> Say It
>  by HermitKlam
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Say It
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight drifted lazily in the realm between wakefulness and sleep, her normally overworked mind listlessly swirling in a haze. As a gentle warmth enveloped her body, it seemed to surround her both inside and out as it chased away the day's stress and fear, and then replaced them with thoughts and feelings seeped in safety. An overwhelming feeling of safety and home infused her, causing her to let out a small sigh; the minutes dragged on, but the feeling persisted.  

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Twilight unconsciously frowned as the silence permeated her fuzzy mind; the now absent sounds of the low melodious voice and the gentle scratching of a quill on scroll slowly pulled her back from the edge of sleep. Not wanting to give up the wonderful floating sensation she was reveling in, Twilight turned her head and nuzzled further into the warmth with another light sigh. Though the light sounds did not start up again, the extra warmth and feeling of softness against her cheek was an acceptable substitute, lulling her once more towards a state of weightless content.

Just as she hovered once more on the edge of true sleep, a light sensation infiltrated her sleepy mind, causing her to absently flick her ear. Setting down once more, a few moments passed in peace before the tickle started up again, making her ear twitch uncontrollably in defense. Frowning, she turned and rubbed her head against the soft pillow beside her. Satisfied as the sensation retreated, she tried once again to reach that lovely state of near unconsciousness, only for the tickling sensation to start up again, this time on her other ear. Whining slightly, she pressed both ears back against her head in defiance as her closed eyes scrunched shut even tighter than before.

A light, musical stream of quiet laughter swirled around her, and it pierced the fuzzy haze surrounding her mind with its familiarity and warmth. The light tickle found its way down between her eyes and across her face, flitting gently across her muzzle and coming to rest under her chin, before finally playfully retreating.

Groaning at the realization that she would most likely be denied the gentle oblivion of sleep she sought thus far, Twilight slowly cracked her eyes open one at a time.  Her head tilted slightly to the side, and a sleepy mind twisted in confusion as her half lidded eyes revealed a glowing, fuzzy white blob, a few scant inches from her face. Eyes blinking slowly, Twilight peered blearily up at the white blob that was vibrating slightly, as the tinkling sound of laughter once again registered in her mind.

Slowly, Twilight's eyes focused enough to reveal her mentor's smiling face, her white coat seemingly glowing with an ethereal light, as the sun’s rays shone through the open window behind them and danced playfully across it.  Confused and disoriented, Twilight mumbled, “Princess?”

A teasing glint flashed through magenta eyes far too swiftly for Twilight’s sleep-addled mind to catch. Another tickle, this time much more prominent, made itself known to the purple mare. Ear twitching once again, she was awake enough that she reflexively reached out with her magic. Warmth suffused her, causing her to flush slightly, even as she gave an unconscious shiver as her magic brushed up against another’s. That familiar magic brought with it the warmth and joy of lazy summer days, as it twined playfully around her own. Just as she began to lose herself in the sensation, the golden magic completely relinquished the offending object and retreated, to her slight disappointment.

Cheeks slightly pinkened, Twilight brought the object forward and into view, only for her head to tilt once more in confusion. It was a long, shiny feather, its red color fading in some places to allow vibrant orange and yellow hues forth. Its pristine appearance was marred only by the slight smudge of black adorning its root. “What the…?”

“Yes,” Celestia hummed happily. “Philomena’s feathers do make magnificent quills, do they not?”

“Quills?” Twilight repeated distractedly as golden magic playfully enveloped hers once again, this time requesting the vibrant writing utensil.

“I find they make paperwork more bearable,” Celestia admitted lightly, sending the quill to rest on the desk next to an open scroll. “Perhaps that’s just me, though, as it seems not to have helped in your case. Or could it be that you find my company lacking?” she ended her seemingly rhetorical question with a dramatic sigh, holding in a grin with practiced ease.

“W-what? No! I-” Her hazy mind cleared in a snap as her mentor’s words finally registered. The smaller alicorn attempted to bolt upright, only to hit a soft yet deceptively strong barrier. Struggling to get to her hooves in a panic, Twilight began babbling frantically, stumbling over her words in her haste,  “I-I don’t, that’s not it at all! I-I find your company extremely unlacking- I mean I love your c-company, and I just, I was tired and I haven’t had much sleep lately, a-and your voice is s-so, s-so I just, and I felt safe a-and warm and-”

Twilight’s stammered reply cut off abruptly as she yelped, when she felt the soft barrier against her back, which just now registered as one of the white alicorn’s large wings, curled tighter around her, undoing any progress she had made in her endeavor to stand upright. As the wing gently yanked her back to the ground, it cocooned her once more in warmth, and tucked the startled alicorn snuggly into the princess’s side once again.

“I apologize, Twilight,” Celestia soothed her, eyes dancing in mirth as she used her magic to move a tuft of purple and pink mane out of the frazzled alicorn’s eyes. “You’re just so adorable when you’re flustered, I couldn’t help myself.”

Twilight scowled slightly at the cutesy word; foals were adorable, not fully-grown mares. Not only had she helped save Equestria multiple times, but she had been living on her own for a few years now. Spike didn’t count. She was not adorable.

Celestia cooed lightly at the adorable pout that adorned the smaller pony’s face, and couldn’t help but to lean down and nuzzle her after a few seconds. She more felt than heard the smaller mare grumble for a few seconds, before giving in and nuzzling back. As Celestia lifted her head up after few minutes, she couldn’t help but blow a puff of air lightly at a purple ear, giggling as her little alicorn jumped slightly, the ear once more twitching uncontrollably.

“Princess,” Twilight whined softly, ears pining back once more, as she rubbed her head against the alicorn’s side to get rid of the tickling sensation.

“Now, now, princess,” Celestia’s voice teasingly slipped back into tones she thought were more at home when lecturing in a classroom. Acting quickly, she surprised the young alicorn by loosening the grip her wing had on her captive. Mindful of Twilight's smaller wings, she rolled the purple mare onto her back and continued, “I do believe we’ve been over this.”

Twilight’s flailing froze as the princess’s wing tucked itself around her once again, the soft downy plumage brushing against her sensitive underbelly and pressing down lightly against her slightly shaking wing. As she stared straight up, Twilight’s gaze locked with a pair of twinkling eyes inches from her own. As she lost herself in the magenta orbs, she absently noted a white brow rising amusedly.

“Well?” Celestia whispered, her breath gently tickling Twilight’s muzzle as she gazed into the slightly dazed amethyst orbs beneath her.

“I-I,” Twilight’s breath hitched, her words petering out as the delightful scent of warm cinnamon tickled her senses. Breathing deeply, her mouth began to water as her eyes flickered to the older alicorn’s lips.

“Yes, Twilight?” Celestia cooed, putting a slight emphasis on the young mare’s name.

“W-what was the, um,” Twilight swallowed thickly, unconsciously licking her lips. She had, at this point, given up even the pretense of paying attention and was staring unflinchingly at the lips hovering above her own, “T-the question?”

“Hmm,” Celestia leaned in slightly before seemingly changing her mind and playfully retreating. Twice more she teased her with the promise of a kiss before retreating, much to the restrained mare's frustration. She locked eyes with Twilight once again and answered, “There was no question.”

“R-right,” Twilight mumbled unconsciously, straining her neck and darting her head forward suddenly. A tinkling laugh met her ears as Celestia dodged her attempts to connect their lips. Twilight, groaning in frustration, pouted as her hooves twitched against their constraint, her urge to petulantly fold them across her chest rapidly increasing.

Just about melting inside at the adorable picture her protégé made, Celestia slowly slid her white cheek against a purple one before stopping with her muzzle beside Twilight’s ear. Her mouth curved into a self-satisfied smile, the large white alicorn relished each quiver that traveled through the smaller mare's body as puff after puff of warm breath caressed Twilight’s ear.

“All you have to do is say it,” Celestia breathed into her ear, earning a larger shudder and slight whine from her little captive.

Twilight panted lightly, her mind scrambling through a blissful haze for the correct sounds to string together. Despite her best intentions, however, all that escaped Twilight’s lips was another low whine.

“Say. It.” Celestia demanded thickly, her restraint weakening as she leaned in to nuzzle the sensitive spot just below Twilight’s ear, garnering another low moan and accompanying shudder from the hypersensitive mare. An answering quiver ran down Celestia’s wings as a pleading tone entered her voice. “Say it.”

“T-,” Twilight gasped as she felt a light nip against her sensitive skin, before she found herself once again staring into eyes almost as glazed as her own. Licking her suddenly dry lips, her gaze flickered once more between both eyes and lips before resolutely resting on those sparking magenta orbs. “Ti-”

“Celly!” a cry from seemingly nowhere broke into their little world, halting Twilight's latest attempt completely.  

As Twilight’s voice lodged itself in her throat and refused to move any further, her lidded eyes widened in shock at the sudden intrusion. Celestia, on the other hand, closed her eyes with a long-suffering sigh and bowed her head, gently bumping it against Twilight’s apologetically.

“Luna,” she muttered, frowning slightly. “You do realize the guards outside the door are there for a reason, don’t you?”

“Ah, yes,” Luna blinked, glancing at the closed door before beaming at her sister. “That is why we came in through the window.”

Celestia sent the blue alicorn an exasperated look; a look that, as always, seemed to have no effect against the night's vanguard.  After another sigh, she rolled her eyes and shifted slightly so she could more easily see her sister. At Twilight’s insistent prodding, she reluctantly loosened her wing’s grip on the youngest alicorn, allowing Twilight to roll back onto her stomach. “What is it that I can help you with, little sister?”

“Thou can stop hogging Twilight Sparkle,” Luna stated bluntly, a slightly more serious look sliding onto her face.

“Excuse me?” Celestia asked surprisedly, her ears perking upright and brow raised.

“’Tis not fair. We wish to partake in the fun with Twilight Sparkle as well,” Luna grumped, a scowl now firmly in place.

“What?” Celestia peered incredulously at her younger sister, her wing involuntarily tightening around her student again. “Luna, what exactly are you saying?”

“Celly!” now it was Luna’s turn to sigh exasperatedly at her older sister. “Must we spell it out for you?"

“Apparently,” Celestia responded dryly, as Twilight tried to stifle a giggle at the sisterly exchange. The purple mare had returned to a state of calm, her earlier fluster having retreated in the wake of Luna's arrival, much to Celestia’s disappointment.

“Very well,” Luna rolled her eyes. “Twilight Sparkle has been in Canterlot for the past few days and has so far spent time with her brother, her parents, Cadence, and yourself. We simply wish to have our turn.”

“Luna,” Celestia began, before stopping herself. Thinking over her response, she started again, “Lulu, Twilight isn’t a toy-”

“Of course she is not a toy,” Luna huffed in exasperation, cutting her larger sister off. Shaking her head, she began talking in a voice one would use to gently correct a silly foal. “We do not wish to play with her; we wish to experience the fun with her.”

“Of course,” Celestia sighed in exasperation, a small smile playing at her lips. “Thank you for clearing that up.”

“Yes, well,” Luna cleared her throat, a small, embarrassed smile sheepishly flitting across her face. “We-I realize that… I… am not yet completely knowledgeable with this century’s vernacular. I… It may take me some time yet.”

“We understand Lulu,” Celestia smiled warmly at her little sister. “None of us expect you to grasp a millennium’s worth of change overnight,” Feeling a slight nudge against her wing, Celestia snapped back to the matter at hand. “Anyways, as you can see-”

“Ah! Yes!” Luna interrupted once more, tapping the floor in remembrance as she sent her sister a sly glance. “We almost forgot. We were to tell you that your nephew has fired the cook as well as half of the kitchen staff.”

“He fired the cook,” Celestia deadpanned.

“Yes.”

“Chef Gateau?”

“Yes. We shall miss those little strawberry pastries he made each morning,” Luna sighed despondently, a large grin poorly hidden upon her face.

Celestia paused, seemingly arguing with herself. After silently debating for a few moments, she sighed. Looking down, her eyes connected with grinning amethyst orbs. “Go,” Twilight suggested softly, a warm smile dancing across her lips.

Exhaling noisily, Celestia nodded, yet couldn’t help but hesitate once more.

“We do hope what is left of the kitchen staff knows how to make those delightful cinnamon waffles,” Luna wistfully mused.

Rolling her eyes, Celestia stood up and stretched, allowing Twilight to do the same with a slight yawn. Looking down at the shorter alicorn, Celestia smiled and gave her a warm nuzzle, “I’ll see you later tonight.”

“I think not!” Luna huffed, scowling up at her older sister as she pointed a wing at her accusingly. “Twilight Sparkle shall be busy this night observing our night sky. We shall return her to you in the morn, and not a moment earlier.”

Seeing Twilight perk her ears up in interest at the planned nocturnal activities, Celestia gave in to her sister’s demands with an indulgent smile, “Of course, Lulu. Well then, I better go clean up the mess Blueblood has made. Again.”

“Well, he is your nephew.”

Celestia shot her grinning sister an annoyed look as she made her way to the door, only to stumble slightly as her student appeared before her in a flash of purple light. Blinking in light surprise, she gazed concernedly down at her.

Ruffling her feathers nervously, Twilight held a lip with her teeth for a moment before nodding to herself. As she steeled herself, she waited for her mentor to lower her head curiously before she stretched up. “I’ll see you later, Tia,” Twilight whispered, kissing the larger alicorn. A white hoof rose and rested gently against her back, granting her extra balance as she stood on her hind legs. Pulling back reluctantly, she was graced with a loving smile and a shorter peck before her teacher finally left the room.

“Fear not,” Luna stated mischievously, now standing beside Twilight, causing her to jump. “You shall see my sister again in a matter of hours.”

“I-of course,” Twilight blushed, before clearing her throat. “So, Princess Luna, what do you want to do until nightfall?”

“Well,” Luna started, one brow arched as she regarded her shorter companion. “For starters, we would like to simply be addressed as Luna.” A downright impish smirk slithered its way across her face. “Though, we shall admit, our methods of persuasion aren’t nearly as effective as our sister’s.”

Twilight froze. Looking at the dark alicorn out of the corner of her eye, she hesitantly questioned her. “How, uh… how long, exactly, were you at the window?”

“Long enough to know that perhaps we should stick with ‘Celly’ and leave the nickname ‘Tia’ to you,” Luna responded slyly, a large teasing grin splitting her face.

A slightly strangled whimper escaped Twilight’s throat, while a dark red blush flooded her cheeks despite her valiant effort to keep it down. A little voice in the back of her mind started to second guess whether encouraging Celestia to leave had been a good idea. At least when the two sisters were together, they ended up teasing each other and she got to play the role of amused spectator. Usually.

On the other hand, her dislike for Blueblood reached all the way back to her first week living in the castle when she was but a foal. Imagining Celestia scolding him did sort of make up for the interruption, and she really did like those cinnamon waffles. They were one of the few things that made getting up with the sun worthwhile.

So, she was going to let Celestia do her job, she was going to have fun with Luna, and she wasn't going to pass out from such an extreme blush. Going through the motions like Cadence had taught her, Twilight took a deep breath and let it out. Her blushing under control, she opened her eyes only to come face to face with Luna's smirk and merrily laughing blue orbs, causing her to blank.

It was going to be a long night.
	
> Making Waves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight lay limply atop a fluffy white cloud high above the castle, panting in exhaustion. Attempting to stretch her tired limbs, she groaned as her abused muscles screamed vehemently in protest. Giving up, she let her head flop down to the cloud and closed her eyes, determined to at least enjoy the warmth of the sun. All too soon, however, a large shadow blocked out the light. It wasn't much of a surprise when she felt a hoof poke her lightly in the side.

“You are it.”

“Mneh…” Twilight moaned, weakly attempting to swat the hoof away. All she could manage, however, was to pitifully flop her hoof an inch to the left. “Time… time out.”

“What?” Luna scrunched her brows up in confusion. “We were not aware that this game had a time limit.”

“Break.” Twilight grunted, still refusing to open her eyes.

“You have broken something?” Luna’s eyes widened in concern. Hovering closer, she gave her prostrate companion a quick onceover, yet couldn’t find any obvious signs of trauma. “What is broken?”

“Everything,” Twilight groaned.

“What?” Luna was shocked for a moment, before an enlightened expression slowly slipped onto her face. “Oh! We comprehend now. You spoke in jest.” Grinning, she gently patted the purple pony’s back good naturedly before commandeering a cloud for herself.

The two sat in companionable silence, basking in the warm day as they floated over Canterlot. Looking away from the peaceful vista, Luna glanced at the smaller alicorn, only to frown as something caught her eye. Clearing her throat, she attempted to get her attention. “Twilight?” Not receiving a response, she repeated the pony’s name, this time with increased volume.

