> Hidden Desires 2: A Discovery, a Confrontation and Acceptance > by StormLuna > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Evening Discussions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another evening arrived in Canterlot and like always, Princess Luna awoke from her daily slumber. She looked out towards the sun and saw it dropping towards the horizon. Luna absolutely loved this sight but not for the same reason as she used to. In the past she was happy because she would soon be able to bask Equestria in her lovely moonlight but now she thinks of just one thing. Very soon she would be able to go spend time with her marefriend, Princess Twilight Sparkle. She bounced down the stairs into the dining hall. Celestia saw this and asked, "Good evening little sister. What has you in such a good mood?" Luna replied, "Nothing in particular big sister. We just had a most pleasant slumber today and we are well rested for our patrol of the Everfree Forest tonight." Celestia gave her a half smile, "Little sister, I remember it was just two weeks ago to the day that you would wake up and be unhappy. You would not be excited to go out and do your royal duty. You treated it as more of simply seeking solitude and then suddenly you have changed." She gazed into Luna's eyes and asked, "Luna, what is the real reason you are so happy now? You are happier now than you have been in your whole life." Luna smiled, "Well we are just happy to get out." She hung her head down and blushed, "We are going to visit the Apple family tonight for some dessert. They have been inviting us for fritters here lately and we love their fritters as much as thou loves thy cake!" Celestia could tell she was lying. "Little sister, you are just as bad of a liar as Applejack is. I know you do enjoy your fritters but I highly doubt you would be this happy over mere fritters." She pushed Luna's head up and asked, "You aren't dating Applejack are you?" Luna replied, "No big sister, we are not dating Applejack. Thou knows that we see her as just a very good friend, nothing more." She blushed and continued, "Why wouldst thou think that we are dating somepony?" Celestia replied, "I wonder if you are dating somepony because of the way you blush and seem to be in such a hurry to get going. It seems like you feel like if you don't arrive somewhere at a certain time that you may disappoint somepony." Luna lied, "Big sister, we are not dating anypony! Thou knows that we have never sought love and enjoy our personal space! Dating somepony would take away from us!" Celestia sighed, "Well ok." She cast her gaze towards the balcony and continued, "Well Luna, we better go out and do our royal duties." After they did their royal duties and eating supper, like she had been doing lately, Luna headed straight towards the balcony rather than take part in what used to be a tradition for them, their evening talks. Celestia yelled, "Luna, what has happened with you? You used to always put so much emphasis on us being so close, now you just head out to do whatever it is you are doing without even talking anymore." Luna replied, "We just want to go and visit the Apple Family before we head into the forest. They always engage in such cheerful conversations." Celestia asked, "Oh and I don't engage in cheerful conversations? We used to laugh over the silliest things but now the Apples are more important?" Luna realized that if she did not get going that Twilight may wonder if she was coming or not. She sighed, "No big sister, they are not more important." She cast her gaze towards the balcony and continued, "We must get going, we canst be late." Once Luna headed off Celestia went out onto the balcony and watched Luna fly off towards Ponyville. She sighed, "I don't know what to think of this anymore." She got a sneaky grin on her face and continued, "Well little sister, you can say what you want but tonight I'm going to find out what is going on with you." About an hour after Luna took off for Ponyville, Celestia did the same. While she had her doubts about whether Luna was actually going to visit with the Apple family, she decided that she would go there. If she was not there, she decided she would visit other ponies that she thinks Luna may go and see. > Suppertime Discussion > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A half hour had passed since Luna departed Canterlot and she was flying over Ponyville. She headed straight towards Twilight's castle and just like she always is, Twilight was standing on her balcony waiting for her. Luna landed, hugged Twilight and said, "Twilight, it is so good to see you!" Twilight replied, "It's good to see you too Luna!" Luna asked, "How has your day been?" Twilight replied, "Oh, it's been going. I spent some time with Rarity while she was making dresses and helped Fluttershy bathe her animals but other than that, not much. How about you?" Luna said, "Well I had a most peaceful slumber today but once I woke up and headed downstairs my sister wondered why I was in such a good mood." Luna's stomach growled so loudly that Twilight could easily hear it. She suggested, "Luna, you know I care a lot about what you have to say but let's talk about this inside. Besides, I have