The reverberating sound of the tolling bell echoed throughout the room. Eight crisp, clear tones signified the quickly approaching night as Twilight busied herself preparing for an unforgettable evening. She stood in front of a full length mirror checking her dress, ensuring that nothing was out of place. Everything must be perfect for tonight! I still can't believe Rarity snuck those in though... Twilight blushed, casting her gaze towards her bags, where four midnight blue socks adorned with glittering constellations lay partially hidden. She had found them concealed in the folds of her dress, along with a letter from Rarity stating that an accompanying saddle was 'in the works'.

Forcing her attention back towards the mirror, she brought a fine brush up to her mane, for the third time in that half hour alone. Not a single strand appeared out of place, the pink stripe ran perfectly down the crook of her neck, the rest of the mane laid out on either side of her head. Twilight's attention shifted towards her magenta horn, which perfectly parted the pink stripe in her bangs. She had paid extra attention to it, and it showed with the almost unnatural glean it had acquired.

Satisfied with her outward appearance, Twilight stepped away from the mirror and back towards her bags, where Rarity’s last gift lay. Stealing another glance at the socks in the process, she carefully extricated a long, flowing silken cloak from the pile of her possessions, unfolding it. The lavender fabric had been carefully chosen and then expertly sewn. The finished product was something that would conceal whatever Twilight chose to wear underneath it.

Carefully returning all of her loose possessions back to their proper places and thoroughly stuffing the stocks in the deepest recesses of her bag, she carefully levitated a saddle bag onto her back. Contained within were all of her star charts that represented years of her late night work, and she was looking forward to sharing them with her love at some point. Walking towards the door, she cast one last look around to ensure it was neat and orderly, nothing forgotten, then exited the room.

With her new living arrangements during her visit, she did not have long to travel before she found herself outside the entrance to Luna's room. Two Lunar Guards stood in front of large, imposing oaken doors, emblazoned with the Lunar Crest in silver and mother of pearl. They noticed her approach and snapped to attention. The guard on the left addressed her.

"Miss Sparkle, Princess Luna is expecting you." He punctuated his remark with a curt bow before snapping back to attention.

"Thank you, I hope you two have a good evening." Twilight replied with a nod towards both guards as she moved to the front of the door. With a thought, it yielded before her and she found herself walking into a dimly lit room. She had only been in Luna's chambers on a few occasions, but tonight it was something special.

Before she could take in the details of the room, her love appeared, exiting her bathroom just as the grandfather clock chimed out the half hour.

"Ah, Twilight! Punctual as always I see!" Luna giggled as she closed the distance between them, the unicorn left speechless, her jaw forgotten on the floor of the bedroom. Gone was the regalia that typically adorned her lover's figure. In its place was a dress that left her breathless. Its color was so dark that it appeared to absorb the light around it. Speckled across the fabric were stars, twinkling like the night sky. Combined with the astral effects of her main and tail, Luna looked like the night sky personified.

Luna tried breaking Twilight from her shock by leaning down and gently nuzzling her neck, inhaling the lavender scent that naturally rolled off the unicorn. "You know, Twilight, if you close your mouth, I am certain that it can be put to better use than a floor decoration." Luna seductively winked, taking pleasure at the blush that began to form.

"Luna, I..." She trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate words after having been caught off balance. Flustering even further, she finally pieced something together and blurted it out. "You look gorgeous!"

"Thank you, love." The words came out slightly muffled as she moved from Twilight's neck to look her in the eyes, captivated by the lavender orbs. She leaned in and kissed her on the lips, the unicorn giving in to her within moments. Seizing the opportunity, Luna removed the saddlebags from her partner's back, then moved on to the cloak shrouding her. She lifted it gently so as to not interrupt their kiss.

Luna leaned even further into the kiss, fighting to gain entry with her tongue as the cloak came away from the unicorn's form. So, this is what Rarity meant by one of her 'creations', wow! By the Moon! She. Is. Good! She gently pulled away, a small trail of saliva lingering between them before the distance broke it.

