Steam billowed from Twilight's mouth as she panted. It came out in quick bursts, meshing in with the white background, dissipating into the air. A bead of sweat dripped from her hairline, caressing the hills and valleys of her face before welling on her chin and dropping to the snowy ground.

A rather strong storm, courtesy of Cloudsdale, had swept through Canterlot the night before, coating the entire city with inches of fresh, pure snow. The city's rooftops sparkled like jewelry, replacing its sharp, pointed skyline with something more rounded and natural. Cozy, inviting pillars of lazy, gray smoke rose from white-capped chimneys.

Out in the Palace Gardens, however, the scene was different. Devoid of buildings and only a hooffull of statues and fountains, few colors stood out besides a blinding world of white. The color that filled Twilight's vision wasn't the same however, replaced by a lush, dark blue.

Steam from one's breathing embraced the steam from another's as Luna gasped for breath. “That... was some very good flying. You were moving much faster than last time we met for lessons.”

“Just... excited, I guess.” Twilight smiled.

“Excited for a flying lesson with an old, slow mare like myself?” Luna put a hoof to her chest, “I'm flattered, Twilight.” Yet, an odd but familiar twitch made her heart beat faster, a golden warmth growing from within like the soft glow of the rising sun.

“Old? Slow?” The grin was stuck on Twilight's face. “I was behind you most the time.”

“Yes, well, while I said you were flying faster today, I never said you were particularly fast in general.” Luna stuck her tongue out. Her amused expression didn't last as it was promptly greeted by a magically-flung wave of powdery snow.

When it settled, the lunar triarch looked like she had been some sort of bluish baked good, covered in rapidly-melting powdered sugar. Giggles from Twilight gave away the culprit. The glow receeded to make room for newfound energy. “You'll pay for this!”

But as the older mare began balling together a chunk of snow, Twilight took off into the sky. Did she just listen? I can catch her easily in the air. Luna abandoned her snowball and chased after her, looking to make up ground. However, she was starting to get worried where the other alicorn was heading, off the mountain and towards the nearby edge of White Tail Woods.

As she nearing in, Luna eying her tail among other things to grab onto, she crossed over the beginnings of the woods, bare, snow-covered trees beneath them. With a flash of magic and a plume of white, Luna was caught off-guard as compacted powder hit her in the stomach and sent her up into the air. For a few hectic moments, the world turned into a blur, the sky's hues melting in with the rest of the world. By the time she recovered, the other pony was gone.

Dipping down towards the ground, Luna searched for her on hoof. “Twilight?” she called. “Come on out so I can see you, so we can finish this fair and square.”

A lavender-tinted spray of snow kicked her in the face, accompanied by giggling and a defiant “Never!”

Trying her best to wipe her face clean, Luna swung her head around, trying to spot her playful assailant. “Haha, very funny, Twilight. But it's cowardly, running away and hiding like this!” She took another step forward, eyes scanning the barren landscape. Something behind her crackled and snapped, causing the dark-blue alicorn to whip around. “Ah-ha!”

Nothing was there save for more timber and snow. Speaking of snow, it happened not even a second later where a magically-crafted pillar of the assaulting substance smacked Luna in the rump, sending her face first into the ground.

“Ow!” Luna rubbed her flanks with a hoof gingerly. “That was against the rules! You can't do that!”

“Can't I?” Another plume of snow hit her on one side of the body, and a third sweeping her hooves out from beneath her, sending Luna down again.

Luna tried her best to rise back to her hooves, before another shift of compacted powder sent her sprawling.

“Give it up, Luna.”

“No- oof!”

“What if I say please?”

“Of course not!”

“I think you're forgetting who's winning here.” Thud.

Luna rolled around on her back in the snow, trying to command her weary body back up. “Y-You're not winning!”

A light blanket of tiny flakes covered her coat in response. “Well, you're clearly losing.”

Wobbling on her hooves, Luna shook off her layers of white, revealing the lost shades of dark blue. “Come on, just give it up already,” the giggling voice rang out. “I promise I'll make your defeat quick and harmless.”

“Neve- ugh!” A wall of snow took the worn pony to the forest floor for the umpteenth time.

“I can keep this up all day.”

Tongue lolling out in the most unregal manner, Luna laid in a bed of powder, letting the cool pricks of snowflakes blow over her. Licking her chapped lips, she considered her options. She could either give up, sacrificing her pride to Twilight, or she could try to get back up. No, that'd probably result in another dignity-bruising tumble. What if...

