“You know, sister, you could avoid all this trouble if you’d stop being so stubborn.”
“I am not being stubborn, Luna.”
The younger sister sighed heavily. “If that is how you wish to be, then we shall have to continue this dance until you are willing to open up in earnest.”
“There is nothing to talk about,” Celestia retorted as her gaze hardened to a glare.
Not willing to give her sister the satisfaction of glaring at her, Luna cheerily returned her own gaze to the pile of books on her bed. She pretended to read in an effort to frustrate her older sister. As the minutes passed in silence, Luna could practically feel her sister’s patience wearing out.
“Luna, I am not leaving until we talk about this.” Celestia was particularly intent on settling this matter today. Unbeknownst to the alabaster alicorn, so too was Luna.
Although Celestia’s tone was even, Luna knew her sister well enough to pick up on the firmness in her voice. It was the type of tone Celestia used when she was trying to hide her frustration. The smirk Luna had been wearing grew into a full blown smile. Between the thinly veiled irritation, and Celestia's choice of words, the midnight alicorn knew that she had already won.
Luna spoke without looking up from her faux reading, “So, shall we discuss why you have no qualms with your dreams consisting almost entirely of sexual fantasies about Twilight Sparkle, or would you like to dance around the subject for an hour while I slowly whittle away your excuses for not admitting your romantic feelings for her?”
Much to Luna’s surprise, her sister’s answer came not with words, but with a golden glow from her horn. Luna’s pile of books were swiftly lifted from her bed and deposited on the floor. As the glow faded, the midnight alicorn watched as Celestia lay down next to her. A dark blue wing draped over her sister’s back as Luna leaned into Celestia’s side. “Whenever you are ready to speak, I am here to listen.”
Neither alicorn bothered to count the minutes as they ticked away in silence. It was a minor respite from the heavy conversation to follow.
Finally, Celestia’s courage peaked. Her head plopped down onto the soft bed, a sigh escaped with the last of her resistance. “Luna, I’m terrible at romance.” The midnight wing tensed, pulling their bodies even closer.
“I am not certain I follow.”
“I was a complete mess when I lost you, Luna. I ended up shutting everypony out of my life. I...” Celestia trailed off as memories began to flood her mind. She blinked back the tears that were forming and raised her head before continuing. “For nearly twenty years I was little more than a shadow of myself. Without you, nothing felt as warm.” This time, the memory was too strong; tears began to flow.
“Eventually, I realized that I was not the only one who was hurting. My little ponies were growing afraid that I would end up falling like you had.” Celestia paused, allowing that thought to sink into Luna’s mind. The midnight wing pulled even tighter. “I knew that I had to do something, for their sake, as well as my own.
“At the time, there was a station in the royal guard referred to as ‘princess attendant’. The whole point of it was to ensure that I had somepony with me at all times in the hope that it might keep me from feeling too lonely without you around.”
“It does not sound like that worked very well,” Luna remarked.
Celestia chuckled slightly, recognizing the jab as her sister’s attempt at sarcastic humor. “Not at first, no. However, once I decided to take action, I was glad to have such an opportunity. It started as little more than a few awkward attempts at conversation, and eventually grew into a relationship that I could not do without. He was a remarkable stallion...” The solar alicorn trailed off again, once more revisiting her memories.
Luna cleared her throat. “Please feel free to continue when you are done fantasizing about your old lover.” The younger sister grinned as Celestia’s face flushed with red.
“Y-yes, of course.”
The silence grew awkward as Celestia closed her eyes. The silence was soon replaced with a series of sensual moans from the solar mare. Luna could feel the awkwardness increasing with every sound her sister made. The midnight mare cleared her throat once more.
“I said no visitors,” Celestia replied before her moaning continued.
“Sister!”
Celestia’s eyes fluttered open. “Y-yes?”
“I’d appreciate if you would continue your story,” the younger sister deadpanned.
