Luna groaned and shook her head, slowly getting her bearings within the dream. She had always been capable of lucid dreaming, but the transition from sleeping to dreaming had been rather jarring as of late, and she couldn't find a suitable explanation for it. Ignoring that fact for the time being, she began to wander about - the Princess of the Night recognized this place, and yet she didn't. No matter how far into her memories she delved, she couldn't figure out just what this place was. It was far too familiar to her to simply be a fluke. She had been here before, but... when? With white marble halls, towering stone pillars, and heavy use of both gold and silk, it simply had to be a castle. But who owned it? Luna heard laughter down one of the hallways and quickly hid herself behind one of the curtains, peeking out from behind the silk as she heard the laughter and hoofsteps grow louder. Upon seeing the source of the sounds, her eyes went wide and she quietly gasped.
"It's... it's me."
Or her as a filly, to be specific. Chasing the filly Luna was a younger Celestia, the elder sibling's mane still a solid pink. Even back then, she had always been larger than Luna, as befitting an older sister. The two fillies chased one another through the halls, and the Princess of the Night quietly watched from the shadows, unable to bring herself to disturb such innocence and joy. She soon realized why she had recognized this place and yet couldn't remember it - this was no doubt one of the memories that had been erased by Night Mare Moon. Yet, even now, it lived on within her dreams. Luna had a second chance to reclaim her past, and she wasn't about to let it slip away. She quietly shadowed the young versions of herself and her sister, observing and remembering all at once. Time and time again, she would attempt to reach out to them, if only to remember those bygone days of care-free bliss and happiness.
"Luna?"
The Princess almost let out a squeal and quickly clamped her hooves over her mouth. A glance over her shoulder revealed a sight she wasn't exactly expecting - her elder sister. "C-celestia?! How did... but..."
"You're not the only one capable of lucid dreaming, little sister. I'll explain how I got here later. What's going on?"
"...It's us, 'Tia. When we were little." The younger sibling drew back the curtain a bit, giving Celestia a peek. "I thought... I thought I had lost this forever."
Celestia blinked at her. "Wait, you... don't remember any of this? Nothing from our childhood?"
Luna slowly shook her head, and Celestia was about to speak but found herself at a loss for words. At the very least, this explained why her sister almost always had such a dour expression since her return - their childhood had been the happiest Luna ever was, and Night Mare Moon had wiped all that away. All that remained now were dreams. The elder sibling watched in silence as her little sister slowly regained all that had been lost to her. The dream had brought the two fillies to the dining hall, where they had begun to eat. Celestia was more fortunate than her sibling, and remembered this - if she was right, this was...
"...hooves off the table, please."
"You never eat your alfalfa." The younger Luna pouted and leaned up on the table, looking her sister in the eye. Reluctantly, the elder sister placed her own alfalfa in her mouth and begrudgingly chewed it, slowly turning to face her little sister. With her forelegs raised above her head, the younger Celestia reared up in her seat and opened her mouth, making the goofiest face she could muster.
"Bleeeeh alfalfa monster!"
Within the shadows, and in-sync with the younger version of herself, Luna whispered the response. "Ewwwww noo." She softly smiled as she watched on, wiping away a single tear that had rolled down her cheek. The Princess followed the dream from room to room, and Celestia simply watched on in silence. Within minutes, years had passed by within the dream, and the two fillies were steadily growing up. One scene had the younger Celestia reading bedtime stories to her sibling, and another featured them frolicking through the forest around their castle. As the years passed on, however, so too did the gap between them begin to grow. The young Luna would often try to play or spend time with her sister, and Celestia would always decline on account of 'Royal Duties'. As painful as it was for her to watch, Luna forced herself to - she needed to.
"'Tia, could you read me a bedtime story?"
"I'm busy, Luna." The younger Celestia glanced over her shoulder. "I wish I had time, but... I'm far too busy."
