirked, imagining how much fun she could have at a true family meal, especially with this family in particular. “That would be fun.”
Twilight stood up and looked up at her marefriend, a light dusting of pink across her muzzle the only indication left of her earlier mortification. “So I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Oh, most definitely,” Celestia smiled, her eyes lightly hooded. “But first…” She breathed out as she walked forward, forcing the smaller pony to back up until her flank hit the edge of the table, which in turn caused Twilight to rear up onto her hind legs and grab onto Celestia to keep her balance. Ignoring the startled yelp, Celestia swung a foreleg around Twilight to make sure she didn’t fall and leaned in.
“What are you…?” Twilight’s breath hitched and her eyes widened as the larger alicorn’s tongue darted out of her mouth and proceeded to slowly trace her purple lips.
“You had some icing…” Celestia murmured before connecting their lips in a sugary kiss.
A few long moments passed before Twilight found the strength to pull away. “But my brother is right…” She gasped.
“He can turn his head,” Celestia stated as she dove back in, this time securing a light moan from the littlest alicorn.
“Mmmm,” Twilight broke away again, her lips brushing those in front of her as she panted. “But-”
“Twilight,” Celestia breathed, the puff of warm air breaking across the purple muzzle as she shifted her hoof.
“Oh!” Twilight squeaked out, and this time it was her that slammed their lips together as a white hoof rubbed gently between her wings.
-0-0-
"Can't you just feel it?" Cadence sighed dreamilywith a sappy smile on her face as she gazed at the two alicorns across from her, her head propped up by her hooves as she leant forward on the table.All thoughts of her stuck-up cousin abandoned her posthaste in the face of such unadulterated delight. “The sensation is practically overpowering.”
"Yeah," Shining Armor agreed uneasily, purposefully staring at the wall to his side and not at his sister. His little sister. His little sister whose tongue, by the sounds of it, was not in her own mouth where it should be. “I’m not sure if it’s nausea or indigestion.”
Cadence frowned slightly and, not taking her eyes off of the spectacle in front of her, reached out one of her hind hooves and jabbed her husband in the side. Ignoring his filly-like yelp, her lips turned upright into another dreamy smile as she once again focused on the adorableness playing out in front of her.
Rubbing his side indignantly, Shining turned his head to complain at his treatment only for his jaw to snap shut. Words dying in his throat, he unfortunately got an eyeful of the very thing he was trying to avoid. His sister was standing on her hind legs with her forelegs wrapped around Celestia’s neck, her new purple wings hanging from her sides and quivering quite noticeably. Celestia, on the other hoof, had one foreleg wrapped firmly around the smaller pony, pressing her snuggly up against her chest as they kissed passionately.
Face paling, he quickly averted his gaze. “Oh, for the love of Cele-” Shoving his hoof in his mouth, he froze as he realized exactly what he was about to say and just how it pertained to the current situation. Unfortunately for him, the Princess of Love sitting next to him had no such qualms.
“Oh, honey,” Cadence smirked, granting her husband a mischievous look out of the corner of her eye. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what our little Twilight is doing.” Gazing back at the oblivious alicorns, this time speculatively, her smirk grew to almost wicked proportions. “And I must say that from the looks of things, she’s doing a fine job indeed.”
“Oh. Oh feathers. Why would you even…” Shining shuddered, mortified at the words that had just come out of his wife’s mouth. There wasn’t enough mental soap in all of Equestria to save him now. “Nausea.” The slight green color staining his otherwise white face only served to support his choked out statement. “Definitely nausea.” Closing his eyes, he swung his head down and rested it wearily against the table. By this rate he was going to need serious therapy before he could look any one of the princesses in the eye.
Rolling her eyes, she glanced at her overdramatic mate. “Shine, really, there’s nothing wrong with watching such a pure display of love-”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a pure display…” Shining muttered with a wince as he heard a light moan. He wasn’t sure which mare it had come from and at this point he wasn’t sure he wanted to know; both potential outcomes seemed equally disturbing.