A slight frown appeared on the solar mare’s face. “But you said I could finish fantasizing,” she retorted. Not even Luna’s dark coat could hide her furious blushing. “You know,” Celestia continued as a devious grin crept onto her lips, “for all the toying around you did with my dreams these last few months, you sure do blush easily, sister.”
Luna closed her eyes, avoiding her older sister’s teasing gaze, as she tried to steer her mind away from unwanted avenues of thought. “I-it’s not like I enjoy such lascivious thoughts about you. Besides, you know very well that I don’t have to directly view a dream to glean information from it, much less to influence it.”
Luna’s eyes shot open at the sudden warmth against her cheek. To her surprise, she was now cheek to cheek with her sister.
“You know, Luna, I’m glad you’ve managed to lighten up since your return.” Celestia continued to surprise her younger sister by rubbing their cheeks together. “And I dare say you’re taking better care of your coat these days. I don’t remember you being so silky.”
Luna’s composure faltered. “At least you haven’t lost your skill at trying to avoid sensitive subjects,” she snapped.
The awkward gesture ceased. A flash of gold smoothed the ruffled coats back into place. Celestia released a heavy sigh. “And it seems you still see through me like nopony else.”
Luna leaned in and rested her head against her sister. “Nopony else has had to deal with your antics as much as I have.”
“It sounds like I owe you an apology–”
Luna swiftly interrupted, “Don’t even think about it. I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything.”
Time crept along at its own pace as the pair of smiling siblings sat in a blissful silence. It was a rare treat for the two to be able to simply enjoy each other’s presence and neither wished to disturb the moment.
Guiltily, Celestia continued her story. “I know it was foolish, but he was everything I needed back then.”
Luna shifted her gaze slightly to look up at her sister. “Hmm?”
A wistful tone pervaded Celestia’s voice. “He listened without judgement. He consoled me without an ulterior motive. He loved me for who I was, not because of what I was.” A smile curled her lips upward as she remembered him.
“Trying to make me jealous now?”
Luna’s reply snapped Celestia back to the present. Her horn lit with a golden glow. A parchment and quill levitated in front of her. The quill set to work scratching an image into the paper. A few moments later, the parchment floated in front of Luna.
Luna’s head tilted to one side, then the other. Neither view helped her discern what she was looking at.
Seeing her sister’s confusion, Celestia spoke. “This is me,” she pointed at the larger figure, “and this is him,” she pointed at the smaller figure.
“What is this third drawing?” Luna asked.
“His size.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh...”
Her smile dipped. “Losing him was... difficult.”
“Death is not an easy thing to deal with, but I fail to see how that reflects poorly on your romantic ability.”
Celestia turned her head away from Luna. “I didn’t lose him to death. I lost him because I was too blind to see what being close to me was doing to him.”
Luna frowned.
“At first, we kept our relationship a secret. Eventually, I slipped up and revealed that we we romantically involved.” Her smile dipped further. “Nobles were unhappy because he was a ‘commoner’, and many of the royal guard accused him of receiving preferential treatment. I was so foolish back then. I thought that speaking out and publicly praising him would dissuade their jealousy of him.”
Silence pervaded the room once more. Luna knew there was nothing she could say that would help, so she settled for wrapping a foreleg over her sister’s shoulders.
“He put up with the pressure for nearly four years. To this day, I cannot fathom how he managed for so long...” Celestia turned her head back to face Luna. “We parted amicably, assuming me sobbing like a filly into a pillow counts as amicable.” The concerned look on Luna’s visage was enough to tell Celestia that her attempt at a joke had not gone over well.
“Sister, that is horrible–”
Celestia interjected, “No, no. I was trying to make a joke.” Luna’s expression softened. “I can see I wasn’t clear enough to make it worth laughing at. We truly did part on peaceful terms. He was remarkable to the end. I was sad, yes, but I could never blame him for leaving. I truly did not deserve him.”
Luna swiftly chided Celestia. “Sister, one bad experience does not mean you are terminally bad with romance.”
“If only it was just the one time...”