Though the young Luna seemed hurt by such news, the older Luna was having far more trouble with it. A hoof clamped over her mouth stopped the worst of it, but the tears still rolled down her cheeks. Even Celestia was having difficulty watching. Looking back on it, this was likely one of her greatest regrets in life, and it was something she had always tried to make amends for since her sister's return. Reluctantly, the Princess of the Night continued to watch on as the years passed by once more, and the dream-Luna aged again. Though she was older and was capable of carrying out her own royal duties now, the gap had instead widened further. The younger Luna had hoped that her own aging would have brought them closer, but no such thing ever happened. Instead, she barely saw her own sister, and slowly, it all began to pile up. The happy childhood had lead to an empty and meaningless relationship with her sister, and all her envy, anger, and bitterness began to accumulate. What happened next was something neither Celestia nor Luna wanted to see, but it was necessary - the creation of Night Mare Moon.
At that single moment, the elder sibling finally began to understand all the pain Luna had endured. It hadn't just been envy or anger - it had been a sister's love, spurned by her own sibling. It was the worst kind of pain, to be denied by one's own flesh and blood. Celestia had always been Luna's role model, and the younger sister had always strived to be as powerful, talented, and gracious as her. Such frequent rejection by one's own sibling is not without consequences, and the young Luna soon turned inwards to forge her own path. If she couldn't be like Celestia, Luna would instead become better than her. Night Mare Moon's creation hadn't been Luna's attempt to overthrow her sister - it had been a misguided attempt to mimic her own sister, to be like her and to grow closer to her in the process. It was such a noble and pure goal, and it became something else entirely, all because Luna had wanted to be like her older sister. She simply wanted to be loved.
"I did it for you, 'Tia. It was all supposed to be for you. And it became something monstrous instead." Celestia blinked and looked down. Luna's coat had been stained by her own tears, and even now, she was still crying. "I did it because I wanted you to be proud of me... I just wanted the old days back. I wanted you to love me like you used to."
"Luna, I..." To see things with a different perspective had been shocking and enlightening, and Celestia found herself at a loss for words. For a thousand years, she had thought Night Mare Moon had been her sister's misguided attempt at a kingdom of her own - instead, it had been a misguided attempt at winning back her sister's affection. It had all been for her. Celestia took a seat beside her sister, placing a wing over her as tears of her own began to stream down her cheeks. "I... I didn't know. I'm so sorry, Luna... if I could take back those days, I would. If I could make it right, I would. But... I can't. I've always loved you, though - always. Nothing could ever change that."
She slowly nodded. "I know, 'Tia, it's just that... with mother and father gone, you were all I had left. And when you started to grow distant, I was just... I was scared. I didn't want to lose you too."
Wordlessly, Celestia placed her head atop Luna's, snuggling up against her younger sibling. It was a gesture they had often repeated throughout their childhood, and to the Princess of the Night, it meant the world to her to feel it once more. She hadn't lost Celestia after all.
And then she woke up.
Luna bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath. She rubbed at her face and rolled over to reach for the light, but her hoof bumped into something else. The Princess gave it a few more prods, and it wasn't until after she opened her eyes that she saw just what it was - her own sister. With a gasp, Luna quickly pulled her hoof back. "I'm so sorry, Celestia! I didn't know it was you!"
The elder sibling laughed and turned on the lights for her - her mane, though still billowing, was disheveled. Celestia quite obviously had bedhead, but she was quick to wave a hoof dismissively. "If anypony should be sorry, little sister, it's me. I know all of that was painful for you to watch, but it was just as hard for me. Still, I'm glad you got a part of our childhood back. I know those days meant a lot to you."
Luna slowly nodded and glanced out the window. Her sister had already lowered the sun, and it was time for her to take up her part of the royal duties. "I um... I should get going, 'Tia. I have to raise the moon and all." She slipped out of bed and stepped past Celestia, her elder sibling idly watching as she put on the trappings of royalty. The Princess quickly threw a glance over her shoulder, eying her sister. "You know I forgave you... right?"
"I know you have, I just..." Celestia sighed and lowered her head. "I just wish I had known sooner."
"You're making up for it now, though. That's the important part." Luna smiled and turned, approaching her sister and leaning up to give her a nuzzle. "Go get some sleep, 'Tia. You've been up all day. Just tell me about the dream-walking thing in the morning, okay?"
