The gentle breezes danced about her wings. Each little flurry massaged another bunch of feathers. Celestia followed the wind back over towards Canterlot. She kept her eyes closed. A crawling filly going up the Everfree Forest path would have gone faster.

She could barely even think anymore. Thousands of little thoughts scampering about her subconscious mind all screamed at her. Go back to Strawberry! Forget everything! Just be with him! He'll understand! Celestia tried for the umpteenth time to reach up and take off the magic necklace.

Her hoof staggered in the air-- invisible little forces shooting all over it. Celestia flew downwards, and she curled her wings. She stretched with her hoof. The little pulses went on, and she felt her body tingle a little bit. It felt as if she had tried to break off her own horn. Her right wing fluttered up against her body, and she twisted into an accidental cartwheel.

A little mist spurted up in front of Celestia's face. She stopped. She then opened her eyes. She stared down and then traced the rest of the massive splash going across the edges of the massive lake. She eyed some horrible scaly red tail that poked up into the surface. Yet, in just a few seconds, the still calmness returned.

Celestia moved down a little bit more. She gazed at the reflection of Luna in the lake. Whatever separation had existed before her body and the necklace had vanished. She didn't even stop to think anymore. Celestia saw Luna. She felt Luna.

She blinked. Little specks of memories-- a hoof holding here, a kiss there, a rubbing along her mane here, and so on-- flashed before her eyes. She jiggled her head. No... Not Lulu... Not Lulu... I have to get back now and get this off. Stop wasting time! She flied back upwards, but she stopped-- a funny feeling running up between her legs and into her left side.

Celestia grabbed herself. She didn't feel anything on the outside. Yet another odd sensation-- almost like being wrapped up in a hot wet towel-- grew from somewhere inside her. It's not... Not... She blinked uncontrollably, and she had to force herself to breathe. I'm... Her eyes grew wide. Am I actually feeling the baby inside me? No... It... It shouldn't...

"I've had enough," Celestia said, and she jerked around in the air again. 'Prolonged use' my flank! I only had it for, what, thirty minutes? Her hooves waved about aimlessly. Wind pounded against her from all directions.

She stopped, and then she let out a loud whine. The sun goddess closed her eyes once again, and those little memories grew into full blown visions. She heard, saw, and felt them all.

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"I'm pregnant," Luna told Strawberry. For a split-second, he didn't a thing. Yet that was just for a split-second.

He smacked his hooves around Luna's sides. He seemed to almost want to squeeze her flat. He thrust his head over and rubbed it all along her neck. He pulled back a few seconds later. "YES!" Strawberry shouted. He bounced up and tried to carry Luna up with him. "YES! That's-- wow-- I can't-- It's so fantastic! I just-- I'll have so much-- and then I'll never stop!" Strawberry rattled on. "It's unbelievable! It's wonderful! It's amazing! Superb! Splendid! Oh, wow, I-- I can't-- I can't even think!"

The unicorn and the alicorn hopped around to the side of the kitchen. She almost collapsed onto a tray of cupcakes. Strawberry immediately pulled her up and twirled her over back to the window. Their hooves wiggled about the floor. He met her hoof to hoof and curled about in a little mini-cartwheel. She laughed.

Strawberry then turned about and took a deep breath. He aimed himself to shout the happy news right out the window. Luna grabbed him, slammed a hoof over his mouth, and then pulled him to the side. He moved a little over as well-- pulling her body up face to face.

Strawberry paused to take in her beautiful face-- looking up at him with such warmth, such tenderness, and such trust-- and he curled his head. Tears dripped down ashe he traced along the dozens of bright little sparkles going across her flowing mane. He reached over and then smashed his face upon hers.

She ran her hooves around his head and went at him. She hadn't felt him hold her so closely since back when she was Nightmare Moon. She kissed him back-- moving all about his face over and over again. He dripped down along her neck as he moved deeper and deeper into her embrace. Time stretched on and on... but then she felt something deep inside Strawberry tense up. He moved himself a few inches downward.

Luna gazed straight down. She ran her eyes along the frizzy pink hair curling down around his eyes and his nose. He looked like he wanted to cry two rivers at once. Strawberry hesitated. He sniffed again and again uncontrollably. He finally opened his mouth.

"Does... this..." Strawberry muttered. Every word felt like pushing a boulder up a mountain. "This mean that.... Celestia is..." Luna's happy expression melted when he mentioned the sun goddess' name. He flinched. "Going to... let us..." He stopped. He didn't say 'marry each other'. He didn't need to.

"Just," Luna began. Two or three tears peeked out from beneath her eyes. She reflexively rubbed them off on Strawberry's frizzy mane. "Just let me work on her some more for a while. Okay? Don't worry about it." She nudged forward to kiss him again. She eyed Strawberry's features as this grey little could seemed to go over him. A flat semi-scowl crept up upon his face.

"Why not? Why won't you let me see her?" Strawberry asked. He stepped over and stared out the window.

"You don't... you don't understand," Luna replied, and she nudged his side with her horn, "A thousand years without me and then with pang after pang of regret... And then such a long, checkered history of what she's had to do and had to have done to her to keep our position. Goodness--" She nudged up a bit and kissed him along his back. "Knows that she has so much, too much, on her mind."