something special for you." Luna excitedly asked, "What do you have for me?" Twilight giggled, "Close your eyes and hold on to me." Luna did as requested and followed Twilight. As they headed further inside Luna could smell something, something that she liked. She asked, "Twilight, did you have the chefs fix us something special." Twilight replied, "Not exactly but I'm sure you'll like it." Finally Twilight let Luna open her eyes and she was shocked by what she saw. Twilight had set up a candle lit table for two in her bedroom. On it was a couple hayburgers and a basket of fresh apple fritters. Luna gasped, "Twilight, did you make this?" Twilight replied, "The burgers, yes. The fritters, no. I got those from Applejack not too long before you got here. I know how much you like her fritters so I talked to her about making some for us." While Luna was very happy about the fritters, what real excited her was the fact that Twilight would make hay burgers for her. She squealed, "You made us hayburgers? You cooked them yourself?" Twilight replied, "Yes, I did. I just wanted to show you how much I love you." Without even thinking as to whether Spike was around or not, she pounced on Twilight and began to kiss her passionately. While Twilight was taken off guard by Luna's action, she reciprocated her kisses but soon pulled back, "Luna, you know I love it when we lay on the floor and kiss but I think we should eat our food while it's warm." Luna got off of her and replied, "I'm sorry Twilight. It's just that I was so happy that you would make something for me yourself." Twilight gave her a smile and the two sat down to eat. Twilight remembered what Luna started to tell her when she first arrived. She asked, "Luna, when you first got here you said something about your sister wondering why you were in a good mood. What was that about?" Luna sighed, "Well as you know for quite some time I was depressed when I would wake from my slumber every afternoon but ever since we have become marefriends, I have been happy upon waking. What bothers me is why it bothers her. Canst she just be happy that I'm happy?" Twilight asked, "Has she asked you anything about why you are happier?" Luna replied, "Yes, she has. I am worried about what she may say about us being an item so I tell her that I am looking forward to having snacks and engaging in cheerful conversations with the Apple Family." Twilight asked, "And I take it she isn't buying it?" Luna replied, "It doesn't seem like it. She asks us why I leave so early and given that I am a bad liar, I blush and simply tell her about my plans to visit the Apples. Then she accused me of dating Applejack!" Twilight busted out laughing, "Oh Celestia can be so silly sometimes. She should know that you are just friends with them." She calmed down a bit and asked, "I thought Celestia had this view of you that you would never date anypony? I thought you had told her that you enjoy your personal space." Luna replied, "I have but I think my leaving early every night has brought out a lot of suspicion from her." She gazed into Twilight's eyes and continued, "For now though, let's just enjoy our supper and cast my sister's suspicions aside." Twilight nodded in agreement and the two continued to eat their meal. While they said little during their supper, they knew the night was young and there would be plenty of time for them to express their love as the night progressed. > Celestia Investigates > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- An hour after Luna took off towards Ponyville, Celestia did the same. She was bound and determined to figure out why Luna's behavior had changed so much. She was dead set on figuring out why she was in such a good mood, blushed more often and most of all, why she would leave so early. When she got to Ponyville, she headed to Sweet Apple Acres first. When she arrived she saw Applejack out by the barn. She landed down next to her and asked, "Hi Applejack, can we talk?" Applejack bowed and replied, "Of course we can your Majesty. What do y'all want to talk about?" Celestia began, "Can I ask you a question? Has my sister been coming over here every evening for fritters?" Applejack replied, "No, she hasn't. Why do y'all ask?" Celestia continued, "Well she has been leaving the castle every night immediately after she raises the moon and eats a light supper. She has been claiming that she comes here for fritters and cheerful conversations." Applejack asked, "Hmm...I wonder why she'd be claiming that. Is there anypony else that she might be coming to see?" Celestia asked in return, "I was about to ask you just that. Has anypony been altering their activities right after sundown that you would know about?" Applejack replied, "Well not any that I can think of but earlier today Twilight dropped by to see if I could make some fritters that would be ready by sundown. She's asked me for fritters for one reason or another before but today she seemed more insistent, almost like it would be life or death if I didn't have them ready on time." She began to laugh, "Wouldn't it be funny if Luna had been coming to see Twilight all this time?" Celestia gasped, "Luna come to visit Twilight every night? I know that Luna is closer with