Celestia smiled and returned the nuzzle. "I'll even get some donuts too, and we'll have breakfast together. Just the two of us."
The Princess of the Night nodded and turned towards the door, stopping in the doorway to turn and face her sister once more. She pondered all that had happened within the dream and looked at her elder sister, a smile upon her face. "I love you, 'Tia. Never forget that."
"I wouldn't dare."
-----
She still wasn't entirely sure why they were going to this 'Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant'. Luna knew it was an annual event, but she hadn't gone last year, and she certainly didn't remember attending any others due to Night Mare Moon's possession. The Princess had read about it, of course - it was among a great many things she had read during her hiatus, and it seemed like a curious event. As the two of them walked through the halls of the castle, the younger sibling looked up at Celestia. "So... why do they put this on again?"
"It's an important tradition, Luna." Celestia briefly glanced down at her before continuing. "All the ponies of Equestria put on this play every year, so they don't forget about everything they've overcome. This land was a very different place before we came here, little sister."
"Right, but... why are we going to be watching in a public booth?"
The question was enough to make Celestia pause, and she stopped in her tracks, turning to eye the young Princess. "Because they're our subjects. We owe it to them to be present for this event."
"That's... not quite what I meant, 'Tia." Luna sighed and glanced about before looking up at her sister. "This is their play. Their moment. If we show up to watch, all the attention is going to be shifted to us."
Celestia blinked. Despite all her years, she had never really considered that. "I'm listening. I know you have a plan, Luna - you always do. So let's hear it."
"I guess what I'm trying to say is... we still watch, but we do so from a private spot. As long as we don't announce our arrival, we should be fine. I just want the other ponies to have their moment to shine."
"Interesting..." The elder sister idly tapped a hoof to her chin as she thought it over. "It's uncanny how much common sense you have sometimes. It reminds me of mother a little bit. Still, I see no harm in your plan. I'll inform the royal guards, and then we'll find somewhere quiet to watch. You're aware of who's performing this year, yes?"
Luna grinned sheepishly. It was something she was supposed to have looked over, and she had neglected it in favor of more drawings and paintings. "Um... no?"
Celestia briefly raised an eyebrow before continuing. "The Bearers of the Elements are performing the main roles. I thought it was fitting, considering everything they've done for Equestria. Besides, you've met most of them already, right?"
"Eh... kinda? I've only really talked with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. The others were very brief meetings." She thought back to her visit during Night Mare Night, and they had been very brief meetings indeed. Though she had talked with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack for quite a while, she had barely even seen the others. The few moments Fluttershy had spent with Luna had been moments of absolute terror, and the yellow pegasus hardly even said a word to her. The pink earth pony, Pinkie Pie, fled from the Princess of the Night almost every time they met, though her fear ended up being much less genuine than Fluttershy's. Rainbow Dash, the cyan pegasus, had only been seen once or twice throughout the entire night, and Luna hadn't seen the white unicorn at all - she was almost positive her name was Rarity, though.
Celestia noticed how her sister was lost in thought and gently coughed, snapping her sibling back to reality. "I'm going to go inform the guards of our change of plans. Go ahead and find us a seat, Luna. I'll catch up." The younger sibling nodded and dove down a side passage as her sister departed, weaving in and out of the corridors. She knew these halls well, and she had the perfect spot in mind. It was one she sometimes went to during her break, a spot where she could draw her sister from a distance without the elder sibling even being aware. After finding the proper staircase, Luna carefully made her way up the spiral steps leading to the rafters, and the little balcony up there would do perfectly. It was her own little haven of sorts - few of the castle staff ever made their way up here, and the space was typically just used as storage. Upon reaching the top, the Princess was thankful to see that there would be enough room for both her and her sister. She took a seat upon the wood floor and peered out over the railing at the stage below. It sounded awful silly, but she was actually somewhat excited that she would get to see the Elements and their respective Bearers once more. The sound of hoofsteps behind her signaled Celestia's arrival, and Luna turned to watch as her sister took a seat beside her.
"I haven't been up here in ages, Luna."
