Chapter 1
"Sister, how terrible do I look?" Luna was staring out the window, expression unusually sour, but her magic was clutching at the fabric of her dark dress. Deep blue-black fabric swept down in a cascade against the floor where Luna wasn't hiking it up in bunches. Such was the fate of the brand-new item.
"Luna, you would look just fine if you didn't wrinkle the fabric so. Let it go." Celestia's own light skirt flowed with her every step. Coral and pink waved with nearly half the grace of the Alicorn's movements. "You look great."
Celestia, the one who had ordered both their dresses months ago, offered Luna a diplomatic smile. "Come on, there's a whole charity gala to enjoy."
Luna didn't move. Even her mane was still for a few breaths. The eyes of the moon goddess still swept over the visible urban isle of Manehattan and her high-rises with the harsh, jarring disdain that Luna showed next to nothing else. This was the mare that fell in love with every wild place; now she was shooting a sulky stare through steel and distant street pavement.
Celestia held her own breath in, uncertain. With Luna, she could only pretend to know what to say; at least that was the case most of the time. There were few things that bothered her more than that.
"Everypony will love your dress," she offered again. “You should be happy about that. Just think of how pretty everypony else will think you are.”
Luna gave a reluctant kick at the back, the skirt flaring, billowing behind her before settling again. "This is incredibly uncomfortable. It's..."
Luna's thoughts ran faster and longer than her mouth could capture them. That was one of the few aspects of her that Celestia had learned to read in her eyes.
With Luna trailing off again, losing herself to her musings and unfinished sentences, Celestia could only presume that the fault was in the skirt. The dress was a feminine, elegant waterfall of fabric. If Luna found it uncomfortable, it likely only needed to be reined in.
Without a second spared, Celestia gave a few matronly tuts and was at Luna's side. The glossy black belt at Luna’s enviously lean waist was obviously too loose. Clearly, it was far more of a problem than the dark moon clasp that was supposed to aid in the way the fabric hung from Luna's body. The poor mare must feel like she was draped in the whole cloth making up all the castle's curtains. Next time, she would order something with a proper waistline for Luna, like the gift she had gotten her for Twilight's coronation.
Every dress Luna had was a gift, and every one was from Celestia, who needed no occasion to give the former gifts. Because of Celestia, Luna had a whole wardrobe of gorgeous custom gowns for events like this one, and she never had to ask for a single one. Many were pretty, moon-and-star themed things too. Each and every one was accumulated since her return, along with many other gifts that Celestia had always presented to Luna with immaculate wrapping and perfectly tied bows. Those other gifts never seemed to get as... complicated, confusing responses, though.
Golden magic clung to Celestia's horn, and with a single movement, she pulled the belt.
"TIA!" Luna yelped, her whole form flashing with alarm and mane swirling to reflect the suddenness of the gesture.
Celestia would have gasped if she hadn't been smacked right in the face when Luna's wings flared out. Instead, she tasted feathers for a moment while the sound of sharp, near-ragged breaths reached her ears.
Lighting her horn once more, Celestia suppressed the sounds of gags as she plucked tufts of navy feathers from her mouth, from her teeth, and even the few that managed to get in her mane.
Blehph. Gfft. Heffk. Ech.
Luna's wings were clean and well-groomed; Celestia hadn't expected otherwise, but she also hadn't preened Luna's wings since they were both little Alicorn fillies ages and ages ago, before Equestria was even a thought. Surprise 'meals' of feathers weren't going to dampen the unpleasantness, either.
"Oh, Tia, I'm sorry—”
"Don't be. Please." There was more urgency in those words than she had counted on. No matter how Luna's lithe form was covered or how her wings were still-half flared (and with clear discomfort, no less) Celestia could see that belt had been pulled far, far too tight. Luna couldn't breathe right, and her wide, surprised eyes...
...she was caught up in mistakes, apology... oh goodness, they were both out of it today, weren't they?
Why was it the puzzling, little differences that always led them so blindly into these kinds of situations? Most of all, Celestia was frustrated by why they must have such differences in the first place.
Before Luna had another 'sorry' grace her lips or could do anything else, Celestia managed a rare bit of speed and pulled her belt loose with her magic so that Luna wasn't forced to clench her stomach in so unnaturally, like a mare caught in the middle of dry heaving and left frozen that way.
Large, gasping breaths met Celestia's ears as she watched Luna suck in the air without a bit of composure.
"Luna, I am so sorry. Please know I only intended—”
"Tia..." Luna gasped again, grounded in getting her breathing steady and strong again. "You mustn't apologize over the silly belt. I... I just wanted a suit." There was something forlorn in the downcast look she gave the floor. "I've always wanted a suit." She pauses, adding, "Some suits."
Celestia really only wanted Luna to feel pretty. To do something purely familial, and what could be more like family than sharing pretty clothes, girl talk, trinkets, and the fabled 'twinsies' that all the foals found so ‘radically hip’? She was aiming for a connection to somepony she really hadn't always known, and often still did not. A mare, just like her. Her own kin, who she wanted to feel beautiful and as lauded as Celestia knew she herself was. The clothes really could make the mare, and being a gift, they were petals that Luna could bloom in, smiling and as graceful as a rose wreath awarded at a beauty pageant...
Luna just shrunk like a violet in these. She stood by, neutral...