“Twilight?”

“Mmm…” Twilight mumbled. “Five more minutes…”

“Twilight.” Luna spoke louder, poking her companion once more.

“Just, just give me ten minutes,” Twilight rolled over on her cloud and sighed. “S’all I ask.”

“Twilight Sparkle.” Slightly irritated now, she let a small amount of power slip into her voice.

“What?” Twilight sighed in resignation as she lifted her head, cracking an eye open to regard the blue alicorn.

“Your cloud is dispersing.” Luna informed her, tone once again pleasant.

“That’s nice.” Closing her eye once more, she attempted to lay her head down on the fluffy mass only for it to meet thin air. Freezing, her eyes shot wide open as she tilted forwards slowly. She tried to scramble backwards to no avail, ultimately slipping off of what was left of her cloud and nose diving towards the castle hundreds of feet below.

A scream burst forth from her lungs, the sound only gaining in volume as her wings refused to cooperate. Scrunching her eyes shut, she frantically scoured her brain for a solution, unaware that Luna was moments from catching her. She couldn’t teleport, because no matter where she teleported to, her momentum would most likely kill her. Unlike Pinkie Pie, she was bound by the laws of physics. Unless…

Latching on to that thought, she quickly pooled her magic around herself and teleported, disappearing in a bright purple flash. Luna gave a light yelp as she pulled out of her dive, rubbing her eyes. Blinking away the spots, she hovered alone in the sky. “That… is not how one plays tag,” she muttered with a slight frown. 

Spinning in midair, Luna looked around but did not see any sign of her purple friend. Looking down at the buildings below her, a sudden thought crossed her mind, causing her face to slowly split into a grin. “Oh!” A playful glint appeared in her eyes as she dove towards the castle. “We have heard of this game! Very well, Twilight Sparkle. We shall ‘seek’ you.”

-0-0-

Celestia sighed blissfully as her head broke the water of her bathing pool, an army of brightly colored suds flowing down her mane and spreading unevenly across the water. Absently humming under her breath, she lazily floated away from the center, stopping only once she bumped into a submerged platform. The platform itself was tilted at an angle, allowing her to stretch out along its length with her lower body submerged and her head resting comfortably above the waterline.

Cracking an eye open, she gazed through the gently wafting steam and took in her bathing room with a self-satisfied smile. The room itself was large and circular, its ceiling curving gently in the shape of a dome. Large windows took up most of the space on the walls, lighting up the room with the warm glow of the sun. Stained-glass chimes hung sporadically around the room, merrily reflecting their colors in the sunlight as they twinkled gently, creating a soothing symphony.

While the room was adorned with a few pieces of furniture, such as a large cupboard, a well-stocked vanity, and a large plush pillow, its best asset was hooves-down the large pool of water in the center of the room. The pool itself took up most of the floor, easily fitting four to five ponies her size with room to spare. The water was constantly cycled through the use of two inconspicuously placed spouts; one continuously supplied the pool with hot water while the other connected to a sophisticated filtering system which was in turn connected to a drain. Despite the time and resources it took to build, she had not once regretted having this little sanctuary built.

Turning her head she watched through lidded eyes as the last of her attendants searched through one of the cupboards, everyone else having left her to soak after her spa treatment.  The small mint green pegasus was humming lightly to herself as she methodically searched through each cupboard, sticking her head completely inside each one to search its depths. After a few more moments of searching, a muffled cry of victory reached the princess’ ears.

Bubble Balm grinned merrily as she exited the cupboard, a large chalky pink ball grasped gently in her forehooves. Fluttering through the steam, she hovered above the center of the pool for a few seconds before dropping her cargo. Landing on the opposite side on the pool she happily looked towards the lounging princess. “Was there anything else, Princess Celestia?”

“Mmm…” Celestia sighed as the chalky ball fizzed as it sank to rest on the bottom of the pool and began slowly dissolving in the hot water, turning it a light pink color. “No, this is just about perfect.” A gentle floral scent began wafting from the pool, carried into the air by the light steam. Light tingles began along her submerged body, the magically infused ball slowly charging the water. “In fact, there is only one thing that could make this any more perfect…” Celestia trailed off with a pleased sigh.

Bubble cocked her head to the side, a thoughtful look on her face. “Another Balm Ball?” She hazarded, coming to the conclusion that if one Balm Ball was pleasant, two of them must be extra pleasant. 

“No, one is quite sufficient,” Celestia chuckled lightly. Opening her eyes slightly, she turned her head to look at her attendant. “It’s not perfect because-” A bright purple flash and a loud shriek cut her off. Looking up with a start, she had just enough time to close her mouth before a purple body slammed into the pool with a large splash, the displaced water surging over her head and soaking the floor in a giant wave. 

Sitting up, Celestia blinked the water out of her eyes as her horn began to shine. Enveloping the submerged body in a golden glow, she quickly levitated the purple pony above the water. Her student immediately began sputtering and coughing up water, greedily inhaling air as she struggled to clear her lungs.

“Twilight?” She breathed, her voice heavily laced with concern. “Are you alright?” 

Getting her breath under sufficient control, Twilight went limp in her mentor’s magical grasp, a loud groan of defeat escaping her lips. “M’okay.”

“Well Bubble,” Celestia blinked, a dazzling smile slowly spreading across her lips. “It seems that I have been proven wrong.” Floating her student closer, she wrapped her hooves around the smaller princess in a gentle embrace. “Everything is now perfect.”

“Alrighty!” Bubble grinned happily. “Is there anything I can get you, Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight snuggled further into the embrace, her head resting in the crook of her mentor’s neck as she clung to her. The soothing feeling of a hoof gently stroking her mane was doing wonders to calm her down. Turning her head slightly, she croaked out a muffled response. “It’s just Twilight, Bubbles.” 

“Alrighty!” Bubble beamed. “Is there anything I can get for you, Princess Twilight?”

Twilight sighed in exasperation as she felt more than heard the white alicorn chuckle in amusement. “No thank you, Bubbles. I’m good.”

“Alrighty!” Bobbing her head in acknowledgment, Bubble bowed slightly before flittering out of the room, gently closing the door behind her, a merry hum fading as she retreated further down the hall. 

For a while neither of them spoke, the only sounds in the otherwise silent room being the light tinkling of the chimes and the gentle lapping of the water. Running her hoof one last time through the purple mane in front of her, Celestia allowed her hoof to gently rub the back of Twilight’s neck before it joined its counterpart in hugging her little alicorn.

“Not that I minded you dropping in,” Celestia broke the silence, a warm smile on her face. “In fact it was, and still is, a very welcome distraction,” she continued, a hint of a teasing tone coloring her words. “But I couldn’t help but notice you seemed a tad distressed during your entrance.”

Twilight burrowed her head further against her marefriend’s neck, another disgruntled groan escaping her lips.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Celestia questioned, resuming her slow stroking, this time on the younger alicorn’s back. Long seconds passed by with no response to her query. Raising an eyebrow, she stopped her gentle caress, causing her love to whine in discontent. “Twilight?”

“…No”

“No?”

“No.”

Celestia peered thoughtfully down at the lovable pony pouting in between her hooves. Coming to a decision, she swiftly levitated her student once more into the air, ignoring the indignant squawk as she shifted lower onto the platform. Lying down on her back, she deposited the startled pony onto her chest and floated over an amalgam of bathing supplies. 

“Tell me about your day,” Celestia calmly stated as she lathered a thick bristled brush with soap.

Twilight wasn’t stupid; she knew she was in a precarious position. Half submerged and sprawled across her mentor’s chest, the little alicorn’s resistance lasted just as long as it took for her to raise her head. Freezing as her nose bumped into another’s, Twilight’s mind stalled before flashing to a very similar situation that morning.

“Tia?” Twilight uttered hopefully. The magenta orbs in front of her twinkled, a brow arched in pointed amusement, causing her to pout and mutter. “Ah, well. It was worth a try.” Sighing in defeat, Twilight pursed her lips in thought, hastily beginning a recap of her day. “Well, after you left this morning, Luna and I wandered around for a bit, ate, walked in the garden, played a game of tag and then I ended up here.” 

Smiling brightly as she finished her story, Twilight closed her eyes and awaited her reward.  A few puffs of warm breath caressed her face before she felt a small peck on her nose. Eyes snapping open, her cheeks puffed out, showcasing her displeasure.

Leaning back slightly, Celestia gazed back at her marefriend with an innocent smile. “What did you eat?” Her politely curious tone was laced with an undercurrent of mirth.

“Some sort of cake made with waffles,” Twilight replied grumpily, resigned to her fate.

“Oh?” Celestia hummed. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I guess it tasted pretty goo-oooh…” Twilight trailed off at the first touch of the brush against her shoulders. Eyes closing in delight, she practically purred as the soapy brush gently yet firmly began scrubbing her coat in small circles.

“Go on,” Celestia prompted softly, the brush slowly circling lower.

“I-Mmmm…” Laying her head down, Twilight melted further into the larger alicorn as the massage-like grooming seemingly hit every one of her sore muscles in quick succession, turning her into a goopy purple mess. “L-Luna kept teasing me about the noises I was making; said they were ‘positively indecent’.”

“O-oh?” Magenta eyes widened slightly before narrowing in thought. “Is that so?” She trailed off, absently floating a bright yellow bottle over and spreading a generous mist of the solution over purple wings.

“Mmhmm,” Twilight moaned, her tender wings quivering in delight as a soft cloth gently rubbed in the soothing lotion, lightly stroking her feathers until they gleamed. “That’s why we w-went to the garden. I figured the less w-witnesses to the teasing the better.” 

She sighed in relaxed contentment as Celestia used a bowl to slowly rinse the suds from her now shining coat, prompting her to continue lazily. “That somehow turned into aerial tag. I overdid it though, and when the cloud I was resting on dispersed, my wings were too sore so I teleported.”

Blinking slowly as the distracting sensations ceased, Twilight nuzzled happily into the larger alicorn’s neck. Inhaling the fresh floral scent, she tentatively stuck her pink tongue out and licked the white fur. Smacking her lips together in thought, she leaned forward and lapped more firmly against Celestia’s neck.

“And how are they now?” Celestia asked as she tilted her head to the side, exposing more of her neck to the inquisitive licks.

“And how are what now?” Twilight mumbled, working her way up the proffered neck. The flavor was undoubtedly floral, possibly peonies. On top of the admittedly pleasant flavor, every lick succeeded in making her tongue tingle. The sensation was oddly addicting.

“How are your wings feeling now?” She reiterated breathlessly as she arched her neck lightly towards the searching muzzle.

“Oh yeah, they’re great,” Twilight murmured absently as she shuffled upwards and finally pressed their lips together in a scorching kiss, her hooves wrapping snuggly around her neck.

“Mmm,” Celestia mumbled into the kiss. Pulling back slightly, she gazed into her flushed student’s face with a satisfied smile. “Good… That’s good.” Closing the distance once more, she wrapped her forelegs tighter around the purple mare, pulling her impossibly closer.

Just as the two alicorns began to lose themselves in their own little world, a loud bang reverberated throughout the room as the heavy door was slammed open. Striding into the chamber, two blue hooves clapped in delight. “Huzzah! We are victorious!”
	
	
> Moonlit Interlude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight stifled another yawn as she gazed up at the night sky in content, her tired eyes opened wide through shear willpower as she tried to take in as much of the view as she could. In a small gesture of apology for her earlier actions, Luna had made the stars noticeably brighter and had, after a bit of prompting, spent the past few hours talking about her creations. As tired as she was, Luna’s low soothing voice had lulled her into a state near sleep even as the subject matter and the celestial show above prompted her to fight to stay awake.

Conversation having petered off scant minutes earlier, the two sat in comfortable silence as they gazed up at the sky, each lost in their own thoughts. Completely alone in the night, the two sat secreted away atop a small platform located on the roof of one of the taller towers of the castle. This particular viewing platform was Luna’s favorite, for it was on the edge of the castle and gave an unimpeded view of the sky.

Shivering slightly as a cool breeze swirled around her, Twilight reflexively ruffled her feathers, puffing them up in warmth. The night itself wasn’t inherently cold; however, whether it was due to the coming winter or to their elevation, the wind had a slight bite to it. She wished she had thought to bring a blanket, and briefly entertained the thought of fetching one. After a moment of thought, she discarded the idea; she was loath to abandon her viewing of the beautiful night, even for the handful of minutes it would take for her to locate something warm. Movement in the corner of her eye broke her from her reverie, causing her to tilt her head slightly to the side as she regarded her companion. 

Luna stood up and stretched her limbs before settling down once again, this time lying down on her stomach. Looking at her companion out of the corner of her eye, she took in the slightly drooping eyes and slight yet periodic shivers. “You are cold,” Luna spoke softly, yet her voice was easily carried through the otherwise quiet night. Raising a dark blue wing in invitation, she beckoned the smaller mare closer. “Come; we shall keep you warm.”

“Ah,” Twilight hesitated, before declining politely. “I’m fine, really. It’s not actually that cold out.”

“Yes, well, perhaps cold is too strong a word,” Luna agreed, watching another light shiver run through her companion despite her efforts to conceal it. “The wind does, however, carry a certain chill to it. We should have had the forethought to bring a blanket.” Another shiver wracked the purple body, causing Luna to sigh in exasperation as she rolled her eyes. “Come now, we will not bite.”

A slight blush dusted Twilight’s cheeks at the words. “I didn’t think you would,” she mumbled. Fidgeting slightly, she finally gave in and shuffled closer. Lying down next to the larger alicorn, she made sure to leave nearly a foot of space between them. “Happy?”

“No.” Luna stated bluntly. Not giving her companion time to react, she swept her wing down and pulled the shocked mare closer, ignoring her startled yelp. Casually tightening her grasp, she smiled brightly up at the stars, pointedly ignoring the younger alicorn’s attempts to increase the distance between them.

After a few minutes of futilely trying to escape, Twilight finally gave up with a disgruntled huff. Settling down, she ended up leaning further into Luna’s side, grudgingly admitting to herself, but never out loud, that she was a lot warmer now. “You know, that’s completely unfair.”

“Oh?”

“Using your wings against me like that. The both of you do it, and I get caught one hundred percent of the time, with zero percent success at escaping.” Twilight whined slightly with a pout. “Just how come your wings are so strong, while mine feel like falling off after a short game of tag?”

“Ah, well,” Luna lifted a brow in thought, before shrugging faintly. “Countless years of exercise? With time the muscles in your wings will strengthen as well.” A few moments of silence passed before she glanced down awkwardly, voice oddly hesitant. “Are you… Do you mind? If you are truly uncomfortable, we will remove our wing. It was impulsive on our part, we admit, though we meant no discomfort…”

“I… No,” Twilight hurriedly assured her companion as she took stock of her feelings. Though she had never cuddled with the princess of the night, she couldn’t deny that though it was different than cuddling with Celestia, the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. “No. You just startled me, is all.” Shifting closer, she smiled as the wing moved with her, continually conforming to her side and blocking the wind. “I have to admit, I’ve come to really enjoy wing… hugs…” She stumbled, slightly confused over what exactly to call the act.

Luna relaxed slightly in relief, before glancing awkwardly down at her companion once more. “We are not sure how knowledgeable you are on the subject, but embracing with the wing is the main way for pegasi to show affection; familial or otherwise. It also shows a great deal of trust, as it leaves the sensitive wing joints beneath the wing exposed.” Clearing her throat, she timidly continued. “We have always enjoyed lying like this with our sister. She is the only one we have ever felt close enough to…” Luna’s voice diminished drastically until her last words came out in a mumble that would put even Fluttershy’s whispering to shame.

“Hmm?” Twilight peered up at Luna, having been listening intently yet not having caught the end of the sentence. Her brow raised in bemusement when the older alicorn shyly refused to meet her gaze. “What was that?”

“We… I consider you to be a… a good friend, and…” Luna trailed off, shifting vaguely in discomfort before continuing awkwardly. “I wanted to… to share that experience.” Glancing down into startled purple eyes, Luna’s gaze quickly darted away before continuing. “With you.”

Twilight was silent for a few long moments as she attempted to gather her thoughts together. “So let me get this straight; wrapping your wing around someone implies a certain level of intimacy, more than I had initially thought,” she started slowly, carefully choosing her words. “And this,” she nodded at the wing covering her, “is essentially you showing me that you trust me and… and care about me. A lot.” Twilight blushed faintly as her words garnered a very hesitant nod in response. 