Twilight was absolutely stunning. The dress that she was wearing this evening was weaved of fine silk, dyed in a dark sky blue color. The hems were done with a highly reflective silver thread, only adding to the beauty of the main color. Outlines of moons were faintly embroidered in a dull silver, only visible at just the right angle. It hugged Twilight's figure well, leaving under her neck exposed while covering up the top, allowing for her mane to come through. The dress covered her barrel completely, running halfway down her legs before ending. At the back, her cutie marks were left exposed, the lavender contrasting beautifully with the blues of the dress. The very end of the dress was triangular, and it was anchored at the base of her tail.

Must not drool. Must. Not. Drool! "Twilight, you look absolutely ravishing! I must say, Rarity does indeed know her work!" Luna dove in for another kiss, brief, yet full of fiery passion.

Coming out of the kiss gasping for air, Twilight blushed as she saw her cloak laying atop her bags, inferring what Luna was referring to. "Y-Yeah, she made it just this past week after I visited her. She really does know what she is doing." Mustn't think of those socks! Her blush further intensified, and she looked down at the ground bashfully.

An awkward silence filled the air between them until Luna coughed, clearing her throat. "If you would follow me to the balcony? Dinner is prepared. I thought we could start with the raising of the moon and let the night lead us from there."

"That sounds... most wonderful, Luna. Please, lead on."

The entrance to the balcony was faintly illuminated by the sun lingering over the horizon, a myriad mixture of reds and golds filtering through the clouds. A table had been set up on the balcony, complete with two cushions across from each other. Candles adorned the area, each one lit with a blue flame that flickered in the slight summer breeze.

Taking their seats, Luna gazed into the distance, ushering in the night in a matter of minutes. Twilight raptly watched her, sighing ever so slightly as she basked in the rays of the rising moon. Always such a beautiful sight...

Seeing Luna framed against the night sky caused Twilight to gasp. Where Luna’s dress covered her, it appeared as though she was looking straight through her at the night sky beyond. "Luna, what is your dress made of? It is like you took a portion of the night sky and brought it down to wear. It looks downright stunning! Not to mention it matches your mane and tail perfectly!"

The alicorn paused at the question and brought a hoof to her chin. "Well, I suppose, that is one way to describe this material. I call it Star Cloth. It has properties much like the night sky, and perfectly mirrors it. I actually created the spell behind it, though this is the first time I've used it for clothing.”

Luna noticed a gleam in Twilight’s eyes at the mention of the spell. “Twilight, I promise we can go over it later. For now though, let us eat." Luna levitated two trays on to the table, briefly reheating the contents before removing the covers, revealing the main dish for the evening.

Greeting Twilight's eyes was a large piece of lasagna nestled on top of large lettuce leaves. Between the layers of pasta appeared various flowers and cheese. The aroma wafting up made her mouth water, all thoughts obliterated by the slice of nirvana presented before her.

"I cooked it myself, although I now owe the kitchen staff a new kitchen. I hope that it is to your liking." Luna grinned at the expression on the unicorn's face.

"It smells amazing!" She neatly sliced off a section with her magic and brought it to her mouth, where she made quick work of it. Her eyes popped wide open, taste buds assailed with a plethora of all her favorite foods at once. Luna simply smiled on as she gracefully began eating as well.

I am glad that I am able to share something so simple with her over analyzing it for once! Luna continued the meal in relative silence, as the unicorn was lost within the food, savoring each and every bite as if it were her last. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and burst out into laughter.

"What?" Twilight asked, unaware of the alicorn's source of mirth.

"If you were to indulge me even half as much as that lasagna, I could die a happy mare, content beyond all measure!" Luna continued laughing, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as Twilight violently blushed, crimson rapidly spreading across her face.

"W-Why you... moonie!" Twilight spluttered out.

"M-M-Moonie? I'm a moonie?!" Luna broke down, all semblance of decorum forgotten as she fell to the floor, her tears intensifying as she began to fight to breath.

Twilight simply sat there mortified as Luna continued to roll about. After a few moments, a thoughtful expression began to come across her face, the cogs in her brain kicking into overdrive. "Huh."

Luna finally climbed back to her hooves and found her seat once more. "What is it, Twilight?"

"Oh, just started thinking about something. It's been a long time since I've sputtered out a made up word, My Moon." Let's see what she thinks of that!