"It's too..." he said, and he leaned out further-- almost falling out into the road outside the kitchen, "Too weird. And it's not... Of course, I... I respect everything she's done, everything that she believes, and all of what she's worrying about. She's thinking about you and everything else. Of course..." He tapped his hooves upon the windowsill. "I love her... too. I'd have to. There wouldn't be your nights without her days."

Luna reached over and pulled him up. They gazed once again into each other's faces. "We said," she began, going into that official Canterlot voice that alternatively drove Strawberry mad as well as turned him on, "That thou shall not worry about such things. Leave it all to us."

They kissed once again.

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NO! Wake up! Wake up! A torrent of popping sensations ran across Celestia's neck. She hurled herself straight down. She bounced from side to side-- wings flapping in vain-- as she careened from gust of wind to gust of wind. Is it... is it embedding itself into my skin? She hopped atop the side of the lake and then skated across the surface.

Celestia then thrust her right wing down. She flopped about the water. Splashes ran up all her hooves and across her face. She suddenly whacked upon the side of a huge stump. She stopped for a second. The pops just went on and on-- like thousands of layers of bubble wrap going around her neck. She bucked against the stump and then plunged into the lake.

"It's..." she muttered, and bubbles burst out of her mouth, "It's not that-- it's coming off." Well then, rip it off! Do it!

Celestia thrust a hoof out of the surface. She clutched the magical necklace at the end. She breathed out, and then she kicked herself up. A fountain of bubbles oozed out beneath her hind hooves. She beat her wings upon the lake and then rocketed back into the air.

"Well, that was," she said, "Rather..." She searched for the right words. "Interesting..." She broke the device back into its long, droopy shape. She then magically lifted the cylinder up and placed it right atop her horn. There, finally! No more problems using it anymore... It'll stick there harmlessly like butter on bread.

She moved over in the direction of Canterlot. She slanted her wings over to the right and picked up some speed. She sailed through treetops and up around hills. After Everfree Forest was nothing but a blob on the horizon, she dropped down and traced along the gravely path. She beat her wings faster and faster, and then she curled up at the fork in the road.

Celestia launched herself straight up. She sailed out-- cloud after cloud rushing by her. She nudged her head down and gazed out into the distance. The view of shimmering spires and towering pillars of white marble went right through her eyes and into her heart.

"Lulu..." she said. She slowed down. She shifted around her left wing and then hopped about a set of foggy trails. "Oh, Lulu, I... I understand." I know what you feel. What you think. What you're going through.

She suddenly halted, wings fluttering in place. No... NO. She stared down ahead. The blob of opulent building upon opulent building started to shift out within in her view, and her eyes traced along the various thoroughfares. I... I... She shifted over and then eyed the central market district.

"I don't know what you feel like," Celestia said, "I can't, really, and I never will. It's because it's more than just talking, more than just being with him, more than just his embrace, and more than everything like that. It's..." She looked deep down inside herself. She suddenly started tearing up a little as she sailed down into the town. "It's more than a feeling. You're already a part of him, and he's already a part of you. Nothing should ever, ever change that."

Celestia moved out past a mass of banners into the shopping center. Her eyes danced around those familiar silver-tipped columns stretching everywhere. No, no, no... No. You're talking absolute nonsense. Think about the cold, hard, objective reality. Think about the horrible scandal, the outrage, the little betrayls, and everything else that would happen-- fathering a child out of wedlock!

"Then they shall get married."

Celestia bounced from roof to roof. An ALICORN getting married to an UNICORN? Not to mention: A part of the central ROYAL bloodline diluting herself and her position upon a dork from a backwater city nopony has even heard of? Not to mention: A mare old enough to be a great-grandmother with a colt just barely-- and really barely-- skirting over the age of consent? Not to mention: A marrage half the kingom would riot over!

"Let them riot."

She hopped onto a short, stubby building. She ran her hooves up the coarse grey tiles, and she then leaned upon one of the dozens of gothic spires. You're just over emotional. Keep in mind in mind that although you and your sister may be princesses by birth, you both have moral responsibilities. You both must produce suitable heirs.

"Strawberry's son or daughter will be perfectly suitable."

You both must keep your covenant to the throne. You both must keep yourself in good and proper standing with the public. Is it worth it for a feeble stallion that's life will just be a blip-- like one of those royal roses that you pick, cherish for a little bit, let die, and then throw away forever?

"A rose!"

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Celestia popped into the air. She flapped her wings and then bonked up against the ceiling. Ugh, I thought I had the hang of... Oh, well. She then bounced down upon Luna's bed. The mattress rewarded her with a soft squeak, and then she let out a little giggle. I wonder if Strawberry likes to hear that... She shook her head. Stay focused!

The sun goddess curled over her head, and she magically lifted the little box over her head. Her eyes gazed around the room for a moment. She could feel Luna's soft, caring magic dripping down from every last one of the knickknacks. Celestia knew as well that each of them had a special story to tell. A couple of them flashed right behind her eyes for a moment-- many of them touching both of their hearts in a way that lasted for centuries.

Celestia lifted up the top of the box. She slid the items out, carefully arranged them, and smiled. She ran her eyes along the long, flowing maternal dress from the sparkly light blue silk to the little trails of silver down the neckline. Celestia focused upon the dark pink rose nestled straight atop the silk where the baby bump would be.

She closed her eyes. She took a breath, and then she teleported out of the room. She knew a great lift had came off of her shoulders, and she couldn't feel any happier.

(To Be Continued)