The doors closed with a thud of finality, and Celestia gazed up at the burning papers held in her magic. Their image blurred, and with a single blink, she felt her heart crumbling to pieces. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks while she watched the papers burn. Even the folders she'd gotten them in didn't survive the pyre growing in the air above her.

It had hurt so much more than she expected it to. Even as she watched her student fight and struggle to contain herself, she pushed forward, fully expecting Twilight to snap. She just didn't expect it to be quite so explosive. So hateful. So furious.

When the papers were naught but ash she let them drop onto the center of the table unceremoniously, her self-control fading rapidly. She couldn't stop the tears, couldn't stop the trembling of every breath and the sobs she was struggling to suppress. Her head hung over her side of the table and her flowing mane partially fell over her face.

"Find your center. Deep breaths. Do not-"

She saw Twilight's face, inches from her own in her head, and her concentration slipped away from her without even a slim chance of returning. A pained howl of a despairing mare filled the room as the tears ran freely, her emotions running away and dragging her along for the ride, forehooves stamping at the edge of her table in pure frustration at how helpless she truly was in all of this.

Twilight understood. She knew that her student understood why she did what she did. That didn't change the fact that she did it. She couldn't bring herself to wait and sit on the matter. She feared that if she had, she never would've worked up the courage to confront Twilight in the first place.

She wanted to smash the table. She wanted to buck the chair out from under herself and send it flying through the balcony doors...but she restrained herself. Even if she lost control of her emotions, she did not lash out. It was not her way, it was never her way. The ruler of Equestria cannot be seen as unstable.

An errant knock on the door brought her back to reality. "Your majesty?"

She recognized the voice. Swirling Breeze. The mare Twilight had been having a very inappropriate sexual relationship with for several months. Even with that incident, she had manipulated her student. She wanted to see Twilight's maturity. Relationships like that rarely lasted, and if it did last, then good for the two of them. If it didn't...she would have been curious to see how Twilight dealt with it.

Twilight passed with flying colors. Even above and beyond her expectations. No hint of encouraging infidelity from Swirling, they seemed to end things amicably on their own...it was heartwarming for her to witness. More than she expected from the youths of the modern era. Twilight truly was special.

Too special, as it turned out.

She got up from her seat and tried to compose herself, summoning up all her willpower to dam up her eyes and stop the rampant flow. There was little she could do about her running nose, or the quiver in her voice, unfortunately. She had no doubt Swirling Breeze would notice.

It was a slow trek to the door, her magic gently cracking it open just enough to see one of her more dedicated assistants standing there, looking through the opening at her with a concerned half-smile. She did her best to smile back.

"Your majesty I...I came to get you," Swirling said, pausing to take in the Princess's appearance. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing that I cannot deal with," Celestia said quietly, quieter than she would normally speak. "Please, cancel my appointments for the day. I require some time to myself."

A moment passed between them. Celestia, with her half-hearted facade of unbreakable will, and her assistant, who knew her far better than almost any other pony in the world possibly could. Eventually, Swirling Breeze bowed briefly, and dismissed herself. Celestia closed the door as quietly as she could and turned to walk over towards the balcony once more.

She drew the curtains closed over the balcony doors, the light in the room dying down and giving her some semblance of privacy. She felt the weight of her sadness push her down until she was laying on the floor, and she reached up to remove her crown and hold it in front of herself, staring at it with a sense of despair.

"When did you become so heavy?" she whispered, staring into the jewel embedded in the center of it. "So heavy that I cannot even make the moves needed to help ponies when they need my help the most...."

She laid the crown down in front of herself, idly noting that it was more a tiara than a crown. They'd tried to make a crown for her once. They'd even tried to give her the title of Queen. She refused outright. She was no Queen, nor did she desire to be. Yet, despite that, she seemed to get all the responsibilities and downsides to being a monarch, minus most of the benefits.

She felt tired. So very drained. Slowly she laid her head down and stared into the jewel on her tiara, letting out a slow sigh through her nostrils. Once her eyes closed, it only took her a couple minutes to drift off, letting herself rest after such a trying encounter.

