I will have Puff back! The magic emanating from Luna’s horn intensified. The light shone so bright it transformed part of the garden from night to day. Terrified creatures scurried about trying to get as far away as possible. One blast. Just one strong blast and he'll be back. This time I'll take care of him. This time everything will go right!
Blasting the moon with so much strength would be noticed throughout the whole of Equestria, but at this point Luna no longer cared. The night had been a catastrophe, a near nightmare event. She had lashed out at her sister, distanced the few friends she had, terrified the ponies at the event... and lost Puff. Curse you, Discord! Off all the things you've done! I'll have him back though! I'll get him back and then—
"Princess, no!" a voice screamed nearby. "Don't do it!"
Fluttershy? Luna paused. The glow of her horn dimmed a fraction. What was the pegasus doing here? After the display at the Gala she should have left like all the rest. After what Luna had done to Puff, Fluttershy shouldn't even be speaking to her.
"Casting that spell won't bring Moonlight back!" The yellow pegasus stopped a few feet away. Her entire body was trembling. "If—"
"I know what to expect now!" Luna concentrated on her spell once more. "Everything will be fine this time."
"But, but..."
"I won't have my kitten taken away from me!" Stupid Puff! So annoying, troublesome, irritating and the best thing that's happened to me since I came back! It didn't care about my past or my present. It—
"You cannot replace a pet!" Fluttershy shouted. "Even if another kitten appears it won't be Moonlight. And it is wrong for you to pretend it will. What happened to the kitten is terrible, worse than terrible, yet he is gone!" Tears formed in her eyes. "He is gone, Princess," she added quietly. "Rushing to find another pet won't help anypony, especially you."
Luna's horn faded. Am I this pathetic? Receiving lessons from a pony a hundred times younger than me? If Sis could see she'd have a laugh. Sis... The glow of magic vanished completely.
"I doubt anything could replace that pesky puff," the Princess forced a laugh. Her ears, however, drooped down. "I guess my feathers are finally safe now."
"Princess..." Fluttershy ventured forward. "It's all right..."
"No, it isn't," Luna sighed. I guess I do sigh like my sister after all. "Again I made a mess of things and for what? I can't even figure out why I kept Puff a secret to begin with. It was just a stupid kitten, for stars' sake! Just a stupid little kitten!"
I will not cry. I will not be pitied! What I've done, I've done and I'll bear the consequences. I must find a way to apologize to Sis. Better it comes from me this time. Also to Twilight and the rest. Not sure I could make it up to them. I seem to have a pattern of messing things up.
Searching for a distraction, the Princess looked at the sky. The moon was shining brightly, as always. The weather teams had taken special care to clear the skies for Luna's grand night. A pity they had to work for nothing. The Night Gala had lasted less than twenty minutes, an hour if the early arrivals were taken into account. Obviously, it never took long to make a mess of things.
"Does this sort of thing happen a lot, Fluttershy?" The alicorn sat on the ground. "Losing a pet, I mean."
"Umm, yes it does, Princess," the pegasus said quietly. "Many pets... go away, and it's always sad when they do."
"But in time the pain will pass and you'll find the courage to get another," a new voice spoke. "But you'll never forget him, though."
Luna tensed up. A jolt of guilt made her ears shoot up and turn around. Pride and fear kept her from looking back, inner pain urged her to. The new arrival didn't leave her much time to make a decision, calmly sitting down next to her. Sis... Luna thought. You came. But why? After everything I put you through... all the things I said...
"I wanted to bring some ice cream," Celestia said gazing at the moon. "But it seems like the kitchen staff had beat me too it."
"Oh." I can imagine the stress they've been through.
"They left some cake, though." A sad smile formed on Celestia's face. "Since it's for me they just had to make sure it was left intact."
Luna didn't respond. Fear kept her from opening her mouth. She had already put her hoof in it far too many times tonight.
"Lulu, I came to apologize," Celestia said. The words were calm, clear and determined — the polar opposite of what they would have been if coming from Luna. You what? The younger unicorn blinked. You? What do you have to apologize for? "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. You weren't wrong. I was just too shocked at the time to think clearly. It seems all those centuries ruling alone made me a bit defensive when being challenged. Everything you said was true. I have been smothering you, trying to mold you in what I thought would be the perfect sister. My speech, my behaviour, my values, they were my own, and I should not have imposed them upon you."
"Sis, I—" Luna began, but Celestia raised a hoof causing her to fall silent.
"You say I always overreact, and I do," the Sun Princess continued. "I'm used to knowing everything. When ponies are in trouble, they share their problems with me, and I find a solution. You..." She shrugged.
"You can't expect me to gallop to you for everything, Tia," Luna said quietly.
"And you shouldn't." Celestia smiled. "But at least for some of the things? I still have a lot to learn, Lulu. Like you, I too need time. I look at you and see one of my little ponies that is hurting and I don't know why."
"I am not a little pony..." Luna grumbled.
