Celestia took a deep breath, letting the cold air of the night fill her lungs. It chilled her, forcing her fur to stand on end. The air was thin and barren of the warmth her sun usually blessed it with. For now, under the shadow of Luna’s moon, the normal warmth she brought was replaced with peace and serenity.
The diarch was grateful for it, for she felt just the same.
The smile that twisted at he lips was a genuine one, a smile she did not think she would be able to hold within the same day as her fateful conversation. It was pleasant surprise, one that she hoped to receive more of.
There was not a doubt in her mind that she wouldn’t.
Her wings extended at her sides, letting the child air sweep over her newly exposed coat, earning a shivered gasp from the diarch. It was difficult to explain why the sensation made her smile. She would like to say it made her feel alive, complete somehow, but she knew there was a better reason than that.
“Celestia!”
The calling of her name warmed her frigid coat, thawing her cold breath. The alicorn turned with a smile to see another alicorn trotting towards her, moving across the grass until she reached the elder diarch’s side. The mare looking up to her smiled gleefully.
“Twilight,” Celestia spoke the pony’s name, love coating the words. She leant down to nuzzle the mare, an embrace that Twilight only too eagerly returned. They savored the heat of one another, a warmth the night air attempted to steal away.
“Well, I’m here now.” The alicorn spoke the plain words with a tone of excitement. “And Luna’s taken over the court for the night.”
“That she has, and so her moon is evidence of.” Celestia agreed as she looked up to the pale object in the sky. After a thousand years of mourning the sight, she was glad she could not gaze upon with warmth in her heart.
And the source of that warmth so close by.
“That means we can start now, right?” Celestia could only giggle at the eagerness in Twilight’s words, but she could not fault the mare. She, herself, only felt her joy grow.
“Yes, we can.” The diarch expanded her wings as she spoke, trotting forwards slowly with practiced grace. Her mighty feathered appendages beat only once before she was lifted off the ground. Twice more, and she was ascending to the night sky high above her. The cool air only chilled her faster the higher she climbed. But the smile over her lips never fell.
It took little effort for her to reach the clouds above her castle, sitting still under the pale light of her sister’s moon. Celestia let her crystal adorned hooves settle over the fluffy material, savoring the cushion they gave. No matter how long she lived, she would always prefer the embrace of a cloud to the padding of cotton.
With a hum of satisfaction, she settled herself over the material, enamored with the insulation the condensed and fluffed water offered her. Celestia soon found herself tucking her self into the cloud, childishly giggling as she did so.
“That was… too fast… Celestia,” the labored breaths of Twilight swiftly met the ears of the alabaster diarch. They twisted towards the voice and her head spun to follow. Twilight had only just touched down on the cloud, her wings hanging limply from her sides, head rising in falling with fatigue. “I’m still… still… new to this.”
“I understand,” Celestia spoke calmly, her mouth upturned in a smile. “But remember, I will never ask of you anything I feel you cannot handle. Besides,” the diarch begrudgingly turned, letting small pockets of chilled air seep into her own insulated heat. “Do you not enjoy the comfort a cloud can offer?” Twilight had no argument.
“Dash was quick to show off her home to me once I got my wings. And yes, I’ll admit that clouds are far more comfortable than anything else I’ve ever laid down on.” Something playfully sinister sparked in Celestia’s mind. Her smile darkened mischievously to match the though.
“Truly nothing?” The princess questioned, bringing about a quick shake of Twilight’s head. “Then please come here, I believe I know something far more comfortable than a cloud for you to lay on.”
Twilight’s brows perked as her ears fell, curiosity running rampant through her mind. She trotted lightly across the cloud, lifting her wings what little she could to keep them from dissipating the mass they stood on. It took little time for her to stand by Celestia’s side.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you- Agh!” The cry came quickly as Twilight felt herself being pulled off of her hooves.
It was a quick maneuver for the alabaster mare, one that Twilight didn’t give her credit for being able to do, at least not until she was the subject of the hold. Celestia had rolled over on the cloud, her hooves scooping up Twilight as she did so.
The young alicorn had only a moment to realize she was at the mercy of Celestia’s embrace, being held against the white coat of her former mentor. She froze as she realized the situation she was in.
Celestia, playful as she was wise, raised her muzzle until it tickled the fine hairs of Twilight’s ears. Then, she whispered to the mare.
“It is an old mare’s tale that the embrace of a spirit is the grandest gift the world can offer you.” Celestia voiced the short tale as she brushed a hoof through Twilight’s lengthy mane. “I wonder, do you find it… satisfying?”
Twilight smiled brightly under her rosy blush. She nuzzled herself deeper into the embrace, brining forth a red hue on Celestia’s white coat.
“I think I love it.”