Celestia was startled awake by a light tapping on the glass of the balcony door. The gears in her mind quickly began to turn once more, and she stifled a yawn in favor of getting to her hooves faster. There was only one pony that would be brazen enough to try to enter her lounge through the balcony, aside from a member of the Royal Guard, of course. While improper, it wasn't beyond them if they were concerned about her.

She reached out with her magic to ease the curtain aside, and found her sister standing there, a hoof gently tapping on the glass once more.

Luna had cleaned up rather well after waking up with the most royal of hangovers. A keen eye could see that there were bags under her eyes, and given that Luna was quite antiquated in her knowledge, she probably didn't know what aspirin was. That was...unfortunate, to say the least. Not that alicorns needed aspirin to recover from the pains of a hangover, but it helped to give others the image of them being just as normal as anypony else.

Then again, she also hadn't had a chance to sit down and discuss 'being normal' with her sister, so Celestia couldn't help but wonder why Luna was maintaining her own suffering.

Luna felt like warmed-over Tartarus after that drinking contest. She'd gotten so lost in the flavor of the delicious cider given to her, and she'd been so overjoyed to be back, to feel air and being able to hear and taste...and now she was reaping what she'd sown, not that she minded.

Celestia stared at her sister for a moment before unlocking the balcony door, letting her in. Luna's motions were slow and awkward as she struggled to maintain a more dignified posture, but as soon as the door was closed and they were secure behind the privacy of the curtains. She slumped and groaned, sitting down and rubbing at her temples with her hooves.

"What we hath wrought upon ourselves is foul indeed, dear sister."

That made Celestia smile at least a little bit. "Of that, I have no doubt. You attempted to win a drinking contest against me."

"Yes, the Mead Mare of Scaramouch! What were we thinking?" Luna muttered, her ears flattened against her skull. "Not so loud, please."

Celestia stood up and motioned for her sister to join her as she walked over to the table to take a seat once more. "Why are you putting up with it instead of simply recovering from it?"

"Because we yearn for stimuli. The vacuum of space does not offer much in the way of entertainment for over a thousand years. Even pain is something to relish," Luna muttered, slumping into a seat next to Celestia and cracking an eye open, looking up at her. "Where is thy tiara?"

Celestia reached up to touch the top of her head, finding a distinct lack of tiara anywhere. "I don't-" she began to say, until she turned her head and looked back in the direction of the balcony. "Ah."

She grabbed it with her magic and brought it over to the table, but made no move to put it back on. She dropped it into her forehooves and just...stared at it, for a moment. Memories of the argument before her little nap resurfaced, and she grimaced at the image of Twilight yelling at her atop the table. She just couldn't get the look on her student's face out of her head. There was so much pain behind that fury!

"I hurt her, Luna. Deeper than anyone else ever has, I think."

Luna stared at her for a moment, then let out a small yawn. "We see that your advisor was somewhat correct to come to us. We have not seen thee so heartbroken since Starswirl passed away."

"Is it that obvious?" Celestia asked.

"Thou hast wept in our presence before. We know the stains on thy cheeks," Luna muttered quietly, rubbing her forehead. "Thy expression says a thousand words, and more, to us. Thou art our sister, after all. We know thee. Though t'was rare that thou would ever cry, in the past."

"Well, things have changed considerably," Celestia muttered, smiling half-heartedly at her sister. "One example would be your antiquated way of speaking. It sounds so strange to me, after going without hearing it for so long."

"Yes, and thy modern tongue vexes me," Luna said, looking around. "No tea? This truly must have been quite a trying meeting you had."

Celestia slowly bowed her head. "I was meeting with my student about her...history. Before I made her my student."

"Ah. We take it thy student did not react favorably?"

"Her past isn't something that you simply bring up, it would seem," Celestia said, glancing at the ashes on the table. "But I had no choice in the matter."

"Thou art the monarch of Equestria! 'Tis always your choice," Luna stated firmly, looking to the ashes as well. "We assume this refuse has something to do with it?"

Celestia gave a small nod. "The remains of her buried criminal records, those that my more trustworthy assistants could dig up, anyways."

"Criminal records?" Luna said in surprise. "Since when did thou take on criminals as students, dear sister?"

"I was unaware of what she used to be."

Luna slowly sat up and took a deep breath, smiling a bit. "T'would seem we may be here for some time. Perhaps refreshments are in order? We only woke up an hour ago."

That made Celestia giggle just a little bit. Her sister never was a daytime kind of pony, and though one could blame it on her hangover, she knew that Luna always looked at least a little tired if she was awake during the day.

She sent for her assistant, and gave her the message to have some tea brought up. Luna, however, requested that a vast variety of beverages be brought along as well. She was particularly curious about what modern drinks had to offer. Nothing alcoholic though, as Celestia was eager to clarify. The last thing her sister needed was the hair of the dog that bit her.

They arrived on a tray, several bottles of various drinks that were wheeled in by Swirling Breeze once she'd returned with them. She busied herself with preparing Celestia's tea while Luna looked over the various selections. While there were plenty of juices to choose from, what caught her eye were the oddly-colored drinks with bubbles in them.

She picked up one that was labeled 'Oata-Cola' and looked it over curiously. "Pray tell, what is this bubbly-looking drink? If we did not know better, we would assume it to be some kind of alchemical concoction."

"That would be soda, or as some still choose to call it, pop," Celestia explained, smiling as Swirling finished setting up a kettle of tea. She even took the time to clean up the pile of ash on the table, along with wiping it down with a cloth to properly clean it off. "I tend to stay away from that drink. Too sweet for my palate, among other things."

Luna hummed at that tidbit of information and looked back to the glass bottle, staring at it for a moment before walking over to the table and taking a seat next to Celestia. She eyed the cap on it for a few moments before fiddling with it with her magic.

"Do we simply pull it off?"

"Yes."

Luna did so, the metal cap bending, then suddenly popping free with a noisy clink, flipping into the air before Luna caught it again. She stared at the bent cap for a moment.

"The design seems wasteful. We certainly cannot re-use it." she muttered, shrugging and bringing the bottle up to her nose, sniffing the opening a few times.

Then she took a small sip. Then a swig. Then she chugged it with a delighted, happy hum. Celestia simply watched, the corner of her muzzle lifting in amusement. She knew what would come next. It was one of the main reasons she never drank soda, aside from it making her have to pee a whole lot.

Luna finished the drink off and set the bottle down on the table, licking her lips with a wide smile. "Goodness! Such a sweet, yet cloven treat! It tingles on the tongue, and-"

Luna's evaluation was cut off as she was suddenly caught off-guard by a titanic belch that actually made Celestia lean away from her. When it finally ended, Luna's face lit up with a beet-red blush, a hoof covering her muzzle while Celestia and Swirling Breeze just stared at her. Celestia's expression was one of bemusement, while Swirling Breeze made it clear that she was struggling to stop herself from laughing.

Luna didn't give her a chance. "Hold thy tongue, servant-mare! One peep, and we shall-!"

Swirling couldn't help it. She broke down into laughter, making Luna's embarrassment skyrocket even more. It only got worse as Luna tried to stifle another, less massive burp, but there was no keeping it down. Even Celestia couldn't contain her own laughter much longer as Luna gave them both a glare that could melt iron.

"Was this one of thine famous pranks, sister?!"

Celestia covered her muzzle with a hoof and shook her head firmly. "No! That is simply another reason I don't drink soda. Imagine trying to hold court after drinking one of those."

Luna tried to imagine that. She imagined her sister knocking back a bottle of that deliciously deceptive soda, sitting upon her throne addressing a group of ponies while her guards stood at attention...only to let loose an echoing belch that ponies would be able to hear outside the castle.

Soon, Luna was laughing as well. "'Tis most wise of thee!"

"Also, there is caffeine in it, and I get enough of that in my tea every day." Celestia explained, looking over to Swirling Breeze and giving her a brief nod. "Thank you, Swirling Breeze. That will be all."

Swirling struggled to stifle her laughter as she left the room, bowing to both of them before she left. When the doors shut, Celestia let out a bark of laughter while Luna glared at her, fuming in her own embarrassment.

"Hah! Ah...I needed that," Celestia said, slowly calming down while lighting her horn, using her magic to heat the kettle of tea. "Thank you, Luna."

The much smaller alicorn sighed and took a deep breath, stifling another burp and nodding to her. "Thou art welcome. Now, art thou ready to talk?"

"Hm?"

Luna sat up straighter, pushing the soda bottle aside. "The reason for thy state of discontent. Tell me," she said, scooting her seat a bit closer to her sister. "Do not bury thy pain, Tia. We hath done so, and it did not end well for us, or for thee."

The good mood Celestia had built up dissipated as quickly as it had come. Slowly she seemed to deflate before Luna's eyes, and she spared a glance at her tiara, still sitting on the table in front of her. She immediately considered how many rumors would spread around from her being seen by even a single pony without her tiara on, during working hours....

"Well?" Luna stated firmly, idly looking over the other drinks on the cart. "Hm, such a vast range of juices..."

Celestia sighed quietly and nodded, pouring herself a cup of tea with her magic while she pondered on what to say. How could she possibly start this off? It wasn't impossible to justify what she'd done on reflection, but she also couldn't deny that she'd hurt her student deeply with her inability to trust her.

"She used to work for the Mafia, Luna," Celestia started, her wings tightening against her sides. "Against her will. At least, that is what I want to believe."

Luna frowned at that, the glass full of juice halfway to her lips. "Would this be some new crime organization like the Corral of Thieves, back then?"

"No, the Mafia is far worse. They use the system against us. Bribe guards, store owners and police, and enter into shady deals behind closed doors while taking over areas of larger cities and conducting baser criminal operations in smaller towns," she explained, silently wishing she hadn't yet burned all those papers. "They blackmailed Twilight when she was only six years old."

Luna stared at Celestia for a moment, before pressing her lips to the rim of her glass and downing half of it in one go. She set the glass down a moment later and licked her lips with a pleasant sigh.

"We assume that them going after her so early was due to her intellect and magical potential?" she asked, floating the bottle full of the juice she'd just drank. "Mango? Quite a delicious and exotic fruit!"

"Yes. They held her family over her head, threatening her with them," Celestia muttered, sipping her tea to help herself relax. "If she ever stepped out of line, they would kill her family. Part of me wonders if they would go after Cadance as well."

"Who is Cadance?"

"The only remaining true heir to the Crystal Empire."

That got Luna's attention. She froze for a moment, her mouth hanging open in shock before a wide smile spread across her muzzle. There was an heir. An heir!

"D-does she know?!" she asked, her forehooves thudding against the edge of the table as she stood up in her excitement.

"No. Not yet, at least," Celestia said, smiling a little. "I must admit, you have changed significantly from the brooding, quiet little sister I once knew."

Luna grinned at that. "We are reborn, Tia! Didst thou see the villagers of Ponyville?!" she asked, sitting back down and staring off into the distance. "Such a feast laid before us upon our return, by mere commoners...never before have we felt so overwhelmed, yet so welcome."

"Well, Ponyville is a very special town," Celestia said, shaking her head. "Even I cannot grasp how they have gone so untouched, and how they have retained such a loving philosophy in these more recent years."

"No doubt because of thee?" Luna remarked with a smirk, sipping some more of her juice.

Celestia shrugged a little. "Only partially. I moreso lucked out, giving the Apple Family that land to settle on so long ago. They are an exceptionally virtuous family of farmers...and they attract ponies with those traits, or inspire it in others."

Luna nodded to that, running a hoof over her own mane, taking a deep breath. "Yes, but that only distracts from thy issues. Thou were saying?"

Celestia nodded to that and stared down into her teacup. "I betrayed her trust once, by not confiding in her what I saw inside her when we first met," she muttered. "In doing so, I sent her after you unprepared. I felt it was necessary at the time, but now...."

"Now, thy doubts consume thee?"

"Not completely. I know my student. If I'd told her about the Elements of Harmony, she would have tried to force it. Of that, I have no doubt," Celestia said, glancing at her tiara. "But I wonder if I was forced to betray her because of my position, rather than because of necessity. If I had merely been her friend instead of the ruler of Equestria, could I have guided her differently?"

"A difficult question to answer," Luna mused, pouring herself another cup of yet another more yellow-colored juice. "And likely, one that thou shalt never find a proper answer to."

"Perhaps. But, the trouble comes from after she brought you back. I confronted her in the hospital, when she woke up," Celestia continued, clearing her throat. It was suddenly becoming a little difficult to speak clearly. "From what you told me...I knew she'd killed before. I assumed the worst of her. Suspected the worst."

"Yes, she was quite...aggressive, shall we say?" Luna said with a wide smile. "We would dearly wish to fight her again. The fire of a true warrior hides within thy student!"

Celestia snorted at that. "Ah yes, my sister the warmare."

Luna huffed at that and waved it off. "Certainly better than the soldiers thou has! They woke us from our fitful slumber, and we watched them from the balcony out of curiosity. We were not impressed."

"The Royal Guard are not mere soldiers these days," Celestia stated firmly. "We haven't had a war in ages."

"Indeed. It shows," Luna teased, blowing a small raspberry. "Their performance was sloppy at best."

"I would appreciate you not insulting my guards, sister."

"We would also appreciate thou staying on-topic, Tia."

Celestia's wings unfurled and she nodded once. "Of course, Luna."

It was simple enough to explain. The problem was in the context of it all. She relayed her initial confrontation, her admission to manipulating her student...and then probably her most grievous betrayal: the confrontation between them earlier that morning. Luna stayed passive as Celestia spoke, seeming to take more enjoyment from taste-testing the various juices on the cart.

"T'would seem to us that both thee and thine student are at fault," Luna stated after a brief moment of silence, once Celestia was done speaking. "Thou, for fulfilling thy duties in such an efficient manner, and her for losing her temper."

"I believe she was entirely justified in losing her temper." Celestia muttered, her good mood all but gone after relaying what had happened.

"Oh, we are not saying she was not justified," Luna said with a smile. "That does not change that she was wrong to do so. Thou hast been teaching her self-control?"

"As I do with all of my students, yes. They have to know self-control to make full use of their abilities. That has always been my mentality."

"Then we believe her irrationality can be blamed on her upbringing," Luna said with finality, shaking her head. "A life of working for one's most hated of enemies against thy will...we can see how she would be disturbed. We are shocked she is not in worse condition."

"You're assuming she isn't in worse condition," Celestia muttered, leaning against the table a little and hanging her head. "I do not know my student as well as I would like, and I fear she will never open up to me now."

"Yes, thou art a fool, bound so tightly to thy duties that we may as well write up marriage documents for thee," Luna uttered with a tiny smile. "Why didst thou approach her so soon with evidence of her wicked endeavors?"

"Because I feared if I didn't do it now, I never would. Some things simply seem better left alone, the longer you stare at them."

"Hm. Fair reasoning, we suppose. We did not take thee for a coward though," Luna muttered, her smile instantly disappearing. "Not after what thou forced thyself to do to us."

If emotions could cause her physical pain beyond a headache, Celestia would have doubled over from the dagger her sister had just planted in her heart. Silence fell over both of them, and for a moment, Luna froze, slowly looking up at her sister with an expression that screamed of regret...yet, she could not find the words. Not right away.

Celestia, however, could say a lot simply with the slow, sad frown that overtook her muzzle. "I-I...I am-"

Luna quickly held up a hoof, leaning over a little to actually reach Celestia's lips and silence them. "Nay, dear sister. Thou did what thou had to do to protect thy subjects. We will not fault thee for that. We were out of line."

Celestia managed a weak smile. "If Twilight has every right to be upset, you do as well, Luna."

Luna stared down at the table in thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then yes. Yes, it does upset us, even though we know it was necessary," she said, hah'ing and rubbing her only vaguely sore head with a hoof. "How alike, the two of us are! Your student and us, plagued by our pasts."

Celestia actually laughed at that a little. "All too true."

"Still. Keeping on the subject at hoof," Luna said, sitting up straighter and pouring herself another cup of that tasty mango juice. "Thou made the grievous mistake of clinging too tightly to thy station, and it has bitten a hole in thy heart."

"Yes," Celestia muttered. "I have made the same mistake I did with you."

Luna took a swig of her drink and shook her head. "Not quite, but of a similar vein."

Celestia thought on that for a brief moment before bowing her head. "I am sorry, Luna."

"As are we, sister. Perhaps, much like Twilight, it will merely take time for the wound to heal," she said, sighing softly. "We have no trouble being around thee, but we cannot forget a thousand years of isolation. The icy vacuum, the air being pulled from our lungs, our body screaming for sustenance we could not give it, no sound, not even our own voice could come to us....!"

Luna trembled, and in an instant, she found vast white wings curling around her. She was startled by her sibling's speed, and before she could protest, she found forelegs curling around her barrel, hugging her in a tight embrace that would've been bone-crushing for a normal pony. As it was, Luna only had some mild trouble breathing.

Celestia's breathing was erratic, and for a time, the two sat there, just enjoying the closeness in a way that only sisters truly could. Celestia's tears came unbidden once more, but there was a small smile on her face.

"It's over now Luna...you're back! My sister has finally returned to me!"

"Indeed we have!" she breathed out, squirming in Celestia's tightening embrace. "Release us from thine death-grip, gentlest of giants!"

"Hah! You still remember that old nickname?" Celestia asked, slowly releasing Luna from her deceptively powerful grasp.

"Of course!" Luna said with a small laugh. "How could we ever forget?"

They sat there together for a time, thoughts racing while they basked in one another's company. To Celestia, it almost felt like her sister had never left her. Almost.

Luna, however, had other thoughts on her mind.

"Sister," she asked, her expression becoming more serious as she glanced around the room. "How bad is the Mafia?"

Celestia's smile faded. "They believe they are secretive enough to avoid my gaze, just because I haven't shined a light on them...but they are everywhere," she explained, glancing over towards the door. "If only it were as simple as exposing them one at a time...."

"Things in life are rarely so easy," Luna muttered, snorting a little. "We remember the days after Discord."

"Yes. But the Mafia is worse," Celestia muttered, moving to take her seat next to Luna once more. "They have become so pervasive, even members of the nobility answer to them almost exclusively."

"The nobles?!" Luna stated, her eyes wide with shock. "But...they were given their titles so as to be recognized for their dedication to serving the common good!"

Celestia nodded to that. "Yes, but Equestria has grown, Luna. I could never run this nation entirely on my own. Nor could we do it together. Because of that..." Celestia explained slowly, letting out a small breath in frustration. "It wasn't even a matter of me giving them power. They took it right out from under my snout."

"Ah. How so?"

"Their families invested their fortunes in businesses large and small, and conducted their own business without anypony else knowing," Celestia continued, glancing over towards the drawn curtains at the balcony doors. "As the economy developed, their investments and interwoven relationships grew, as did their corruption. From that, an entirely new breed of criminal was born. One that could stand in plain sight, and still be impossible for me to destroy by myself."

Luna frowned at that, pondering on the idea of such a beast in equine skin. "How could such a thing be possible? The very concept seems akin to a fairy tale."

"The most valuable piece of information that I have on the Mafia is that someone in the Mage's Council, the council responsible for policing all of the magic research we conduct in Equestria, works for them," Celestia stated as quietly as she could, as if afraid someone might hear her besides her sister. "It isn't as far-fetched as it may at first seem. As I said Luna...they are everywhere."

Luna went wide-eyed at that revelation, frowning deeply and leaning against the table for support. "Then by 'everywhere', thou doth mean...even among the guard?"

"I don't know all of the guards that are in their pocket, but there are quite a few, and they're all over Equestria."

"...How did it get this bad in my absence?" Luna breathed, shaking her head. "Thou wouldst have crushed such villainy, had thou known about it!"

"Yes. I would have, if I could've predicted it," Celestia responded, staring down at her tiara sitting on the table. "But by the time I realized, it was far too late."

"'Tis never too late to stomp out criminals, openly exploiting Equestria from the inside!"

Celestia clenched her teeth in frustration. "By the time I noticed, if I had said or attempted to do anything about it...it would've looked like the governing body of the country was trying to destroy itself," she muttered, slamming her hoof on the table. "Propaganda, lies, slandering my name...they would've done everything, all over Equestria, until they turned the majority of the population against me. That was not and still isn't something I can allow. As it stands, the only reason I still have my throne is because I've done nothing to stop them...but now, I see that my own student has suffered, and I find all these years of frustration coming to the surface once more!"

Celestia banged her hoof against the edge of her table again, gritting her teeth.

"How many more out there are like Twilight? Ponies I don't know about that they've dug their claws into? I don't have the resources to keep track of them all!"

"Timberwolves, keeping their prey in check until they are ready to bury them," Luna muttered, slowly shaking her head. "'Tis a true crisis."

"One that I can't even properly address because I cannot do it openly! They manipulate from the shadows," Celestia growled out. "If I attempted anything, there's no telling what they would do. They could try to assassinate me, and upon failing that, they would go after my closest advisors. My assistants, my hoof-picked guards...all of them warnings for me to know my place. If I did not cease at that point, I don't want to imagine how far they would go to see me ousted from my position so they can have it for themselves. They would put their own puppet on the throne, of that I have no doubt."

"Indeed," Luna said, waving it off. "This is certainly not what we expected upon our return. With how our ponies revered thee so, we expected to find thee sitting upon a throne in a temple being worshipped against thy will."

"I was never that bad, Luna. Neither were our subjects."

"That is debatable." Luna said with a cheshire grin.

Celestia just hmph'ed and smiled a little. "Whatever you say, sister mine."

"Oh, dost thou wish to make an attempt at being dismissive of facts?"

Celestia slowly shook her head. "No. I'm just having a difficult time losing myself in the playful mood you're attempting to lure me into."

Luna's smile faded just a little. "That obvious, were we?"

"Your intent is not lost on me," Celestia said, reaching with a wing to lay the end of it over Luna's withers. "Thank you."

"Thou art welcome!"

They sat there for a time together, with Celestia finishing off another cup of tea and Luna trying out a different brand of soda at a more sedate pace. The silent companionship between them spoke volumes to both mares, and just for a moment, they could enjoy the sensation that even after a thousand years, they still knew each other inside and out.

"Soooo...thy student..."

Celestia knew that tone. "Yes, what about her?"

"Can she be...discreet about her paramours?"

"I'm quite sure she can," Celestia said slowly. "But you're barking up the wrong tree."

"How so?" Luna huffed, crossing her forelegs over one another and leaning them on the top of the table. "She is strong, attractive, confident and capable...and she can put up a fight! It has been such a long time since we have felt the touch of a mare as intimidating as her...."

Celestia waved it off. "I would still not recommend it."

"Why would that be, sister? Perhaps thou wishes to keep thy student for thyself?" Luna teased, grinning and reaching to poke Celestia with a hoof. "Or perhaps she does not share my abnormal tastes? T'would truly be a shame to waste such loveliness on stallions."

"Oh, she enjoys mares. Prefers them, from what I've heard," Celestia said calmly, pouring herself another cup of tea. "But you're still barking up the wrong tree."

"Yet we see thou has opted not to tell us why this is so."

Celestia grinned ever-so-slightly. "'Tis a secret, and I've betrayed my student's trust enough for her lifetime. If you wish to find out, I suppose you'll have to find out on your own. Just be prepared to be disappointed."

"A mare as luscious as her? We will not be disappointed at all," Luna muttered, blushing a little. "It hath been a thousand years since the last. We desire the intimacy of companionship, and thy student would be wonderful."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Celestia said, smiling a little. "Up to you to make it happen though. Times are different. I can't simply send her to your chambers one night for you to enjoy."

Luna snorted at that. "She answers to thee, does she not? Yours to command?"

"Mine to teach, but not to command. Modern times are very..." Celestia tried to explain, searching for a proper word. "Reserved about such things, compared to back then."

"What would we have to do then?"

"Well, attempting to court her properly would be a start."

"Court her?! We have no intention of marrying her!" Luna said, looking aghast at the mention of it. "Thine subjects would never accept such a thing either!"

Celestia smiled smugly, giving Luna a wink. "As I said...times have changed."

"...Art thou implying what we think is being implied?"

"If you think that implication is that gay marriage is at least somewhat accepted, moreso between mares than stallions, then yes."

"...."

Luna slowly smiled wider and wider, before running her forehooves over her muzzle, laughing softly to herself.

"W-we do not have to hide, and skulk in shadows when we seek the touch of our paramours?"

Celestia grinned at that, her wing tightening around Luna a little. "Well, perhaps you will have to show moderation...but no. You no longer have to hide, dear sister."

Luna almost couldn't restrain her joy at such wonderful news! She jumped to her hooves and hugged her sister without warning, her forelegs wrapping around Celestia's neck and almost choking the larger Princess.

"Was this thy doing, sister?!" Luna asked, her wings spread wide in excitement.

Celestia laughed at her sister's jubilance and hooked a foreleg around her back. "Only partially! It would be more accurate to say that over time, our ponies came to their senses about the matter. Somewhat," she explained, her smile fading just a little bit. "Sadly stallions are still ostracised for homosexual practices, but at least they aren't hung from trees for the way they were born, or their learned preferences."

Luna was practically jumping for joy at this point. "Eee, Tia! We can take a lover! No, more than one! We must rekindle the ancient rights to own a harem!"

Celestia actually snickered at that and patted her sister on her back. "One step at a time, Luna. First, why don't we focus on getting you re-integrated with Equestria? Perhaps once that's over, we can look into those ancient laws and see if they're still legal."

"They had best be!" Luna stated loudly, pouting a little and releasing Celestia, flopping down in her seat again. "We hath never felt the joy of a harem before. T'was not allowed back then, no matter how much we desired such."

Celestia sipped from her teacup while giving a glance to the balcony. It seemed like a nice day out...and upon recalling the weather schedule, an idea formed in her mind. Something she hadn't taken the time to do in at least a month or so. Not for the simple joy of doing so, that is.

"Would you like to go for a walk into Canterlot with me, Luna? I could show you around, and introduce you to some of our subjects there." Celestia offered, smiling at the thought.

Luna considered that offer, tapping her chin in thought. It was a scary prospect, if she was being honest with herself. She still felt weak, and strangely vulnerable as she was, and the castle staff gave her very odd looks. That brought back bad memories. She wanted to believe the jubilance of Ponyville wasn't an isolated case, but....

She looked up to Celestia and gave a quick nod. "Yes, we will join thee for thy venture into the kingdom! 'Tis the least we can do."

"Only if you wish to, Luna."

"As we said! Let us go."

Both mares got up from their seats, their drinks forgotten for the time being. Celestia used her magic to pull the curtains open once more, letting light into the room in full force once more. Luna winced a bit at the sudden glare, but compared to earlier, she was feeling far less sensitive, no doubt thanks to the liquids she'd consumed.

Speaking of which...Luna was suddenly very aware of the fact that she needed to go to the bathroom. Very bad, for that matter. As soon as Celestia pointed to a door at the side of the lounge, Luna was off like a lightning bolt, the door slamming shut behind her as she relieved herself. Celestia took the time to walk over to the balcony, peering through the glass to gaze upon the ponies taking their time conversing and wandering through the gardens. Perhaps she'd join them, when the day was over....

When Luna finished her business, Celestia moved to leave the room, leading the way while Luna followed suit. Luna, however, stopped and looked back to the table.

"What about thine tiara, sister?"

Celestia looked back and stared at the tiara for a time, considering all the possible ramifications of her not having it on when she left the lounge. Her ponies weren't used to seeing her without it, almost to the point that if she left her room without her tiara on, ponies would be uncomfortable even looking at her for any lengthy period of time.

"I will come back for it later," Celestia said, opening the door with her magic. "Shall we?"

Author's Notes:

Well, this was a departure from the norm of this story! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the relationships between the two sisters, as well as this glimpse into Celestia's mental health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swL_gq2UaxI