“-between two incredibly attractive mares-”
“Whoa. Back up,” Shining whispered frantically, right eye twitching slightly as he practically began hyperventilating. “That’s my sister, our sister, and your aunt with their tongues down each other’s throat! How does that statement not seem odd to you? Is it because you’re a mare? Or is it an immortal thing?”
“Well,” Cadence put on a thoughtful expression, playfully tapping here muzzle with her hoof as she replied. “Ah… A little bit of both, I suppose…”
“Cadence!” Shining whispered loudly. “I’m being serious-”
“Shining,” Cadence cut him off, eyes and voice softening as she began to explain her point of view. “I get that this may make you slightly uncomfortable; you’re her big brother, I’m sure you’d feel uncomfortable no matter who she ended up dating. What I want you to understand is that I am the Princess of Love, and that is not an empty title.”
Pausing, she made sure her husband was really listening before she continued. “I have never felt that amount of romantic love coming from my aunt in all the time I’ve known her; it’s actually quite staggering. That fact that Twilight matches that love perfectly with her own makes my heart want to burst in joy for the both of them.”
Stopping again, she allowed a somewhat giddy smile to slide onto her face. “I’m actually starting to feel slightly intoxicated on their love; and you know I’m not a lightweight when it comes to that particular emotion.”
“I…” Shining shifted, slightly calmer. Guilt started to eat at him as he realized how his demeanor could have been taken. “I don’t begrudge them their love; how could I when I myself know just how magical it is? I just… It’s like you said; she’s my little sister. I don’t think it’s ever going to be not weird, you know? Especially if she makes it a habit to make out in public like this.”
“But she’s not really in public, is she?” Cadence arched a brow as slowly drove her point home. “She’s in a private room surrounded by her loved ones; a place where she should feel safe to be herself and express her feelings.”
“Okay, okay.” Shining sighed in defeat. “You’ve made your point. I’ll keep my Big Brother grumbling down to a minimum.” A small smile flittered across his otherwise morose face as he received a small kiss in reward for his words. Though when his wife took her attention off of him, he couldn’t help but mumble under his breath. “It’s still kind of weird, though.”
Cadence refocused her attention across the table, slightly disappointed to see the show was winding down. Pouting at missing a chunk of the action, she cleared her throat and leaned on one hoof while idly waving the other in the air. “You know, to answer your earlier question... If you think about it, I’m not actually related to either of them...” A small satisfied smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she heard Shining choke on air for the umpteenth time that morning.
-0-0-
Pulling away slowly, Celestia grudgingly backed up, allowing her flushed pupil to fall back onto her four hooves. “I really do have to go now,” Celestia murmured regretfully, stealing one last quick kiss.
“Hmmm…” Twilight fell back onto her pillow with a dazed smile.
“You’re sleeping with me tonight, I hope?” Celestia asked, brushing the younger pony’s mane out of her face with a hoof.
“Mmhmm…” Twilight agreed slowly, dopey grin still in place.
Celestia, unable to contain herself at the adorable face her love was making, leaned back down to steal just one last kiss only to jump slightly in surprise as the doors opened loudly behind her. Turning around, she slowly raised an eyebrow at her grumpy looking sister.
“You’re up early, little sister,” Celestia teased as she flashed her sister a sunny smile, hiding a pout at being interrupted. “I thought you said you were going back to sleep.”
“And one wonders why one has not,” Luna grumbled, eyeing her sister with a slight glower. “One also wonders why one was unable to close one’s curtains and block out one’s infernal brightness.”
“Yes,” Celestia hummed, an innocent smile on her face. “One does wonder, don’t they?”
“Doth thou not have somewhere to be? Somewhere that is not here?” Luna scowled peevishly as she gestured towards the open door, her face brightening into a somewhat smug smile as the older alicorn’s ears drooped with a nearly invisible pout.