her than she is your other friends but Luna doesn't seem like the type to visit the same pony every single night." Applejack replied, "Well whenever her name is mentioned Twilight has been blushing here the past couple weeks." Celestia asked, "Seriously? Twilight has been blushing at the very mention of Luna's name?" Applejack replied, "Yeah, she has. She tries to lie her way out of it or claim that she wasn't blushing. Most of us think she has a crush on Luna but Rarity seems to think they have something going on. I think that's a stretch but I could be wrong." Celestia said, "Thank you Applejack. I think I'm going to go pay Twilight a visit and find out." After they finished their supper Luna and Twilight headed back out to the balcony to talk some more. "Thank you for the meal Twilight, it was delicious." Twilight replied, "You don't have to thank me Luna, I love you and I thought that if I cooked you something rather than the chefs, that it would have more meaning." Luna pulled Twilight close and continued, "It would have meant a lot to me either way but it is rare for a princess to cook her own meals, much less cook for anypony else." Twilight moved in for a kiss, "I would do anything for you Luna. If cooking a meal for you every night would make you happy, I would gladly do it." Twilight moved closer, parted her lips and the two began to kiss passionately. As their tongues began to fight over entry into the other's mouth, they rolled onto the balcony and began to grope one another. Luna began to massage Twilight's flank, right where her cutie marks were. She pulled back, "Oh Luna, that feels so good! That feels so good!" Twilight began to reciprocate, causing Luna to feel the same pleasure. The two began moaning loudly and calling out one another's names. They were in such ecstasy that they did not notice a shadow fly above them. A pony landed on the balcony and stood there watching with a smirk on her face. This pony couldn't help but snicker realizing the situation that is about to materialize. > Discovering the Truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia had suspicions over her sister's strange behavior and after flying to Ponyville, she discovered what it was. She discovered that Luna's strange behavior and altered schedule was a result of her going to visit Twilight every night. She landed on their balcony to find them groping one another, kissing and moaning. She couldn't help but smirk watching them as a memory from long ago came to her mind. She laughed, "So Luna, I thought you weren't seeing anypony." This caused the two to pull apart and look up at Celestia in shock. Celestia asked, "So Luna, how long has this been going on?" Luna replied, "It has been going on for two weeks." Celestia said, "I see, no wonder you suddenly went from being depressed to being happy two weeks ago. No wonder we haven't had a good talk in two weeks." Before Luna could reply, Twilight interrupted, "Celestia, please don't be mad at her. She was feeling depressed, she came to talk to me and while we were talking, we discovered that we have wanted to be together for a long time." Celestia sighed, "Oh and how long have you two wanted to be together?" Twilight replied, "Well I fell for her when she came to Ponyville on that first Nightmare Night after her return." Luna added, "And I fell for her back then." She saw a look of disapproval forming on her sister's face and continued, "But we didn't pursue anything because we feared of what thy reaction would be." Celestia replied, "Well that is good. Back then I would have been extremely angry over such a relationship, I would have likely banished you." She cast her gaze at Twilight, "And I likely would have made you move back to Canterlot." Both mares asked "Seriously?" Celestia replied, "Yes seriously but I've mellowed out a lot and besides, you're both grown mares and you're both princesses. I'm happy for you." She smiled at Luna and continued, "While I am happy for you, that doesn't mean you don't have to pay up." Twilight asked, "What do you mean by 'pay up?'" Celestia giggled, "Should I tell her Lulu or do you want to?" Luna got a nervous look on her face as she knew exactly what she was talking about. She gasped, "Tia, that bet is over 1,500 yeas old! It certainly canst still be valid!" Twilight asked, "Lulu? Tia? What bet?" Celestia laughed, "Come on Lulu, you know there was no expiration date on that!" She calmed down and continued, "Now are you going to tell her or do I have to." Luna protested, "Tia, thou canst tell her! It would be most embarrassing!" Celestia laughed, "Sorry Lulu but your marefriend has to know." Twilight asked, "I have to know what?" Celestia giggled, "The bet! When my sister and I were younger, a friend of ours had her heart broken by another mare and this caused us to decide against ever pursuing romance of any sort. However, being the mischievous fillies we were, we decided to make a bet." Luna added, "We made a bet that eventually one of us would cave in and pursue romance." Celestia triumphantly added, "And now since Lulu lost, she has to make me happy in any way I want for a whole month!" Twilight asked, "What is with this Tia and Lulu suddenly?" Celestia replied, "When we were