Falling silent again, Twilight was pulled from her introspective thoughts as the blue alicorn fidgeted slightly in unease. Aware of how her statement may have sounded, she consciously relaxed her limbs and leaned more fully into the embrace. “I… Don’t get me wrong; the feeling… isn’t unpleasant.” It was Twilight’s turn to fidget slightly, the light blush adorning her cheeks darkening a shade. “It may just take me a little while to get used to it, that’s all. I um…” She glanced up shyly. “I’d wing… hug… you too, but my wings are kind of small compared to yours.”

Luna beamed down at Twilight, her smile brighter than any of the stars lacing the sky. Twilight’s answering smile was smaller, yet by no means less genuine. Nuzzling the smaller pony warmly, Luna began humming happily as the purple mare slowly nuzzled back. Tucking her head underneath Luna’s, Twilight let out a face-splitting yawn, her current level of comfort and Luna’s faint humming relaxing her. As Luna leaned her head atop Twilights and closed her eyes in content, a trio of shooting stars shot merrily across the sky.

-0-0-

Opening her eyes slowly, Luna gave a small start as she glanced up at the sky. The moon had moved a considerable distance from last she remembered, indicating she had unintentionally fallen asleep. Glancing down at the small purple alicorn tucked into her side, a slightly confused smile slid onto her face. She didn’t need as much rest as Twilight, whose body was still trying to compensate for the changes it had undergone, and hadn’t expected to follow the younger mare into sleep. Glancing up at the moon again, she shook her head in disbelief. Especially not that early in the night; she must have been more comfortable than she had first thought.

Carefully unwrapping her wing from her sleeping companion, Luna stood up and stretched. A large yawn escaped her lips as she ruffled her feathers, shaking feeling back into her wing. Looking down at the sleeping alicorn, she couldn’t help but smile as her heart melted slightly at the adorable sight. Shivering in her sleep at the sudden absence of warmth, Twilight whined faintly in discontent, curling into a ball in an attempt to ward off the night air.

Not wanting to disturb the tired pony, Luna bit her lip in thought. Brightening as an idea came to her, her horn glowed a deep blue as she enveloped the smaller pony and slowly levitated her friend onto her back. Sensing the warmth, Twilight uncurled enough to burrow her head into the soft fur of Luna’s neck. Her forelegs, no longer cradling her own head, now dangled freely above the large blue wings, one hoof on either side of a soft neck. Sighing happily as the body heat seeped into her and caused her shivering to abate, Twilight’s own smaller lavender wings unclenched, the limbs now hanging limply at her sides.

Standing still for a few moments, Luna waited for her unconscious passenger to settle down while she got used to the weight. Though larger than Twilight, they were still close enough in height to make the whole process slightly awkward, yet still doable. Taking a few tentative steps forward, Luna shifted her wings, testing their maneuverability. Nodding her head in satisfaction, she stepped off of the tower.

Spreading her wings out, she immediately caught a draft, the wind pushing up against her wings and slowing her descent considerably. Mindful of her precious cargo, she tilted her wings so as to glide slowly down towards a large balcony close to her quarters. Landing as gently as she could, Luna froze as she felt movement on her back. Long seconds went by before she heard another sigh, her cargo going limp once more. Relaxing, she quietly made her way through the room and down the halls. Ignoring the poorly hidden stares of the maids working the nightshift, she walked right past the door to Twilight’s bedroom with nary a glance in its direction.

Coming upon her chambers, Luna acknowledged the two night guards standing at attention on either side of the large double doors. Her magic flickered into existence once more as she opened the doors with a thought, the heavy barrier shutting with a faint click behind her. Finally giving in to the urge to yawn now that she was out of the public eye, the lunar princess shuffled tiredly to the side of her large bed. Shifting the dark blue canopy to the side, she turned down the matching thick blanket. 

Carefully placing the lavender mare on the side of the bed, she climbed up herself and slowly made her way to the middle. All but collapsing into the delectably soft cushion in satisfaction, she stretched her wing out and, for the second time that night, pulled Twilight into a warm embrace. Curling as much as she could around the smaller body, she cocooned the soft blanket around the two of them, giggling tiredly as Twilight nuzzled further into her, the younger alicorn’s breath tickling her slightly as it rustled the fur on her neck.

Yawning one last time, Luna finally allowed her eyes to close, a small smile painted across her muzzle. Now she knew why Celestia had always been so clingy whenever they slept together; being able to hold someone close while cuddling was an altogether pleasant sensation. The fact that she genuinely cared a great deal for her unwitting teddy bear only served to make the experience that much more enjoyable.
	
> Table Manners
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Celestia strode confidently into her sister’s room, the heavy doors closing behind her, and subsequently proceeded to trip in the total darkness of the room. Wings shooting out, she just managed to catch herself before she actually hit the floor. Lighting up her horn to see what she had tripped on, the solar princess blinked in surprise. Staring up at her with a smile forever frozen on its face was Mr. Nibbs. The large plush bunny she had given her sister upon her return surprisingly still looked as new as the day she bought it, save for one slightly mangled ear.

Rolling her eyes at her sister’s penchant for leaving her things lying around, Celestia stepped over the rabbit and, with the faint glow of her horn, carefully made her way around three discarded pillows, a stack of books, and an ancient looking abacus. Coming up to the side of the bed, she studied the large lump for a moment before carefully lifting the side of the blanket at its base, revealing a tangled mess of blue and purple.

A soft smile rose unbidden to her lips as she ran her eyes lovingly along the two ponies most dear to her heart. Her little sister, who usually shied away from intimacy from anyone except Celestia herself, was curled quite contently around her student. Though not significantly larger than the purple pony herself, the blue alicorn used her limbs to the best of her ability, encircling her bedmate with both hooves and wings. In fact, the only part of her student she could currently see besides a portion of her head was a hind hoof, and even that had her sister’s ethereal tail wrapped snuggly around it. Twilight, for her part, seemed perfectly content to be cuddled so thoroughly, a small smile adorning her muzzle in her sleep.

Hesitant to disturb the adorable picture the snuggling ponies made, Celestia nevertheless raised a hoof with the intent of nudging her student awake, her own desire to spend breakfast with the younger alicorn winning out. A slight gleam out of the corner of her eye, however, briefly made her pause. The base of one of her lavender alicorn’s ears was slick, the wetness reflecting the glow of her horn. A white eyebrow slowly rose.

All thoughts of not disturbing her slumbering sister flew out of her mind as her horn shone bright for a moment, her magic engulfing the heavy curtains of one window and throwing them open. Blinking a few times to get used to the new level of brightness in the room as the rising sun merrily lit up the large space, her other brow joined its counterpart. 

Scrunching her eyes up as a beam of sunlight hit her eyes, Luna whined in discontent, her ears flattening against her head. Twitching her ethereal mane, one starry tendril shifted to lie across her eyes, blocking the light once more. Settling down with a sleepy grumble, she lay still once more, unconsciously sucking lightly on the tip of one purple ear.

Poor Mr.Nibbs’ currently mangled state was considerably less surprising than it was a moment ago.

Not sure exactly how she felt at the sight before her, Celestia finally settled for snorting lightly in amused exasperation. Following through on her earlier actions, she gently nudged a purple shoulder. Not satisfied with the light grumble she received in response to her attempts, Celestia nudged her more firmly. When that also failed, she began speaking with each subsequent nudge. “Twilight… Wake up, Twilight…”

“Mnnnoo…” Twilight moaned sleepily, slightly slurring her words. “Turn off the sun…” Trailing off into unintelligible murmurs, the littlest alicorn snuggled more firmly into her bedmate, hiding her face in the soft fur.

Pursing her lips in thought, an unrepentant grin slowly formed on her white face. Leaning in closer, she spoke directly into her student’s ear. “Why Twilight, I was expecting this report hours ago. You are, dare I say it, tardy.”

Like a switch was flicked on, Twilight awoke in a panicked frenzy. “I-I-I, I’m so sorry, Princess. I don’t know what come over me.” Attempting to sit up, she only managed to jerk slightly to the side before insistent blue limbs yanked her back.

“Twilight.”

“I-no, a verbal apology isn’t enough; I’ll write you an essay on the merits of being on time as well as a formal apology and-”

“Twilight.”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to. I don’t know how I-I-I, please-don’t-send-me-back-a-grade!”

“Twilight,” Celestia smiled, inordinately amused. “I’m not going to send you back a grade; I can’t send you back a grade. And you’re not late; breakfast has yet to start.”

“You’re going to send me back more than one grade!” Twilight whimpered in horror, eyes wide. “Bu-but I didn’t mean to-wait a minute.” A slight frown slid across her face as the rest of her mentor’s words finally pierced the panicky haze surrounding her mind. “What does breakfast have to do with anything?”

“Breakfast is where we’re going,” Celestia replied. “And since it won’t start without us, neither of us will be late.”

“I… but what about the report?” Twilight asked, confusion beginning to snuff out her earlier panic.

“What report?” Celestia asked, innocently cocking her head slightly to the side in feigned incomprehension.

“The… I… I don’t know.” Twilight stated slowly as she gazed up at her, a bewildered expression on her face. “I was sure that… never mind. Must have been a dream…” 

“That must be it.” Celestia agreed lightly before leaning down and giving the adorable pony a soft kiss. Pulling back reluctantly after a few sweet moments, she murmured, “Good morning, my dearest Twilight.”

“Good morning, Tia.” Twilight mumbled back with a suitably dazed smile, only for a sheepish one to take its place as her stomach rumbled despondently. “So… You mentioned something about breakfast…?”

Laughing lightly, Celestia teased, “Why yes; just as soon as you extricate yourself we shall proceed to the dining room.”

“Extricate my…” Confusion laced her voice. Trying to move, she froze, her current position finally registering. Flushing a brilliant red, she began stammering. “I-It’s not what it looks l-like!”

“Oh?” Celestia slowly arched a brow at the statement. “So you aren’t currently cuddling with my sister in her bed?”

“No!” Struggling, Twilight tried to free herself only to be squished tighter to a blue chest. “Or, well, yes, I suppose I am, but-”

“Twilight, It’s fine,” Celestia soothed finally after a few minutes, amused at Twilight’s attempted justifications. “I’m not angry.”

“It is?” Twilight asked, taken aback. “You’re not?”

“No I’m not. How could I be?” The white alicorn gazed down at the purple and blue duo fondly. “I of all ponies am very happy that Luna feels comfortable enough to be that close to you in such a vulnerable state as sleep. When she first returned she would spend days alone in her room, exiting only in my company and even then she stuck closely to my side. This is a sight that warms my heart.”

“O-oh...” Twilight blinked. “I... Okay, then.” She tried to move out of the embrace again, this time less frantically, to no avail. “A little help please?”

Despite her earlier words, Celestia couldn’t help but flash back to the image of her student’s ear in her little sister’s mouth. Conveniently forgetting that Twilight could simply teleport, she instead gave her a different set of instructions on how to get Luna to release her hold. Doing as she was told, Twilight allowed a small amount of magic to tingle up her horn before lightly poking the blue alicorn in the collar. As the purple pony flew past her and onto the floor with a startled yelp, Celestia met her sister’s blearily disgruntled frown and outstretched hoof with a too-bright smile.

“Good morning, little sister,” Celestia greeted cheerfully in a loud voice, grin widening impossibly as her sister’s frown deepened with a displeased grumble.

“Sister.” Luna groaned in annoyance, her voice thick with sleep. Moving her mane, she used it to shade her eyes from the bright light once more. Groggily eyeing the too-cheerful mare, she unconsciously rubbed her neck, ridding herself of the phantom tickles.

“It is a beautiful morning, is it not?” Humming loudly, Celestia used her magic to throw the rest of the curtains open, brightening the room considerably and causing her sister to hide under her blanket in defense. Weaving a small spell, she covertly glued the curtains to the walls on either side of the windows. “Would you like to join us for breakfast?”

“Go away,” Luna moaned miserably, her voice emerging slightly muffled from beneath the blanket. “’Tis too early. Be gone.”

“Is that a no, then?” Celestia asked innocently, eyes flashing mischievously, her wide smile showcasing just a hint of satisfaction.

“Be gone,” Luna whined louder, curling even tighter under the blankets, her hidden ears plastered to her head in an attempt to block out the other alicorn’s loud voice. “And take thine insidious ball of brightness with you.”

“I’ll see you for lunch then,” Celestia chirped before draping a wing across Twilight’s back and leading the bemused pony out of the room, the sounds of Luna struggling futilely with the curtains cutting off abruptly as the door shut behind them.

Stopping suddenly, Twilight rubbed her ear with frown. “Celestia?”

“Hmm?” The white mare hummed quizzically.

Lowering her hoof, she looked at the slight moisture that had rubbed off onto it. Looking up into her mentor’s questioning eyes, she asked, “Why is my ear all wet?” Celestia’s wing reflexively pressed her more firmly into her side, the action at odds with the serene smile gracing her face. Making a noncommittal sound in her throat, the larger pony nudged her confused companion forward. 

Why indeed.

-0-0-

Celestia raised her teacup to her muzzle, inhaling the mouthwatering citrusy scent with delight. Grinning, she looked over at her student and indicated the large bowl on the table in front of them. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of ordering for us.” Humming, she picked up her fork and munched happily on a piece of melon.

“I-no, that’s fine.” Twilight answered distractedly as she looked around the table, confused. “Do you see another fork anywhere?”

“Oh!” Celestia exclaimed, feigning surprise at the shortage of utensils. “Here, allow me.” Spearing a large juicy strawberry from the bowl with her own fork, she floated the cream topped fruit in front of the younger alicorn’s lips enticingly.

Blushing slightly, Twilight attempted to grab the fork for herself only for her magic to slide right off. Celestia hid a smile behind her teacup as she watched her flustered companion, holding the fork unwaveringly in her golden grip. After a few more tries, her cheeks progressively getting darker, Twilight finally gave up and began stammering, “Y-you don’t have to…”

“Believe me,” Celestia purred, nudging the purple lips until they opened slightly, taking a small bite out of the proffered fruit. “It’s my pleasure.”

Trying one last time to grab the fork, Twilight sighed in resignation, shyly allowing herself to be fed. There wasn’t much talk around the table, both of them deigning to eat in companionable silence instead. The fourth time a piece of fruit missed her lips and smeared whipped cream at the corner of mouth caused Twilight to glance up questioningly. Freezing with her pink tongue extended as she caught her mentor’s heated gaze, Twilight slowly continued to lick the mess off of her lips with a deep flush settling permanently on her face.

They had barely made a dent in the bowl when the doors to the private dining room opened. Celestia sipped her tea calmly, a tranquil smile on her face as Twilight perked up her ears in excitement and jumped to her hooves. Tackling the figure in a warm hug before she even made it fully into the room, Twilight exclaimed, “Cadence!”

Laughing, Cadence embraced the smaller alicorn warmly before stepping back. Grinning at each other, they launched into their song with a shared giggle. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

“And where’s my hug?” A voice spoke from behind the pink princess.

“Shiny!” Pulling away from her old foalsitter, Twilight yelled as she tackled her brother in a hug as well. “I thought you guys had already left for the Crystal Empire!”

“Heya Twily,” Shining Armor grinned as they separated, ruffling his little sister’s fringe playfully.

“Good morning Auntie,” Cadence sang as she walked up to the larger alicorn and gave her a short nuzzle. “Mind if we join you?”

“Good morning, Cadence,” Celestia returned the warm nuzzle before nodding to the two extra pillows. “Not at all, have a seat. There’s more than enough fruit here for all of us.”

“I thought you guys had an appointment in the Crystal Empire tonight?” Twilight questioned again, not noticing as Celestia placed a pair of forks in front of the newcomers.

“It was canceled,” Shining Armor finally explained as he poured first Cadence, and then himself, a cup of tea. “The noble in question came down with the flu and asked to reschedule.”

“Yes, so we decided to spend a few more days here in Canterlot,” Cadence added with a smile as they began eating.

“That’s great!” Twilight exclaimed happily, absently opening her mouth and allowing the fork to deposit a piece of watermelon onto her tongue before continuing. “We’ll have to get together and do something before you leave.”

Nodding, Cadence smiled happily back. “Of course! We’ll make a day of it.”

Shining Armor made a sound of agreement before something caused him to furrow his brows in puzzlement. Looking over at his sister, he noticed that though a forkful of pineapple was hovering in front of her, her horn was oddly devoid of magical light. Studiously staring at the fork in question, he was just able to discern a familiar golden shimmer around it. “Uh, Twily?”

“Hmm?” Twilight blinked at him in question.

“Is your magic okay?” He asked concerned.

