“What do you mean you didn't bring a sleeping bag?” Twilight asked. “I gave you Wild West's Guide to Camping with Friends days before we left, so you could bring all that you would possibly need.”
“I was to read that dusty old tome?” Luna replied, puzzled.
“Yes!” Twilight cried. “Why else would I ever possibly-” she shook her head and threw up her hooves. “Whatever. You're the elder princess, so you obviously know how to do things. I'm not about to let you freeze to death, though.” Laying down and sliding into a mammoth sleeping bag of her own, she scooted as far as she could to one side and glared up at Luna. “Get in.”
“What?” Luna recoiled. “I do not understand what you are asking of me-”
“Oh for the love of ponies! You know bucking well what I'm asking of you.” One of the nice perks about being a princess is that you could treat the others as you pleased in private. No more bowing, fancy titles, or self-control to keep your words in check. It took a little getting used to, but for dealing with the Lunar Goddess, it was pleasantly liberating. “It's warm, it's big, and it can fit both of us. Now either get in the bag or feel free to sleep outside, which I feel I should mention, is in the middle of a snow storm right now.”
“I-I really shouldn't,” Luna muttered, looking to the ground.
“For pony's sake,” Twilight sighed. “Fine, have a fun time napping on the floor, which should be freezing by now. But don't complain to me when you can't sleep, because I offered and you're too stubborn to accept anypony's help.”
“That's not true!”
“Oh?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Then enlighten me, O bringer of the moon. What sort of insanity are you suffering from that disables you from using even the simplest of logic?”
Luna's face eschewed into deliberation. “I...”
“Well, what?” Twilight demanded.
“I...” Her expression drooped to resignation. “Nevermind.” Exhaling, Luna walked towards the sleeping bag and worked her way in beside Twilight. She crossed her forelegs, hugging them tightly around her body. “There. Good night.”
Twilight let her shoulders relax and rolled over onto her back, staring straight up at the ceiling. “Finally,” she whispered to herself. Part of her really wished Rainbow Dash was still able to join them this weekend, instead of the stuck-up mule beside her. If only Cloudsdale held its yearly weather training on another weekend, then she would be in a tent with somepony who actually remembered to bring their own bag.
Originally, it had been just the five remaining elements going. Proposed by Fluttershy and Applejack, it was to be a final leisure trip to enjoy the outdoors before the long winter months would keep them all inside for much of the day. Fate and ill-fortune, however, seemed to have other plans.
Luna arrived in Ponyville to help plan the upcoming Nightmare Night festival. She had taken it on as a personal endeavor to help out the town, and freed up an entire week and a half in preparation. Understandably, she was more than a little disappointed when the town board managed to polish it all out in two consecutive meetings, the end result amounting to hardly more than the previous year's festival. It only took one frustrated, let down conversation with Twilight before she received an invitation to their weekend getaway.
At first, it appeared to be a fine idea. Luna was, most of the time, a reserved but kind mare. From working with her in Canterlot, Twilight understood she had a tendency to be stubborn and uncompromising, but there was often a level of pleasantness to counteract it. A level of friendly joking had formed between the two as they debated in private meetings and discussions, consistently venting any tension among them.
However, as a freak storm began dumping snow on them within the first few hours in White Tail Woods, Luna's warm disposition froze faster than the breath from their lungs. She was grouchy and irritable throughout their frantic rush to reach a decent camping spot, constantly complaining about the ineptitude of Ponyville's weather squad and the inability of their group to make a decision on where to camp. Were it not for Applejack's campfire stew that seemed to miraculously lift everypony's hearts among the frozen conditions, Twilight was tempted to give her a piece of her mind.
She didn't have to wait long though, as the moment they got into their tent, Luna let loose a quiet, “Oh.”
No use in crying over it now, Twilight reminded herself, closing her eyes. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.
-~-
Tomorrow would have to wait.
Strands of hair tickling her nose was the first thing Twilight felt as she was roused from her slumber. The world smelled softly of bergamot and vanilla, a pleasant combination she could get used to but was nevertheless surprised. “Hmm?” she mumbled, blinking her eyes open and letting her senses fill in the dark world around her.
Hair was in her face and it smelled nice, that was already established. On top of that, tiny gusts of air were running across her chest, which upon further inspection was wonderfully warm. In fact, she was a lot warmer than she expected to be. Besides the very tips of her hooves, she was blissfully cozy. The sleeping bag was rather tight, though.
Wait.
Before her first camping trip, she had panicked and bought the most expensive bag she could find at the store. Sure, it cost a quarter of her monthly stipend, but she was assured it'd be enough to brave the elements. It was plush, lined with premium cotton, and most of all, gigantic.
“Luna?” Twilight mumbled instinctively. Alarm bells rang as her faculties recovered, trying to move her hooves. However, her forelegs were pinned to her sides, locked in by another mass pressed up against her.
