Twilight Sparkle fought back a giggle at the ticklish sensations that were coming from the measuring tapes that were now flying around her in a pale blue aura, wrapping around her foreleg or brushing against her flank. “Wait, Rarity, but I haven’t decided whether to -”
“Darling, what is there to decide?” responded the fashionista, who had donned her orange glasses and was now sketching a design while simultaneously measuring the bookworm. “You are meeting a princess, who also happens to be your newest friend! There's simply no reason not to look stylish!”
“But that’s just it!” exclaimed Twilight as something clicked. “Rarity, we’re friends, right?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “and we’re spending time together, right now. And I’m not wearing anything special.”
Rarity looked up from her design, giving her friend a quizzical look. "Of course you're not dear, at least, not yet!” She winked, levitating a saddle over to Twilight. “Try this one on, ever since I saw your outfit for the winter wrap-up I've absolutely been waiting for a chance to design you a saddle!” Rarity nearly squealed at this point, which gave Twilight a good impression about how happy she was to be designing a saddle.
Twilight gaped at the saddle. It was hot pink, and very frilly. "Um, it's very nice, I really like it! But are you sure I should wear this when..."
“The saddle is my gift to you; it is for you to decide when you are to wear it, not me.”
The studious mare grinned sheepishly. “So, you don't mind if I don’t wear it when I visit Princess Luna?”
“Of course not, darling,” replied Rarity, trotting up to Twilight and pulling her chaise longue over with telekinesis. ”Now, I'm done with the measurements, so if you would like to, you can rest here while I finish your new saddle.”
Twilight smiled at her friend gratefully. “Thanks Rarity! I’m really lucky to have a friend like you. And I’m sorry for giving you all this trouble.”
“Don't mention it, dear,” said the ivory mare as she went back to her sewing machine. “And even if you don’t want to wear something special, you could always bring another gift,” she added as she started stitching the straps to the saddle.
“You’re right! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before!” Twilight exclaimed, now resting on the crimson fainting couch. “But I can't think of anything,” she moaned, slumping in a manner more befitting the couch’s owner.
“Don't worry Twilight dear, I'm sure I can help you with that.” assured Rarity. “I am very glad that you could become friends with the Princess, and I shall do anything I can to help you make that friendship a success.”
“You’re the best, Rarity,” replied the bookworm, relieved. “But she can already get anything she wants from the castle, what could I give her that would be special?”
“Something unique from Ponyville, perhaps? Or you could make her something with your own hooves; that would be the most special gift anypony could ever receive!”
Special things from Ponyville… maybe Sweet Apple Acres Cider? But cider season’s not even here yet. The studious mare racked her brain, but couldn’t come up with anything. Looking over to Rarity in exasperation, she shrugged and said, “I guess I could make something for her, but I wouldn't know where to start.”
Rarity lifted a hoof to her chin, pausing her work on the sewing machine. “The princess will provide everything, correct? So if you brought some hoof-made pastries? Or even some cupcakes? Just a suggestion of course.”
“No, it’s a perfect idea!” Twilight slid off the couch and went to Rarity’s side. “I’ll ask Pinkie if she can give me some help - thanks Rarity!”
“Goodbye, Twilight, and you can come pick up the saddle in the evening, it should be done by then,” replied the fashionista, giving the other unicorn an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
After the door had closed, leaving the alabaster mare alone again, she proceeded with her work on the saddle. Well, if she’s going to keep this for later I’ll just have to make sure that she wears it! Maybe the next time she meets the Princess?
Wind currents swirled along the grass, flattening the blades as the chariot descended with the strong flaps of the pegasi guards’ wings, their plumage shimmering in the explosion of heavenly colors radiated by the setting sun.
“Princess! Luna!” Twilight’s voice, directed at the two regal alicorns waiting on the lawn, rang joyously through the air as she caught sight of the Goddesses.
As soon as the chariot glided to a stop, the lilac unicorn upon it leapt out and trotted to the princesses, the string handle of a pastry box held carefully in her mouth.
“My faithful student,” greeted the elder princess, dipping her neck gracefully over Twilight’s in an equine hug.
“Will you be joining us, too?” The lavender unicorn asked, transferring the container to her telepathic hold before she spoke.
"Luna did in fact invite me," the alicorn lowered her head and stared at the ground, "but I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to." She looked up, giving Twilight a wry grin before continuing: "Besides, having an ancient mare such as myself around probably wouldn't be very fun."
“That’s not true,” giggled Twilight, nuzzling her mentor.
“I do appreciate the invitation Twilight,” Celestia said as she nuzzled back, “but I’m sure I’ll be able to bore you two another time.” Lifting her head from the embrace, Celestia addressed them both with a serene smile. “I will be retiring to my study. I hope you have a wonderful time together!”
“We will, big sister,” responded the deep blue alicorn, before casting a shy glance at Twilight.
