“Everything has changed so much since I left, so many years have passed and so much has taken place,” Sunset Shimmer said to her companion Bartleby as she lifted her head from a book and stretched her neck.

“You should take a break,” Bartleby suggested, leaping up onto the table and sitting down upon the edge. “Would madam like some tea perhaps? I could make you some tea. You like the black tea with blackcurrant in the evenings, I could have it ready in just a few moments,” he offered, extending his talons in an inviting gesture.

“I have to catch up,” Sunset Shimmer insisted, looking frantic. “I cannot reflect poorly upon Bucky… he’s been good to me. He’s given me a room, a position as his apprentice, access to magic, and most importantly, he’s brought me home. Home. He trusts me to educate his foals. And you… he brought us together Bartleby, you’re a great friend.”

“You flatter me madam,” Bartleby said, bowing his head slightly.

“Really, you’re a good friend,” Sunset Shimmer repeated, looking at Bartleby as she tried once again to get her neck to crack, trying to get the tension out.

“Perhaps you’d like to get out? A walk might be in order. You are ruining your spine,” Bartleby said in a soft cajoling voice. The griffon seemed concerned, his talons flexing. His tail swished to and fro as his crest slowly rose.

“Perhaps some time away from the books is in order,” Sunset admitted as she leaned back in her chair and made her spine crackle alarmingly. “What should we do?”

“Is madam suggesting that we do something together?” Bartleby inquired, cocking his head and looking at Sunset Shimmer.

“Well, it is approaching evening. I like going out after dark. A walk might be nice, some time spent in Ponyville, or we could explore the Everfree,” Sunset mused, looking around her room. Her bed was perfectly made. The books were all in perfect order. In the corner an alchemical lab bubbled and burbled, a potion was brewing, an unfinished experiment that might take a few more weeks. Bartleby’s hammock was secured from the ceiling. The room had changed, it was cozy now, comfortable, and even colourful after she had done some much needed decorating.

“Might I remind madam that our last trip into the Everfree caused us to have a close encounter with an owlbear… an encounter that I’d rather not have again,” Bartleby said in a soft voice, his beak clicking as he spoke. “The owlbear was quite… unfriendly.”

“He’s lucky I didn’t cook him,” Sunset groused, scowling at the memory.

“Madam, you set his backside on fire,” Bartleby said, shaking his head in disapproval.

“Still think I should have cooked him,” Sunset Shimmer quipped, her nostrils flaring as she tried to contain a laugh.

“No… instead, the owlbear is now bald in a most embarrassing place,” Bartleby said dryly, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, that’s a good thing,” Sunset Shimmer announced. “I did that owlbear a favour!”

“How is that a good thing?” Bartleby inquired, looking up at Sunset Shimmer with regretful looking eyes and a worried half erect crest. “How is leaving him bald and bare buttocked a favour?”

“He doesn’t have to worry about poop sticking to his fur,” Sunset Shimmer replied, looking Bartleby directly in the eye as she spoke, a manic gleam in her opal eyes.

“Oh dear… I walked into that one,” Bartleby groaned, shaking his head. “Will I never learn?” he asked himself, his wings fluttering.

Waggling her eyebrows, Sunset Shimmer smiled warmly at her griffon companion.

“Did you and Diamond Tiara have a nice time?” Dinky asked her brother, looking at him with bright and merry eyes. “Did you smooch?”

“I thought you said smooching was disgusting,” Sentinel replied, looking at both of his sisters and feeling more than a bit concerned by their giddiness.

“Oh, it is, but we want to make sure you are happy,” Piña responded, looking first at Sentinel and then at Dinky. “Also, deflecting the question is not answering it. Dinky, I’m thinking he smooched both of them. Or was smooched.”

A soft smirk spread over Sentinel’s face as he realised he had a chance to tease his sisters. “There was more than kissing,” he admitted, one ear splaying out sideways as he spoke. He looked at Dinky and for a brief moment, he enjoyed watching his sister squirm.

“What happened?” Dinky demanded, her eyes wide. “You have to tell us. As your sister, I command you to tell me. I need to know!”

Shaking his head and letting out a small soft laugh, Sentinel found he rather liked seeing Dinky look so frantic. “I’ll let her tell you. It’s private.”

“Oh that’s not fair!” Piña Colada protested, her ears drooping down to the sides of her face. “How is Moonbow?” she asked after a few moments of silence.

“Moonbow is doing well. She has grown and become far more educated. She and Diamond Tiara like one another and the three of us have reached an understanding,” Sentinel answered, allowing himself to look pleased. “I’m starving. I’m going to find Semillon and ask for something to eat I think.” The colt rose, shook himself, and trotted off to find the cook, leaving his sisters to conspire with one another.

“I wonder what happened?” Dinky asked, looking over at her sister.

“Diamond Tiara will tell us,” Piña said confidently.

“Sister, are you well? I know you have been under a lot of stress,” Luna inquired, looking across the table at her sister with a look of deep concern.

“I am not well,” Celestia admitted in a strained voice. “Somehow, I am managing though. I ran away like a troubled foal… I feel so lost and confused right now. I no longer trust my own judgment.”

“We do not always see eye to eye dear sister, but I still trust your judgment. Most of the time,” Luna said in a reassuring voice, the ghost of a grin haunting her muzzle as she spoke. She watched as a griffoness carried away a tray full of soiled dishes. “The service around here has improved,” Luna remarked casually.