younger, we gave one another pet names." Twilight asked, "Why would you give one another pet names?" Celestia replied, "Because of the things we did together." She began to giggle, "And for the next month, it will be just like old times, won't it Lulu?" Luna sarcastically replied, "For you!" Celestia laughed, "Come on Lulu, you liked it then and I'm sure you still want it!" Twilight interrupted, "Ok Celestia, what do you mean that Luna has to make you happy any way you want for the next month and what do you mean she liked it?" Celestia giggled, "You know Twily, join Lulu and I and you can find out!" She leaned down to Twilight and whispered, "I hope you do because then I can show you all the ways to get Luna to submit to you entirely." Twilight gasped, "You mean you two?" Luna replied, "Yes Twilight, we do." Celestia interrupted, "Enough of all this small talk. Come on you two, let's get back to Canterlot. I really need a release and I'm not about to let Lulu off the hook." Twilight asked, "But what about Spike? I can't just leave him home alone for a month! I can't just ignore my royal duties for a month and I can't just abandon my friends for a month!" Celestia replied, "Don't be such a worry wart Twily. Everything will be fine." Luna replied, "Twilight, please come." She stuck her bottom lip out and continued, "Please Twilight, I love you and it would mean the world to me if you did this." Twilight sighed, "Alright Luna, I'll do this for you." As the three took off for Canterlot, they all were experiencing different emotions. Celestia was beyond thrilled because not only did she win the bet, but she would get to have the type of fun with her sister that she loved so much so long ago. Luna was nervous about what Twilight thought about this. She was worried that Twilight might find it so horrible that she would dump her. Twilight wasn't sure what to think. While she loved Luna dearly, she never imagined that she and her sister would engage in such activities. To her, incest was wrong but a nagging voice in the back of her head told her that perhaps there is a reason they do that and to keep an open mind. > The Truth About Alicorn Sisters > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Celestia learned about Luna's relationship with Twilight, she reminded her younger sister of a bet they made long ago. Considering that she is Luna's marefriend, Twilight decided to head to Canterlot and join them. Once they arrived they headed straight to Celestia's sleeping chambers where she promptly locked the door. She smacked Luna's flank with her tail and asked, "Well Lulu, shall we get back to the fun we used to have so long ago?" Before Luna could reply Twilight asked, "About this fun, what is it? You said on my balcony that Luna liked it, I want to know exactly what it is." Luna replied, "Twilight, to truly understand it thou wouldst have to understand the close nature of natural born Alicorn sisters." Twilight asked, "Close nature?" Celestia began, "Yes Twilight, close nature." She cleared her throat and continued, "Here is the thing, given that there are so few Alicorns in this world, much less natural born ones, pretty much nopony knows about the true nature of Alicorns and the bonds they forge when they are young." Twilight asked, "So what kinds of close bonds do they forge?" Luna replied, "Well in the case of Alicorn brothers, while they do care for one another, they fight one another to the death over territorial control. As time passed, their aggressiveness only became worse until they would kill each other. Eventually all the male Alicorns killed one another, leaving only females and thus, nopony to mate with." Celestia added, "And when it comes to Alicorn sisters, once they come of age, they become very needy and lustful of one another." Twilight asked, "So natural born Alicorn sisters...." Luna replied, "Yes Twilight. The moment both sisters come of age, a special bond forms between them. They develop a bond of sexual desire for one another. With some it is only moderate." Celestia interrupted, "But in the case of Lulu and I, it was extreme. There would be times when we would lock ourselves together in the same room........" Luna interrupted, "Sister, there is no reason to go into specifics, I'm sure she knows enough already." Twilight asked, "So incest is natural for natural born Alicorn sisters? You don't see anything wrong with it?" Luna replied, "Twilight, unfortunately it is part of our biology. No pair of Alicorn sisters was ever known to not develop this bond. It is one of those things that once the bond develops, it is almost always eternal. The sisters will always desire one another, they will always be intimate." Celestia added, "Even if they do find a mate at some point in their life, they will always desire their sister and find ways to have trysts with her." When Twilight heard this, she was shocked. This was something that she simply could not wrap her mind around but then she realized one thing, that they weren't like that. She asked, "Celestia, Luna, if that is the case then why aren't you two like that anymore? Why don't you lust for one another anymore." Luna replied, "We are no longer like that because when I became resentful of the