“Yeah,” Twilight drew the word out in confusion, slowly chewing her mouthful of fruit and licking the cream off of her lips. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh, uh,” Shining Armor shifted awkwardly, quickly glancing at the floating fork, then Celestia’s serene smile, then Twilight’s confused face in quick succession before looking away. Clearing his throat, he busied himself by taking a drink of tea. “No reason.”

Following her brother’s gaze, a feeling she was steadily becoming quite familiar with slowly crept up her neck and blossomed on her cheeks. Reflexively trying to grab the fork once more, she whimpered inaudibly as Celestia held fast to the utensil. More cream was smeared across her lips in retaliation until she gave up the struggle. Shooting her marefriend a look, she was rewarded with a beautifully innocent smile.

“I think it’s sweet,” Cadence chimed in teasingly as she caught the playful struggle. Fluttering her eyelids at her husband, she giggled as he blushed slightly and fumbled with his fork, hastily bringing it to her lips. The sight of both siblings sporting blushes and looking anywhere but each other made her grin and coo at the adorable duo. “So Twilight, did you have fun with Auntie Luna yesterday?”

Twilight tilted her head as her muzzle scrunched up in confusion. “How did you know I spent the day with Luna?”

“We went looking for you yesterday to tell you we’d be sticking around for a while longer,” Shining cut in, finally making eye contact with his sister once more. “Princess Celestia informed us you were off playing with Princess Luna.”

“Oh. Well, yes. I guess I did have fun.” Twilight scratched the back of her neck as she realized her words were true, despite the state her body had been in by the end of the night. “We played some aerial tag, which turned into hide and seek when she found me in the bath.”

“Oh?” Cadence inclined forward, ears perking up in interest. “She found you in the bath?”

“Mhmm,” Twilight nodded. “I was really wet, but Luna wanted to keep playing; luckily she helped me out with that before we continued. I was kind of relieved she allowed me that little reprieve; it would have been hours before I would have been back to normal otherwise.”

Celestia coughed to smother the bark of laughter that attempted to work its way out of her throat at her student’s words, an image of her sister vigorously rubbing the disgruntled lavender pony with a fluffy towel coming unbidden to her mind. Hiding her grin by taking a slow sip of her tea, she watched as Shining Armor started choking on his own cup of tea. Cadence, on the other hand, absently patted him on the back as she leaned even more towards Twilight, a captive audience if she had ever seen one.

“Go on,” Cadence hurriedly encouraged her when Twilight paused, glancing concernedly at her brother. “He’ll be fine.” She waved away the concern with poorly veiled impatience.

Shining gasped, finally clearing his airways. Tuning reluctantly back into the conversation, he ended up in another startled coughing fit as his wife squealed next to him. “So did you two sleep together?”

“Oh yes,” Celestia interjected mischievously. “When I went to collect Twilight for breakfast this morning they made quite the adorable sight; all snuggled up together underneath the blankets.”

Shining Armor tried to discreetly lower his ears; he did not want to hear this conversation, especially because he would never be able to un-hear it. Turning slightly, he leaned closer to his wife and whispered under his breath. “Am I the only pony who finds it even slightly odd that both of your aunts are enamored with your sister-in-law?”

“Yes.” Cadence shushed her husband distractedly as she focused her attention on Twilight. Little hearts practically shone in her eyes as a large grin giddily split her face; she was just barely keeping in a squeal of joy as the small purple pony timidly described her unexpectedly romantic sounding night with the lunar princess.

As Cadence began reassuring Twilight that everything would work out fine after the purple mare had mentioned how she was kicked out of bed this morning, Celestia pulled a rope next to the door to signal the kitchens. Moments later, the door opened silently, admitting two unicorns. One of them picked up the empty fruit bowl while the other deposited their desert in the center of the table. With a slight bow, both ponies retreated.

Clearing her throat, Celestia caught everypony’s attention, smiling in amusement as her companions stared at the large cake in surprise. The three tier cake was slathered in pink icing with different colored rosebuds adorning each tier. What one couldn’t see, however, was the cinnamon waffles baked inside the large desert, and its decadently syrupy center. Glancing at Twilight, she let a satisfied expression slide onto her face as the waffle-cake’s new look did its job; her student didn’t suspect a thing.

“Dig in,” Celestia nodded towards the cake. Shifting into a more comfortable position, she poured herself some more tea. Gazing at her oblivious purple alicorn with a devilish look in her eyes, she smiled impishly as she carefully cut off a piece.

“Oh wow,” Cadence’s eyes widened in surprise as she took a bite. “That is good.”

“Twily, you have got to try this!” Shining Armor mumbled around a mouthful of cake, ignoring the look his wife shot him. 

Nodding with a smile, Twilight opened her mouth only to freeze as the scent of the approaching piece of cake hit her. Eyes widening in dawning horror, she attempted to snap her mouth shut but it was too late; Celestia had moved faster. Eyes snapping shut as the flavor burst on her tongue, Twilight couldn’t contain a loud blissful moan. Chewing slowly, she let out a series of sounds normally reserved for the bedroom. Humming in delight as she finally swallowed, she froze once again as she simultaneously realized what she just did and how utterly silent the room was.

Whimpering slightly in embarrassment as she began blushing furiously, she slowly opened her eyes and glanced at her companions to take in their reactions before quickly averting her gaze. Celestia was looking at her with a smoldering look, her extremely self-satisfied smile poorly concealed behind her drooping teacup. Cadence was almost as bad, sporting a wicked grin. Her brother, on the other hoof, was almost as red as she was as he also pointedly avoided her gaze.

The awkward silence continued for a few long beats before Shining Armor finally couldn’t take it anymore. “So, uh, who would have thought,” he blurted out. “My little sister, the mare magnet.” It was only after he finished speaking and heard a strangled whimper from his sister that he realized what he had said. With a look of abject horror on his face, Shining Armor began revisiting his thoughts on the merits of a widespread memory wipe.
	
> Love Drunk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Celestia sighed inaudibly in disappointment as she finished reading the official scroll in front of her. Rolling it up, she handed it back to the guard and gave him a nod. Watching as he stoically bowed and left the room, she turned her attention to her inquisitive companions. With another sigh, this one of regret, she spoke. “It seems I’m going to have to cut breakfast short; something has cropped up that, unfortunately, requires my attention.”

“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked as she stood up, concerned. “Should I round up the Elements?”

“Should I mobilize the guard?” Shining Armor stood as well, only seconds behind his sister.

“No, no,” Celestia motioned for them to sit back down. “Nothing like that.” A faintly irritated expression crossed her face. “Apparently there was another altercation with Blueblood; this time he got into a scuffle with a member of the minor nobility.”

“Is the noble okay?” Twilight questioned. She had grown up around the colt after all; she knew how unpleasant he could be.

“Oh yes; she unsurprisingly won the fight with nary a scratch on her.” Celestia rubbed her forehead wearily. 

“So what you’re basically saying is that my darling cousin is putting up a stink because he’s not only a foal but a sore loser as well, right?” Cadence asked dryly, eyes rolling in exasperation as her aunt nodded in response, a similar expression adorning her alabaster face.

“Ah well; duty calls, right?” Cadence smiled wryly, before perking up. “This was fun, though. We should totally do this again sometime, preferably before we leave.”

“Right…” Shining mumbled, wincing as he couldn’t help but remember how horribly awkward the whole affair had been. “Totally…”

“Of course,” Celestia smiled as she came to a stop beside her student. “Perhaps next time Luna will join us.”

“Oh, yes,” Cadence smirked, imagining how much fun she could have at a true family meal, especially with this family in particular. “That would be fun.”

Twilight stood up and looked up at her marefriend, a light dusting of pink across her muzzle the only indication left of her earlier mortification. “So I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Celestia smiled, her eyes lightly hooded. “But first…” She breathed out as she walked forward, forcing the smaller pony to back up until her flank hit the edge of the table, which in turn caused Twilight to rear up onto her hind legs and grab onto Celestia to keep her balance. Ignoring the startled yelp, Celestia swung a foreleg around Twilight to make sure she didn’t fall and leaned in.

“What are you…?” Twilight’s breath hitched and her eyes widened as the larger alicorn’s tongue darted out of her mouth and proceeded to slowly trace her purple lips.

“You had some icing…” Celestia murmured before connecting their lips in a sugary kiss.

A few long moments passed before Twilight found the strength to pull away. “But my brother is right…” She gasped.

“He can turn his head,” Celestia stated as she dove back in, this time securing a light moan from the littlest alicorn.

“Mmmm,” Twilight broke away again, her lips brushing those in front of her as she panted. “But-”

“Twilight,” Celestia breathed, the puff of warm air breaking across the purple muzzle as she shifted her hoof.

“Oh!” Twilight squeaked out, and this time it was her that slammed their lips together as a white hoof rubbed gently between her wings.

-0-0-

"Can't you just feel it?" Cadence sighed dreamilywith a sappy smile on her face as she gazed at the two alicorns across from her, her head propped up by her hooves as she leant forward on the table.All thoughts of her stuck-up cousin abandoned her posthaste in the face of such unadulterated delight. “The sensation is practically overpowering.”

"Yeah," Shining Armor agreed uneasily, purposefully staring at the wall to his side and not at his sister. His little sister. His little sister whose tongue, by the sounds of it, was not in her own mouth where it should be. “I’m not sure if it’s nausea or indigestion.”

Cadence frowned slightly and, not taking her eyes off of the spectacle in front of her, reached out one of her hind hooves and jabbed her husband in the side. Ignoring his filly-like yelp, her lips turned upright into another dreamy smile as she once again focused on the adorableness playing out in front of her.

Rubbing his side indignantly, Shining turned his head to complain at his treatment only for his jaw to snap shut. Words dying in his throat, he unfortunately got an eyeful of the very thing he was trying to avoid. His sister was standing on her hind legs with her forelegs wrapped around Celestia’s neck, her new purple wings hanging from her sides and quivering quite noticeably. Celestia, on the other hoof, had one foreleg wrapped firmly around the smaller pony, pressing her snuggly up against her chest as they kissed passionately. 

Face paling, he quickly averted his gaze. “Oh, for the love of Cele-” Shoving his hoof in his mouth, he froze as he realized exactly what he was about to say and just how it pertained to the current situation. Unfortunately for him, the Princess of Love sitting next to him had no such qualms.

“Oh, honey,” Cadence smirked, granting her husband a mischievous look out of the corner of her eye. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what our little Twilight is doing.” Gazing back at the oblivious alicorns, this time speculatively, her smirk grew to almost wicked proportions. “And I must say that from the looks of things, she’s doing a fine job indeed.”

“Oh. Oh feathers. Why would you even…” Shining shuddered, mortified at the words that had just come out of his wife’s mouth.  There wasn’t enough mental soap in all of Equestria to save him now. “Nausea.” The slight green color staining his otherwise white face only served to support his choked out statement. “Definitely nausea.” Closing his eyes, he swung his head down and rested it wearily against the table. By this rate he was going to need serious therapy before he could look any one of the princesses in the eye.

Rolling her eyes, she glanced at her overdramatic mate. “Shine, really, there’s nothing wrong with watching such a pure display of love-”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a pure display…” Shining muttered with a wince as he heard a light moan. He wasn’t sure which mare it had come from and at this point he wasn’t sure he wanted to know; both potential outcomes seemed equally disturbing.

“-between two incredibly attractive mares-”

“Whoa. Back up,” Shining whispered frantically, right eye twitching slightly as he practically began hyperventilating. “That’s my sister, our sister, and your aunt with their tongues down each other’s throat! How does that statement not seem odd to you? Is it because you’re a mare? Or is it an immortal thing?”

“Well,” Cadence put on a thoughtful expression, playfully tapping here muzzle with her hoof as she replied. “Ah… A little bit of both, I suppose…”

“Cadence!” Shining whispered loudly. “I’m being serious-”

“Shining,” Cadence cut him off, eyes and voice softening as she began to explain her point of view. “I get that this may make you slightly uncomfortable; you’re her big brother, I’m sure you’d feel uncomfortable no matter who she ended up dating. What I want you to understand is that I am the Princess of Love, and that is not an empty title.”

Pausing, she made sure her husband was really listening before she continued. “I have never felt that amount of romantic love coming from my aunt in all the time I’ve known her; it’s actually quite staggering. That fact that Twilight matches that love perfectly with her own makes my heart want to burst in joy for the both of them.”

Stopping again, she allowed a somewhat giddy smile to slide onto her face. “I’m actually starting to feel slightly intoxicated on their love; and you know I’m not a lightweight when it comes to that particular emotion.”

“I…” Shining shifted, slightly calmer. Guilt started to eat at him as he realized how his demeanor could have been taken. “I don’t begrudge them their love; how could I when I myself know just how magical it is? I just… It’s like you said; she’s my little sister. I don’t think it’s ever going to be not weird, you know? Especially if she makes it a habit to make out in public like this.”

“But she’s not really in public, is she?” Cadence arched a brow as slowly drove her point home. “She’s in a private room surrounded by her loved ones; a place where she should feel safe to be herself and express her feelings.”

“Okay, okay.” Shining sighed in defeat. “You’ve made your point. I’ll keep my Big Brother grumbling down to a minimum.” A small smile flittered across his otherwise morose face as he received a small kiss in reward for his words. Though when his wife took her attention off of him, he couldn’t help but mumble under his breath. “It’s still kind of weird, though.”

Cadence refocused her attention across the table, slightly disappointed to see the show was winding down. Pouting at missing a chunk of the action, she cleared her throat and leaned on one hoof while idly waving the other in the air. “You know, to answer your earlier question... If you think about it, I’m not actually related to either of them...” A small satisfied smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she heard Shining choke on air for the umpteenth time that morning.

-0-0-

Pulling away slowly, Celestia grudgingly backed up, allowing her flushed pupil to fall back onto her four hooves. “I really do have to go now,” Celestia murmured regretfully, stealing one last quick kiss.

“Hmmm…” Twilight fell back onto her pillow with a dazed smile.

“You’re sleeping with me tonight, I hope?” Celestia asked, brushing the younger pony’s mane out of her face with a hoof.

“Mmhmm…” Twilight agreed slowly, dopey grin still in place.

Celestia, unable to contain herself at the adorable face her love was making, leaned back down to steal just one last kiss only to jump slightly in surprise as the doors opened loudly behind her. Turning around, she slowly raised an eyebrow at her grumpy looking sister.

“You’re up early, little sister,” Celestia teased as she flashed her sister a sunny smile, hiding a pout at being interrupted. “I thought you said you were going back to sleep.”

“And one wonders why one has not,” Luna grumbled, eyeing her sister with a slight glower. “One also wonders why one was unable to close one’s curtains and block out one’s infernal brightness.”

“Yes,” Celestia hummed, an innocent smile on her face. “One does wonder, don’t they?”

“Doth thou not have somewhere to be? Somewhere that is not here?” Luna scowled peevishly as she gestured towards the open door, her face brightening into a somewhat smug smile as the older alicorn’s ears drooped with a nearly invisible pout.

Sighing, Celestia gave one more longing glance at the purple alicorn before walking towards the door. Pausing beside her sister, she looked down at her inquisitively as a thought came to her. “How exactly did you know I had somewhere else to be?”

Luna blinked.

Celestia slowly arched a brow.

“We ran into thy guard on our way here.” Luna finally answered haltingly, eyes shifting almost unnoticeably from side to side.

“Mhmm,” Celestia gave her sister a long look before finally exiting the room.

Shrugging off her older sister’s look, Luna walked completely into the room and glanced at its occupants for the first time. Spotting Twilight, a bright smile enveloped her face as she trotted over. Plopping down on the cushion next to her, she gave no warning before pulling the purple pony into her lap. Wrapping her forelegs and wings around her companion, she squeezed her tightly in a loving hug.

“Good morning, dearest Twilight!” Luna mumbled into the purple pony’s neck. “Thy sleep was pleasant, we hope?”

“Good morning,” Twilight attempted to struggle out of the embrace, but it was quite obviously a token effort at best. It seemed that her body had a mind of its own as instead of breaking away from the hooves it leaned further into the soft warmth. “Yes,” Twilight sighed in defeat, going limp. “I slept like a rock.”

Luna pulled her head back and looked down at the littlest alicorn quizzically. “Rocks do not sleep. Unless...” She paused hesitantly, expression suddenly unsure. “Hath things changed that drastically in our absence?”

“No, no,” Twilight quickly reassured the pony wrapped around her with a small grin. “It’s an expression; a figure of speech. It means I slept deeply.”