"I know. That's why I like coming up here." She smiled and looked down at the crowd below - there must have been hundreds of ponies, maybe even more. "Nopony ever comes up here, so it's pretty quiet." As Spike took the stage, Luna eagerly inched forward and looked down below. She had always loved Equestrian history, and regardless of whether it was a play or not, she wanted to enjoy this. Though her elder sister had seen this play countless times before, Luna didn't remember any of it, and so it was something new for her. She watched with wide eyes and a keen interest as she heard the tale surrounding Equestria's creation, and of the squabbles and arguments between Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, and Chancellor Puddinghead. It seemed like an awfully unfair system, especially to the earth ponies, and Luna certainly didn't understand why they would pick fights during such a terrible storm and food shortage. "Did they all used to fight that much, 'Tia?"
Celestia was enjoying the play far more than usual and casually looked over at her sister before returning her focus back to the stage. "From what I've read, yes. Rather unfortunate, but things sorted themselves out. Everything has a balancing element."
"Balancing element?" She raised an eyebrow at that, but quickly looked back to the play after several directing gestures by her sibling. Celestia had done well in casting each of the parts - even though all six of the mares were staying true to their respective characters, they were still being themselves at the same time, and they each had another to balance themselves out. Private Pansy, Clover the Clever, and Smart Cookie were simply advisors to their respective leaders, and though they all tried to encourage their superiors to approach things with an open mind, all attempts failed. Even after taking shelter in a cave to escape from the encroaching blizzard, the three leaders felt it necessary to continue to fight amongst themselves. It was only after the three leaders were frozen solid that their advisors realized the error of their ways. Their own fighting and hatred for one another had caught the attention of windigos, and in doing so, they had brought the storm upon themselves. Together, the three ponies set aside their differences and, through tales and songs, they forged a new friendship. With the flames of friendship burning within each of them, their leaders soon thawed and looked upon one another in a new light, and together they founded Equestria. As the curtain closed and the cast took their final bow, the Princess of the Night found herself clapping and whistling alongside the rest of the crowd, and Celestia softly smiled as she watched her sibling. There was still much of it Luna didn't quite get, particularly that cumbersome exchange system they had used, but it had nonetheless been an enjoyable history lesson for her. "Celestia, why did the flag at the very end have us on it? We weren't around yet for any of this."
The elder sibling giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Call it artistic liberty, I suppose. We don't know much about what Equestria's flag looked like back then, so we had to use the current one instead. You don't mind or anything, do you?"
"No, I just thought it was... odd." Luna stood up from her seat and made for the stairs, and Celestia followed suit. "I still don't understand why they would use such a horrid trade system. I mean, honestly! Forcing the earth ponies to give their food to both the pegasi and unicorns, when it's the earth ponies that do most of the work? It hardly seems fair."
"It wasn't fair, little sister. What they had back then was a fragile peace, and each group of ponies was really just looking out for itself. They all needed one another, though."
"True." It still seemed odd to her, and was certainly something she would have to look up in the Canterlot Library the next time she got the chance. As she made her way down the stairs, it dawned on her that Hearth's Warming was the very next day, and she hadn't gotten anything for Celestia yet. "Hey 'Tia, I uh... need to go finish something up. Yes. That. I'll see you later!"
Celestia grinned and shook her head, waving at her sister as she ran off. "You procrastinated again, didn't you?"
The pounding echo of Luna's hoofsteps off the castle walls was a 'Yes'.
-----
It had taken a bit of effort, but she had managed to tie her mane back once more, and she was painting as fast as her mouth could manage. Luna already knew what she wanted to paint - her dreams had partially inspired her, and she was in the middle of painting both herself and Celestia when they were fillies. It was more difficult than she initially thought it would be, especially because all she had for references were her own dreams and memories. Hours passed, and the young Princess continued to work on the painting, stopping only for naps, food, and bathroom breaks. She wanted it to be perfect. It needed to be perfect. After all, this was a Hearth's Warming gift to her own sister. From the colors of their manes, to the background itself, Luna made sure to pay the utmost attention to detail. Even after raising the moon and taking up her part of the royal duties, she had one of her guards bring her art supplies out to her, simply so she could continue to work on it. It was a peculiar sight for most of them - for starters, Luna had her mane tied back in a ponytail, something that was almost never seen amongst royalty. And though she often talked with her guardsmen during the nights, they didn't know much about her artistic side. To see her actually work on something was new, and some of them would watch her paint while they were on break.