The princess nearly facehoofed, if she could will her limbs to allow it. Magic! Of course! No muscles required. With a quick glow of light, Luna converted the snow to her side, a white whirlwind rose into the sky. She let her eyes scan as much of her surroundings as she could, letting her mini twister blow aside snowbanks and dead branches.

And then, well, her magical conjure died. Peetered out. Lost all its health points. The snow scattered harmlessly to the ground, much of it coating the dark mare.

“You're a silly pony,” Twilight called, amusement far from subtle in her tone, “Do you forget that as an alicorn and the element of magic, I can block its flow from your horn?”

Crap.

“Still though, that reminds me... It's not exactly fair to keep toying with you like this, as much fun as its been.” A giggle only helped compound her point. “Time to put you out of your misery.”

A little, niggling sensation gripped the back of Luna's brain. This nervous, anxious, afraid tingling that told her she did not like whatever devious scheme the giggling pony had in mind. What would she do? Bury her in snow? Make her say something horrible and embarrassing? That was probably it. She knew that was it, it had to be! Ever since the coronation, the purple pony had been increasingly, inexplicably, intensely fascinated with her. Why, Luna never really cared, and why would she? For a pony with few admirers, she didn't want to squander one with careless and naturally awkward questioning.

“Make it quick,” Luna grumbled.

“Hmm... How about no?” As the echoes rang, lumps of aura-lit snow covered her body. She really was burying her alive! Squirming and thrashing, Luna tried her best to escape, but to no avail. The previously harmless substance had succeeded in rooting her body to the ground. All squirming was in vain, sealed down as if the snow were a vise. Closing her eyes, she took in a quick breath and waited.

It never came. Opening her eyes a moment later, Luna found herself covered up to her neck in a glimmering sheet of white. “Huh? You're not burying me?”

“Of course not!” With a small flash and a blur, Twilight appeared in the air before her like she was made of dust. Smirking, she added, “Chameleon spell. I'm surprised you didn't realize.”

Luna groaned. Stupid.

“Aw, it's okay, don't be sad! You were still fun to play with.” Twilight stepped up and over Luna, staring down at her, victory shining in her eyes.

“I don't like to be played with,” Luna replied grumpily, frowning and crinkling her nose. “Just do whatever you want, and make it quick.”

“Whatever I want?” Twilight's expression lit up. She tapped a hoof to her chin, tongue hanging out slightly as she contemplated her options. It was quite cute, Luna realized, seeing the smaller alicorn making various faces as she thought. Yet, its value was diminished because, ever the competitor, she had lost.

Twilight abruptly sat down, squashing all the breath out of the other mare as she hit her square in the stomach. “Well, I do have a few things on my mind...”

“You... You do realize you're-” Luna fought between gasps, “you're sitting on me... right?”

Twilight looked down at her for only the briefest of seconds, as if she forgot the other pony was there. “Oh, yes, I do. Now, what to do, what do...”

“How- how about getting off me?”

“Hmm, what was that?”

“How about getting- getting off me?”

“Come again?”

“G-get off.”

“One more time?”

“Get off!” Luna found herself quivering with exertion, breathing even quicker under her vocal strain. Twilight looked down at her and stared. She looked very serious, neither a smile nor a frown on her face, a neutral expression that scrutinized and wondered.

“No.” Thump. One chest came down and squeezed any remaining air from the other.

Luna gasped. Or, well, tried to, but what came out was a whining, squealing attempt to suck air into her quashed lungs. “Why... Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can.” Twilight's studying face continued.

“Don't you think- think this is a little odd?”

“No. Do you?”

“Of course!” Luna almost hurt herself with her outburst, neck crooking upward and painfully. “You're laying on top of me!”

“So? I don't mind, I'm quite comfortable.” Twilight shrugged casually, as if the whole incident were completely commonplace.

Beginning to adapt to breathing under the newfound weight, Luna exclaimed, “I'm not just some pillow! I'm a pony, a princess! I am not for sitting on, even by another member of royalty.”

“Aww, that's too bad.” The sarcasm grated against Luna's eardrums. “I won. So I get to do as I please. Since you're comfortable, I'm comfortable around you, and also very tired from our flying, you seem like a wonderful pillow to rest on.”

“But... but...” Luna squirmed, both mentally and physically.

“Hey! Don't do that!” Twilight giggled uncontrolably. “That tickles!”

“Wait.” A piece snapped into place in Luna's mind. “You're comfortable around me?” Around the most awkward pony in Canterlot? Around a pony that hasn't had a friend in two thousand years? Around a mare who got so uncomfortable around crowds of ponies that she hid in her room during the Grand Galloping Gala? Her? This... This cannot be!