“Wondrous,” Luna beamed. “We shall have to sleep together again, for t’was quite pleasurable on our part as well.” A slightly masculine whimper distracted her, shifting her attention from the shy pony in her arms to the couple across the table. “Niece, Nephew,” Luna greeted warmly, her expression turning faintly concerned as she regarded the unicorn with his head lying on the table. “Thou art... well?”

“Does she really have to call me that while she’s wrapped around my little sis and talking about... that?” Shining whined into hard wood, his words unintelligible.

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Cadence waved away her aunt’s concern with a hoof. “He’s fine.”

“Luna?” Twilight asked, immediately garnering the undivided attention of the alicorn in question. Blushing slightly at suddenly becoming the center of the attention, Twilight nonetheless moved forward with her question, her curiosity piqued. “Your speech patterns seem to have reverted slightly towards the archaic. I was just wondering why that is; last night your speech was practically modern... you know, besides the whole ‘we’ thing.”

“Ah, yes,” Luna blushed lightly, averting her gaze a little to the left. “Thou... You noticed that, did you? We have indeed improved, though... ‘tis very early for us.” A sheepish expression came over her face. “I shall hence forth endeavour to think about my word choice before I speak.”

“Oh no!” Twilight shook her head emphatically. “I didn’t mean to offend... Actually, to be quite honest, I find it rather cute.”

“Thou didst not offend,” Luna replied rather forcefully, before pausing with a bashful smile as she shyly made eye contact. “I... thank you.”

“I hate to interrupt this love-fest,” Cadence paused, before emphatically reiterating her statement. “No, seriously, I really hate myself at the moment for interrupting; but I have a question.”

“Go on,” Luna prompted, baffled at the pink pony’s word choice yet doggedly not showing it. It was a sensation that she had become frustratingly familiar with as of late. Her current solution was to pretend she understood what other ponies were saying only to track down her sister after the fact with a dictionary and a slew of questions, only some of which were fabricated with the specific intention of being annoying or redundant. Though not the most efficient way to go about it, it was a system that more or less worked, and she was loath to fix something that wasn’t broken. 

“While we’re on the subject of early mornings, why are you even awake?” Cadence asked confused. “Not to be rude, but don’t you usually sleep until midday at the earliest?”

“Ah, yes,” Luna’s glower from earlier came back as she grumped. “There was an... incident concerning our curtains.”

“Oh?” Cadence questioned slowly, flashing back to the earlier scene between the two sisters. Amusement began to leak into her voice as she put the pieces together.

“Yes,” Luna continued dryly. “We fear we require new ones.”

“Mhmm,” Cadence spoke innocently through her smirk. “And this incident wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with Auntie Celestia having to rush off to clean up another one of Blueblood’s messes, would it?”

“We know not of what thou speak of,” Luna sniffed haughtily.

“Right, right,” Cadence paused for a beat. "So how much of the trouble he makes is due to your meddling, and how much is simply due to the fact that he’s a spoiled jerk?"

"Meddle? We do not meddle." Luna said in disdain, a sneer on her face. Her affronted expression lasted all of ten seconds before a sly grin replaced it. "We simply supply him with rope; he is the one who unfailingly hangs himself each and every time." 

Even Shining found it in himself to laugh at that.

“We regret that we may have to find a new peon, however.” Luna frowned. It was a sad thought; not only was he pathetically easy to rile up and manipulate, but he was also so annoying that she felt nary a twinge of remorse for doing so.

“You think he’s on to you?” Cadence raised a brow in semi-disbelief.

“No,” Luna snorted at the very idea. “What an amusing thought. No, ‘tis our sister, we fear, who has caught on.”

“That makes a lot more sense,” Cadence giggled. 

Twilight piped up questioningly, moving her head away from where it rested so her words would be understood. “What do you think she’ll do with that knowledge?” 

“We do not know,” Luna responded slowly. “Our sister has always enjoyed teasing us; we have no doubt she will ‘get even’. However, Celestia is anything but malicious; she is aware of what we are and are not comfortable with, so we are not unduly worried.” Luna blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. “But we digress; we did have a purpose for coming here.”

“You came for breakfast, I assume?” Cadence raised a brow and gestured towards the half-demolished cake on the table. “You’re welcome to have some; it’s actually pretty delicious.”

“’Tis a kind offer,” Luna stifled a smirk as she caught a glimpse of the cake’s interior, clutching the suddenly squirming pony tighter to her chest. “However, we actually came to ask a favour of thee.”

“What kind of favour?” Cadence asked, curiosity piqued the smirk now adorning the elder alicorn’s face.

“We wish to...” Luna hesitated, attempting to pick her words carefully. “We require aid in planning a... surprise... for Twilight.”

“Surprise?” Twilight abruptly went very still, all thoughts of prior food related embarrassments fleeing her mind in wake of her overwhelming curiosity. “What kind of surprise?”

“T’would not be a surprise if I told you, no?” Luna grinned impishly. “No, you shall simply have to wait and find out for yourself.”

“Hmmm,” Cadence hesitated in answering, a slightly different idea forming in her mind. An impish grin slowly took up residence on her face. “Actually, how about you take Shining with you; he is her bother, after all. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you out. I’ll keep Twilight company and make sure she doesn’t try to ruin her surprise.”

“An interesting proposition,” Luna replied thoughtfully, head tilted to the side. “Yes, that may work.”

“What?” Shining blurted out, startled. Raising his head, he stared at his wife with wide eyes. “No. Oh no. No way.”

“Look, Shine,” Cadence leaned her head closer to the unicorn, whispering under her breath. “As I see it, you have two options; either you help Luna out and then tell me all about it while I question Twilight about her love life,” Cadence paused, a wicked smile twisting her lips as she continued. “Or I’ll help Luna out and you’ll question Twilight about her love life and then repeat it all back to me, word for word. Your choice.”

Shining looked turned his gaze from his wife’s deadly serious face to Luna’s hopeful one. Gulping audibly, he slumped, sighing in dejected resignation. Now he knew why his guard buddies had just about laughed the roof off of the barracks when he had announced he was getting married. “I’d love to help you out, Princess Luna.” Shining forced a smile onto his face, though he was sure it came out as more of a grimace.

Luna, either not noticing his suspiciously wobbly smile or just not caring either way, simply beamed back in reply.
	
> Disguises and Discussions Pt.1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shining Armor sat slumped on a bench in the castle’s entrance hall, absentmindedly returning friendly greetings to the passing guards. Sighing in dread, he once again rolled his eyes upwards to look at the clock, wishing the Princess of the Night would hurry up. While he wasn’t in a hurry to go shopping with her for Twilight’s surprise, all this waiting was taking a toll on him in the form of his overactive imagination, which kept supplying him with increasingly horrifying conclusions.

What if they were going shopping for wedding bands? What if she was planning on confessing her undying love for his little sister and wanted his advice on how to make the night perfect? What if she wanted to buy lingerie, and needed somepony’s opinion? What if she wanted to buy lingerie for Twilight and made him model it? A look of absolute horror slipped onto Shining Armor’s face as his brain vindictively supplied him with one other option.

…What if she dragged him into a sex shop?

Lost in a vicious cycle of increasingly disturbing thoughts, he almost didn’t notice a small cloaked figure sidle up beside him and speak. Turning his head, he couldn’t help but do a double-take as he realized exactly who it was.

“Hello! My name is Sunbeam!” Beaming, the cloaked figure looked up at him as he slowly slid off of the bench and on to the floor in shock. “What is your name?”

Opening and closing his mouth in astonishment, it took Shining a few moments before he was able to string together an actual word; sentences, at that point, were completely beyond him. “What?”

The figure’s expression turned serious as she shifted her eyes from the left to the right suspiciously. Not seeing anyone lurking about, she leaned her head slightly towards the incredulous colt, her expression suddenly sly as she whispered. “Shining Armor! ‘Tis I! Princess Luna!” Giggling, she rocked back on her hooves, eyes sparkling in glee at the success of her disguise.

“I never would have guessed,” Shining deadpanned.

“Yes, well, do not feel bad,” Luna reassured the seemingly dejected colt. “’Tis a very good disguise.”

“Right,” Shining agreed flatly, eyeing the princess’ disguise. She had once more donned the appearance she had worn upon her return from the moon; her once dark blue coat had lightened considerably and her starry ethereal mane had turned into normal light blue strands of hair. Add in the fact that she was now the size of his sister and was wearing a black cloak to cover her wings and it was, admittedly, a very good disguise.

Or, at least it would have been, if she had stopped there. 

In a move of extreme overkill, the lunar princess had added two more items to her costume; two very conspicuous and extremely unnecessary items. Sitting daintily atop her muzzle was a pair of obviously fake, horn-rimmed glasses, their thick black frames doing nothing but drawing attention to her face. And if the spectacles weren’t enough to draw the eyes of everypony on the street, then the slender curly moustache affixed to her face certainly was.

“Why, exactly, are you disguised like that?” Shining asked reluctantly. 

The sad part was, now that he’d had a moment to think about exactly who it was he was talking to, he was no longer unduly surprised at the outrageous getup. Being married to Cadence had really burst his picture perfect image of the royal family. He knew that if he ever sat down with any of the common ponies and told them what he’d seen and heard in the castle, he’d either be laughed right out of the establishment or arrested on the spot for slander.

“Is it not obvious?” Luna spoke glancing down at herself. “We do not wish to be recognized. That is the point of wearing a disguise, is it not?”

“I…” Shining Armour surprisingly came up short at that statement. “That… is actually a good idea. Things will go much faster if ponies aren’t stopping to bow every few feet.” The faster this little outing was completed, the better.

“Ah,” Luna cleared her throat, head tilted to the side in thought. “We had actually donned a disguise so as not to bring attention to the nature of the objects we were going to collect; however thou hast a good point as well.”

“Bring… attention…” Shining parroted brokenly, his voice laced with dread. No, he told himself adamantly before shaking his head in an attempt to make his thoughts dissipate. He wasn’t going to let his mind wander and jump to conclusions; that way lie images of lingerie and sex toys and his sister. Those were three things that should never, under any circumstances, be included in the same sentence, mental or otherwise. 

“Of course; being inconspicuous would only benefit us…” Shining agreed, trying to find some way to delicately and politely tell the princess that she quite simply looked ridiculous. “But don’t you think the glasses and moustache are a bit… conspicuous?”

“You guards are always so paranoid,” Luna sighed in exasperation before mockingly raising her voice a few octaves. “’No Princess! Do not eat that sweet roll! It is poisoned!’” Rolling her eyes, she continued in her regular voice. “Of course ‘tis poisoned; do you take us for an imbecile? We simply enjoy the look on the culprit’s face when we pointedly do not perish. ‘Tis quite amusing, really.”

It was at that point that Shining Armor was ashamed to admit that he was just a touch glad that the lunar princess had spent most of his career on the moon. He doubted Cadence would find him even half as attractive if he were grey.

“You have nothing to fear, for this disguise is guaranteed to aid us in our endeavor to be incognito,” Luna reassured the speechless pony sagely. “It says so in our guide book.”

“Your… guide book.” Shining Armor deadpanned. “Really.” The only place something like that would actually work would be in a cheesy spy novel. No respectable book would ever give advice like that. Ever.

“Yes, ‘tis quite a riveting read.” Luna beamed. “One of the Elements gifted it to us last we were in Ponyville. T’was the pink one; the one with the curious ability which we have been assured is quite inexplicable. You know of whom I speak?”

And suddenly, it all made sense.

“Look, Princess,” Shining Armor started to hesitatingly point out that Pinkie Pie wasn’t the most normal of ponies when he was interrupted.

“Sunbeam.”

“What?” Shining Armor asked in a confused tone of voice.

“You shall address me as Sunbeam while we are out,” Luna informed him once again, before adding proudly, “’Tis part of the disguise. Nopony would ever expect Princess Luna to use a pseudonym more suited to her sister, the Princess of the Sun. Ingenious, is it not?”

Shining just stared at the smaller pony in front of him. He wondered what Cadence would do to him if he faked some sort of affliction to get out of playing escort.  Almost immediately, thoughts of sitting in Twilight’s room and taking notes on his sister’s love life whilst braiding each other’s manes came unbidden to his mind, making his response infinitely easier to formulate. “Of course, Sunbeam.”

Sometimes you just had to pick your battles and hope for the best. 

-0-0-

Twilight walked down the hall with her sister-in-law in a companionable silence, her mind furiously working to decipher just what her surprise consisted of. Systematically going through every conversation she had ever had with the lunar alicorn in her mind, she attempted the nigh impossible task of pinpointing exactly what it could be. Thoroughly immersed in her thoughts, it took her a few moments to realize she was now walking alone and a voice from behind was calling her name.

“Twilight!”

About-facing, Twilight smiled sheepishly as she saw Cadence standing amusedly in front of the open door to her chambers. “Oops, sorry.” Backtracking, she nodded to her door guards and slipped inside after the pink alicorn, closing the doors gently behind her. “I don’t spend a lot of time in here; I think I’ve maybe been in here once this visit? I usually sleep in-” Twilight abruptly cut herself off with a blush.

“In Celestia’s bed?” Cadence mischievously finished the purple pony’s sentence when it was clear that she wouldn’t. “Wrapped in Celestia’s loving embrace?”

Twilight cleared her throat embarrassedly, averting her gaze shyly even as she uttered out a small affirmative. Shifting from hoof to hoof awkwardly as she practically heard the pink pony’s grin splitting her face in half, Twilight coughed. “So, what did you want to do?”

Clearing her own throat, Cadence bit back the urge to coo at the adorably awkward alicorn and instead cast her gaze around the room searchingly. She knew what she wanted to do, but she also knew her efforts would yield far better results if her companion was more relaxed. An idea coming to mind, she climbed up onto the as of yet unused bed and patted the spot next to her with her hoof.

“Come get comfortable; let’s start with some girl talk,” Cadence smiled invitingly. A little bit of small talk would definitely loosen her companion up before the main attraction.

“Umm,” Twilight responded dubiously, slowly climbing onto her bed as well. “Alright.” Squirming slightly to get comfortable, she faced the innocently smiling princess. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Hmm, let’s start with…” Cadence floundered slightly, fishing around for a benign topic. “How are you dealing with being a princess?”

“It’s… going okay,” Twilight started slowly. “Most of the things I need to know had already been touched on in between my magic lessons growing up; a fact that makes a lot more sense now. Anyways, at this point I mostly just follow Celestia or Luna around, asking questions as they pop up. It’s actually not that different from when I lived here when I was a foal, now that I think about it.”

“Besides the whole deference and bowing thing, I take it?” Cadence teased.

“Oh, right,” Twilight responded sheepishly. “Nopony listens when I tell them not to bow, so I try to ignore it.”

“They’re easing you into it,” Cadence nodded, a knowing smirk on her face. “Just wait after a few years; eventually you’ll come to understand just how utterly boring court life is. Soon you’ll be just as crazy as the rest of us.”

“Yay,” Twilight deadpanned. “I can’t wait.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cadence laughed, Twilight’s serious face cracking into a matching grin. “And your transformation? How are you coping with being an alicorn?”

“That’s a bit harder to explain,” Twilight admitted. “It’s… different. Weird, but in a comfortable way; kind of like when you meet a stranger and you instantly feel like you’ve known each other your whole life. It’s strange; yet at the same time, oddly familiar.”

“I’m glad,” Cadence replied genuinely. “And I understand more than you think.”

“Right, I forgot.” Twilight smiled bashfully, before continuing. “My magic pool has grown significantly, and both my power and endurance have noticeably improved.” Pausing, Twilight thought for a moment before adding, “I have been tiring out more than usual though, and my wings get sore and worn-out pretty easily.”

“Give your body time; it just needs to adjust to all of the changes. Eventually you’ll need a lot less sleep than a regular pony. As for your wings,” Cadence nodded to the folded up appendages in question. “Just keep using them. As you work them out regularly, the muscles will get stronger and will in turn affect your stamina in the air.”

“Both Luna and Celestia mentioned something similar.” Twilight sulked slightly. “I still don’t find it fair that everypony’s wings are stronger than mine, though.”

“What do you mean?” Cadence questioned, confused.

“Wing-hugs,” Twilight grunted flatly with a small scowl. “I can never get out of them. Not that I ever really want to get out of them, mind you; they’re quite lovely. But that’s not the point.”

“So, for example,” Cadence looked at the cutely pouting pony innocently, lazily stretching out a pink wing. “If I were to do this…” Snapping her wing out in a flash, she wrapped it around the startled alicorn and pulled. Though they were quite close in stature, the pink alicorn had a slight advantage over the younger one in both strength and wingspan, making it possible for her to hold her captive flush against her side in an unyielding grip.

“Cadence!” Twilight squawked indignantly.