Luna sighed. She had known that her sister was holding onto bad memories, but she hadn’t imagined it would be quite so tricky get her talk about them. Regardless, it was her duty as a sister to see to Celestia’s wellbeing. No matter how long it might take, Luna was determined to drag out every foul memory that was poisoning her sister’s judgement and beat them into submission. If there was one thing that Luna had learned in her life, it was that the mistakes of the past should never hold you back from finding happiness.
“Then tell me about these other times. You will certainly feel better if you talk about them with me.” Luna retracted her foreleg back to a more comfortable position.
Celestia’s response was not immediate. “I believe it was around two hundred years after he left that I began looking for another partner. I thought I would find somepony that was more acclimated to political stress. I found a particularly handsome noble stallion and made a move on him.”
Luna noticed that Celestia wasn’t smiling while she mentioned this stallion.
“He was intelligent and charismatic. Our conversations were very enjoyable...”
When Celestia did not continue, Luna knew this stallion had been trouble. “And what else?”
“Before we were together, he was a much less selfish individual. It only took a few months of being close to me before he fell victim to the temptations of power and greed. He began to abuse his connection to me when he thought I wouldn’t notice.”
Luna was unable to resist the scowl that tugged at her lips. “And you put him in his place for this behavior, yes?”
The solar mare closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. I fell prey to the same selfishness. I didn’t want to lose somepony close to me again... I just ignored everything he did right until the end.”
“For how long?”
“It was only a few weeks after I found out what he was doing that the noble families of Canterlot came to me with a list of grievances towards him. ” Celestia allowed her head to fall down onto the bed once more. “It turned out that he was very busy with his abuse. To appease them, I had to strip him of his position, his wealth, his possessions, and dissolve his family.” Celestia’s next words were punctuated with stream of tears flowing down her face. “I ruined the lives of dozens of ponies who had done nothing wrong, all because I refused to act; because I was too selfish to do the right thing.”
Luna was quick to embrace her sister in a near crushing hug. “Tis fine, sister. No need to hold back anymore.” A series of sobs tugged at Luna’s heart as centuries of pent up regret flowed outward like rivers. As each was swept up in the memories of their mistakes, neither mare could find the will to speak.
Although the memory was painful, Celestia couldn’t help but feel a twinge of relief. Having somepony there to listen, somepony she knew would not judge her for her failure, brought a strange sense of catharsis. That realization brought a tiny smile to her face. Perhaps, Celestia mused to herself, it was time to share the story of her final romantic burden. After all, who better to tell than the one she trusted most? Slowly, the tears subsided. Celestia took a deep breath, and prepared herself for her final tale.
“Luna,” Celestia broke the silence, “there is one more failure you should know about.”
The younger mare’s embrace loosened slightly, her head pulled back just enough to gaze up at her sister’s face. The miniscule smile Celestia wore seemed to contradict the melancholic tone of her words, but that just made her message clearer than the finest glasses of the Crystal Empire. Luna knew that she was truly helping, that her sister was at last finding relief from these long carried burdens of her past mistakes. Quickly, she nuzzled against her sister’s neck, wiping away the forming tears of joy in the smooth, white coat before they could interrupt Celestia’s tale.
Celestia’s smile widened at her sister’s comforting gesture. She swallowed her hesitation and pressed forward. “It was around four hundred years ago that I had taken up my last paramour.” Luna was quick to note the combination of happiness and regret in Celestia’s voice.
Celestia continued after a small silence. “I wanted to distance myself from my previous failures as much as possible, so I wound up falling for a very humble earth pony mare.” A series of tiny laughs escaped the white muzzle, doing much to liven the atmosphere of the room. “I wish you could have been there to see the looks on the nobles’ faces when they found out. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those expressions.
“Anyway, about her… In many ways, she was the most unremarkable mare you’d ever meet.” An expression of warmth washed over the solar mare’s face and seemingly trickled down to relax her entire body. “Yet, she is one pony I could never forget. She was kind, patient… attentive.” A very obvious blush took hold of Celestia’s face as she spoke that last word.