Sighing, Celestia gave one more longing glance at the purple alicorn before walking towards the door. Pausing beside her sister, she looked down at her inquisitively as a thought came to her. “How exactly did you know I had somewhere else to be?”
Luna blinked.
Celestia slowly arched a brow.
“We ran into thy guard on our way here.” Luna finally answered haltingly, eyes shifting almost unnoticeably from side to side.
“Mhmm,” Celestia gave her sister a long look before finally exiting the room.
Shrugging off her older sister’s look, Luna walked completely into the room and glanced at its occupants for the first time. Spotting Twilight, a bright smile enveloped her face as she trotted over. Plopping down on the cushion next to her, she gave no warning before pulling the purple pony into her lap. Wrapping her forelegs and wings around her companion, she squeezed her tightly in a loving hug.
“Good morning, dearest Twilight!” Luna mumbled into the purple pony’s neck. “Thy sleep was pleasant, we hope?”
“Good morning,” Twilight attempted to struggle out of the embrace, but it was quite obviously a token effort at best. It seemed that her body had a mind of its own as instead of breaking away from the hooves it leaned further into the soft warmth. “Yes,” Twilight sighed in defeat, going limp. “I slept like a rock.”
Luna pulled her head back and looked down at the littlest alicorn quizzically. “Rocks do not sleep. Unless...” She paused hesitantly, expression suddenly unsure. “Hath things changed that drastically in our absence?”
“No, no,” Twilight quickly reassured the pony wrapped around her with a small grin. “It’s an expression; a figure of speech. It means I slept deeply.”
“Wondrous,” Luna beamed. “We shall have to sleep together again, for t’was quite pleasurable on our part as well.” A slightly masculine whimper distracted her, shifting her attention from the shy pony in her arms to the couple across the table. “Niece, Nephew,” Luna greeted warmly, her expression turning faintly concerned as she regarded the unicorn with his head lying on the table. “Thou art... well?”
“Does she really have to call me that while she’s wrapped around my little sis and talking about... that?” Shining whined into hard wood, his words unintelligible.
“Oh, don’t mind him,” Cadence waved away her aunt’s concern with a hoof. “He’s fine.”
“Luna?” Twilight asked, immediately garnering the undivided attention of the alicorn in question. Blushing slightly at suddenly becoming the center of the attention, Twilight nonetheless moved forward with her question, her curiosity piqued. “Your speech patterns seem to have reverted slightly towards the archaic. I was just wondering why that is; last night your speech was practically modern... you know, besides the whole ‘we’ thing.”
“Ah, yes,” Luna blushed lightly, averting her gaze a little to the left. “Thou... You noticed that, did you? We have indeed improved, though... ‘tis very early for us.” A sheepish expression came over her face. “I shall hence forth endeavour to think about my word choice before I speak.”
“Oh no!” Twilight shook her head emphatically. “I didn’t mean to offend... Actually, to be quite honest, I find it rather cute.”
“Thou didst not offend,” Luna replied rather forcefully, before pausing with a bashful smile as she shyly made eye contact. “I... thank you.”
“I hate to interrupt this love-fest,” Cadence paused, before emphatically reiterating her statement. “No, seriously, I really hate myself at the moment for interrupting; but I have a question.”
“Go on,” Luna prompted, baffled at the pink pony’s word choice yet doggedly not showing it. It was a sensation that she had become frustratingly familiar with as of late. Her current solution was to pretend she understood what other ponies were saying only to track down her sister after the fact with a dictionary and a slew of questions, only some of which were fabricated with the specific intention of being annoying or redundant. Though not the most efficient way to go about it, it was a system that more or less worked, and she was loath to fix something that wasn’t broken.
“While we’re on the subject of early mornings, why are you even awake?” Cadence asked confused. “Not to be rude, but don’t you usually sleep until midday at the earliest?”
“Ah, yes,” Luna’s glower from earlier came back as she grumped. “There was an... incident concerning our curtains.”