"A suit..." Celestia tried to shift her gaze so it wasn't direct and instead traveled down her own legs. Luna loved the jewelry Celestia got for her. She was looking so nice in the earrings and shoes that had been designed along with the swathes of indigo and flowing skirts she apparently couldn't stand. Why didn't she at least like the dresses?
Luna nodded like a mare stranded in the desert would if asked about wanting water to quench her thirst. The constant, indecipherable light in her eyes was dancing again. "A crisp, sort-of handsome mare's suit."
Celestia's throat was tight. Luna had always dressed so... plainly? Rather stallion-like? Oh, she wasn't sure what to call it, just that Luna had gone through cross-dressing phases and all sorts of things in the times past. But didn't she see that she had winning looks like this? The kind of things publicity swooned over, ponies complimented, and was just absolutely worth prancing in?
"We won't be able to do anything today..." Celestia began, her mind already aiming to tread carefully, to assemble all the right words.
"I know, Tia." Luna's eyes had a lingering joy to them, but Celestia saw how fast it was retreating. Their joined dressing rooms were already feeling loose and airy again.
"Next time," Luna supplied, magic touching her dark tiara as carefully as she spoke. "There is always a next time." Something bright and hopeful lurked in her words.
Celestia's smile felt weak, but it didn't show. "I think we can just put a pin in this as a whole, don't you?"
Luna's light was all gone. The abrupt wordlessness of things reigned between them. Celestia could not even remember when Luna's eyes had found the city outside again and had begun to raise the silent moon above the ocean beyond the city, or how sunset bled to dusk because she had not even heard Luna's magic twinkle.
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Dang this looks good.
10167531
10167526
Thanks; it'll only be one more chapter.
Well, i think Luna must choose dress for herself. And make gift for Celestia!
Speaking of Celestia and Luna and dresses derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/2/27/838456.gif
10167673
I honestly forgot this used to be a thing.
10167663
We'll see what happens next chapter.
10167819
2015 feels like a lifetime ago.
I sense a great many misunderstandings on the horizon.
10168978
That sure feels like an understatement.
Big sister is too busy making her own great ideas to ask little sister what hers are.
10169108
Unfortunately, yep. I hope you still stick around for chapter two despite the sad.
One's family doesn't always want you to be you. They want the you that they see you should be.
10169221
Sadly, that’s often the case with unequal dynamics, be it with siblings or other family members.
As someone who's always enjoyed dressing more masculine, I feel deeply for Luna. She would look so nice in a trim, dapper suit!
(This reminds me of a post where people made suits for irl horses... I gotta go find that, now.)
10255934
I’d love to see suits on irl horses! This is probably the third or fourth time I’ve written about Luna in a suit too. Another one of those stories even got fan art of her in her suit.
10264451
It's not Pre-Nightmare, actually. Was there something that gave that impression? Twilight's coronation is mentioned, so it's post-S3.
10264456
whoop somehow that went right over my head, makes this more interesting to see the dynamic between the sisters
10264473
(Ah, you didn't have to delete your comment! But I getcha!)
Yeah, I try to make sure there's more obvious hints of historical settings, or for the stuff in my 'verse, I throw it up on the timeline in the group forum
10264522
it fine, and to answer your question the reason i thought it was pre-nightmare moon was the summary and cover art, it implied to me at least it was during when their relationship was at it worst and celestia was trying to fix it with gifts, the sisters looking the other way from each other also implied they were turning away from each other emotionally or that how i saw it
10264543
That's actually waaaay deeper than I intended! They're facing different directions because they were drawn that way and I felt having them face the same direction was boring. I wasn't going to alter the art just for that when there was already a natural contrast. I do have stories that showcase their pre-NMM dynamic though.
If you click here, everything from 'Defining Features' to 'Autophobia' should be of keen interest to you. 'Stardust Bridge' has physical interactions between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, if you prefer that.
I like your style, though.
10264553
i have a look-see
10264564
Enjoy! I hope you find something you like!
So, when's the next update?
10313233
Whenever my project list minimizes enough that I can get back to this one.
I feel this ;.; i didnt have much of a wedding elopement at 18 and a small gettogether of both familys no more then 30 people yet no one would take me seriously when i said i wanted a suit a tux something dashing I doubt my love was daring enough to voice his own opnions of the contrary as he loved a nice dress but i at least tried but everyone was like a dress or nothing fuck dresses they suck even now i stick to simple clothing nothing flowing sometimes some frills of a vest and alwase bright colors but dresses are just so limiting and ugh
Ima go out wear something nice tonight to get these buryed feelings out now
Luna is correct, dresses are uncomfortable, and I don't just mean physically. There's something about them that just.... Never feels right. Further discomfort about them also comes from instances where you're obligated to wear one, I think. At that point you're just reminded of every other time it's happened, and it just makes everything feel worse.
There was a time in high school I asked if I could wear a suit to a dance. I got laughed at, and my mom bought me a dress instead. I mean, it was a nice dress, I loved the color, I'll say that much. But I hated every second of that dance, though there are many other reasons why that night was as awful as it was.
I swear, every time I've read one of your stories with Luna, I can relate to her somewhat. I suppose that's not a bad thing, but I'm hoping to see her with a suit by the end of this, but who knows. I'll get there soon enough.
Interesting conflict.
10527375
it's all about them horse dresses