ponies shunning my lovely night, I transformed into Nightmare Moon. In a sense, I became a different pony with a different mindset. Yes we were still biological sisters, but I became something else and that lustful bond was shattered." Celestia added, "When she became Nightmare Moon, her desire went from being me to having full power over Equestria." Twilight asked, "And I take it that when Luna returned from the moon, the bond did not return?" Luna replied, "No, it didn't. While I did return to my former self, the bond never reformed and it will never return." Twilight sighed in relief, "So I don't have to worry about you leaving me for Celestia or even if we were to become a committed couple, I wouldn't have to put up with you having to be intimate with Celestia?" Luna replied, "No Twilight, you won't." Celestia giggled, "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that Lulu." Twilight and Luna both sighed in frustration over comment. While Twilight knew that Celestia had not so pleasant plans for her marefriend, Luna was bound and determined to not only not allow that old bond to return but to get out of having to pay up in the way Celestia wanted her to entirely. > Standing Up to Celestia > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite Luna saying that nothing would cause that sisterly bond they once had to return, Celestia had other ideas. Twilight certainly hoped that nothing would cause the bond regarding Alicorn sisters she learned about to return. After contemplating exactly what she was going to do for a couple of minutes, Celestia pointed one wing at Luna and the other at her bed and ordered, "Lulu, lay down." Luna knew that the bet was still valid but this was something that she was not about to engage in, she was not about to do what she believed was betrayal. She stood tall and said, "No big sister, that is something that I will not do." Luna had not been stern like that with Celestia since her return from the moon and this did not sit well with her. She stood taller and asked, "What?" Luna then approached Celestia and continued, "No big sister, I will not do that. That bond is broken and it will not return." She then stood close to Twilight and continued, "And I will not betray Twilight like that. She has won over my heart and cheating on her is something I will not do." Celestia was not thrilled but would be even less thrilled when Twilight stood up to her, "Princess Celestia, I mean no disrespect but can't you see what you are doing? You are trying to force Luna into doing something that she is very much against." She motioned for Celestia to lean down and whispered, "If you try to force this bond again something not so pleasant may happen, she might turn into Nightmare Moon again and you certainly don't want that, do you?" Celestia stood there in shock. She never once imagined that the pony who was her faithful student would stand up to her. After a minute of silence she sighed, "Very well then but that doesn't mean that Luna won't have to pay up in one way or another." She approached Luna and continued, "Sister, while I will not try to make that bond return, I do have plans." Luna felt a sense of relief but was still nervous about what her sister wanted out of her. She asked, "What is it big sister, what is it you want me to do to 'pay up' as you are calling it?" Celestia pointed her wing towards the kitchen and ordered, "You are going to make me a cake and if it is the absolute best cake I have ever had, I will forgive the rest of the month. If it is not however, you will fix my meals and bake me cakes for the next thirty days" She saw Twilight's eyes light up before continuing, "nor will you be allowed to visit Twilight." Twilight flew up between the two and yelled, "Princess Luna is a GROWN MARE, you can not tell her who she can or can't see!" Again Celestia was shocked but even more so this time as she did not expect Twilight to yell at her. Celestia stood there in a state of shock before continuing, "I am sorry Twilight but this is how it will be. It is either this form of repayment or the less pleasant one." Before Twilight could say anything Luna interrupted, "Very well big sister, I shall make you a cake and it will be by far the best one you have ever tasted." Luna headed off to the kitchen leaving a relieved Twilight and a still stunned Celestia. Once Luna was out of earshot Twilight ordered, "Celestia, we need to have a good talk." Celestia, despite being far more powerful than Twilight, gave her a nervous nod, "Ok Twilight." Celestia, despite being the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, was a bit nervous. She knew how Twilight could be when she was upset and that if she were angered, things could go downhill in a hurry yet. Despite knowing this though, she was still going to try her best to make Luna pay up, even though it would only be fixing her meals and baking her cakes. > A Royal Confrontation > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once Luna was out of earshot, Twilight decided that she was going to do something that at one time was unthinkable in her eyes, lecture Celestia. Twilight pointed her wing towards Celestia's bed and ordered, "Sit down." Celestia did as ordered while