“What? You said you liked wing-hugs.” Smiling teasingly, she tilted her head to make eye contact with the disgruntled pony. 

“You said you enjoyed them so much you’d never want to end one prematurely.”

“But… But that’s…” Twilight whined in exasperation as her squirming proved pathetically futile. “That’s not the point you were supposed to focus on!”

“I’m sorry,” Cadence apologized between giggles. “But you have to admit, you flew right into that one.”

Twilight puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. Eyeing her giggling captor, the purple pony’s ire deflated. The Princess of Love’s joy was infectious and, despite her best efforts, she found her frown slowly melting into a long-suffering smile. Glancing up at the pink pony from beneath her bangs, Twilight wryly stated, “For some reason, I don’t get the feeling that you’re particularly sorry.”

Cadence’s giggling cut off abruptly. “Yeah.” Blinking, she peered down at the alicorn and responded matter-of-factly, “That was a lie.”

Twilight was so startled when the wing holding her down suddenly disappeared that she didn’t even react as it pushed her a small distance away. She gazed at the pink alicorn now facing her confusedly. “You… let me go? That soon?” Twilight spoke, steadfastly refusing to acknowledge the undercurrent of disappointment that laced her words. 

“Believe me, Twilight,” Cadence reassured the littlest alicorn. “I would like nothing more than to cuddle with a pony as adorable as you all day, but since I would like to see your face while we chat, I’ll have to take a ‘you-owe-me’.”

“A U-O-me?” Twilight asked confused. “What?”

“No; a you-owe-me, not an I-owe-you.” Cadence explained patiently. “As in, you-owe-me-a-cuddle whenever I decide to cash in.”

“But-”

“So! How are your friends?” Cadence burst out suddenly, not giving the confused pony any time to refute her claim. “Anything exciting happen in Ponyville?”

Twilight stared at the pinky pony blankly at the abrupt change in subject. “They’re good.” She spoke slowly, as if expecting to be interrupted again. The alicorn had reminded her of Pinkie in that moment, unknowingly triggering her finely honed ‘Proceed With Caution’ instincts. 

Noting the fact that her companion was suddenly on-edge and alert, Cadence cursed herself quietly. The whole point of the small talk, besides of course getting an update on Twilight’s life, was to make the littlest alicorn comfortable. A comfortable Twilight would be, theoretically, a Twilight more willing to divulge the details of her love life. 

With that goal held firmly in her mind, Cadence pasted an innocently serene smile on her face. “Oh? Do tell,” she sweetly prompted the purple pony to elaborate.

“Well…”

-0-0-
	
> Disguises and Discussions Pt.2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shining Armor ducked his head slightly in embarrassment as he walked down one of Canterlot’s many busy streets, trying in vain to hide from the stares he could practically feel assaulting his body. As he internally bemoaned his bad fortune, he became distracted by a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head slightly, his shoulders slumped a little further as he realized what it was.

His coat. 

It was blue.

Apparently, according to Lu-Sunbeam’s guide to becoming a master of disguise, he was a major risk to their whole operation.  He was such a risk that wearing a simple cloak to cover his cutie mark wasn’t nearly drastic enough. No, it clearly stated in chapter four, subsection white, that the only way he wouldn’t blow their cover is if his shiny white coat was dyed a different color.

Thus came the most painful ten minutes of his life since that one time Twily had thrown a bowl of beets at him as a foal. And in the end, most of his coat was covered by his cloak anyways, making the dye job completely unnecessary. His opinion, however, was apparently insignificant compared to that of a pink party pony.

He still wasn’t sure how to feel about being mentioned by name in a book written by Pinkie Pie, but he figured his current feelings of embarrassed exasperation were close enough to the mark. According to Luna, the book was a work-in-progress, and she had been lucky enough to acquire an advanced copy. Shining swore in his mind that if he ever managed to turn his coat back to its normal color, he’d do everything in his power to make sure that book never hit the shelves.

He was the Captain of the Royal Guard, after all, and technically a prince through marriage. Stonewalling the mass production of a single pony’s book, even if that pony was the Element of Laughter, was surely within his power. He’d just have to do it carefully and without any of the princesses knowing about it, because if they knew then Luna - and perhaps his sister as well - would work against him.

For now, however, he had to follow Luna and Luna was following Pinkie’s book of crazy instructions. And so, despite his protests, for the remainder of the day he was Dusk; a blue coated stallion accompanying his ‘little sister’ Sunbeam shopping.

Raising his head once more so he could better watch his charge, his eyes widened frantically as he couldn’t immediately see her. So much for trying to balance being close enough to protect her with being far enough not to be immediately associated with her. Pushing his way unapologetically past a few disgruntled ponies, he followed the whispers and stares to the front of a bakery. There, with her muzzle pressed up against the glass, was the wayward princess.

“Sunbeam!” Shining Armor scolded as he sidestepped a produce cart and came to stop beside the smaller pony now looking up at him with a tilted head and a quizzical look on her face. “Don’t do that!”

Luna froze, expression downright guilty, before she stubbornly tried to cover it up with feigned innocence. “I’m quite sure that I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Shining Armor looked down at the apparent unicorn, slipping easily into his brotherly role. It had been some time since he had really been able to flex his big brother muscles, but he found, to his surprised delight, that they weren’t rusty at all. Well, at least he was able to fill his role as big brother as long as he didn’t dwell on who exactly he was scolding.

“I... I…” Luna wavered under the dually expectant and disapproving stare for a few long moments before she gave in with a slight scowl. “Oh, alright. Fine. But I wasn’t actually going to do it.”

“Wait,” Shining blinked, confused. “What?”

“I may have entertained the idea of having a life-sized replica of Twilight made out of cake be delivered to Celly during breakfast, but it was an idle fantasy. Nothing more.” Luna harrumphed slightly, throwing one last covertly longing look at the sweets inside the store before turning her attention to the stallion in front of her.

“What?” Shining Armor unconsciously did an admirable attempt at mimicking a fish. He wasn’t sure where he’d gotten lost in the conversation; though he was pretty sure whatever the current topic of their conversation was, it had absolutely nothing to do with not sticking together. “I mean, that’s good?”

“Yes, well,” Luna sniffed slightly, switching her gaze from her companion to the shops situated behind him. “If I was going to go through that much trouble I’d at least make it worth my time and effort; I’d make the replica out of salt or drench the cake in something extremely alcoholic, for example.” The fact that she said this offhoofedly  with a perfectly angelic look on her face slightly concerned Shining Armor, raising well-honed alarm bells in his mind. “With any luck I’d get my fun and my sister wouldn’t remember enough of the incident to desire revenge.”

Shining Armor stared blankly at the smaller pony. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was supposed to do with information like that, and so he picked the safest route available to him; ignore everything he just heard and fervently hope it wasn’t some kind of foreshadowing of things to come.

“Oh! There it is!” Luna exclaimed happily, before rushing across the street, all the while muttering to herself under her breath. “I knew it was around here somewhere…”

Shining Armor sighed in defeat, before turning around and following the princess. He wasn’t sure which he preferred; the strange staring of a few minutes ago, or the sympathetic glances he was currently receiving. Oh, the things he did for family.

Stopping in front of the store, he looked around nervously. The windows were tinted a dark blue, almost black, and despite his squinting and close proximity, Shining was unable to make out anything but vague shapes inside. Taking a step back, he searched above the door for any signs or symbols that could lend a clue as to what the store catered to, but his short search proved futile.

Acutely aware that he was being remiss in his duties, having left one of the princesses alone in a strange shop for longer than was appropriate, Shining Armor gulped. Steeling himself, he mentally told his imagination to take a hike and bit the bullet. Holding his breath, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

-0-0-

Cadence stifled a yawn as she shifted on the plush bed, subtly ruffling her wings and slowly stretching them out. Though she was genuinely interested in the younger pony’s life, she couldn’t help but give herself a mental pinch for leaving her inquiry so open ended. At first Twilight had filled her in on a little bit of gossip surrounding each of her friends, like how Rarity had been after her for a while to stop in for a new outfit and how Applejack chewed Rainbow Dash out for knocking half of the apples out of their trees with a sonic rainboom. At first the narrative was interesting and Cadence, enjoying gossip as much as the next pony, was riveted. 

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Twilight changed topics. 

Now, nopony could say that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza didn’t love her little sister-in-law. Who wouldn’t love the littlest alicorn? She was adorable, kind, adorable, and beyond entertaining to fluster. No, nopony could say the Princess of Love didn’t love the purple alicorn; however, nopony could fault her either for her dwindling attention as Twilight switched from talking about her friends to talking about her books.

In fact, only a handful of ponies the world over would be able to keep up with her when she started talking passionately about the new books she had purchased or the musty old tomes she had managed to get her hooves on. Though Cadence wasn’t able to match Twilight’s zeal for books, she had to admit that she greatly admired the passion she held for the topic. Plus, seeing Twilight happy was enough to make her smile, even if she didn’t particularly care enough about so-and-so’s scientific revelation to pay full attention to the spontaneous dissertation Twilight was subjecting her to.

Mind suddenly snapping to attention as the purple pony paused to breathe, Cadence grabbed onto the lull in conversation with two hooves like it was a glass of water and she a pony dying of thirst. “So! How’s your relationship with Celestia going?”

“Ah,” Twilight blinked, startled at the random topic change. Mentally bookmarking where she was in the impromptu lecture to continue later, she nevertheless answered, figuring Cadence needed some time to digest the mind-blowing scientific information she had already regaled her with. “It’s going good?”

“Was that a question or a statement?” Cadence’s brow rose in question.

“A statement,” Twilight clarified sheepishly. “Sorry. The question just caught me off guard; it seemed to come out of nowhere.”

“Oh, well, yes. I suppose it did,” Cadence fibbed lightly, a sweet smile on her face as she waved a hoof absentmindedly in the air. “It just suddenly popped into my mind and I just had to ask.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight reassured the pink pony sagely. “I get that way sometimes too. Curiosity can be hard to beat back and can strike at the oddest of times.”

“Too true,” Cadence agreed solemnly, before the beginnings of a mischievous grin formed on her face. “So… only good?”

“Well…” Twilight flushed slightly and averted her eyes, staring instead at the blanket beneath her as she mumbled. “More like really, really, good.”

“Oooh,” Cadence’s eyes twinkled. “Really really good? Don’t leave me hanging here, elaborate.”

“She’s just, just amazing!” Twilight’s hooves flew into the air in emphasis as she tried to put her thoughts and feelings into intelligible words. “She’s kind, caring, and attentive. She’s really playful and never makes me feel unwanted or like I’m bothering her. She always takes time to be with me and is always there when I need her, even when she has to leave important meetings to do so. She… She really loves me.”

“Of course she does, Twilight,” Cadence became slightly concerned at the younger pony’s slight tone of disbelief towards the end of her explanation. Shifting a bit to make eye contact, she discarded all signs of mischief what she expected to be a serious conversation. “Why ever would you think otherwise?”

“I just… I don’t understand…” Brows furrowing, she shrugged helplessly. “I mean, I know I’ve admired her for as long as I can remember, and I fell in love with her far before I knew how to categorise the emotion I was feeling. I just don’t understand how someone as amazing as her would pick me. I’m nopony special; I’m just plain old Twilight Sparkle, egghead extraordinaire.”

“You little goof,” Cadence sighed in exasperation as she bopped the younger alicorn on the head, causing her raise her purple head in confusion. “For someone so smart, you can be pretty thick, but I suppose that’s part of your charm.”

“What-”

“Let me spell it out for you Twilight, okay?” Cadence stared at the purple pony, her expression gentle yet deadly serious. “You’ve done so many great things, big and small, for Equestria as a whole and for ponies in particular. You saved Luna, stopped Discord, and saved us all from the changelings – no, don’t argue,” Cadence lifted a hoof to stop Twilight from interrupting. “Let me finish. Shining and I may have struck the final blow, but it’s because of you that we were able to. You’re always willing to lend a helping hoof to a friend in need, or even a complete stranger. Using the power you have to help others for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do makes you a kind, selfless, and great pony, but these things don’t make you special.”

Pausing for a breath, she shifted closer and once more brought the smaller pony beneath her wing, hugging Twilight to her side. Bending her neck, she gazed into confused violet eyes. “You’re curious, studious, caring, kind, charitable, and full of joy. You love practicing magic and learning new things, and once you’ve lost yourself in a book it’s a challenge to pull you back out. You can be obsessive and get worked up over the simplest things, and you think life would be easier if everything was laid out plainly on a checklist. You are an egghead extraordinaire, but what you don’t understand is that we love you because of these qualities, not in spite of them. What makes you special, Twilight Sparkle, is exactly that; you are Twilight Sparkle, nothing less and nothing more, and that is why we love you.”

A few moments passed in silence as Twilight averted her eyes. Clearing out the frog that seemingly took up residence in her throat after the touching speech, she hesitantly spoke up. “Do you really mean it?”

“Listen to me, Twilight,” Cadence insisted gently, brushing away a drop of moisture from the violet eyes. “Love is kind of my thing, you know? So believe me when I say that anypony would be lucky to be loved so completely by a mare like you. Celestia knows this, and the love you have for her is equally matched by the love she has for you.”

“You’re positive?” Twilight whispered, her voice wavering slightly. The words were nice to hear, but after a lifetime of thinking otherwise, they were hard to take at face value.

“Honey, I feel giddy when the two of you are simply in the same room together. When you’re actually in contact… well, let’s just say the buzz alcohol gives doesn’t even come close to the vibes you two give off.” Cadence stated bluntly, startling a slight laugh from the choked up pony. “Trust me, okay?”

Twilight was silent for a few minutes, mulling over everything that had been said. She still didn’t completely believe everything, and she still thought Celestia could have chosen somepony better to be her special somepony, but…

“Okay,” Twilight mumbled as she buried her head in the soft pink fur. “I’ll trust you.”

“Good,” Cadence nuzzled her little sister. She still wanted to pump the purple pony for information, but that could wait for a bit. For the moment she’d let Twilight mull over what she said and just enjoy the loving embrace while it lasted.

“Hey Cadence?” Twilight spoke up a few moments later, head still buried in the crook of the older pony’s neck.

“Hmm?” Cadence hummed in question.

“Was this what you used your I-O, your free cuddle for?” It was kind of random, but Twilight felt she had to focus on something else if she ever wanted to get her emotions under control.

“Oh, heavens no,” Cadence practically scoffed in mock haughtiness. “I’m saving that for a special occasion; this was a freebie I so generously granted you in your time of need.”

Shaking her head lightly with an indulgent smile on her face, Twilight leaned her head back slightly. “Hey Cadence?” Not waiting for the other pony to respond this time, she darted forward quickly and placed a small peck on her pink cheek. “Thanks.” 

-0-0-
	
> Disguises and Discussions Pt.3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shining Armor stepped bravely into the unmarked shop, his chest puffed out and his head held high. Ears prickling slightly at the low jingling from the bell overhead, Shining squinted in between rapid blinks as he attempted to locate his lost charge. As he waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust from the sudden transition of bright outdoors to darker than usual indoors, his nose twitched.

Sniffing the air, Shining relaxed marginally. There was a light flowery scent wafting around the small shop; the scent was both soothing and enticing, making him wonder once again what exactly the dark shop catered to. He figured, though, that a shop with such a pleasant smell couldn’t possibly cater to anything dangerous. 

…Unless they were using the smell to cover up something unpleasant. Something like blood.

Blanching at the thought, Shining strained his eyes and walked past the many rows of tables with odd blue lights hanging over them, calling out for his ‘little sister’ as he went. “Sunbeam!”

“Nephew! Over here!” Luna called back, forgetting for a moment that they were supposed to be undercover in her excitement.

“Sunny!” Shining quickly made his way to the disguised pony. Coming to a stop next to her, he instantly assessed the clerk’s threat level as zero, and so laughed nervously as he proceeded with damage control. “Little sis, I thought I told you not to run off like that!”

“I… apologize. I’ll try to remember for next time,” Luna bit out the words slowly as she realized she had almost blown their cover. Her face scrunched up as if she had bitten into something sour. Perhaps she should have studied her book more before insisting on the outing.

“Ah, little sisters these days,” Shining grinned nervously at the clerk, hoping he bought their act. “There’s no accounting for them. This one never listens and likes to dress up and say she’s my… uncle… so she can boss me around.”

“No problems, dude.” The clerk nodded in sympathy. “I’ve got one of those at home too. One minute she’s replacing my pillow with mashed up bananas, the next she’s drooling over half the stallions in the city.”

