You can do this, Tia.
Princess Celestia, supreme ruler of the kingdom of Lumen, trotted through the halls of Castle Umbra, trying not to lose her composure.
It was funny. The snow-white alicorn had gone through many a challenge in during her thousand-some years of life: the brutal, bloody Griffon Wars, The Changeling Invasion that came close to destroying her nation, and the tyranny of Sombra. All the time she’d endured them without the slightest hint of fear. Yet this one little meeting with her lover had her shaking harder than a young schoolfilly on her first date.
By the Creator did she hate irony.
Celestia tried to distract herself by admiring her lover’s castle. Everything about the castle was dedicated to the night sky. The floor was tiled with what looked like sheets of black granite, while the walls were covered with what looked like sheets of lapis lazuli. Even the ceiling praised the night with tiny silver stars and large gold moons.
I must ask Luna about borrowing her interior decorator. Her own castle back in Lumen looked so dull compared to this.The old place could use a new look. Certainly Luna wouldn’t mind.
The princess of the sun trotted up to a door guarded by two of Luna’s elite thestral soldiers, the “Nightguard” she called them.
“Halt!” The soldiers barked in the thick, glottal accent of the Nachtian Empire. “State your business with her Highness!”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Captain Nightshade, I’m certain you know who I am.”
“Apologies, your highness. “ The guard bowed. “But I must follow protocol.”
Celestia sighed and rolled her eyes. “I am Princess Celestia, and I’m here to have tea with Empress Luna.”
“One second.” One of the guards ducked behind the door. A minute later, he reappeared, breathing as though he’d just run a marathon.
“Princess Celestia.” The guard said in-between gasps. “Her highness is expecting you.” The two thestrals clutched their right forehooves to their chests and bowed. “For the Moon.”
Celestia returned the salute.“For the Moon.” She then began the torturous climb up Luna’s personal tower.
No castle should have a staircase this long, Celestia grumbled. When she’d asked Luna why she’d had her sleeping chambers built at the top of the tallest spire of the castle, her lover had claimed that as the ruler of the night sky, it was only fitting that she sleep in the highest point in the empire.
Personally, Celestia thought she’d done it just to annoy her guests. It wouldn’t surprise her one bit.
The equine monarch climbed the steps as if she were scaling a mountain. Being an alicorn, she had the natural strength of an Earth pony, so the long climb was nothing to her. It did however give her traitorous mind a chance to strike. Every step felt like her last, like she was a criminal slowly walking towards the gallows.
As she walked up the giant stone corkscrew, Celestia rummaged through her embroidered saddlebag and pulled out a small velvet box. Inside was an elegant onyx horn ring topped with a silvery moon. How long had she had this ring? Twenty years? Fifty years? She couldn’t remember. Every time it’d been the same; she’d walk up to Luna, reach into her saddlebag...and chicken out at the last second.
Celestia gritted her teeth. No, this time she was going to ask the question. This time, she was going to take their relationship to the next step.
The rather nervous princess went over the details again. First she’d engage Luna in a conversation; sort of them both ease into it. Next, she’d bring up their relationship, then hint that she wanted to take it a step further. She’d show the ring, ask the question, and hope for the best.
Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.
After what seemed like an eternity, the seemingly endless staircase finally terminated in a dark, ebony door, adorned with a beautiful silver moon. Celestia rapped a hoof against it.
“Come in!”
Celestia trotted into her lover’s bedchambers. Compared to the rest of the castle, the empress' sleeping quarters were surprisingly plain. No expensive or no lapis paneling, just bare, polished stone walls and a traditional Nachtian sleeping pit.
Celestia looked around. “Luna? Where are you?”
Something breathed in the alicorns’ ear. “Right here.”
Celestia jumped. “Luna!”
There was a faint shimmer in the air, and a dark-blue alicorn materialized behind Celestia.
“Hello Tia.”
Celestia held a forehoof to her chest, trying to catch her breath. “You...know...what that does to me!”
The empress of Nacht smirked and nuzzled her lover. “‘My apologies. I was exercising my cloaking spell when you arrived.”
Celestia managed to catch her breath. She smiled and pecked her dark-blue lover on the cheek. “You’re a terrible liar, Luna.”
“I know. ” Luna motioned over to a balcony. “Come. You wouldn’t want your tea to get cold would you?”
“Is it Jasmine?”
“Of course.” Luna trotted out to the balcony. Celestia couldn’t take her eyes off of the alicorn’s flank. The round, soft cheeks were like a magnet for the eyes.
“Are you just going to stare at my flank?” Luna sat down by an elaborate wrought-iron table. “Or are we going to drink some tea?.”
Celestia shook her head and trotted over to the table.Luna’s horn glowed, and an engraved silver teapot materialized on the table, accompanied by two teacups.
“Let me pour that for you.” The teapot levitated itself over the cups, as if held by some invisible butler. A stream of light-brown tea floated out, twisting and weaving itself into like a snake, before landing in the cups.
“Show off.”
Luna just smirked and sipped her tea. Celestia followed suit.
“How is it?”