Twilight sat down on a chair in the bedroom. Twilight gave her a glare and began, "Princess Celestia, I want to know something. I want to know why it is that you would want to do this? Why is it that you would want to hurt the two ponies closest to you?" Celestia stood up and replied, "I wanted to do this because Luna lost a long standing bet. I can see where you are coming from but I do not find it very respectful to try and get out of a bet, especially one this old." Twilight too stood up and protested, "But the two of you were fillies back then and fillies sometimes make silly bets! I made silly bets with my brother all the time and when one of us lost, we never made the other one pay up! Granted it was simply things like the loser cleaned the winner's room but still, don't you see anything wrong with it?" Celestia approached Twilight and countered, "Twilight, what you and your brother did were bets between regular, non-royal unicorns and what Luna and I did was a bet between Alicorn sisters and any kind of bet Alicorn sisters make is one that simply can not be broken. Just as dragons have their dragon code, Alicorn sisters have their code and trying to weasel their way out of paying up on a lost bet is a violation of that." To Twilight, this was not a good reason for what she tried to do. She again countered, "But the bet was that she would have to make you happy in any way you wanted. I know that cake makes you happy and wouldn't her simply baking you cakes be sufficient?" She flew up to where she was at eye level with Celestia and continued, "I want to know something, what if the roles had been reversed? What if it were you who had developed a relationship with somepony and Luna caught you?" She became more intense as she continued, "And what if Luna was going to take you away from the one you loved? What if Luna wanted you to engage in activities that would amount to cheating?" Celestia was in such a state of shock that she did not even know what to think. She had always thought that Twilight would simply go with the flow over anything she would want to do but not only was Twilight standing up to her, she was challenging her and bringing up situations that really made her think. After nearly five minutes of silence and an intense glare from Twilight she replied, "Well I would probably do what you and Luna are doing." A tear ran down her face as she continued, "I'm sorry Twilight, I'm sorry I tried to do this." Twilight was unsure as to whether she could believe her or not and asked, "Really? Are you really sorry or are you simply saying this to placate me?" This was another thing that Celestia did not expect and it hurt her, Twilight doubting her. She began to sob, "I'm so sorry Twilight. I'm going to admit, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that Luna has a special somepony and I don't." She looked into Twilight's eyes and saw the same scowl. She continued, "I know I shouldn't have done this and I'm going to admit, I've had crushes on mares since then but I didn't act on them because of this, because of the bet." Twilight was still having trouble believing what Celestia was saying. She flew up to where she was nearly muzzle to muzzle with her and asked, "I know you are jealous and wish you had a special somepony but I want to know this, I want to know if you understand how the two of us felt when you were going to do this?" Celestia could tell that Twilight was dead set on getting an answer out of her and knew that she had to be honest. She replied, "Twilight, I'm going to be honest and you are not going to think highly of me after this." She took a deep breath and continued, "I didn't even think about it, I did not think about how the two of you would feel. I was just dead set on making Luna pay up and I will admit, I wanted that bond back." This only angered Twilight further, "What, all you wanted was that bond back? You didn't care one bit about our feelings?" She turned her back towards Celestia and continued, "That says a lot about you as a pony, you put some ancient bond ahead of the feelings of the two ponies you are closest to." Again Celestia stood there uncertain as to what she should say but then something crossed her mind. She realized that not only was she in the wrong with what she did but that old bond and the ways of those ancient days were just that, ancient. She realized that such things were no longer socially acceptable and that as a princess of Equestria, such behavior was no longer acceptable. She tapped Twilight on the shoulder and asked, "Twilight, could you please turn around? I really need to tell you something." Twilight turned around and before she could say anything Celestia continued, "Twilight, I know what I did was wrong and I know that you and Luna neither one will likely forgive me anytime soon. I have come to the realization that Luna did not want this and I should have respected that. I also realize that those old bonds of the past are just that, things of the past and that there is no place for them in modern Equestria." Twilight asked, "So, are you still going to force Luna to basically be your chef for the next month if that cake she is making is not the best you ever had?" Despite Celestia thinking