“That’s rough,” Shining and the clerk looked at each other in shared pain; though ultimately rewarding, being big brother to a little sister could be a tough job. 

“Yeah,” the clerk nodded solemnly.

“Thank Celestia I don’t have to deal with her chasing stallions on top of everything else,” Shining muttered as an afterthought, lips twitching slightly at the unintentional pun.

“Count yourself lucky, dude.” The clerk shuddered in remembered horror. “Really lucky.”

“Dusk!” Luna shouted in Shining’s ear. Slightly annoyed that she was being ignored, she played the annoying little sister card in hopes that it would move things along faster. It was all fine and dandy that Shining Armor was having a moment with the clerk, but she required the aide if she was going to get anything done in time to surprise Twilight. 

“Ouch!” Shining yelped as he stumbled back a step. Rubbing his abused ear, he matched the scowling mare with a scowl of his own. “Sunny! What was that for?”

“You were ignoring me,” Luna huffed out, only half acting at this point. “We have to hurry up.”

“What did mom say about patience?” Shining scolded, thinking back to one of the first arguments he had witnessed between the royal sisters; a one hour argument had turned into a three hour lecture on patience from Celestia to Luna. Back then he had viewed the argument with an amalgamation of shock and disbelief; in hindsight, it was glaringly obvious that the argument was nothing less than foreshadowing.

“She said I had to work on it,” Luna’s scowl deepened as she mumbled her response, mind flashing back to the same incident.

“And?” Shining drew out with a raised brow.

“I apologize for yelling in your ear,” Luna grumbled out in reply, just barely managing to contain an eye roll.

“Sorry about her,” Shining turned to the clerk once more, not bothering to stop his own eyes from rolling at her antics.

“Nah, it’s all good dude.” The clerk responded. “Like I said, I have one of those at home; I know how it goes.”

“Yes, well, as lovely as this bonding session is, and as much as I’m sure my dear brother is enjoying being around another male for once, could we please turn our attention to the flowers I’d like to purchase?” Luna cut in before the two stallions could start reminiscing again.

“Flowers?” Shining Armor asked as he scrunched his face up in confusion.

“Yes, flowers,” Luna responded slowly. “This is a flower shop, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“But it’s so dark in here,” Shining pointed out in bafflement. “The windows are either boarded or shaded; how do they grow?”

“Moonies, dude, moonies.” The clerk picked up a small gardening shovel and pointed at the blue lights overtop each of the flower boxes. “These flowers prefer the moon to the sun, dude, and like open at night and stuff. I totally can’t blame them; the night is totally rad. These special blue lights help them grow indoors, y’know, ‘cause the lights are, like, magic.”

“I see,” Shining blinked. Though it’s true that he had a few things in common with the clerk – namely both having a little sister – he was beginning to think that maybe the other pony was a tad odd. Too much time under the special lights was his guess. “Well, the night sure does attract… ah… interesting characters.”

“Did you just….” Luna trailed off slightly in disbelief, indignant shock coloring her words. “I’ll have you know that my- I mean the night is a special time full of creativity and wonder. It is something your own sister has fallen in love with, I might add!”

“There’s no need to talk about yourself in third person, Sunbeam,” Shining pointed out, a hint of smugness barely discernible in his voice.

“I am not speaking of myself and you know it, Dusk,” Luna grumbled back with a slight scowl.

“Yeah, okay,” Shining impishly raised a brow, happy to be getting back at the princess in some small way for dying him blue. “But Twily’s not exactly a regular pony, is she? Unless you do think she’s plain and uninteresting…”

“Well, yes, she is indeed quite interesting and extraordinary,” Luna was caught slightly off-guard, not knowing exactly how to respond without implying that she thought badly of Twilight. “But that is not-”

“So, like,” the clerk butted into the fledgling argument before it could really heat up. It was nice to get customers every once and a while, but he was in the middle of watching a flower his friend had nicked from the royal gardens bloom and he didn’t want to miss anything. “Which moonies do you want, dudes?”

Muttering a nigh inaudible ‘finally’ under her breath, Luna quickly rattled off a short list, her impatient scowl melting into a  satisfied smile as she viewed the pristine condition of her chosen flowers. Insides jumping in glee at the successful completion of the first part of her plan, she gently removed the delicate flowers from the clerk’s magical grip and safely stored the wrapped bundle in one of Shining’s larger saddlebags. Placing the requested amount of bits onto the counter, Luna practically bounced out of the shop, her glasses quickly darkening into shades in response to the sudden increase in sunlight.

“So we’re done now?” Shining asked hopefully as he exited the shop, the door closing with a quiet jingle as he squinted at the princess through the brightness. He mentally made fun of the glasses earlier, but now after having seen their dual nature he couldn’t help but admit to himself that he was a teeny bit jealous.

“Oh, no,” Luna’s grin practically split her face, the fake mustache twitching along with her words. “We have yet to retrieve the most important part of the surprise!”

“Oh… Goody…” Shining intoned expressionlessly. He was beginning to feel burnt out and sort of numb; it was something he had seen happen to a few of the senior guards, though he had never heard of it happening simply by spending too much time with the princesses. “Would it be completely fruitless to ask what exactly that is?”

“It would!” Luna responded cheerfully as they continued down the busy street. Stopping suddenly, she slyly glanced up at the momentarily taller stallion, still slightly peeved at the comment made in the flower shop. “Oh, and Dusk?”

“Hmm?” Shining Armor blinked as he came to a stop beside her. Tilting his head, he made eye contact with the alicorn in disguise only to freeze; a shiver of foreboding ran down his back as he took in her altogether too smug expression.

“I’m quite honestly surprised you would bring up our… ‘mother’.” Luna spoke slowly, the grin never leaving her face. “In fact, since you brought her up, it’s only fair that we bring up her darling marefriend as well; what do you think, should we consider her our ‘father’ or our ‘other mother’? Hmm? Do you think perhaps they will gift us with another sibling or two?”

Shining Armor managed to pale enough that his coat almost reached its naturally bleached color as he whimpered lightly. He took back his earlier musings; he was far from being burnt out, as his reactions supported. He was, however, a big enough stallion to admit to himself that he wanted to go home. All the way home. To the Crystal Empire.

Glancing once more at the victoriously smirking mare beside him, he once again weighed the pros and cons of self-induced memory loss due to blunt force trauma to the head.

-0-0-

“So…” Cadence spoke into the quiet room, prompting Twilight to lift her head from where it was resting comfortably on her pink shoulder to look up at her quizzically.

“Yes…?” Twilight encouraged questioningly after a few moments of silence.

“Right. You don’t mind if we get back on topic, do you Twilight?” Shifting slightly to the side, Cadence retracted her wing and gazed mischievously at the younger pony.

“I suppose not…” Twilight answered slowly, despite the inherent alarm bells in her mind ringing up a storm. She couldn’t help but find the fact that the pink alicorn’s smile stretched even wider at her words slightly unnerving.

“Great!” Cadence perked up as she bounced lightly in poorly suppressed glee at finally getting some answers to the questions that had been plaguing her. “Okay, first question; what’s your favorite food to bring into the bedroom?”

“Er…” Twilight blinked in light confusion, not expecting that question at all. “Well cake, I guess…”

“Cake?” Cadence tilted her head thoughtfully. She had expected an answer more along the lines of strawberries or syrup - or even for Twilight to stammer and blush so much she was unable to answer- not cake. “Can I ask why?”

“It’s Celestia’s favorite food,” Twilight responded with a slight shrug.

“That… makes sense, I suppose…” Cadence supposed cake could work; Celestia would definitely enjoy eating her favorite food off of her favorite pony.

“I really like surprising her with a slice now and then,” Twilight chimed in shyly. “It never fails to make her smile.”

“Wait just a minute,” Cadence lifted a hoof as she narrowed her gaze at the confused purple pony. For some odd reason, she didn’t think they were on the same page. “What exactly do you do with the cake?”

“Eat it?” Twilight responded slowly as she eyed the suddenly intensely staring alicorn a little oddly. Her next sentence was said a little lower as her cheeks became lightly dusted with pink. “Sometimes we feed it to each other.”

“Twilight.” Cadence deadpanned. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, she finally decided to ask another question to confirm her suspicions. “What’s your favorite activity to do together?” After a few seconds of thought, she tacked on, “…in the bedroom?”

“Studying!” Twilight answered immediately with a grin, before tilting her head thoughtfully with a light frown. “And cuddling… and… wing-hugs, which might be considered cuddling. Hmmm, I’m going to have to think about that one…”

Cadence stared blankly at the purple pony currently mumbling to herself. A hoof-full of intricately detailed and carefully thought out fantasies involving the white and purple alicorns – and sometimes the blue alicorn as well- began to simultaneously crumble and burst into flames as they swiftly died horribly painful deaths. No longer able to watch the cruel deaths of the fictions she had created in her mind, she suddenly blurted out a question, effectively garnering the distracted pony’s attention. “You two have been intimate, right?”

“Intimate…?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion, not at the words but at Cadence’s tone of voice. She almost seemed… desperate for an answer. Finally registering exactly what was asked, Twilight’s cheeks warmed a bit more. Worrying her lip lightly, she finally responded with another question. “Like… kissing, and stuff?”

“And stuff.” Cadence half-parroted half-prompted in desperation, the many fictitious lives of the ponies living in her head hanging in the balance. “And stuff, Twilight. And stuff.”

“Of course we have,” Twilight responded awkwardly, not realizing Cadence’s sigh of relief catching in her throat as she continued. “You even saw us… kissing… earlier.”

Cadence just stared incredulously at the lavender pony, her brain sending error messages in response to the signals her ears and eyes were sending. Finally, after a few long moments of disbelief, she came to a conclusion. Twilight was either a mischievous mastermind and was stringing her along… or she had much more in common with her brother than Cadence had first realized.

“Um, Cadence? Are you al-”

“Sex, Twilight,” Cadence decided to err on the side of caution and bluntly spell out her question. Everything was riding on this attempt, and she didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or disbelief as Twilight suddenly flushed red. She hoped against hope that it was a good sign. “Have you, or have you not, made love to Celestia.”

“I-I-I-,” Twilight stammered, her eyes wide and her face crimson as she stared at the pleading look Cadence was giving her. Swiftly banishing a dozen memories that popped into her head at the question, she fidgeted slightly and gulped, her voice resembling a low squeak. “Y-yes.”

“Yes?” Cadence asked hopefully, wanting reassurance that she had heard correctly. Receiving a little embarrassed nod in response, she sighed in abject relief. “Oh thank the Sun! For a second there I thought- but you have no idea how relieved am to be wrong.” Eyes suddenly snapping open in determination once more, she focused her gaze on the horribly blushing pony. She was determined to give no quarter as more questions sprang to mind now that the horrible misunderstanding was cleared up.

Plus, Twilight looked absolutely adorable in that shade of dark pink.

“Okay!” Cadence rubbed her hooves together giddily. “An easy question first; do you enjoy making love with Auntie Celestia?”

“Y-yes…” Twilight managed to squeak out after realizing that her tail was being subtly pinned to the bed, foiling any attempts at escape before they began. Her tone of voice and inflection were, at the moment, a near match to Fluttershy’s own.

“That’s great!” Cadence bounced minutely on the bed in glee. “How much?”

“H-how much…?” Twilight’s eyes widened even further as she seemingly melted into an embarrassed pile of goop on the bed. That question could be taken in more ways than one…

“Yes; how much do you like it?”

“A lot,” Twilight mumbled, unconsciously answering both the asked and silent questions.

“Fair enough,” Cadence grinned impishly. This was the most fun she’d had in a while, now that she was getting the answers she wanted, that is.  Tapping her chin thoughtfully with her hoof, she struggled to decide on which line of questions to ask next. There were just so many to choose from… “Well we’ve already touched on Celestia… What about Luna?”

“L-Luna…?” Twilight questioned faintly, quite obviously eyeing the door in desperation. Perhaps if she willed it hard enough, a crisis would befall Equestria; anything would be better than fainting due to all of the blood in her body pooling in her head. Though she did notice in relief that they seemed to be drifting away from the racier questions apparently involved in ‘girl talk’.

“Yes, Auntie Luna. How do you feel about her?”

“I-I care about her,” Twilight chewed on her lip in thought as she started to calm down. “A lot. She’s a really good friend…”

“Just ‘a really good friend’? Nothing more?” Cadence peered at the floundering alicorn suspiciously. “Are you sure?”

“Well, no…” Twilight finally admitted. “I guess she’s more than a good friend to me…”

“Great!” Cadence squealed, only to catch herself and cough lightly as she reigned in her enthusiasm. “I mean that’s good. Really good. But good. Have you two kissed?”

“On the cheek… I think…” Twilight mumbled slowly, a sneaking suspicion forming in her brain that she wasn’t going to like the direction this line of questioning was going. It all seemed suspiciously familiar… 

“I suppose that’s a start.” Cadence frowned lightly. “Hmm… I suppose that means you two haven’t been intimate then?”

Twilight stared blankly at the pink alicorn as that sneaking suspicion suddenly came back to bite her on the flank. “…With Luna?”

“Yes, with Luna,” Cadence nodded in encouragement.

“...No”

“I thought so…” Cadence pouted lightly even though she expected the answer. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, and she turned her impishly twinkling gaze on the suddenly nervous pony glancing periodically at the door as if it were a lifeline. “Would you?”

“W-would I…?” Twilight stammered as she choked on the words in trepidation. Both the look she was receiving and the question she had been given did not bode well for her.

“Yes,” Cadence questioned slyly, her grin barely being contained on her face. “Would you be intimate with her if the occasion arose? Would you… make love to the Princess of the Night?”

“I-I-I d-don’t-,” Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as her dwindling blush grew once more into a raging inferno upon her cheeks. “I-I…”

“Hmm, let me make this easier for you,” Cadence practically vibrated with barely suppressed joy; her fantasies were alive and well once more! “If Celestia were completely okay with it and Luna initiated it… Perhaps after a romantic moonlit dinner…? Would you?”

“I-I-I-I w-wou-,” Twilight began, her stammer intensifying under the pink alicorn’s intent gaze. She knew her normally purple cheeks had to be a bright crimson at this point, and as she began to feel lightheaded she knew it was only a matter of time before the capillaries in her cheeks burst like tiny red fireworks. Suddenly her salvation came in the form of a loud knock on the door. Attempting to spring up unsuccessfully – Cadence still held her tail captive- she yelped in profound relief. “The door!”

Cadence frowned darkly at the interruption as she called out. “Who is it?”

“I have a package for Princess Twilight Sparkle, Your Majesty.” A stoic voice called from behind the door, his words slightly muffled. “It’s from Ponyville.”

Cadence rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. Pouting at the lost opportunity, she lifted her hoof and watched as Twilight scrambled clumsily from the bed and towards the door.

Twilight frantically swung the door open and gazed at the guard in front of her, her relief palpable in her voice. “Thank you.” Catching her breath as her cheeks once again began to cool down, she eyed the small brown package held under his wing curiously. “Is that it?”

“Yes Your Majesty.” The guard lifted his wing as the box was engulfed by the alicorn’s magic. Steadfastly meeting her gaze as she cocked an eyebrow at the torn seal, he ignored the light blush that insistently dusted his white cheeks and saluted smartly. “It was inspected and deemed safe, Your Highness.”

“Ah, thank you,” Twilight smiled at the guard and re-entered the room, the large doors swinging shut behind her. Beyond grateful for the distraction, she walked back towards the bed. Setting it down on the edge, she gazed at the plain brown box curiously.

“Well are you going to open it?” Cadence peered at it curiously, her earlier pout vanishing for the moment. There would always be another opportunity for ‘girl talk’ with the younger alicorn, and half of her attention was occupied scheming towards just that; it was to her utter delight, then, that after only a few moments she came up with the utterly devious plan of having a slumber party. 

The rest of her attention was, of course, focused on what could be in the box.

“I don’t kn-,” Twilight began as she lifted the lid slightly only to drop it once more as she squeaked in embarrassed shock.

“What is it?” Cadence’s eyes were wide and filled with curiosity as her attention moved from the twitching purple alicorn to the plan box. Bringing the package closer to herself, she opened the lid and peered inside. Slowly but surely a large grin slid onto her face as she used her magic to lift the object up. “Oh wow…”

The short dress was made of a shear silver material that shimmered and gleamed mesmerizingly in the light. The trim was a dark royal blue, and, on further inspection, the dress was dotted with tiny silvery blue stars that appeared and disappeared depending on how the light hit it. Bringing it closer to her, she first ran her hoof along the material and then rubbed it slowly across her cheek, her smile widening in glee.

It was soft.