Celestia sat the cup down. “It’s wonderful!” Seriously, the tea was the best she’d ever tasted. It was as if somepony had taken a chunk of solid contentment and brewed it into a tea. For a minute, Celestia almost forgot that she was about to ask the biggest question of her life.
“I’m glad to hear that” Luna stirred some sugar into her tea. “So, Tia, how goes life in Lumen?”
“Not too exciting I’m afraid.” She took another sip of the tea. She had to ask Luna where she got this. “Mostly I’ve just been sitting on my throne, trying to get the Royal Council to do something productive for once.” She rolled her eyes. “What little free time I have is spent sorting through the hundreds of letters I get from all over the kingdom.” Her voice went deadpan. “Most of which are marriage proposals.”
“Marriage proposals?”
Celestia nodded. “Everyday it’s the same. Some obscure prince writes me a letter about how we ‘were meant to be’ and begs for my hoof in marriage.” Celestia took another sip of tea and licked her lips. “Just yesterday, I received a letter from an Earl of Saddleton that addressed me as ‘the most magnificent, most graceful, and most beautiful of mares ever to set her delicate hooves on this Queen’s wondrous earth’. He then spent two pages describing how wonderful I was and how ‘fruitful’ our marriage would be.”
“And what was your response?”
Celestia smirked.“I sent him a letter with one word: ‘No’ ”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “That was not very princess-like of you, Tia.”
“I know,” Celestia grinned. “But it felt really good.”
Luna sipped her tea and chuckled. “Don’t they know that you already have a lover?”
Celestia rolled her eyes and snorted. “They do, and they don’t care. They’ve convinced themselves that we’ll break up in a year or two.”
“But we’ve been together for almost two centuries!”
Celestia groaned. “Tell that to them.”
Luna groaned. “Nobles.”
Celestia chuckled. “Indeed.” She took another sip of tea. So far so good.“So, how are things here in Nacht?”
Luna poured herself another cup of tea. “I’m afraid things are not as peaceful here as they are in
Lumen.”
“What do you mean?”
Luna set down her cup. “Lately, I’ve been trying to open up trade between Nacht and the Griffon Empire. I’ve told Overlord Ironclaw about the benefits to his Empire’s economy,but the stubborn bird won’t listen! He keeps going on about how ‘dishonorable’ we were in the last war, and how he’ll never allow trade with a nation of ‘dirt-eaters’.”
“The war ended almost two decades ago and he’s still carrying a grudge?”
“Of course he is.” Luna propped her head up with a forehoof. “That verminous buzzard would have a table executed if he stubbed a talon on it.” She looked up. “You can imagine how he feels about the last War.”
Celestia laughed. “You did quite a bit more than stub his talon.”
“Indeed. I’ve heard they still haven’t removed the arrowhead from his posterior.” Luna sipped the last of her tea. “If I may change the subject, I believe you have something you wish to ask me.”
Celestia nearly spat out her tea. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Luna smiled mischievously. “I’m not the only one who is bad at deception, Tia. You have something to ask me. Something that worries you greatly. I can see it in your eyes.”
Celestia gulped. Her plan crumpled like a house of cards. “Sometimes you scare me, Luna.”
“‘A good empress of the night should always be a little scary.” Luna propped her head on her forehooves. ” Now, what were you going to ask me?”
This is it. Celestia took a deep breath. “Luna, you and I may be from two very different families, but you’ve been like a little sister since we were fillies. When I struggled with raising the sun, you were there to encourage me. When Changelings invaded my kingdom, you rallied your forces and helped drive them back. And when I needed a shoulder to cry on, yours was always available. It was only natural that we’d eventually become lovers.”
“Now….” Celestia gulped. “I want to take it a hoofstep further.” The alicorn dug through her saddlebag and pulled out the ring box. She opened it like a velvet clamshell.
“Empress Luna of Nacht, will you marry me?”
Luna just sat there for a moment, her face completely blank. Celestia’s tail swished around as if something were trying to hunt it down. Tiny beads of sweat popped out of her coat.
The alicorn’s dark blue lips slowly curled up into a smile. Her cheeks puffed out, and the empress burst into laughter.
Something inside Celestia froze and shattered.This didn’t make any sense. Luna would never mock her. Tease her, yes, but never mock her.
“Do not fret, Tia.” The alicorn wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. “I did not mean to sound mocking. It is just-”
An ebony ring box materialized on the table and opened. Inside was a ring of white gold, topped with a carved amber sun, like a pearl in an oyster.
“-I was about to ask you the exact same thing.”
Celestia stared at the ring, trying to process exactly what was happening. As her mind slowly started to work again, a pressure built up in her chest. The alicorn trembled, her cheeks puffed out, and she laughed as she’d never laughed before.
The two lovers laughed as one, as if they had just heard the funniest joke of their lives. They rolled around the floor, laughing until they could laugh no more.
Finally, the two rulers managed to calm themselves down.
“But seriously, Luna...” Celestia panted and held the ring box up again. “Will you marry me?”
“Depends.” Luna wiped sweat from her brow. “Will you marry me?”
Celestia tackled Luna and kissed her right on the lips. The startled empress returned the favor.
There was nothing more to say.
-