“See you later, Princess!”
Luna and Twilight waved as Celestia raised a hoof in farewell before departing elegantly through one of the archways. Neither of them saw the satisfied grin on her face.
“Ahem.” Luna cleared her throat, suddenly very nervous. “So, welcome to the castle, Twilight.” She thought about what she had said for a few seconds before chuckling. “Or I suppose 'welcome back' would be better, in your case.”
“Thanks, Luna,” replied the unicorn, beaming. “I’ve been looking forward to this since Nightmare Night; I just know that we’ll have a great time!”
“I must admit, I have been looking forward to this as well.” The lunar princess drew a hoof on the ground shyly. "If you’ll follow me?” She waited until Twilight nodded her agreement, then led the unicorn across the lawn and into the Great Hall.
They wound their way through halls and staircases that were very familiar to the bookworm at first, but eventually they turned into a corridor that Twilight had never seen before. This is strange; I thought I knew the entire castle and I’m sure that this place used to be just a blank wall with that strange painting of a dark blue mare– oh!
The younger princess noticed Twilight’s confusion and hesitantly said. “Apparently my big sister had an extra wing built for me when she constructed this new castle, but sealed it off to await my return.” She paused, unsure how to continue explaining.
The lilac mare patted her royal companion gently on the shoulder. “At least it’s not sealed now,” she said with a warm smile. “There used to be a picture of you on the wall that hid this wing, but I never would have guessed that it was you since it only showed your head. I didn't know who it was when I was a filly... I remember thinking that she was very beautiful, but when I asked princess Celestia about it, she became sad, so I didn't ask any more after that."
They looked at each other, each deciding to drop the subject for the time being. Proceeding to a grand hall in silence, Twilight's eyes widened as she took in the spacious hall, the walls of which were clad in blue obsidian. “This place is huge! I can’t believe I didn’t realize that there was space here when I looked from outside the castle.”
“I am not sure if my sister had also placed an illusion spell upon my wing, but if that were so your eyes would only slide from one point to the other without seeing the space in between,” replied Luna, leading them further along the airy passage.
The dark blue walls that they passed had a pearly sheen; at the other end of the corridor was a mosaic bordered with a thick circle of gold. As they trotted closer, Twilight saw that it depicted the lunar phase; twelve moons of different stages were arranged in a circle starting from the new moon at the very top, surrounding a map of the stars. The center was inlaid with a dark gem in the shape of Luna’s crown; an astral glow emanated from it.
Twilight gasped at the beauty of the mosaic, turning to look at Luna in wonder. “Oh Luna, it's beautiful!”
The alicorn smiled. ”Celestia designed it herself.”
The lilac mare took a closer look at the delicate patterns of the colored glass, and was surprised when a spark of magic escaped her horn and was seemingly siphoned off by the dark central gem.
“It is a magical resonance,” the princess explained in a surprised tone, tilting her head thoughtfully. “The gem is a great magical artifact and contains a vast amount of magic, but I have only known it to resonate to myself and my sister. You must have quite an exceptional amount, or potential, of magical energy within you, Twilight Sparkle; possibly enough to rival myself and my sister!”
“Thank you Princess, but I really don’t think I’m that powerful,” Twilight replied, grinning sheepishly. Oh, no, I couldn't possibly be as powerful as that, I'm just a little bit more talented than the usual unicorn, after all - gotta change subject, gotta change subject... “Well, um, I guess we should - keep going?”
“Oh, of course! We shall have to get there in time for me to raise the moon!” exclaimed the lunar princess.
They entered a narrower corridor, and passed through an open door, which led to a surprisingly spacious balcony.
They had climbed high within the castle, and the view on the balcony was stunning. To the far left Twilight could see the majestic cliff the castle was situated against, and turning in a clockwise direction she could see Ponyville in the far distance, then the entirety of the nearby Canterlot. It was as if she were suspended in space and the houses of the capitol looked like dollhouses arranged on a gigantic blanket.
Along the horizon the sun was just beginning its descent; slowly the sky took on an orange and purple tint, the shades swirling and melting into one another as they were seemingly pulled down by the setting sun. Finally the orange faded into a deep crimson, the hues of twilight, then winked out of existence as the heavens were enveloped in a dark purple.
“Twilight?” Luna looked at her companion, who had watched the sunset with a tranquil expression, and smiled shyly. “It is time for me to raise the moon now, would you mind waiting until I have finished?"
The lilac unicorn lit up at the princess’s words. “No, of course not, and I've never seen you raise the moon before, Luna!” And she’s going to do it right beside me!
The lunar princess closed her eyes, a smile dancing on her lips. A deep aura surrounded her horn, releasing an energy that pulsed through the entire world. It was so powerful that Twilight could feel it like a ton of bricks hitting her, and it was difficult to remain on her hooves. The alicorn’s mane rippled with the power as she grasped control of the celestial body waiting just below the horizon, slowly nudging it into the sky.