The alicorn paused as she listened to Twilight, her thoughts not catching the phrase at first. Then her mind played it on loop, two words sticking out. My Moon. Luna looked at her, wide eyed, then closed the short gap across the table, her tongue seeking out the unicorn's own.

After breaking the kiss, Twilight was the first to shatter the silence. "So... I take it you like it then? I figured, technically you have your moon, and Luna does mean moon, so you are my moon. You know... technically, right?" Twilight smiled as she stood up and moved her cushions to lay alongside Luna before taking her seat upon them once more.

Luna draped a wing over the unicorn and simply smiled, the glitter of tears evident in her eyes. "I love it, Twilight, and I hope that someday soon I will have my own moniker to refer to you with." She cleared the table, replacing the dirty dishes with a pair of goblets. "Dessert? Applejack is trying her hoof at a new type of apple based alcohol. It is more of a hard liquor than cider, yet she keeps the pieces of apple in the bottom of the container. This is from her first batch."

They sat side by side, sipping on the fruity concoction, simply enjoying the warmth of each other for some time. Luna found herself munching on the last of the apple slices, the liquor long gone, before shifting slightly and turning her full attention towards her lover.

"So, what would you like to do first tonight? This night is yours."

"Dream Magic, followed by astronomy... and then you can teach me about Star Cloth?" Twilight laid out the list quickly, looking forward to the next part of their evening. Following Luna, the duo left the balcony as Luna began the lesson.

"Let’s see now. Dream Magic, as you have no doubt gathered, is process of entering and influencing the dreams of others. At first glance it seems like a trivial matter, but it has a lot of complexity to it." Luna began, her wing wrapping around Twilight as they laid down on the bedside by side. "For example, the biggest concern when Dreamwalking, is finding yourself stuck or lost within another's mind. While this may seem relatively harmless, as most ponies simply do not dream up any dangers, there can be dangers to it. Imagine being caught up inside our friend Pinkie's dream. I shudder at that thought to be honest, and after my first attempt to enter, I have never tried it again."

"Pinkie? I would think that would be mostly harmless. Odd, but harmless." Twilight interjected, not quite understanding what Luna was getting at. I would think Pinkie's mind would be pretty safe, unless headaches are harmful.

"Odd can be just as harmful as evil, trust me." Luna shuddered at the memory of attempting to gain access to the party pony's dreams. "Upon my entrance, I found myself in a harmless enough location, at the bakery. However, things very quickly turned upside down, especially once the pastries began to fly around. I think Discord would have been embarrassed by that mare honestly. I managed to make my escape around the time the sun turned into a giant lollipop. Never. Again."

Twilight had plucked a quill and notebook out from her nearly forgotten bags when Luna had begun talking, and was busy scribbling down notes on parchment while nestled next to her love. "So, even harmless things can become harmful if you lose control within a dream then?"

"You’re correct there. I think you deserve a reward for catching on so quickly!" Luna wrapped her wing tighter around the mare as she quickly kissed her full upon the lips, drawing the breath out of her victim before pulling back and continuing the lesson.

"So, the biggest factor when it comes to safely entering a dream is 'hovering', which is exactly as it sounds. Care to try explaining it with just that hint?" Luna smirked at Twilight, a stray thought entering her mind. "And if you do indeed infer correctly, you get another reward!" This really is so much fun, even if it is at her expense... I know she enjoys it though, even if she won't admit it.

Twilight fiercely blushed, having just recovered from the last 'reward' Luna had handed out. I’m liking these rewards! They’re much better than the ones Celestia gave. But they’re a bit... distracting. "T-There's no need for a reward, Luna. But, using hovering in that context makes me think that you are staying right above the dreamer, peering in before you enter."

"Correct yet again, love!" Luna simply squeezed her wing slightly for a moment before continuing onwards. "By holding back and peering in, you can get a feel for what might be encountered, as well as whether or not you can handle it. The dreamer really isn't aware of your actions, and you get the chance to gauge if the risk is worth it. It took me a long time to get to where I can comfortably enter almost any dream unbidden, but given your magical prowess I can almost imagine you reaching that point in a much shorter timespan than I."

"So, you said almost any dream, and unbidden. Who’s aren't you able to enter, besides Pinkie Pie. And how does somepony consciously let you into their dream if they are not aware of you without you first entering their dream? It doesn't make any sense!" Twilight continued jotting down notes, the parchment roll quickly expanding and filling with ink as her 'research mode' went into overdrive.

"I’ll answer the easier question first. You and Celestia are the only two ponies I really avoid. I made the mistake of eavesdropping on her once, and although she has never learned how to Dreamwalk, she can easily control her dreams like no other pony. She nearly gave me nightmares... about clowns. They seemed so innocent at first, but then, when I least expected it..." Luna trailed off, this shudder putting the ones related to Pinkie to utter shame. "Needless to say, I never enter without her express permission anymore."

"Now, as to a dreamer giving you permission. It's not so much them going 'I invite you into my mind while dreaming' as it is them feeling your... presence I would say. If it is familiar, it makes it much easier to enter. It was how I was able to enter your dream upon your arrival to Canterlot."

"So, basically, it's much easier to enter your friend's dreams rather than just any random pony. Interesting, and it makes sense too. Are we going to get into application tonight?"

"Nay, as enjoyable as it would be to start teaching you how to dream walk, we have the rest of this evening to enjoy. One thing you should remember about it before we move on though. Time is no longer a constant when using that magic. What seems like a minute could in reality be an hour, and what seems an eternity could merely be a minute. There is never any guarantee which way it will swing either. And with that, let us move on to other things. Did you bring your star charts with you by chance?" Luna gently lifted her wing off Twilight and removed herself from the bed, walking towards the balcony once more, the moon now high in the sky.

"Yes, they're in my saddlebags. Let me grab them." Twilight hopped down from the plush bed and rummaged through her bags. She came up with two books levitating next to her as she walked over to join Luna on the balcony once more.

She found that the only remnants of the evening's dinner left was the table, which had a hefty stack of blank parchment on it. Next to it was a telescope, its aperture already set to the star filled sky. Twilight sat her books down next to the parchment and walked to Luna's side, who was impassively gazing up to the night sky.

"Stars. They are all my friends, yet..." Luna trailed off, unaware of Twilight coming to her side until a gentle nuzzle against her neck broke her focus. She leaned into the touch, contentedly sighing. "No matter how many times I look up at them, their wonder never lessens."

Twilight giggled at Luna's slip into melodrama as she leaned into the alicorn as well. "Yeah, they are always impressive, no matter what night it is." She leaned up and bumped her nose against her lover's. "The charts are on the table when you're ready."

The two mares stepped back from the edge of the balcony and moved to the tabletop. Luna carefully opened the older of the two tomes and focused on the first page, her horn slowly illuminating as she began to charge a spell. The luminescence grew, until a few moments later it peaked as the stack of parchment began to move of its own accord. Page by page, each chart was perfectly copied, magic guiding the whole process. Satisfied with her work, Luna turned back to Twilight, who had a small grin on her face as she raised a hoof to jab at the larger mare.

"You know, if you had wanted me to use my spell to copy them, I could've brought copies over rather than drag around the originals. Show off!" Twilight punctuated her words with small jabs, meant more to tickle than cause any pain. Success! Luna began laughing, unable to hold it back as her soft spots were found by the hoof.

"A-Ah, you villain! Y-you shall not—" Luna struggled with Twilight, the tickling increasing in its intensity. Luna lost her footing and clumsily fell on her back, somehow managing to drag the smaller mare with her, who also found her back upon cold stone.

The giggles of both slowly dwindled down, leaving only the stillness of the summer night air. Wiggling slightly, Twilight brought herself to rest aside one of Luna's wings. "Luna, you mentioned 'they' were your friends." She waved a hoof towards the night sky. "How, exactly? I know that you created them all, but this is the first time you've mentioned them as such."

Unknown to Twilight, Luna paled slightly at the question, her mind kicking into overdrive. What to tell her? I love her, but... not yet. Not all of it anyways. "Well..." She carefully unfurled her wings and levitated Twilight slightly as she slipped on underneath her. "They were my only company while exiled."

Uncomfortable silence lingered, Twilight careful climbed to her hooves amidst Luna's wings. This is the one subject she doesn't like. Way to go, Twilight! What to do... Yes! That's it! She carefully climbed atop her lover’s chest, bringing a hoof to wipe away some tears that had pooled up amidst those aquamarine eyes that always captivated her.

"Luna... I'm sorry for bringing up something so uncomfortable for you. I'd say take this moment to look at the positives though." She held Luna's head between her hooves gently, locking their eyes together. "If all of... that, hadn't happened. I would merely be a student to your sister, and we wouldn't have each other. Luna, I love you." She closed the gap between their lips and brought them together, attempting to convey everything she felt in that one moment.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock as she was wrapped up in Luna's hooves as she pushed right back against her kiss, holding the smaller mare tightly to her. Tears still glistened in the alicorn's eyes, but these were born of joy. Luna extended the moment into an eternity, the two mares wrapped in each other's embrace underneath the night sky.

Luna pulled away first, a smile adorning her face. "Thank you, love..." She was unable to tear her gaze away from Twilight. "It is... a step in the right direction. Maybe, one day, I can talk about things related to that without making such a mess of myself." She tightened her hug. "I do have a small confession to make though. I'm not entirely responsible for the creation of all the stars... Some of them were made even before my time. They mostly listen to me, but aren't mine."

Twilight carefully moved her forehooves to rest against Luna's chest, a thoughtful expression passing across her face. "So... it's like there are pieces of whoever came before you, lingering behind still? Even in passing, watching like a silent sentinel over Equestria." She paused a moment, before rapidly shaking her head, scattering her thoughts.

"What say we leave the deep thinking for another time? Also, as much as I want to know about that fabric, we should probably head inside and get some sleep. Tomorrow is my last day visiting after all." Twilight gently extricated herself from Luna's hooves, holding one out afterwards to help the alicorn up.

Luna gracefully took the hoof and found her footing, carrying the items on the balcony inside as they reentered the room. "We should probably remove our dresses. I believe Rarity will have a fit if she saw you right now!" She laughed as Twilight looked down and sheepishly grinned.

"Well, luckily I have a spell for that too!" The unicorn focused on removing her garment, then left it to float in the air, encased in her lavender aura. A brief pulse rippled through the fabric, leaving in its wake a clean and carefully pressed garment. "Good as new!" She carefully placed it in her bag alongside the two books that had been resting on the table.

"Well, I suppose I shall head back to my room, thank you, Luna. It truly was a wondrous night, I hope that we get the chance to spend another like this soon." Twilight made for the door, but was enveloped in a field of dark blue magic, halting her in her hoofsteps.

Luna undressed as she focused on Twilight. "Oh, you didn't think I would let you go back tonight? Teaching Dream Magic does require dreaming, at least as far as Celestia knows anyways. And she believes that the night was spent doing so." Luna let the implications of that statement linger in the air as she slowly maneuvered Twilight to her bed. Flinging the covers back, she landed atop the plush surface and deposited the smaller mare next to her.

Turning to face Luna, Twilight wrapped her hooves around the alicorn, smiling as she carefully placed a kiss upon her nose. Getting comfortable, she whispered four last words before she let drowsiness begin to claim her, the position she found herself in highly calming.

"Good night, My Moon."

Princess Celestia lowered her quill after signing each document, a blob of wax taking its place as she rolled up the scrolls in preparation for delivery. It's time I finally got around to this, I know she’ll be so thrilled once construction is complete! Then, I can finally tell her... The wax sealed the scroll with her personal emblem, the golden sun emblazoned in the now dry red substance.

"Now... to see to the creatures of Everfree." The scrolls disappeared, her magic guiding them to their destination as she took to the air from her balcony, headed directly towards the forest. Tonight, the beasts shall remember why they don't mess with my little ponies!

Author's Notes:

Author’s Note: Well, I did mention that the ‘Date’ Scene along would be rather large, and here you have it. I chopped out 400 words by using the experimental pictures for the scrolls, I hope you all enjoyed it. If for whatever reason you’re unable to read the letters, here is a link to a plain text version. Next up is the last remaining day in Canterlot. And Celestia sure is one busy mare, ain’t she?

Editor’s Note: Well, even more backstory. I feel loved. Celestia is off to go be a badflank, and Luna and Twilight are in bed together. (Not like that... At least not yet.) Am I the only one that had a flashback about Les Misérables in the section about the stars? Anyways, this is q97randomguy signing out. See you all on the other side.