"You did what?!" Luna clopped her hooves down on the table. Thankfully it was without the destructive impact of several other slams, or Celestia had moved to get the tables reinforced.
"Is that a problem?" Celestia raised a brow.
"How?!" Luna leaned forward. "Aren't you afraid of what your little ponies will say about it?"
"They will not be troubled by what they do not know." She leaned back a little, sipping from her tea.
"I told you not to play with his emotions! Already, you work to undermine that."
"Of course not." Celestia shook her head. "I was entirely honest."
"Then how have you not been evicted by his wife? You're not even her princess. She owes you nothing, and hates royalty." Luna's voice had a hysterical edge to it.
Celestia sipped gently from her tea. "She does no such thing. She tired of manipulation, but she is still loyal, to us, and to her husband. I was honest with them both."
Luna slowly sank to her haunches. "What manner of trickery is this? Did you use a spell on them?"
Celestia reached a hoof forward. "I walked in and spoke to all four of them."
"Four?"
"Mister and Misses Watch, and their parents. I made my offer, and they accepted my courtship, pending our mutual agreement to proceed with my joining their herd. For now, we date."
Luna seemed frazzled as her sister calmly explained how she had just taken everything she had ever wanted without challenge or difficulty. "You're just... You're doing it to make me look bad. I have been a presence in their life for longer than you. I have meddled and courted and fought, and yet, here you are. One afternoon, officially courted to their herd..."
"You are welcome to join us." Celestia sipped her tea. "I have advice about you--"
"Enough." Luna sat up. "We have heard enough. I should get some sleep, we have a wedding to attend in the morrow, and we should look fresh." She rose to her hooves.
"Do you have the gift?"
Luna raised a brow and glanced around at the Ponyville hall. "You were supposed to bring it. I saw it on the counter and thought you would take it."
"On the counter?! We can't just show up empty-hooved." Celestia looked flustered for a change.
Luna almost drank it up. She sneered a little vindictively at her sister. "I took care of Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding, it was your turn."
"Fine... next time, we both bring a gift."
"Fine."
They took their place and the ceremony began. Luna tried to hold onto her moment of victory, but the speech began to encroach on her. The story of how the donkey had worked so hard and so long, to fail and struggle, but ultimately, he won and they were there to celebrate his union with the jenny he loved.
Luna felt suddenly alone. She reached out a hoof, and Celestia's was already there. They held hooves quietly. Perhaps her sister wasn't out to get her. She was being rash... She smiled a little, and Celestia returned it. They were still sisters. They could work out their little differences.
The ceremony was completed with the sudden explosions of some exotic fireworks and a stallion's eager cries of triumph.
Celestia and Luna wished the couple the best in their new life together. Celestia put a hoof to her chest. "I've neglected to bring your gift, but I'll see that it is brought swiftly when we return to Canterlot, do excuse me."
Matilda waved it off. "Oh, it's no trouble, Your Highness. Thank you both for coming today. It means so much to both of us." She nudged Cranky.
Cranky looked up at the royal sisters. "Yeah, thanks."
The door to the outside was unbarred, allowing Twilight and her friends to enter. Twilight was quick to approach Celestia and bow to her. "A pleasure seeing you."
Celestia smiled in her coy way. "When will you rise above that? You're a princess, Twilight, same as I."
"Oh, right." She smiled nervously before looking to Luna and nodding towards her. "Nice to see you too, Princess Luna."
Twilight tapped her chin suddenly. "Have you spoken to Silver Watch recently?"
Luna started in surprise. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing in particular, but we've been in correspondence. He mentioned you."
Luna felt tension run through her. "Did he?"
Twilight smiled. "Only in good ways. It's interesting having a friend I only meet through letters, but he seems happy about his duty as Ambassador to the crown." She sat up, looking at Luna intently. "I've been meaning to ask how well a human could do in such a socially challenging position. Considering his biologic and societal heritage, I would imagine he would be facing no small challenges in rising to such a challenge."
Applejack suddenly nudged Twilight from the side. "Aw shoot, ah reckon y'all bein' too fussy about this. He just doin' what comes natural."
"That's just the thing!" Twilight turned on Applejack. "What's natural for a pony isn't the same as a human. You've met Jake, would you say he acts like a pony?"
Applejack shrugged a little. "Seems nice enough."
"Nice is one th--"
Luna raised a hoof. "It was good running into you, Princess Twilight. I should catch up with my sister."
"Oh! Nice running into you, Princess Luna. Travel safely."
They parted with friendly waves, and Luna scurried to Celestia's side, glad to escape the increasingly awkward conversation.