“Luna?” Twilight asked again, louder than before. Managing to wrench a hoof free, she reached over to feel her way around. A light would be risky, she realized. I'd rather not wake Luna up with her like this, as it would make things... embarrassing.
To the best of her spatial abilities, it seemed to Twilight that Luna had slanted over towards her and draped her head over the other mare's chest, hooves wrapped around her in an embrace. In another situation, involving other ponies, she might have found it touching, but not here, not now.
Let's just forget this ever happened, shall we? Pushing with both forelegs, Twilight moved the older alicorn to her side of the bag. For a second, she thought she heard a whimper or a groan, but assumed it was just the wind outside. Luna was thousands of years old, not two. The whole situation made no sense to her, and decided to regard it as a freak accident as she settled in once again.
With any luck, I'll never have to talk about this for as long as I live, Twilight mused as she closed her eyes. As long as Luna keeps her hooves off me, that is.
-~-
Telling time is difficult from inside a tent. The moon isn't visible, and when it's completely dark out, a pony could never be sure whether the sun had just gone down or if it's about to come up. Such was the dilemma for Twilight Sparkle, interrupted from her slumber with the world still as dark as ink. She had no clue whether she had slept five minutes or five hours. But what she did know, was that a certain pony was, once again, right up beside her.
Instead of pushing Luna away once more, Twilight let herself simply lie there. Why? Why me? she asked nopony in particular. Why now? Is this some subconscious apology of Luna's?
Or maybe she's just cold? Twilight thought. I mean, I am much warmer like this. From a purely biological standpoint, it makes sense to sleep like this, to preserve body heat while the body is inactive.
Unable to further or counter her own musings, she lay silent. The forest was quiet under the steady fall of snow, even the wind dying down to submit to the pervasive silence. For all immediate purposes, she was alone with Luna, who was currently breathing softly against her chest.
Sighing, she began pushing the alicorn away. “Sorry,” she whispered, “but I'm not a pillow.” Luna struggled and protested in her sleep, but ended up on the other side of the bag nevertheless. With her personal space clear once more, Twilight shut her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.
-~-
Again?
Rubbing her eyes, Twilight yawned. Still dark, she noted as she tried to look around. Unsurprisingly, a soft, groomed coat brushed up against her side. Vanilla and bergamot tinted the air. A breathing chest rose and fell with her own. Luna was back.
Part of her just wanted to give in. Yesterday's hiking was long and tiring, exhausting her mentally. All she wanted was to sleep until noon and let her pains simply float away. Logically, Luna made no difference to her plans as long as it wasn't uncomfortable. And to be honest, it wasn't. Physically, it was actually pretty nice.
Mentally, however, it was awkward. Yes, she and Luna may have been forming a mutual friendship over their duties as triarchs, but that was nowhere close to the bond that should allow this sort of predicament. It would be months away before they could even start to- No, she stopped herself. I'm not thinking about this, not now.
Forcing a few deep breaths, Twilight waited for her heart to return to it's normal pace. A twitch of anxiety wondered if it's rapid change would wake the other princess, who happened to have an ear on her chest. But the mare did not rise, resting peacefully.
As the moments passed as she lay still, Twilight's eyelids began to droop. It was all too inviting, the atmosphere of warmth and softness, of vanilla and bergamot. Luna's rhythmic breathing was lulling her to sleep. For a split-second, she wanted nothing more than to dissolve into unconsciousness and let the hours fly by.
No. I'm not about to snuggle Princess Luna in my sleep. Forcing herself to snap out of her comfortable drowsiness, Twilight freed her hooves from Luna's grasp. “I- I really am sorry,” Twilight whispered, “if this is some way of apologizing for earlier, then apology accepted.” She began to shove Luna along, the mare grumbling and fighting her every inch of the way.
“However,” she continued as she battled on, “I can't let you sleep on top of me. It's flattering, honestly, but I don't think it's a good idea.” Twilight found herself worked harder than she'd expect, moving Luna at a snail's pace. “I mean, yes, you're a very nice blanket and all, but I can't.”
Twilight chuckled as she batted away a flailing hoof. “Not exactly marefriend material if you ask me. Sure, you might be studious, intellectual, witty, and yes, even sweet at times, but too argumentative and stubborn for me. I prefer mares who are a little quieter.”
Nearing the other side, Twilight grinned. “Hah, nearly there. Now, just stay on your side and don't even think about-”
Whimpering, Luna latched onto one of Twilight's forelegs, pressing it close to herself. She nuzzled it and sighed contentedly.