that this demand would be considered acceptable in modern Equestria, she realized that the whole situation was wrong. She replied, "No Twilight. Looking at things now I realize that trying to control her in such a way is very disrespectful." Twilight asked, "So when do you plan on telling her this? Do you plan on telling her before you eat the cake or are you going to keep her nervous and wait until after you take a bite?" Celestia initially wanted to scare her sister a bit before she took a bite into the cake but given Twilight's scowl, she knew that she should let her know once she returned with the cake. She replied, "I will tell her as soon as she returns." Twilight's scowl transformed to a neutral expression as she replied, "Good. I do hope that we can eventually put this behind us." The fact that Twilight's scowl disappeared brought out a sigh of relief from Celestia but she did know that things likely would not return to how they were before between them anytime soon. > Blessings and Cake > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a very unexpected talk between Celestia and Twilight, Luna returned to Celestia's sleeping chambers and almost immediately Celestia began to lick her chops over what she smelled, a freshly baked cake. Luna levitated the cake to her sister, hoping that it would be the best she ever ate. As Celestia held the cake in front of her, it was all she could do to not just dive in and begin gorging herself on it but she had told Twilight that she was going to tell Luna that regardless, she would not have to pay up. She sat the cake down on her bed which brought out concern from Luna, "Sister, what is it. Why aren't you diving in on your cake like you always do?" Celestia replied, "I am not doing so because I need to tell you something." Luna asked, "What is it sister?" Celestia replied, "Twilight and I had a long talk while you were gone and a lot of things she told me and questioned me about this whole situation made me do some deep thinking." Luna asked, "Oh?" She then turned to Twilight and asked, "What is it you talked to her about?" Twilight replied, "We talked about this whole situation, we talked about what she wanted you to do and given that you two made this bet when you were fillies, I brought up all the silly bets that my brother and I would make when we were growing up. I also brought up how that no matter what, the loser never had to 'pay up.'" Celestia added, "That was one thing that made me realize that this whole thing is wrong. Also, Twilight helped me realize that taking you two away from one another and forcing you into do something that would amount to cheating was wrong as well." Luna gasped, "Seriously?" Celestia replied, "Yes, seriously." She turned to Twilight and motioned for her to continue, "Luna, I love you and I was not about to let Celestia take you away from me, even if it was just for a month whether it be simply being her chef or doing things I'd rather not think about." Celestia added, "She helped me realize that what I was going to do was not only selfish, but very disrespectful so I have decided that whether this cake is the best or not, the bet is off. You will not have to pay up." Luna was elated and Twilight could tell it. She flew to Luna and they engaged in a tight embrace. Both broke down in tears of joy and seeing this caused Celestia to realize that they truly did love one another. Gone was the image of them having a heated make out session on Twilight's balcony, what she saw now was a truly loving couple that she couldn't tear apart. Soon though, her thoughts would turn elsewhere, "I'm not sure about you two but I'm hungry. How about we go down to the dining hall and have some cake." The two broke their embrace and in unison they asked, "Cake? You're going to share your cake with us?" Celestia replied, "Of course!" She turned to Twilight and continued, "Twilight, you have helped me realize the error of my ways and I think it is worth celebrating with the two ponies I'm closest to." Luna replied, "That sounds good to me, what about you Twilight?" Twilight added, "It sounds good to me too." The three headed down to the dining hall and much to both their surprise, Celestia grabbed plates and forks for all of them. As she cut the cake and gave them their share, she gave the two a smile and said, "I give you two my blessing, may your relationship be eternal and filled full of happiness and love." In unison the two replied, "Thank you for your blessing." Celestia then turned her attention to her cake and said, "Now let's eat while this is still somewhat warm. Cake is always the best while it is still warm!" What seemed to be a bad situation where Luna would be stuck doing something that she had absolutely no desire to take part in wound up being a truly wonderful day for not just her, but Twilight as well. At first both of them thought this would not happen but Celestia wound up giving them her blessing which is what they truly wanted. For Celestia it was a day of change. That day, especially after a stern talking to from Twilight, she realized that old bets are just that, old. She also finally saw how much Luna and Twilight meant to one another and couldn't help but be happy for them.