Okay, Celestia, just calm down.

Celestia controlled her breathing. This wasn’t such a terrible thing.

A little unexpected, yes, but hardly terrible.

And her sister had been a lot more cheerful lately, as opposed to her normal moping about the castle.

And Twilight was visiting more often… and would likely spend more time at the castle, staying over more frequent—

Celestia suppressed the cold shiver that ran up her spine as her thoughts roamed into territory best left untrod.

Her sister, and her former student.

She could get used to the idea, she supposed.

Her over six-thousand year old little sister, and her twenty-one year old former student.

Oh dear, that shiver was back.

I shall have to start knocking on doors again, she thought to herself uncomfortably. Or maybe I should hang a cow bell from my peytral. Warning, big sister coming, please keep your hooves—

Celestia was certain there was something drastically wrong with the heating in the room.

“Very well, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia finally replied. Which was probably well and good, because the younger alicorn had gone from nervous shuffling, to nervous muttering and pacing, all the way to nervous glances towards the stain glassed windows and a potential demonstration of the dictionary definition of defenestration.

“Eep!” the younger alicorn squealed, as lioness focused her attention back on the field mouse.

Celestia sighed. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, as the elder sister of Princess Luna, in lieu of my departed father, I give my blessing and permission for you to court my little sister.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Celestia. Thank you so much. I was so—”

“I am not finished,” Celestia barked. She stood to her full stature, reminding Twilight that she was much taller than the youngest alicorn. Celestia turned her back on Twilight, and stared out the window.

“My sister is very important to me,” she explained. “So much so, that I risked the fate of Equestria to see her returned. While I was confident in your ability to see my sister returned to sanity, there was always the possibility of your failure, and I did not have it in me to banish my sister again.

“Truth be told, I would see night eternal, the fall of our beautiful nation… than to see her hurt again.” Celestia turned back towards the young mare. “Understand that my permission comes with one caveat.”

Twilight yelped as the doors to the dining hall snapped shut, the ominous sounds of locks clicking all around her. Celestia’s mane, normally the beautiful colours of dawn, now burned with the full radiance of the sun.

Twilight began to cough as heatwaves blasted through the room. The delicate tapestries that hung around the room burst into flames.

The solar alicorn, truly living up to her name, stepped carefully and deliberately towards the cowering mare. With every hooffall, the marble under foot would scorch, every step leaving behind a smoking crater.

Her beautifully crafted shoes were already left as pools of liquid gold on the floor behind her, and her crown and peytral were melting like wax, dripping as she stalked around the table.

“My sister is most dear to my heart, Twilight Sparkle, and to wound her…” Celestia bent down to face the mare, brow furrowed in the most un-Celestia like scowl Twilight had ever seen, staring directly into the cowering mares eyes. “… is to wound me. Should you hurt her, there will be no place in Equestria you can run.

“I would hunt you to the very ends of the world.”

And like that, Celestia was back to herself.

“Other than that, have fun. Make my sister happy, I know she deserves it.” She looked around the room. “Oh, dear. I was hoping we could still have tea after our little chat, but…”

“Gfrglnx?” Twilight choked.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, what was that?”

“Ftngardbpl!” she tried again.

Celestia frowned. Maybe she had laid it on just a little too thick.

“Brt oop pwanasd!” Twilight yelled, before passing out.

The solar alicorn looked around the room, and wondered to herself.

Yes, definitely too thick. Poor Twilight is such a sensitive soul.

She levitated the mare onto her back, reminiscing of the times she had done so with the little unicorn filly who had so endeared herself to Celestia’s old heart.

“Come, Twilight. It’s been a stressful day for you,” Celestia whispered as she opened the door. “Let’s get you to your private suite.”

Celestia cantered down the dark marble halls that led to the Gloaming Wing. She had given her sister free reign to redecorate the wing as she saw fit, and of course, her penchant for colours of the night were in full display.

The two night guards, standing sentinel on either side of their princess’ door, nodded their acknowledgement, but made no other move.

Knock first, a small voice in the back of Celestia’s mind prompted. She lifted her now scandalously naked hoof and knocked gently on her sister’s door.

“W-Who is it?” Luna’s voice croaked.

“It’s just me, Lulu,” Celestia called out. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

The doors opened, a taciturn permission for Celestia to enter.

“‘tis okay, Sister,” Luna said, yawning. “We have not been able to sleep.”

Celestia looked over her sister, the signs of extreme fatigue evident on the younger alicorn’s features. Her eyes were red and puffy, her wings mattered and unkempt, her crown sat askew on her head.

“S-so…” Luna said, breaking the awkward silence.

“So…” Celestia repeated.

“W-We take it that Twilight Sparkle has come to see thee?”

“She has, yes.” Celestia nodded.

“A-Ahh… well…”

Luna shifted about, shuffling her hooves and darting her eyes around the room nervously.

“A-And?” she asked, when Celestia had made no indication of continuing.

“And I gave her my blessing,” Celestia responded, with a smile.

A look of relief washed over Luna, as she lunged forward and pulled her sister into a hug.

“O joyous day!” the night alicorn squealed. Yes, squealed. Royalty may squeal, should they so choose. “Sister, thou hath made Us happier than a pig in—”

“I am very glad that you are happy,” Celestia said, cutting her sister off. “You deserve some happiness, and that my former student and one of my closest friends might be the pony to bring it to you… well, I as I said, I am very happy for you Luna.”

Luna laughed as she hugged her sister; tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks.

“That being said…” Celestia added in an ominous tone.

Luna jolted away from Celestia, as if she had been burned. Her gulp was audible in the unnatural silence that pervaded her room.

Celestia’s eyes burned with white hot fury, her mane blazed like the surface of the sun.

Luna backed away as fast as she could, but the audible click of the locks to her room made certain she would not get far.

“Twilight Sparkle is very dear to me, Sister…”

Celestia trotted along the corridor to her room. Her sister had understood exactly where they stood, vis-à-vis Twilight Sparkle and their relationship.

Well, she had, after Luna had reconstituted her corporeal form.

There may have been some indignant shouting.

Princess Celestia may have been sporting a nice shiner at the moment.

But the two alicorns had come to an agreement as to where they stood.

Too wrapped up in her own world, Celestia may not have noticed that most of her guards posted throughout the hall were passed out, face first, into whipped-chloroform pies.

Pushing the door to her chambers open, Celestia crossed the room and flopped unceremoniously onto her bed.

Today had been a good day.

Why then, did she feel a cold shiver crawl up her spine, as if every last drop of warmth had been sucked from the room.

“You…” a cold, malevolent voice spoke from a dark corner of her room, “… broke a Pinkie Promise!” Next Chapter: Chapter Three Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes