Both of the terrifying alicorns glared at each other, blinking in surprise at what the other said.

They both shook their heads with a small wobble, both going to their right side first, and moved their right hoof first as they stepped closer to the other alicorn in front of them. “WE ASKED FIRST!”

Again, it was shouted in unison, causing both of them to blink in surprise and slightly slump down in their stances. An idea was forming in the mind of the alicorn of the night…

“WE-” they both coughed at the same time at an attempt to correct themselves. “I demand to know how you are in myprivaterealmStopdoingthat!!” They glared again, as their words had run in tandem once more.

The idea was starting to gain some weight now, but both of the fearsome figures were getting annoyed with the other.

“This is our realm,” they huffed in sync, causing their left eyes to twitch. “Our private dream realm, as I am the alicorn of the night!” They paused at each other, wondering if what they were thinking was true.

Luckily, the owner of this realm had thought that this might happen and had a test just in case.

“SolarisCelestia having drunk sex with ErisDiscord with a tuba…” Each blinked at the other, the fearsome figures fading away as the other passed the test, revealing two confused dark blue alicorns.

Normally, both of them would have redressed themselves in their royal regalia after dropping a disguise, but neither could find it in them, for they had found something they had secretly had hoped for for so very, very long.

In a timid, stuttering voice befitting a young pony, they asked the other, “Wh- who are you?” They had both asked at the same time again, causing both to blush horrendously and look to their right sides.

With a soft thud that was the result of two bodies sitting down at the same time, they both looked at each other, their blushes growing as they chuckled softly. “Y-you go first,” they spat out at the same time, nearly turning their purple face at the ground. With a gulp they said, “N-no you,” with both of their wings fluttering about, their growing awkwardness with this becoming more evident. “I insist.”

This caused the pair to stare at the other, starting to get a bit frustrated. With a gulp of air, they finally broke out of unison. “YouI'll go first.” They blinked at each other, their ears darting upright at hearing something different. “What did you say?” they blinked at each other and then groaned at falling back into this old and tiresome routine.

As such, the alicorns of the night decided to take charge of the matter, placing a hoof on the other’s mouth and speaking the second unjoined sentence, “I said youI’ll go first.”

Of course, as both alicorns of the night had decided to do this, all they got was mumbles as the hoof went into the mouth of their opposite.

Then came their first out of tone movement. As one alicorn of the night was trying to figure out how to talk to the pony across of them, the other frowned at the hoof in their mouth and decided to flick the ear of the pony with the offending hoof.

With a meep, the taller of the two, the stallion, flapped his wings in a bit of shock, causing the mare to smirk and let out the most adorable of giggles.

Clearing her throat, she spoke, “I said, I will go first, and we will go in turns to make this far easier. Is this fine with you?”

Rubbing his ear, the stallion nodded his head at the mare. Normally, he would have berated the pony that did that to him, but as the case was as it were, he was only amused by it. “Yes, yes it is.” He smiled easily at her, something that he had tremendous trouble doing, feeling at ease with her, more so than any pony he ever met, even Solaris!

“Good,” she smiled at him, batting her eyes at the stallion. “Now dark, tall, mysterious stranger, care to tell me your name?” She giggled, not knowing why she was acting this way but not truly caring two bits!

“‘Twould be my pleasure,” he chuckled back at her, grinning. Normally, he would be flustered in this situation and be suspicious with a mare acting like this with him, but he couldn’t care two bits about it! “My name is Prince Artemis, Diarch of Equestria, the Prince of the Moon and the Stars, the Guardian of those who slumber, the Gleaming Sword of Equestria, King of the Night!” He said the last part with a bit of smirk, flaring his wings in foolish manner, something that would have annoyed any high nobleponies.

She simply giggled; playfully and sweet, causing his heart to beat a bit more rapidly. Laying back down in front of her, he continued to smile, nodding his head at her to go.

“My name is Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, the Princess of the Moon and the Stars, the Protector of the dreams of my little ponies, the Silver Blade of Equestria, and Queen of the Night,” she smiled when he let out a small, amused chuckle. “I assume that your elder sibling is both a fellow stallion and that his name is Solaris?”

“Indeed, and am I correct to say that for you it is a mare named Celestia?”

She nodded her head at him, and suddenly they both had a mischievous grin on their faces.

“With a sun on their fat flanks!” they said together, breaking out in joyous laughter, leaning against each other over their joint joke.

As their laughter died down, their faces became sombre, a sudden weight on their backs.

“Did you get banished to-”

They blinked at each other, a shared look of inner guilt and shame.

They then looked at the floor, gulping for air as they tried to think of something to say to this uncomfortable conversation.

“What was your name?” Luna’s eyes darted upwards, meeting his equally heavy, old eyes.

“Nightmare Moon,” she whispered out, folding inwards as memories from the past came to the fore.

“Nightterror Knight.” He was equally soft spoken, tears starting to flow down his face.

Artemis was a bit surprised when he felt somepony nuzzling him, blinking to see Luna was also crying. He nuzzled back, relieved to have somepony that fully understood what he suffered under that… thing.

Crying and nuzzling, letting out silent, powerful messages of guilt, understanding and acceptances between the two tired souls.

After an untold time had passed, they pulled back and smiled softly at each other, the weight of what they did a thousand years ago suddenly a lot easier to bear.

With a chuckle, Luna poked his chest. “Nightterror Knight,” she said with a raised eyebrow, smirking playfully. “Was that truly the best you could do?”

“Oh, and Nightmare Moon was so original?” Artemis poked back, smirking as well, rolling his eyes. He let out a small squawk of pain as she smacked his side with her wing. He then used his magic to send a gust of air just behind her tail. She let out an adorable meep, which made him throw his head back and laugh at her reddening face.

It was why he didn’t see her move to pounce, with Luna knocking him over and quickly using her hooves, feathers, and magic to tickle his sides, causing to squirm and giggle under her assault. Not one to be undone, he wrapped his hind legs around her, causing her to squeak again as he rolled her over and started to counter tickle her using his own hooves, feathers, and magic on her body. He had his victory over her for a few minutes until she managed to send a stroke of magic down his spine, causing him to spring back and yelp, allowing her to get back on top of him.

This went back and forth for a while, the two alicorns simply playing like foals, and for a brief moment literally as twin casts of dream magic brought forth Watty and Woona. When they looked at each other, they both paused and broke down in laughter, leaning on each other as they could not stop laughing at seeing their opposite as a foal.

Wiping away tears and turning back to their normal selves, Artemis looked at the mare on his side who was looking back at him, their faces very close.

They both blushed, and then chuckled as they realized what the other must be thinking.

Clearing his throat, Artemis wrapped a wing around her, feeling her outreaching wing halt, then recede back to her side. “I’m not sure how, or why we are able to talk like this but…”

“I don’t care either,” she nuzzled him, glad to be here and under his wing, protecting her like a strong stallion would. “This was the best night I’ve had in a long time.” She sighed contently, leaning into his neck.

“Agreed Luna.” He smiled gently, staring fondly at her, glad to be here and have her under his wing, glad to be protecting a pony as wonderful as her.

They smiled at each other, blinking their eyes as their cheeks started to turn red again. With slight hesitation, they started to draw close to each other.

Their eyes closed, their lips getting closer and closer.

“ArtemisLuna!” Blinking and pulling away from each other, they snapped their heads to the side.

“Was that my brothersister?” they asked each other, feeling the dream realm starting to crumble. “Oh no no no no!” they both shouted, standing up, trying to strengthen their shared world in vain.

“ArtyLulu you need to wake up!” The voice of their elder sibling was louder, feeling their bodies being shaken.

Both alicorns of the night snapped their head to their opposite.

“Tomorrow?” they asked each other with a bit of fright in their voice.

“Of course ArtemisLuna!” they promised each other, standing apart from each other. For a moment, they dare to run to each other and share that denied kiss but-

“ARTEMISLUNA!”

With that, the two alicorns were plucked out of the dream realm and slowly back into the real world.

Outside of that private dream realm, there was an annoyed grumbling from two certain beings.

“Oh come on Sunbutts!” One of the two near identical creatures threw a bag of popcorn at the wall of the private dream realm. “What a cockblock!” The one with the beard pouted, frowning.

“Even when Cel-Cel isn’t trying to be a killjoy, he still is a major killjoy!” The one with no beard and much longer white hair pouted as well, crumbling her bag of popcorn into a ball.

The draconequui sighed, and looked at each other.

“If I know my Fluttershy, I’m going to guess your Butterscotch will be even more happy if we let the two meet again, right Airy?” the male draconequus asked his old friend, happy that this trick worked. It took a lot of chaos magic and two angsty teen alicorns of the night to break through their Door to the Realm In Between so they could see each other again as there was no gateway, proper or broken, present. When their respective favourite pegasus had asked them if they could make their little Watty and Woona have a good night’s sleep, they realized what it meant and they were more than happy to do so. After giving them a great big kiss, they simply waited under their alicorns’ bed and the rest was simple.

“Yup Discy.” She smirked, rubbing elbows with her old friend. Not many of their kind got along, very few in fact, but these versions of themselves were of those few that could pop into the other’s dimension and have no end of reality brawl. Just a lot of pranks, drinking, and chocolate milk.

Oh, when Reality was young and the Doors and gateways between were not so stuck shut with Order magic and cheese.

“Tomorrow then eh?” He held his glass of chocolate milk and clinked it with hers, smirking back at her equally wicked grin.

“You got it,” she smiled, as they poured their glasses of chocolate milk into the other’s mouths and laughed. Just like the good old days. “Say, you got baby pics of Woona and Celly?” She grinned at him, wondering if the old guy still had it.

“Only if you bring pictures of Watty and Cel-Cel.” He grinned back at her, both of them laughing their heads and other body parts off, each flying back to their proper owner as they were pulled back into their proper realms as the last remains of the alicorns of the night’s dream realm was gone, showing that they were finally awake.

Author's Notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pr3fs2_m2GLauqoAelq4BndXsZi3ChCMXUSdHHBk1PQ/edit?usp=sharing