It was beautiful.

It was absolutely positively not meant to be worn in public…

…And Twilight was absolutely positively going to wear it.

“You know, this is what you should wear on that romantic moonlit dinner date with Luna. There’s no way that she would be able to keep her hooves off of you if you did.” Cadence paid Twilight’s squeak of embarrassment no mind. “First, though, you should really make sure it fits…”

-0-0-

Celestia walked down the hall towards Twilight’s room after finding out her location from the guards. It was fortunate for her that she’d had the mind to inquire about the purple alicorn’s whereabouts after only a few minutes searching; seeing as how Twilight spent so little time in her assigned room, it would have most likely been one of the last places she would have searched. Cutting the search short meant she had more time to spend with her little alicorn, which was always a good thing.

Coming upon the doors, she gave a nod to the guards and raised her hoof to knock. Pausing just short of impacting the door, she instead tilted her head slightly, her ears swivelling and straining to pick up the faint sounds from inside.

“-gah! Cadence, not there! Your hooves are-”

“-ight, hold still! She’s going to… Wow, you look amaz-”

Unable to distinguish anymore words, Celestia raised her hoof once more and this time knocked loudly. Utter silence answered her. She was about to knock once more when she heard her niece’s voice.

“Who’s there?”

-0-0-

“Celestia.”

Cadence and Twilight froze, their eyes locking as they recognized the voice long before she finished stating her name. Their voices whispered almost in unison.

“Feathers.”

“Er, just once minute Auntie!” Cadence called out nervously before turning her attention to the struggling Twilight. “Hurry up Twilight! You don’t want to ruin the surprise!”

“I’m trying!” Twilight whined as she attempted to remove the dress Cadence had practically forced on her earlier. The fabric was both incredibly soft and slippery, and while it felt wonderful on her coat, it was a horror to take off in rush. “I-I can’t! I’m stuck!”

“Stuck? How can you be stuck?” Cadence asked in incredulity as she lit up her horn and attempted to help the struggling alicorn. “There’s barely any material to get stuck in!”

“I told you I shouldn’t have tried it on right now!” Twilight huffed as they managed to maneuver it halfway off of her struggling form. “Or ever,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Oh hush and help!”

-0-0-

Celestia brows slowly rose higher and higher as she caught bits and pieces of what was happening within. Hearing Twilight let out a highly suggestive yelp, Celestia’s curiosity could no longer be contained. Using her magic, she opened the large door and stepped inside. Eyes scanning the room, her magenta orbs froze on the two figures near the bed, a brow shooting upwards once more.

“Oh... my…”

Gaze quickly leaping from her niece to her lover, her eyes drank in the sight of her beloved Twilight. Almost absently, her golden magic sprang to life and insistently yet gently demanded the dress from Cadence’s grip. Ever so slowly she slid the dress back into place, the dual sensation of her magic and the material causing Twilight to shiver slightly.

Her intent gaze began to smolder lightly in response.

Slowly allowing her magic to dissipate, she almost hungrily inspected every inch of the blushing purple alicorn with her intense orbs. After a few long moments their eyes finally met, causing Celestia to swallow reflexively at what was reflected perfectly in those amethyst orbs.

Her throat felt oddly dry.

“Um…” Twilight whispered, finally finding her voice. Eyes still locked with those of the alabaster alicorn, she cracked a small smile and squeaked. “Surprise?”

-0-0-
	
> Heartfelt Interlude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	-0-0-

Twilight’s cheeks flushed even darker as her weak attempt at diffusing the charged situation seemingly backfired. She had hoped that Celestia would have been too busy laughing at her – admittedly poor- joke, her distraction giving Twilight ample time to discretely attempt to discard the dress Rarity had sent. Instead, a small smile had curled around the edge of Celestia’s lips and her intent stare had become even more intense as she gave the flustered pony another thorough onceover.

Fidgeting noticeably under the admiring stare, Twilight bit her lip and shifted slightly to the left, bringing her right forehoof up to absentmindedly rub against her left one. Freezing suddenly as she caught Celestia’s gaze following her almost hypnotically, her flustered features slowly morphed into a thoughtful expression as an altogether astonishing notion occurred to her, causing her to quickly re-examine the past few minutes in her mind. Blinking slowly, Twilight ended up coming to a surprising – yet altogether pleasing - conclusion.

Though she was certain that she looked ridiculous in the rather skimpy gown, it was starting to sink in to her head that perhaps Celestia was of a different opinion. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more evidence she was able to come up with to support the rather farfetched claim. Celestia hadn’t laughed when she had seen her, had in fact redressed her, and hadn’t taken her eyes off of her since entering the room.

Her stare was both approving and pleased, and - if Twilight wasn’t imagining things - was laced with more than a hint of desire. In fact, if Twilight had to compare it to anything, she would have to say the passionate gaze most closely resembled the look Celestia got in her eyes before pouncing on her favorite cakes and utterly devouring them. And though Twilight still didn’t understand exactly why Celestia was looking at her like that, she couldn’t help but admit to herself that she liked it.

Her thoughtful expression shifting into something altogether more calculating, Twilight deliberately shifted one pace to the right. A small yet powerful thrill shot down her spine as the white alicorn’s heated gaze unfailingly followed her every movement. An unknowingly sensual smile slowly unfurled on Twilight’s lips as her violet orbs became slightly hooded.

She really really liked it.

A lot.

A pink tongue unconsciously poked out from between her lips and slowly wet them as Twilight leisurely began to saunter forward. Swinging her hips teasingly as she walked, Twilight’s tail also joined in the stimulating show by lazily swishing back and forth, unfailingly drawing attention to how the cut of the dress seemed to emphasize both her cutie mark and the flanks they rested upon. Catching the slight shudder that ran down the larger alicorn’s form, Twilight’s smile widened; her earlier embarrassment entirely forgotten in the wake of the heady feeling she was all but drowning in. Though she may look silly, the knowledge that she was the one causing those delicious reactions in the goddess before her was all she could bring herself to care about at the moment.

-0-0-

Cadence’s eyes slowly widened to the size of saucers. Having managed to surreptitiously maneuver herself against the far wall, she watched the steamy events unfolding in front of her with bated breath. Carefully bringing a hoof up, she all but stuffed it in her mouth, pre-emptively striking against any squeals of abject joy that might otherwise escape and break the spell the other two were under.

This was turning out to be even more informative than her little question and answer session with Twilight earlier, though she could hardly believe her eyes. Here was Twilight – shy, easily flustered, naïve Twilight – slowly sauntering up to the powerful alicorn who rose the sun each morning, the intent to seduce practically oozing off of her like a fine perfume. And there was Celestia, practically smoldering in her horseshoes as she watched the approaching purple pony with a single-minded focus many a lover would envy.

And the best thing was, both ponies were so wrapped up in each other that they had seemingly forgotten about their one-pony audience. It was like a scene from one of her romance novels suddenly leapt off the page and began playing itself out in front of her. Only, this was even better than anything she could find in one of her novels due to the fact that it centered around two ponies whose happiness – love related or otherwise – she was entirely invested in.

Seeing and feeling the genuine and pure – to her - display before her, Cadence was suddenly very glad she had postponed her return to the Crystal Empire.

-0-0- 

Celestia watched Twilight approach with intrigue, her excitement spiking sharply at Twilight’s sudden self-confidence. Wings aching slightly with the urge to unfold them, she was barely able to restrain herself from pouncing on her beloved. Though she wanted nothing more in this moment than to unwrap her extremely enticing surprise and demonstrate just how appreciative she was, her inquisitiveness narrowly won the battle with her desires.

It wasn’t often that Twilight took charge of their intimate encounters, and she couldn’t help but be eagerly curious to find out just how far the purple alicorn’s newfound courage would take her.

Twilight came to a stop in front of the taller alicorn, her purple muzzle within a hairsbreadth of the shiny white coat. Leaning in, she slowly began rubbing her head against Celestia’s chest before moving her nuzzles upwards. As she travelled further up the white neck, her warm nuzzles quickly melted into a slow yet intense flurry of little nips and kisses, eliciting a low hum of pleasure from her partner. 

Too soon for her liking, however, Twilight reached the point where she wouldn’t be able to continue to her destination without resorting to standing on her hind hooves for added height. Frowning lightly at her predicament, she gently nipped once more at Celestia’s neck, this time tugging lightly on the skin caught between her teeth. Repeating the action a few heartbeats later, Twilight finally received the reaction she was looking for as Celestia slowly lowered herself onto her stomach with a low breathy chuckle, the sound sending a tingling jolt strait through her.

Releasing the skin held captive in her mouth, a smile once again adorned Twilight’s face as she spent a few moments soothing the lightly abused spot with her tongue. After one last swirling lap of her pink muscle over the now wet fur, she continued her trek up Celestia’s elegant neck, this time interspersing little licks in between the nibbles and butterfly kisses. Finally reaching her destination she puffed teasingly, her hot breath breaking upon an alabaster ear and causing it to twitch lightly.

As Celestia slowly became used to the sensation, Twilight inclined forward with a cheeky grin and ran her tongue leisurely up the shell of her ear. Humming in pleasure as she was rewarded with a small jump and a minor hitch in Celestia’s lightly labored breathing, Twilight repeated the action. This time, however, instead of trailing her tongue back downwards when she reached the tip she instead engulfed the point in her mouth and nibbled playfully.

Retreating slightly once more, Twilight blew lightly on the now slick ear, absolutely delighting in the full-body shiver she felt pass through the white alicorn. Repeating the action, she followed it up with a hot whisper, making sure that her breath crashed against the now sensitive ear with every word. “…Do you like it?”

It was only as she pulled back in order to receive her answer did Twilight realize that there had been a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke. Like a slow leak in a hot-air balloon, Twilight’s earlier confidence began to vacate her in favor of her usual slightly awkward and uncertain nature. Sinking down onto her haunches, a light flush slowly diffused across her cheeks as she bashfully averted her gaze and began to fidget nervously, her overactive mind doing her no favors by beginning to second-guess her earlier forwardness.

Celestia’s gaze softened perceptibly at her love’s much more typical behaviour, though the glint of desire in her spinel orbs refused to be snuffed out completely. Moving her head forward, she lovingly returned Twilight’s earlier affections by insistently nuzzling the younger alicorn, causing Twilight to start slightly before leaning more fully into the unexpected contact. Brushing a few light kisses along the edge of her jaw, Celestia made her way sedately up towards one of Twilight’s ears and began to murmur. “You look absolutely breathtaking, Twilight.”

Breath hitching quietly at the utter sincerity she could discern in the white alicorn’s warm, desire-tinted words, Twilight slowly leaned back and raised her gaze. Pausing briefly to stare at the genuine loving smile adorning the white lips before her – the variation that, Twilight had recently noticed, was reserved solely for her – she then moved her gaze upwards and became lost. Gazing deeply into dancing eyes filled to the brim with all things warm – happiness and sunshine and so much love- Twilight was once again reminded of just how lucky she was.

Her life may not have been the easiest, but, looking back on it, there wasn’t a single thing that she would risk changing. Sure her early life had been lonely; she was a prodigy - her mental and magical prowess years above those of her own age group - and because of that she was shunned and teased by others of her own age. After becoming Celestia’s student, she had let a few select ponies – and one baby dragon – through her walls and into her heart, but had pulled even further away from everypony else.

Being sent – though at the time, she had compared it more to being exiled – to Ponyville had been a real blessing in disguise. Despite the innumerable scrapes, bruises, and seemingly weekly catastrophes that had befallen her, she had gained the best group of friends a pony could ask for – a group of friends who had managed the impossible by slowly but surely breaking her out of her shell. No longer the lonely little pony she used to be, she now had a plethora of friends and friendly acquaintances, as well as wonderfully caring siblings and…and a special somepony of her very own, one whom she has loved – in one form or another – since the very moment she laid eyes on her.

And so, while her life may not have been the easiest, the rewards… she considered the rewards beyond priceless.

Celestia watched as the awed look on Twilight’s expressive face faded into warm contentment, a pleased little smile curling across her soft lips. Giving into temptation, Celestia ducked her head down once more but instead of nuzzling the pony she loved she instead brought their lips together in a soft kiss, her eyes slowly slipping closed of their own accord.

Twilight followed Celestia’s example and closed her eyes as she subconsciously leaned further into the kiss, a low hum of delight vibrating up her chest. Basking in the euphoric feeling of kissing the love of her life, Twilight’s entire sense of perception narrowed and became fixedly focused on the mare before her. Thus, as she felt the slight shift in the larger alicorn’s body signifying her intent to pull back, Twilight impulsively surged forward and wrapped both her forehooves and wings around Celestia as she pressed more firmly into the kiss.

Slight surprise at the unexpected move almost immediately melted into pleasure as Celestia eagerly reciprocated, suddenly even the very thought of pulling away from the delightful contact causing her heart to constrict painfully. Her current position too awkward to comfortably outstretch her hooves, Celestia instead unfurled one great white wing and wrapped it snugly around the smaller pony’s back, her feathery limb acting on her desire to keep Twilight as close as physically possible.

Finally accepting the fact that she still required air to survive, Twilight reluctantly pulled away just enough so that their lips still brushed with each greedily inhaled breath. Cracking her eyes open, the purple alicorn gazed dazedly into the half-hidden orbs before her and spoke, her voice coming out in a low throaty murmur. “I love you…” 

Twilight shifted just enough to slide one hoof down to gently brush aside a stubborn lock of pastel-hued mane which had fallen across Celestia’s face during their kiss, her hoof caressing a white cheek briefly before returning to its earlier position behind the larger alicorn’s neck. Mesmerized once more by sparkling magenta gems, Twilight wasn’t even fully aware of what she was saying – all she was certain of was that what she spoke came from the heart.

“I love you- Goddess, do I ever love y-” Twilight’s deep murmurs trailed off into a pleased purr as this time Celestia was the one who lurched forward to capture her lips in a deep kiss. Abandoning all thoughts, Twilight’s ever-working mind finally quieted as she let go and simply allowed herself to feel.

Across the room, unbeknownst to the three oblivious alicorns, the bedroom door handle jiggled lightly – once, twice, three times - before a pink glow suffused it.

-0-0- 

Shining Armor walked quickly down the hallway towards his sister’s suite, his posture stiff and his eyes stubbornly staring straight ahead. Walking through Canterlot’s busy streets and being stared at by random ponies was one thing, but causing the guards he had drilled relentlessly during his days as guard captain to actually do a double-take upon seeing him merely walk by was almost too much for even his manly pride to handle. Embarrassment barely held under wraps by his – admittedly weakening – will, he once again silently bemoaned his bad luck.

Upon returning to the castle and parting ways with Luna, he had decided to take a quick detour on his way to check in with his wife and sister. Believing a quick shower was imperative to wash the blue dye out from his coat, he had stealthily avoided being seen by anypony as he slunk back to his and Cadance’s chambers. Fifteen minutes, three bottles of shampoo, and a bottle and a half of bleach later found him walking down the woefully crowded corridor to Twilight’s rooms – perhaps he went a little overboard on the guard assignment – with a silky smooth powder blue coat.

His lengthy trek was akin to the walk of shame; or, at least, what he imagined the walk of shame would feel like.

Finally seeing Twilight’s door come into view, Shining Armor sighed internally in relief and started to double his speed, his determined strides lengthening into a near run. Coming upon the door, he anxiously grabbed the handle only to feel a horrifying resistance. Practically feeling the many stares drilling into his back, the formerly white stallion sent a tendril of magic into the door – mentally thanking Twilight for including his magical signature in the door’s locking mechanism – and this time released a physical sigh of relief as the door clicked open.

Hurrying into the room, he swiftly closed the door behind him and finally allowed his stiff shoulders to relax. “Twily? Cadance? You’ll never believe what torture I’ve just been… through…”

Shining Armor trailed off blankly as he turned away from the door only to once again get an eyeful of his sister passionately kissing the solar princess. Not blinking, he woodenly turned his head to the side and took in the sight of his wife watching the amorous display happening in the middle of the room with watery eyes and a giddy smile close to bursting with suppressed joy. Finally, moving his gaze to look down at his girly blue coat and then at the door, he seriously considered making his way back to the comfy bed in his chambers – walk of shame be damned – where he could pretend the whole day had been nothing but a bad dream brought on by spoiled food.

To his utter dismay, however, Cadance noticed him and whispered for him to come closer before he could make up his mind. Shining hung his head dejectedly in response and complied, the thought he had earlier about inquiring whether or not the royals kept a shrink on retainer floating through his mind once more.

At the rate his day was going, he really feared he’d be in need of one sooner rather than later.

-0-0-