“The griffons are certainly industrious and eager to please,” Celestia agreed in a distracted voice, unaware of Luna’s smile.

“The palace staff have grown lazy. The griffons are a pleasant change,” Luna commented, looking around as the griffons cleaned up dinner. “They even dust above the door frames. I left a silver bit up on top of my door frame in my private chambers, and when I went back to check it, I found one hundred copper bits set out to replace it. Five stacks of twenty copper bits each. I was astounded.”

“That is nice Luna,” Celestia said in a distracted voice.

“I have gathered up all of the loathsome peasants and I plan to have them beheaded,” Luna stated in a soft friendly voice. “Well, most of them, the rest I plan to throw to wild beasts for my own amusement. Buckminster and I will build a rampaging army of the undead together and take over this pathetic mudball. The night shall last forever, blah blah blah.”

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Celestia responded as she stared vacantly out the window, her eyes sad and her lip quivering.

Sighing, Luna scowled and glared at her sister. “Sister, you need to be laid.”

“That’s nice Luna… wait, what?” Celestia gasped, snapping back into reality. She stared wide eyed at her sister with her mouth hanging open.

“You… need… to… be… LAID,” Luna announced, not caring that the griffons might hear her . “You are painfully self absorbed, in pain, alone, and suffering. You need to go on a bender, get into a state of drunkenness that poets that will write epics about, and you need to get shagged.”

“No… I cannot,” Celestia protested, shaking her head vehemently.

“You still miss him, do you not?” Luna inquired, her eyes narrowing. “Do not deny it, I have seen your dreams. You make comical faces as you approach climax.”

“LUNA!” Celestia snapped, banging her hoof down upon the table.

“You loved the Sombra on the other side of the mirror. It was very practical. You avoided scandal and kept your chaste pure white image intact. You have needs. We are sexual creatures, there is no denying this. We have functional sexual organs. We have a clitoris. We have erogenous zones and a full compliment of hormones that fuel our physical demands. We have bodies that need certain types of attention,” Luna stated in a cold clinical voice, staring at her sister and making Celestia squirm.

“I have nopony to turn to… for those needs,” Celestia murmured, looking away from Luna’s piercing burning stare.

“If you asked him, if you approached his wives, they might understand,” Luna said in an emotionless monotone.

“What are you talking about?” Celestia demanded, leveling her gaze upon her sister.

“Do not play coy,” Luna deadpanned. “It does not become you dear sister.”

“I do not know what you mean,” Celestia snapped, the room growing warmer.

“BUCKMINSTER!” Luna thundered, causing the table to rattle.

“I have not allowed myself to feel that way about him. He is not Sombra. I can tell the difference. Not this world’s Sombra nor the mirror world,” Celestia said in an angry growl as flames began to dance from her eyes. “I have guarded my heart against those feelings.”

“Not allowing yourself to feel them is not the same as not having them,” Luna retorted, baring her teeth at her sister. “I have seen your dreams!”

“Stay out of my dreams Luna! I have made enough mistakes, I am done with that kind of love. Never again, I cannot bear to have my heart broken,” Celestia said angrily. The big white alicorn trembled with barely contained emotion, her nostrils flaring and her barrel heaving. “Just because you find solace with Barley does not mean I need to find a consort.”

“Leave Barley out of this,” Luna demanded, her voice becoming icy. “No more marriage for us… how could you sister?”

“It was for the best, we cannot play favourites Luna, there was an agreement reached about no more political marriage or marriage at all,” Celestia explained.

“YOU AGREED! I was gone! GONE! I had no part in that agreement, Barley and I could be happy. To him I am just another pony. He appreciates me for what I am, a mare. Nothing else!” Luna snapped as the air filled with ozone.

The griffons in the room were now gone, departed, off to find shelter from the coming storm as the two angry sisters’ argument became more and more heated.

“I do not think I want to continue this conversation,” Celestia snarled, her teeth bared at Luna. Dangerous looking golden sparks danced along her horn as her anger began to bubble over.

“You made a decision about my life without me,” Luna accused, shaking her hoof as she pointed it at her sister. “Meanwhile, you went dimension hopping to get your itch scratched… what option do I have?”

“I made a mistake and it nearly destroyed both of our worlds,” Celestia said in a defeated voice, turning away from Luna, unable to look her sister in the eyes.

“LOVE IS NOT A MISTAKE!” Luna bellowed, using the Canterlot voice. A vase shattered from the force of her utterance.

“LOVE HAS BROUGHT ME NOTHING BUT HURT!” Celestia roared, now using the royal voice herself. Flames shot out of her nose and heat shimmered up from her body. “Everything I have loved has hurt me… EVEN YOU!”

Luna’s mouth fell open as she tried to say something, but words failed her. She slid out of her chair and down to the floor, glaring at her sister. She whipped out one wing, extended it towards Celestia, and then exposed one central primary feather at her sister. Having made a response, Luna stormed off, stomping her hooves as she departed.

“Fine, let it be war then!” Celestia snapped, responding to her sister’s ancient pegasus display of war. “YOU ARE AN INSUFFERABLE SPOILED BRAT!”

Author's Notes:

There is an overarching theme to this whole chapter...

And maybe a tiepoe.