By the Lake
"How much farther is this lake, Twilight?" Naudia asked.
"Oh, not far now."
"Good, I don't want to encounter any Timberwolves in this forest." Naudia said, looking suspiciously around at the gnarled trunks of the Everfree.
Up some carved stone steps, they passed under a rock overhang to come into a scene that Naudia would start describing as "picturesque," as there were quite a lot of pictures like this inside the changeling hive, and move on from there.
Carved into the cliff-side was the most crystal clear lake she had ever seen. Out beyond the lake, framed by the mists of the waterfall, was a fantastic panorama of the western side of the Everfree, Ponyville, and towering in the distance, the ivory towers of Canterlot itself.
"Do you like it?" Twilight asked. "I discovered it when I was researching the castle of the royal pony sisters, and you're the first pony other than me to see it."
"It's..." Naudia was slightly at a loss for words, and for half a second wished she had a sketchpad handy. "Perfect."
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"So, Twilight, I've been meaning to ask you," Luna asked, resting on a rock, facing towards Canterlot. "Your friends seem very suspicious of me for some reason. Do you know why?"
"Really?" Twilight said, through clenched teeth. This was a question she really hoped would never come up. "I hadn't noticed."
"OH, I almost forgot!" Twilight, eager to shift the subject as quickly as possible, brought out the box of pastries Pinkie had given her. "We still have these!"
Instantly, Twilight debated moving back to the all-too-touchy subject of spying on Luna, from the no-less-embarrassing prospect of sharing what is undoubtedly a box of Hearts and Hooves Day pastries with...
Luna...
On second thought, now that there wasn't anybody else around, that didn't sound like such a bad thing...
"Twilight?" Luna said, waving a hoof in front of the daydreaming unicorn's face.
"I'm sorry, wha?"
"I said that whoever designed this box clearly intended for the pastries to be shared."
Twilight looked down at the box. Although from the outside it clearly had two halves, this was actually an optical illusion, and every pastry was diplomatically placed half in one side half in the other.
"I believe they are placed as such to encourage some sort of amorous play between the couple."
"Oh..." Twilight said, and when realization finally dawned, "OH."
"Tell you what," Luna glanced appraisingly at the box, "I'll take this jelly-filled one and you can have the one with the nuts on it."
"No, no, no." Twilight said, definitively. "We split the jelly-filled one and you can have this glazed one, here..."
After much bartering, accompanied by some good-natured teasing, the box was emptied of its sugary contents. Then they discovered the false bottom, with another layer of Sugarcube Corner's finest, and, finally filled up with sweets, the two of them sat down facing the sunset over Canterlot Castle.
A heavy, peaceful silence reigned for long minutes. Not uncomfortable, not awkward, there was simply nothing that needed to be said, and no need to say it.
But even in this peaceful moment, Twilight could tell something was still bothering Luna.
"Luna?" Twilight said, as she edged closer to the Alicorn, "What’s wrong?"
Luna sighed and looked at Twilight, her star specked mane billowing of its own accord.
"Truly Twilight, before I came here, I was worried." Luna said, her face stoic and unreadable. "Ever since I have returned, I have been trying to fit into Equestria. I was rebuffed by the nobility. The common people live in terror of me for what I did. From Manehatten to Las Pegasus, all I found were disingenuous smiles on worried faces."
Luna paused for a moment to look at the sunset in the distance.
"Then I came here, to find your friends, and to find you."
Luna placed a wing over Twilight, who flinched at the unexpected contact.
"Truth be told, Twilight, this is the first place I've felt like I fitted in. A place where I could drop the royal facade and simply enjoy my time with somepony." Luna lingered on “somepony” for a second.
Twilight felt herself being drawn closer to Luna's side.
"With somepony… who would accept me for who I am."
Twilight sat silently for a moment, feeling the warmth lying next to Luna. She wanted to say something to her, something to comfort a fellow withdrawn pony having found friendship. She wanted to confess the feelings that had been growing in her chest ever since she sat down with another pony who enjoyed learning as much as she did.
Twilight wanted to say all this, but she couldn't find words to...
Gently, Twilight rested her head on Luna's shoulder, and they watched the sun set.