All the while Twilight watched breathless as Luna spread her magic across the sky – but the princess wasn’t finished yet. With a final glow of her horn the stars came out, a thousand twinkles lighting up the cosmos.
“Well then, now that is finished, I believe we should… start our tea session?” The alicorn trotted over to a tea table but noticed that Twilight was still rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the night sky. The unicorn had always been fascinated by it, but to actually see the creator at work – it made her previous studies seem juvenile in comparison.
“Oh, of course! I uh, guess I kinda spaced out a little, heh.” Twilight quickly followed the princess to the table, which was already laden with an exquisite china tea set and various pastries.
“Please, take a seat,” said Luna, gesturing to one of the chairs. They settled themselves accordingly and glanced at each other, suddenly not knowing what to say. Each grinned awkwardly until the alicorn hesitantly asked, “So, Twilight, would you like a cup of tea?”
“Thank you, Luna!” said Twilight, gratefully accepting the cup of hot tea that the princess had poured her and taking a sip. The tea was warm but not scalding, the fresh tang lingering on her tongue and the back of her mouth.
The younger goddess peered over the brink of her cup, watching Twilight’s reaction. “Is it satisfactory?” she asked, after taking a sip of her own tea.
“It's wonderful Luna!” replied the unicorn. “It’s my favorite tea, but this is also just about the best I’ve ever tasted.” She levitated up the box she had brought with her to the table and opened it; inside were six cupcakes covered with rich raspberry frosting. “Oh, and I brought something as well.” She grinned weakly. “I’m not sure if they’re good, I’m not experienced with baking, but I’d hoped to share them with you.” Twilight suddenly felt very apprehensive. What if she doesn’t like them?
The lunar alicorn carefully lifted a cupcake out with her telekinesis. “They look good! I remember seeing these before – they are called cupcakes, are they not?”
The unicorn nodded, and Luna took a bite. Her eyes widened as she chewed, and as soon as the cupcake was gone she blurted, “They are scrumptious, Twilight! You are a very skilled baker!”
“Well, I think it’s probably because one of my friends helped me, a lot…”
“Ah, a friend? One of the Elements of Harmony, I presume?”
“Yes, her name’s Pinkie Pie and she works at at Sugarcube Corner - which is a bakery. She’s a very energetic pony!”
“May I ask how you became friends?” said the princess, genuinely wanting to know. If Twilight tells me how she became friends with others I could learn more about friendship and about her as well!
“Oh, I’m not sure how it happened, actually,” Twilight said, tilting her head as she thought. “We met each other and she threw a party to welcome me to Ponyville. Then she came along with me to find the Elements, and along the way we just became friends! I think when you get to know a pony more and if you also get along well, you just become friends.”
“Much like how we met?” asked Luna, unconsciously arching her neck to mimic Twilight.
“Yes, it was just like that, and Princess Celestia has always told me not to judge anypony just on the first encounter alone, Luna, so even when the others were frightened, I knew I had to help you.”
The princess beamed, which Twilight found very adorable.
“I really am grateful-”
“No, no, Luna, there’s no need to thank me again,” said Twilight, holding up a hoof. “And I understand what it was like to not have any friends – did Princess Celestia tell you about when I still lived in the castle? I didn’t want to talk to anypony and spent most of my time on my studies. Luckily I was sent to Ponyville, where I found the magic of friendship! Otherwise…” She trailed off, not wanting to make Luna uncomfortable by bringing up Nightmare Moon.
The princess had listened attentively while eating another of Twilight’s cupcakes. She put a hoof to her chin, then asked, a bit timidly, “Ah, do you think I could learn more about this ‘magic of friendship’ as well?”
“Oh, of course you could, Luna! Anypony can.”
“Would you teach me?” The alicorn’s eyes were soft and earnest, like a little filly discovering a wonder for the first time.
“Um, I don’t know if I could ‘teach’ you, but since you’re my friend, we’re already learning from each other,” said Twilight, giving the princess a kind smile.
Luna returned it warmly, her countenance brightening as that realization sank in. “Thank you, Twilight,” she murmured, noticing that the bookworm had finished her tea, and helped refill her cup.
The lights from the city of Canterlot could be seen below them, but they were dim compared to the dazzling sparkle of the stars that dotted the vast night sky spreading from one edge of the horizon to the other. Twilight surveyed the sight, spotting stars that she could name in an instant: Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra; Altair, of Aquila the eagle; Deneb, the graceful swan – together they also made up what was called the Summer Triangle.
“Luna?” asked Twilight, enthralled by the canvas that the lunar princess had created. No matter how many times she had studied the night sky, she still felt her knowledge was nothing when compared to the vastness of it. She never ceased to be amazed by it, the view of the universe limitless beyond what she could see even with her telescope. And the pony that created all of them, now her friend, was sitting right beside her. “Could you tell me about the stars?”