Celestia swiveled an ear towards Luna as she approached. "I hope my former student wasn't harassing you too terribly, sister."
"Nay... She is ever inquisitive. Some things do not change."
Celestia looked towards the happy couple. "They seem to be well-in-hoof. What say you to quietly departing and enjoying some 'us' time."
Luna looked uncertain, shuffling on her hooves. "You say that, but I have not forgotten so easily how you swept up everything."
Celestia started to walk towards the door. "Let us speak of it then."
Luna hesitated a moment, then was following her larger sister. They emerged into the bright sun and wandered towards the carriage that had bore them to Ponyville. "What is it you wish to speak of, precisely?"
Celestia shook her head. "When we are alone and can speak freely." She smiled at one of the guards. "Take me to the pond."
"As you wish, Your Highness." He saluted with a wing and trotted quickly to the front of the carriage where other guards buckled in and looked ready. Soon the sisters were in the air, carried swiftly to a small-looking pond in the middle of nowhere in particular.
Celestia nodded to him as she stepped free of the carriage. "You're relieved for the rest of the day. We'll see ourselves back to the castle when we're ready."
He looked uncertain, but he didn't question Celestia's orders. "As you command." They took off with the carriage and were soon out of sight.
Luna poked Celestia when they faded from sight. "Now you may speak?"
Celestia settled to her belly. She was facing the lake rather than Luna. "I am certain I seem very cruel to you right now."
"More than 'seem'." Luna settled almost angrily beside her sister. "You've humiliated me, and made me look quite foalish indeed."
"So you hadn't yet put thoughts of him aside?"
Luna tensed before a thunderous sigh escaped her. "It was a poor decision."
"Which, precisely?"
Luna raised a brow. "When I sought justice, I entangled mine self with his, and it only grew worse, as if he were a web and I a fly, thrashing in vain and only becoming more secured."
Celestia nodded lightly. "That seems a reasonable starting point, though you began meddling with him before then. You gave him the body he wears. I know you said you 'worked with what you had', but there was some of you in that creation."
"Why do you say this?" Luna raised a brow. "He does not look like me."
Celestia shook her head. "He does not, but he has the dark fur of one of your kind, even if that does somewhat match his father. The silver shock, though it matches his mother, also reflects your silvery moon. You did not argue much when he decided unicorn. You prefer them, do you not?"
Luna flushed at that. "I find the physique of pegasi, lunar and otherwise, quite intriguing, you know that."
She waved the objection away gently. "Did he not tell you any of what he dreamed while caught between your worlds?"
Luna's ears fell. "He mentioned hints and snatches, but most of it was kept from me." She prodded Celestia. "You saw it all?"
Celestia tilted her head faintly. "He is not the most meticulous of note takers, but I learned much from it." She leaned closer. "He loves you."
Luna went a bright red through her dark fur. "You lie!"
Celestia raised a hoof. "There is a catch. He loves everypony."
Luna raised a brow in question, but didn't speak.
"He is ready to love anypony that returns the emotion. His dream saw him falling deeper and deeper into entangled webs of romantic involvements. Any pony that expressed love towards him, he would seek to accept and embrace."
Luna frowned a little. "Are you trying to scare me away from them? If he's just hopeless, why have you become involved with him?"
Celestia smiled. "As insanities go, it is a very gentle one. What is most needed is a partner willing to be his discretion."
"Night Watch."
"Precisely so. So long as he does not supercede or subvert her, he will not fall far. They have only grown more and more strongly tied. I do think any pony that made her unhappy would lose much of their chance with him."
Luna went silent for a quiet time, watching the waters with Celestia. "Why are you telling me this? You've already taken action."
Celestia spread a wing and draped it over Luna. "I told them what I am about to tell you. It would not be the first herd to have sisters, and I will not stand in your way."
Luna began to color in new ways, squirming. "What will ponies say? I'm not ready!" She looked away pointedly. "We've only just gotten past the idea of me being his brutal assailant. I don't deserve it."
"That is how you feel now." Celestia smiled gently. "Time changes things. Relax. My presence only assures you will have a chance later. Think of me as your ally, instead of your competitor."
Luna grunted softly. "I don't even know what I see in him, and what you see in him is more confusing still."
Celestia tilted her head. "Is it that odd that I desire a friend?"
"A friend?!" Luna sat up. "You're joining his herd to be his friend?"
"Is that wrong?"
Luna put a fetlock over her face. "In countless ways. What will you do when he wishes to do as stallions do in herds?"
Celestia smiled faintly. "I am certain we'll figure that out."
"Sister, I am uncertain if you are a genius, or simply making madness look fashionable."