“Or, you can do that,” Twilight muttered. Sighing, she scooted closer to Luna. “You're a persistent one, aren't you?” As her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, she noticed that Luna was smiling as she clung to her hoof. Rapidly discovering that she had no true misgivings, and now unable to find the willpower to pry herself away, Twilight admitted, “Oh, fine, I guess it couldn't hurt.”
Slowly, she lied down beside the other mare and put her free hoof over Luna's shoulder. “There. I did it. Goodnight, Luna.”
“Wh- what are you doing?” The new voice came out sleepy and softly, but there was no mistaking the surprise in it as well.
Opening her eyes, Twilight found herself face-to-face with a very confused Luna, squinting her eyes from rays of magical light. Yelping, she scrabbled away, continuing to push even as she reached the other side of the sleeping bag. Her heart was thumping inside her chest, chills scaling her spine and knots forming in her stomach.
“Twilight?” This time, Luna's voice was more serious and strained. “Why were you holding me in my sleep?”
“You started it!” Twilight cried in panic. Short breaths were pumping in and out of her nose, her skin becoming itchy and hot as she sweltered under Luna's gaze.
“What?” Luna's voice cracked. “How could I start something like this?”
“You- you kept snuggling me in your sleep!” Twilight could feel her face heating up. “Three times I pushed you off me.”
“You're right,” Luna admitted quietly, “I do have a tendency to cuddle when I'm asleep. It's a habit that goes back since I was a filly, but-” she raised her voice, “but that's not the point. You should have, oh I don't know, woken me up?”
Irritation surging forth, Twilight shuffled closer, poking Luna with an extended hoof. “Oh really? Is that what you would have done if you woke up with somepony sprawled over your chest? Or maybe, would you have wanted to just push that pony away and forget it ever happened, so you wouldn't make both ponies feel awkward?”
“No, I'd confront them about it and remind them of a little something known as personal space,” Luna hissed. “So, Twilight Sparkle, this is my personal space,” she sectioned off an invisible area with her hooves. “Stay out of it.”
“Aww, is that so?” Twilight brought herself right up against her, hes nose nearly touching Luna's. “Does this make you feel uncomfortable, huh? Well, deal with it. You've been a pain for the entire trip, forgetting your supplies, whining throughout our hike, and now robbing me of my sleep. So you know what? I think it's about time you feel what it's like to have to deal with a miserable, annoying pony.”
“Me?” Luna recoiled as far as the bag would let her. “You're the insufferable one. You have no right to be treating me like this. If I had it my way, I'd throw you in the dungeons this instant!”
“Oh yeah?” Twilight challenged her, purposely sliding even closer, just to annoy her even more.
“I would!” Luna insisted.
“Then do it!” Twilight challenged her bluff, waiting intently with unblinking eyes.
Luna remained silent, a scowl deepening across her face. She studied Twilight intently, eyes moving up and down as the seconds ticked by. Her face continued to darken as her silence advanced, until all Twilight could see was anger.
“What, too afraid?” Twilight prodded, “just do it-”
Swept up in a tangle of legs, Luna pressed her lips against Twilight's and kissed her. Twilight's irritation and displeasure towards the mare transformed into raw desire as she pressed back, locked in a battle over a single kiss. Hooves awkwardly tugged on hair, teeth smashed together, and their actions were completely disjointed as each attempted to dictate the tempo. Naturally, what resulted was a very sloppy kiss.
As the minutes waned, as the fires began to lessen, the energy levels dipped. Competition erased, the scores set to zero, constant flows of passion worked a comfortable rhythm that allowed both to enjoy the moment rather than fight over it. Shuddering with a contented sigh, Twilight pulled away first.
“Luna, I-”
“Shh.” Luna pushed Twilight onto her back and cuddled up against her, nuzzling her cheek. “I understand.”
“No, I just want to say that I'm sorry.” Twilight nuzzled her back. “For everything. For not waking you up, for being so-”
Luna picked up her head and kissed Twilight again, this time waiting until her muffled attempts at speech dissolved away. “Did you hear what I just said?” she asked in a soft, playful tone. “I understand. However, I am curious,” Luna continued, pressing up as close as she could, resting on Twilight's chest. “Why were you snuggled against me when I first woke up?”
“Oh, that,” Twilight murmured with a blush. “Umm, well, I was trying to push you away, but you kind of held on to my hoof and wouldn't let go. You nuzzled my leg and you were smiling, and- and you were being really cute. I couldn't say no.”
Luna giggled as she closed her eyes. “Well, as I always say, sleep reveals all.”
“Since when?” Twilight mumbled as she let her muscles relax and her eyelids shut.
“Right now.”
Twilight chuckled and placed a peck on her head. “Go to sleep, you silly pony. Be glad I'm actually letting you sleep on me this time.”
Luna sighed. “Oh, don't worry, I am.”
-~-
“Breakfast's on, everypony! Come and get-”
“Girls! Girls! Come look at what I found!”