Not willing to fail in her duties as a sister, Luna spoke up. “Shall I leave you to play with your thoughts, or will you be skipping the sensual fantasy part of the retelling this time?”
Celestia simply chuckled softly. “Alright, I get it. I promise I won’t get distracted this time.” Luna’s victorious grin was enough to bring the older mare her own sense of satisfaction. It was difficult for Celestia to even fathom just how much she had missed little moments like this. She allowed her body to relax in the comforting knowledge that she truly did have Luna back. In response to the command, her body rolled slightly to one side, leaning in against her younger sister’s body. Celestia felt Luna trying to adjust her balance for the sudden extra pressure. Suddenly, Luna pushed back until the situation was reversed. Celestia responded in kind until the two were deadlocked.
“You’re as heavy as ever, sister.” Luna quipped, a playful edge pervading her voice.
Celestia grinned. “I’d take offense to that if you didn’t eat nearly twice as much as I do.”
“Unlike you, I actually work out enough to justify my caloric intake!”
“You know, Luna, you might have more luck finding suitors if you let your rump round out a bit.”
“Ha!” Luna scoffed, “You have enough rump for the both of us!”
Celestia closed her eyes and turned her head upward with a fake sense of haughtiness. “I’ll have you know that my proportions are considered the height of beauty in Equestria.”
A sly grin slipped on the younger sister’s face. “Oh? Is that why most fashion models are currently striving to mimic my proportions?” The expression of shock on her older sister’s face was priceless.
“S-since when?”
“At least a year now, possibly more.” Not willing to let the flames of embarrassment subside, Luna added more fuel. “Even our niece, Cadance has opted for my figure over yours.”
Celestia’s jaw fell slack at that realization. Somehow, she had allowed the unthinkable to happen. She had failed to notice the signs. “How did I let this happen? How could I have been so negligent as to let small rumps become fashionable!?”
And just like that, Luna was lost.
Before the midnight alicorn could react, Celestia had descended into a fit of dramatics. “Luna, where did I go wrong? Did I not do everything I could have to show my little ponies the glorious truth, that soft, round rumps are the path to true happiness?”
Luna shook her head to attempt to clear the dazing effect of her sister’s reaction. “Sister, surely you are overreacting–”
Luna was interrupted as she suddenly found herself muzzle to muzzle with her sister. “Small rumps means I have to conform to new standards, standards that mean I can’t eat cake.”
Luna glared sarcastically back at Celestia. “Now I know you’re just being silly.”
Somehow, the gap between their faces grew even smaller. “I am not giving up cake!” Celestia exclaimed with the most serious expression Luna had ever seen on her sister.
Now more than slightly concerned, Luna knew she had to diffuse the situation. “I am certain that I have heard Twilight Sparkle mention a preference for shapely posteriors.” It was a lie. Luna had heard the young alicorn say no such thing, but that didn’t stop her from saying so with her best poker face.
Before the elder sister pulled away, Luna could swear she felt the heat rising from her sister’s cheeks as a heavy blush set in. “R-really?” Celestia hesitated briefly. “My Twilight said that?”
Luna raised a brow in curiosity. “So, is that a formal claim you are placing on Twilight, or is she still up for grabs?” Luna found it immensely enjoyable watching Celestia fumble with her words repeatedly in an attempt to respond. In the end, Celestia settled for silence and an aversion to direct eye contact as her final answer.
After uncounted minutes of silence, Luna decided to probe her sister for more information. “So, you were telling me of a third lover you took in my absence.” This earned her a break in the silence. Eye contact continued to remain elusive.
“She had a talent for beauty. Not personal beauty, but being able to bring out the beauty of things around her. She helped me design the Canterlot gardens. Everything from the hedge maze, to the flora garden where numerous species of animals have taken up residence.” Celestia released a heavy sigh. “She’s also the reason for the statue garden.”