"I know that. We have defeated armies together. But after a thousand years I have to relearn it. I only ask of you that you have some more patience with me, little sister."
Wow, Sis. You've been keeping secrets from me as well, haven't you? And all this time I thought you were just looking down on me. How do I even react to this?
"You're not mad about the feather?" Tartarus! I'm over a thousand years old and this is what I could come up with?
"Lulu," Celestia sighed with a smile. "I've had more feathers plucked raising Blueblood. As a foal he had this idea that he could use them to become an alicorn. When he gathered a few dozen he glued them to both his sides and jumped from one of the palace towers." Ouch! Luna cringed. Blueblood really was an idiot. "Did you honestly think that a kitten could upset me in any way?"
You bet I did! "And the Gala? You are not upset about the disaster it turned out to be?"
"Well, it was a bit brief, I have to admit, but it was your first one, so it's understandable." Celestia patted her sister on the head. "Learn to see the good in things. We got to have this talk, didn't we?"
Yes... We got to have this talk. And I lost Puff in the process. All because I couldn't keep my stupid temper!
"Isn't that nice?" A grumble came from a few steps away, causing Fluttershy to scream and run for safety behind Luna. A pair of bloodshot eyes rose from the ground, transforming in an extremely hungover draconequus balancing a bucket of red hot coals on his head. "Celestia, dear, could I bother you for a tinsy-winsy bottle of painkillers? My head is thumping like a square wheeled carriage."
"Discord..." Luna hissed. Just seeing him brought all the memories of rage back, multiplied tenfold.
"What?" The draconequus sneered back at her. "Just because you didn't have a fun time is no reason to—"
"Fun? FUN?!" Luna scraped the ground with her forehoof. "After what you did to my kitten you still talk about fun?!"
"Bah, fine!" Discord turned his back to Luna. "Be that way! Last time I do you any favours!" He snapped his fingers.
Luna had already started concentrating on a spell. One strong burst of energy from this distance and she could tear him to bits. Just one good shot and... Suddenly she felt something bite on her horn. The magic gathered started draining away. No! Luna blinked. It can't be! But it was! A kitten was dangling from her horn, trying desperately to hold on with teeth and claws.
"Puff?" Luna asked in shock and joy. "You are alive?!"
"Of course it is alive!" Discord grumbled, massaging his temples with two burning coals. "I just sent it to the moon. What do you take me for? A monster? Sheesh! Do a favour and they all gang up on you. Need a lift home, Fluttershy?"
"Umm, maybe in a bit?" The pegasus smiled from behind Celestia.
"Fiiine." The draconequus wandered off towards the palace. "I'll try to find a furnace to stick my head in. But, please, you have fun, by all means."
Discord said a few more things, but it was all white noise to Luna’s ears. All that matter to her was the kitten; the kitten which meowed and clawed his way out of the tight hug she was giving him, then jumped onto the ground. Sneezing a few times, he made his displeasure known by giving her a disapproving look, then proceeded to lick his paw.
"Just look at him!" Luna snorted. Her false anger did nothing to remove the smile on her face. "Behaving as if nothing happened. You are a menace, Puff!" She pointed a hoof at him. "An absolute menace."
"Kittens are like that, Princess," Fluttershy said quietly. "Maybe, I should give you a book on normal kittens as well? It, umm, might be helpful?"
"As if that will help." Luna turned away indignantly, although she kept looking at the kitten from the corner of her eye.
"You know, Lulu, my first pet was a kitten," Celestia spoke up. Both Luna and Fluttershy looked to her, eyes wide. "Midnight. She was very organized in her behaviour. I remember she always did the exact opposite of what I told her to do. Of course, she didn't feed on magic." The alicorn then extended her wing, offering a feather to the kitten.
Immediately Puff stopped licking its paw. Tempted by the tasty treat, looked at Luna, then at Celestia. The white alicorn just nodded. That seemed to be all the permission Puff needed. He lunged forward and grabbed a feather with both paws, then eagerly started chewing on it.
"Mew mew!" he meowed between bites, causing Celestia to chuckle. Beside her Fluttershy blushed slightly.
"What?" Luna arched a brow.
"Oh, he just asked that Fluttershy stop calling him Moonlight," Celestia explained, pulling her wing back. "Apparently, it's not cool enough."
"Of course, it is isn't." Luna rolled her eyes. At least you have good taste, Puff. "Well, I better get to work. With the Gala over, I have no excuse not to. Sis, could you please take care of Puff? He gets cranky when he's alone and I don't want him to follow me to work."
"Of course, Lulu." Celestia nodded.
"Well, then I'll be on my—" Luna stopped. The kitten had spit out the feather and now was looking at her with its large blue eyes. No longer the clumsy creature of a few days ago, it made its way to Luna's hoof and meowed. "You know what, Puff?" Luna patted him gently on the head. "You really are cute, but my feathers will always be off limits!"