“Oh?” Cadence questioned slowly, flashing back to the earlier scene between the two sisters. Amusement began to leak into her voice as she put the pieces together.
“Yes,” Luna continued dryly. “We fear we require new ones.”
“Mhmm,” Cadence spoke innocently through her smirk. “And this incident wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with Auntie Celestia having to rush off to clean up another one of Blueblood’s messes, would it?”
“We know not of what thou speak of,” Luna sniffed haughtily.
“Right, right,” Cadence paused for a beat. "So how much of the trouble he makes is due to your meddling, and how much is simply due to the fact that he’s a spoiled jerk?"
"Meddle? We do not meddle." Luna said in disdain, a sneer on her face. Her affronted expression lasted all of ten seconds before a sly grin replaced it. "We simply supply him with rope; he is the one who unfailingly hangs himself each and every time."
Even Shining found it in himself to laugh at that.
“We regret that we may have to find a new peon, however.” Luna frowned. It was a sad thought; not only was he pathetically easy to rile up and manipulate, but he was also so annoying that she felt nary a twinge of remorse for doing so.
“You think he’s on to you?” Cadence raised a brow in semi-disbelief.
“No,” Luna snorted at the very idea. “What an amusing thought. No, ‘tis our sister, we fear, who has caught on.”
“That makes a lot more sense,” Cadence giggled.
Twilight piped up questioningly, moving her head away from where it rested so her words would be understood. “What do you think she’ll do with that knowledge?”
“We do not know,” Luna responded slowly. “Our sister has always enjoyed teasing us; we have no doubt she will ‘get even’. However, Celestia is anything but malicious; she is aware of what we are and are not comfortable with, so we are not unduly worried.” Luna blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “But we digress; we did have a purpose for coming here.”
“You came for breakfast, I assume?” Cadence raised a brow and gestured towards the half-demolished cake on the table. “You’re welcome to have some; it’s actually pretty delicious.”
“’Tis a kind offer,” Luna stifled a smirk as she caught a glimpse of the cake’s interior, clutching the suddenly squirming pony tighter to her chest. “However, we actually came to ask a favour of thee.”
“What kind of favour?” Cadence asked, curiosity piqued the smirk now adorning the elder alicorn’s face.
“We wish to...” Luna hesitated, attempting to pick her words carefully. “We require aid in planning a... surprise... for Twilight.”
“Surprise?” Twilight abruptly went very still, all thoughts of prior food related embarrassments fleeing her mind in wake of her overwhelming curiosity. “What kind of surprise?”
“T’would not be a surprise if I told you, no?” Luna grinned impishly. “No, you shall simply have to wait and find out for yourself.”
“Hmmm,” Cadence hesitated in answering, a slightly different idea forming in her mind. An impish grin slowly took up residence on her face. “Actually, how about you take Shining with you; he is her bother, after all. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you out. I’ll keep Twilight company and make sure she doesn’t try to ruin her surprise.”
“An interesting proposition,” Luna replied thoughtfully, head tilted to the side. “Yes, that may work.”
“What?” Shining blurted out, startled. Raising his head, he stared at his wife with wide eyes. “No. Oh no. No way.”
“Look, Shine,” Cadence leaned her head closer to the unicorn, whispering under her breath. “As I see it, you have two options; either you help Luna out and then tell me all about it while I question Twilight about her love life,” Cadence paused, a wicked smile twisting her lips as she continued. “Or I’ll help Luna out and you’ll question Twilight about her love life and then repeat it all back to me, word for word. Your choice.”
Shining looked turned his gaze from his wife’s deadly serious face to Luna’s hopeful one. Gulping audibly, he slumped, sighing in dejected resignation. Now he knew why his guard buddies had just about laughed the roof off of the barracks when he had announced he was getting married. “I’d love to help you out, Princess Luna.” Shining forced a smile onto his face, though he was sure it came out as more of a grimace.
Luna, either not noticing his suspiciously wobbly smile or just not caring either way, simply beamed back in reply.