Luna didn’t miss the tint of sadness in that last statement. Celestia had regarded this story as one of her failures, so what if the garden was a clue? Discord’s statue had been in that garden until he was freed, but that would mean he was being kept elsewhere before this mare came along. Suddenly, Luna remembered overhearing a question Twilight Sparkle had asked her sister: “What did Discord mean when he said that ‘at least he didn’t turn ponies to stone’?” If such a statement had been directed at Celestia... Just then, a particularly terrible thought crossed her mind. She didn’t want to throw around such an awful accusation, but, in the end, curiosity won out. “Sister, tell me you didn’t…”
Celestia turned her head even farther away from her sister.
When no answer came, Luna felt the pain of sadness tinged with anger coursing through her. “Celestia! Tell me you didn’t turn that poor mare to stone!”
“Not permanently.” Celestia answered in a dejected tone. The words hung thick in the air, tinting the atmosphere with an uncomfortable silence.
Luna fought to keep the bile from rising from her gut. She spoke in a measured, even tone. “Why?”
“She had a rare illness.” Celestia replied calmly. “There was no way to cure it, not even with my magic.” Celestia felt her throat constrict as the pain and sadness of her past came rushing forth, wracking her body in a sobbing fit of tears. She swallowed once, twice. She managed to push through the emotional wall and continue. “I barely had time to know her. We were only together for two years before… before it struck her.
She swallowed once more. “Her health was declining rapidly, though, outwardly, there was no sign anything was wrong. I…” Celestia buried her head in her hooves, desperately hoping it would hide her shame. “I didn’t want my last memory of her to be of a frail and dying mare, to be of a shadow of what she truly was.”
“Sister…”
“So I t-turned her into a statue.” Another fit of sadness wracked the older mare’s body. Her only source of comfort was the warm embrace of her sister.
After several minutes, Celestia had calmed enough to speak again. “I had kept her in my room, so that I would never have to spend a night without her. But after a few hours of simply staring at her… I couldn’t stand to look at her anymore. I knew I’d made a mistake, knew that I’d wronged her in a way I could never make up to her. I reverted the spell and returned her to her room.” Celestia’s body shivered. “As I turned to leave her room, do you know what she said?”
“I can scarcely imagine what I would say in that situation.” Luna replied calmly.
“I love you.”
Tears streamed down the sisters’ cheeks.
Through teary eyes, Celestia continued. “She died that night, passed on in her sleep. I never even found the courage to apologize to her.” Luna’s hug tightened. “The day after her funeral, I commissioned the statue garden to be built in the garden. I put it in a place where I could always see it from my balcony so that I would never forget her, or my mistake.”
Before Luna could even respond, Celestia suddenly stood up, dragging Luna up onto her rear hooves. “Thank you, Luna. You’ve helped me more than you might imagine.”
Luna released her sister from her embrace, eyeing the older mare with confusion at her sudden shift in mood.
“I’ve made up my mind.” Celestia stated with listless conviction. “I will do the right thing, I will not pursue Twilight Sparkle.” With that statement, Celestia bounded off the bed, toward the door.
“Celestia!” Luna shouted. “You can't seriously think that suppressing your feelings is the correct decision!”
The solar mare turned to face her sister. She flashed a smile with all the warmth of the moon. “Of course it is. I’m terrible at romance, Luna. I’ll only make Twilight suffer if I pursue these feelings for her. Please, promise me that you won’t tell her just to try to force a confrontation.”
Luna stared in disbelief. “I…” she hesitated. “Fine, I promise.”
With that, Celestia nodded, then turned and exited the room.
The instant the door was shut, Luna’s magic took hold of a quill and parchment. “Looks like I need reinforcements for this battle,” she stated with determination.
Once the letter was complete, it was rolled up and sealed with Luna’s personal signet. She marched out of her room, and turned to address the two bat-winged ponies standing vigilantly on guard. The letter floated in front of the guard to her right. “Deliver this to the Crystal Empire as fast as possible, use the emergency teleportation rune. This is a matter of national importance.”
A wing snapped into a salute. “As you command!” the guard exclaimed before taking the note in his grasp and flying off down the hallway.