“Well, of course.” Twilight giggled again. “Luna, sometimes you can be so dense.”

“Dense?” Luna stiffened. “I am not dense! I am very smart and capable, I'll have you know!”

“Sure, sure!” Twilight smiled. “Yet, for a pony as socially-inept as me, even I thought the little hints were obvious enough.”

“Hints? What hints? Is this another game?”

At that, a small blush lit the lavender face as it giggled once more. “Sort of.”

Luna wanted to groan in agony, to give a verbal lashing to the other mare for her ambiguity, but something about the scene didn't rest well with her. This cold, shivering, goose-bumping ripple crawled its way up and down her coat, drips of persperation left in its wake. “P-please, no... no more games.”

“Aww, c'mon! I promise this will be the last one! You'll like it, it doesn't hurt. Pretty please?” With a lower lip jutting out, pupils expanding to incredible size, and an intense gaze, Twilight plead straight into the other pony's soul.

Luna opened her mouth, but no words came. As much as she hated to admit it, refusing something so adorable was out of the question. “Fine,” the words feebly slid from her mouth.

The plea dissolved into honest, glowing warmth and joy, enough to melt the snow for miles around. But then, as quick as it appeared, it retracted again for the same, wondering gaze, accompanied by a new set of head-twisting, umm'ing and uhh'ing, and occasional tints of color to the cheeks. Darn. Her smiling, happy expression was woefully cute. Wait, what?

The crawling sensation moved quicker, sowing beads of sweat from her pores, causing jitters to shake her hooves. Heat rose from the depths of her being, and soon she found it insufferable to be in her own skin, an oven baking her brain and disabling her thought process.

Twilight giggled, not like before, however. Much higher, much more shrill, nervous even. She wasn't even attempting to hide her flourishing blush. Just a small, unsure smile and impatient eyes.

Luna felt nauseous. What was wrong? What was making her so jittery? What was even happening? The world felt tipsy, colors combining together in gradient messes, the blue specks of her revealed coat melding with Twilight's lavender.

More anxiety and laughter. Impatient eyes. Hungry, yet scared.

Luna slammed her eyes shut. She wanted this to go away, far, far away. She wanted to be back in her room, studying past economics or indulging in a treatise by Volmaire. She wanted...

With an inward gasp, she discovered that she did not know what she wanted. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Her body felt like it was boiling. The heat she felt throughout her system was amplified by Twilight, the snow now melted and their thermodynamics fed off one another, between a direct bond of legs, stomachs, and chests.

A thought clawed its way free. The snow is gone! Escape!

...But, don't escape. Something, something else rose up as well, easily and gaily above the fires of panic. Accept it, what you've felt deep down but never had the courage to even realize. Let it happen.

Luna let her eyes loosen. Twilight's face was inches a way, quiet, still, studying. Watching. It was curious, worried, hopeful, and worried again.

Like a cornered animal, a side of her snarled and revolted at the haze of confusion. It didn't know what it was attacking, but its claws were still bared and slashing at the air. But the haze and the warmth continued its approach, undeterred, covering and submerging the beast. Sedated, it dropped like a discarded coat.

She couldn't explain why, but Luna felt an instinctive impulse to smile. Some welling of happiness creaked through her panic, fear, sweat, and perplexion and shifted the ends of her lips upward. Hardly a true, brimming smile, but it was enough.

Twilight returned the gesture, the worry and curiosity gone, hope crashing through into action. She lowered her head down, so close it took up all of Luna's sight and scope. Eyes closing, heart pounding, thoughts stopping, Luna felt paralyzed. And yet, she couldn't find it in her to keep up the fight, to panic and thrash. Like a thunderclap, the world snapped back into reality as one pair of lips pressed the other.

-~-

Heaving, Luna gasped for air. How long had they been there on the ground, screaming their inner thoughts through near-silent, mingling tongues? She feigned to find an answer, and honestly didn't care for one. What does such a silly thing as time matter about anyway? The world seemed to float on the edge of a feather, stress and worry dissipating like the steamy breath coming from her mouth.

A gleam flashed in Twilight's eyes. She too was panting, and Luna could feel her chest rise and fall with her own, relishing the very touch. “Th-that was a nice game,” Luna uttered.

Twilight giggled, now coming out bubbly and glowing. “I knew you'd enjoy it. Would you like to play again some other time?” Luna nodded quickly without a single thought, eliciting another spurt of laughter.

“Who- who won, though?” Luna wondered aloud.

Twilight smiled, letting herself slump on the other mare. “We did, Luna.” She nuzzled her cheek. “We did.”