Silence fell over the two Princesses as Luna’s sobs faded. Twilight had been shocked at the news, of course. The mere idea of ether of the Royal Sisters having children of their own was something she doubted she would ever see. They were so far detatched from average life in equestria. Their duties kept them busy and their nature as selfless leaders meant that they naturally could never have time for relationships. Not to mention the inevitable fear of falling in love, only to watch your lover grow old and die as you continue living. There were so many reasons why the Princesses didn’t mingle on that particular level of relationship and Twilight had never imagined something like this ever happening. And yet, here they were. 

“I’m scared, Twilight.” Luna began, the crack in her voice fading. “I could solve this with little effort, I know, but… I don’t know… It would help. It would be the smart thing to do. But… just the thought of being- being a mother, a true mother, to another pony… I’m scared to say that… I like the thought.” The tiniest of smiles pulled at the corners of her mouth. “I never wanted foals when I was younger and I never even gave the idea proper thought when I grew older, but now that it’s here… there’s a part of me that wants this.”

“Then, why are you scared?”

“I’m scared because I want this, Twilight.” Luna’s eyes locked onto the purple pony, begging her to understand. “If I allow this mistake to run its course, things will never be the same again. Things… life can’t be the same. We won’t just be able to ignore it and move on. I’ll have to devote so much time in my already busy life, to one individual instead of tending to my subjects. I’d be failing my people for my own selfish reasons. Discord would be no help. The dolt has been avoiding me like a plague since I told him and I doubt he would ever consider doing any of the actual work that goes into raising a foal. And Tia… I can’t. I could never ask her to help with this. I can’t spit in her face like that. I know she’s forgiven me, but the hurt on her face is still so clear when we cross paths. I’ve wronged her and I wouldn’t dare of putting any of the resulting burden on her shoulders.” she sighed. “And that isn’t even taking into account the political aspect of all this or the interacial aspect. I don’t even know if this child will be a pony. Will it even survive? And if it does, it will no doubt face a lifetime of prejiduce and hate from peers. Do I really have such a selfish heart that I would condemn another to such cruelty just so that I could… be a mother?”

Twilight stood, walked over to Luna, and wrapped her wing around the Princess. “Luna, I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through.” She sat, so that she was at eye level. “But I know you’re not being nearly as selfish as you may think. Your first thought in all this was for your subjects and their well being. The fact that you are so concerned for them, shows that you are quite the opposite and I’m sure that most ponies would agree with me. No matter what you chose, there will be those who disagree. But I know you’ve helped hundreds of ponies and walked with them in their dreams. You’ve protected them and given them hope and guidance in a way only you can. I think those ponies would be thrilled to hear of something like this. They’d be happy for you. You can’t please everyone. But if this is truly something you want in your life, then don’t let it slip by. You’re not obligated to interact with your subjects like you do. Celestia couldn’t watch over the dream realm while you were in the moon and most of us fared alright. Besides, it’s not like you’d be giving up your duties entirely. Even now, you can’t possibly visit every nightmare in Equestria. You’re the only one who’s going to notice the numbers here.”

Luna blinked and took a moment to think. She wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, but it did make sense. “I suppose you have a point. Still, even if this is something I want, I’m not foolish enough to think I can manage it on my own.”

Twilight rested a hoof on Luna’s arm. “If you’re looking for help, I’m more than happy to offer my time.”

Luna blushed. “No, Twilight. I-I couldn’t-”

“Luna, really. It’s no trouble.” 

“I didn’t mean to put my problems on your shoulders. This isn’t- I should go.” The Princess hastily got to her feet and began to walk towards a nearby window.

“Luna stop!” Twilight raced after her, stepping in front of the older mare and blocking her path. “Luna, you didn’t ask me to do this. This isn’t my duty or my job. I’m offering to help you because I want to.” 

Luna stared in silence. 

“I’m chosing to devote time to this because I want to. If you decide to see this through, I want you to know that you have someone you can rely on when times are tough or when you just need a day to rest.” Twilight rested her hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “I’m here for you, Luna. And if you decide to not have this foal I will still be here for you. I will always make time for you.”

Tears pricked at Luna’s eyes once again. She was silent at first, unsure of what to say. Doubts and thoughts and fears raced through her mind. All the ways that this could go wrong, all the ponies that would suffer from this… and yet, those same fears didn’t seem as threatening as they did earlier that night. Maybe Twilight had a point. Maybe… just maybe, this was possible. The princess lowered her head and wiped her eyes. 

“You are too kind, Twilight Sparkle.” 

Twilight stepped forward and wrapped the Princess in a hug. Luna returned the gesture. All at once, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. There were still fears and doubts, but not nearly as many. It was a releif. 

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Twilight said, pulling back. “Just take care of yourself. Do what you think is best for you. I’ll be here, no matter what you decide.“

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Had this image on the back burner for months. The OG sketch was a total mess and the redraws just didn’t turn out right, so it kept getting put off. Finally though, finally I got it done. 

So, here we are. The next bit of the story of how Prince Noctus came to be. 

These two are so cute to me and honestly I can’t imagine Luna with anyone else based on the canon alone. Twilight’s the only one who has really paid attention to Luna and gone out of her way to help her out and make her feel welcome, wanted and listen to her struggles. And, in return, Luna doesn’t just see Twilight as a bookworm, but a friend on whom she can rely when things go south. Their relationship, if allowed to grow past the canon, is one that would be healthy and allow both parties to grow and become better.

It is a good ship. 

Fen/Noctus © 

MLP: FIM © Hasbro and Lauren Faust