“Certainly, what would you like to know? I presume you know most of their names – Celestia has told me that you are very interested in the stars,” said the princess, a bit shy that Twilight was actually asking her about her creations.
“Uh, maybe why you made them? I mean, are there stories behind them? I’ve read many stories about the constellations, but I don’t know if they are true or not – or anything else you want to tell me will be fine,” said Twilight, her eagerness already showing on her face.
“Well, I was aware that ponies have made up many names and patterns for the stars, and that is likely what you have studied, but truth be told, I have forgotten the reasons I made most of them. When I was younger, I would sometimes create a star to mark something special that had happened; but as time passed, there grew to be too many for me to remember the exact story behind all of them.
“I seldom named them; the sky was simply like a drawing paper for me to scribble on at will. I do like how there are names and patterns for them, as it is up to every pony’s interpretation, not just mine. The most recent stars I made, I could tell you about in particular, but actually, you already know the story of them.”
Luna paused to take a sip from her cup, and Twilight, who had listened to the princess’s narrative with all of her attention, did as well. “I do?”
“You do,” said Luna, trying to sound mysterious. “I created the first one approximately a year ago.”
“But that means -” Twilight thought back. The defeat of Nightmare Moon – approximately one year ago. The discovery of a newborn star in the Orion Nebula – also roughly a year ago. The pieces came together in an instant. “- you made that one right after your return to Equestria?”
“Yes,” said the regal alicorn, touching her hooves together. “It was a thousand years since I made a star that had meaning, the stars I created before my... absence... were mostly just to pass the time, when I-” She sniffled, but continued. “When I got lonely.”
“Oh, Luna…” The lilac unicorn quickly slipped off her chair and went to the princess’s side, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry – I shouldn’t have brought this up. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
Luna blinked away the moistness that had gathered in her eyes. “No, Twilight, I’m not sad, or upset; the reason I made the star was because I was so happy. Happy to be free, after so long!” She suddenly embraced Twilight, resting her head on the unicorn’s shoulder.
Twilight patted the princess on the back, and after Luna had released her, she gave the alicorn a warm smile. “Could you show me which one it is?”
The younger goddess grinned sheepishly. “Unfortunately we cannot see it now – I placed it in the winter cycle, but I could call it out if you wish to see it.”
“No, that's okay,” said Twilight, “I can just come back when the time is right and you can show it to me then.” She returned to her chair as Luna spoke again.
“I'd love to! In fact, the second star I was talking about will be visible in a few days. If you would like to see it, I shall also show it to you when you visit again.”
“Sure, Luna,” smiled the unicorn, happy at the prospect of another meeting with the princess; perhaps they could spend the whole night studying the stars together! No, not studying, the princess doesn’t have to do that – star-gazing, Twilight reminded herself.
“Oh, and I'll tell you the story of the second star - I made it just a week ago, the night after Nightmare Night. I made it to remind me of you, Twilight.”
“Me?” The lilac mare gaped. “It-it’s an honor, Luna! But, why did you make a star to remind yourself of me?”
“Do you recall the prophecy regarding my return? The star will aid in her escape. I wanted that star to be in my night sky.”
“But, wasn’t it the stars? Oh, the book I read must have got it wrong.” Twilight believed Luna, although the prophecy was made in her absence. After all, she’d rather believe the goddess whom the prophecy had been referring to in the first place than a third party.
“I have read many accounts that have all mentioned the stars. But that refers to those that helped the Nightmare escape. No, the star I was speaking about was the one that would bring me - Luna -, back. I believe that star is you, Twilight.”
Luna and Twilight made their way up the winding staircase of an ivory tower. It was midnight, and a peaceful quiet surrounded the pair as they came to a stop outside the door to Twilight’s old residence.
“Thank you for the wonderful night, Luna,” said Twilight, beaming at the lunar princess.
“I should be the one thanking you for another wonderful night, Twilight,” said Luna happily. “Although if Celestia knew that I had kept you up so late she might scold me,” she added with a grin.
“I’m not a filly anymore, I can stay up as long as I want,” chuckled Twilight, using her magic to open the door. “So… good night, I guess.”
“Rest well, Twilight.”
The unicorn gave the princess a quick hug before trotting in and closing the door slowly.
Luna looked at the closed door for a few more seconds, then spread her wings and with a few starting flaps, took off into the air to glide back to her own tower. The cool breeze under her wings always gave the younger goddess a simple comfort, and she circled a few more times above the castle, taking in all the lights of Canterlot as well as the lights of her own creation, before landing on the balcony of her own chambers.
She let out a small sigh, finally released of a small part of her worries. At least Celly didn’t make any insensitive remarks or follow up with her threat about that love potion...