"How long have you been painting, Princess L-"
"Please. Just 'Luna'. You've been in my service long enough to know that I don't care much for the title."
"Oh, uh... right. Well, how long have you been painting, Luna?"
She glanced over at the guard and grinned, shaking her head. He was still one of the 'newbloods' within her group of royal guards, but she still felt they all deserved to simply call her by name. Formalities were bothersome when you simply wanted somepony to talk to. "A couple of months, give or take. It started out as just something to pass the time while I was on medical leave, but I have to admit that it's grown on me."
"Just a few months?" The stallion let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "You paint better than some of the fancy schmancy artists that always get put up in the galleries."
"I appreciate the compliment, sir." She continued her work, briefly looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "I've been approached by some of the galleries a few times, but I've declined them every time. I'm just not interested in that sort of thing. Though... I do have to ask. Just how do you know about these 'fancy schmancy artists' that get put up in the galleries?"
He blinked and stammered momentarily before regaining his composure. "I've just... overheard it from some of the nobles, is all. I wouldn't actually go to the galleries or anything."
"Worried about your masculinity?" Luna set down the paint brush and inspected the canvas - it seemed nearly complete. Just a few more details and it would be done. "What you do during your free time is of no concern to me, guardsman. I'm simply curious about how you heard of these other artists. Are you still sticking to your 'overhearing the nobles' story?"
"...No, ma'am."
"Good. You'll find that telling the truth when around myself and my sister is much easier than simply trying to save face. It often works to your benefit to be honest too." She giggled and picked up the paint brush once more, quickly adding the final few details. Satisfied, she set the brush down again and leaned back on the throne, eying her work. As far as she was concerned, it lived up to her standards of perfection, and she knew Celestia would love it. She directed one of her guards to carefully return the painting and her supplies to her room, and asked another to bring her a deck of cards.
"Cards, ma'am?"
"Yes, cards. Playing cards. I didn't stutter, did I?" Luna narrowed her eyes as the guardsman, and he quickly gave her a salute back before racing off to retrieve the deck for her. He soon returned, galloping back and setting the deck of cards at her hooves. Smiling, the young Princess picked up the deck with her magic and began to shuffle the cards. "I'm sure most of you find guard duty to be dreadfully boring, so I'll be starting a game of 'Go Fish' shortly. Join in if you want."
Quietly, some of the guards began to gather around in a circle, though others remained at their posts. Luna finished shuffling the deck and quickly dealt them their cards, placing what was left in the middle. She quickly picked up her own hand, eying it briefly before looking to her left. "Do you have any fives?"
The guardsman groaned and slowly nodded, passing the card over to the Princess. "...yeah."
Things would not go well for the rest of the guards.
-----
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Luna."
"And happy Hearth's Warming to you, 'Tia." They had already eaten breakfast together - not surprisingly, donuts - and had proceeded on to the gift-giving itself. They had always kept things very low-key, but both of them preferred it to be this way. It was nice to simply get away from the politics and the others, if only so they could spend time with one another. The two sisters only had one gift for one another, but being around for several thousand years typically shortened wish-lists by a fairly large margin. Luna chose to unwrap her gift first, levitating the package with her magic and carefully eying it before tearing the paper off of it. Inside the gift was a scarf, and with the winter cap she had gotten last year, it was a perfect combination. Curiously enough, the scarf was adorned with her sister's cutie mark, as well as sharing many of the alicorn's colors - though most of the scarf was white, the scarf also sported cyan, turquoise, azure, and pink stripes.
Celestia giggled and leaned over towards her younger sister. "You look awfully confused, little sister. I remembered when you said you were afraid of losing me, so I had that made. Now you really won't lose me!"
The Princess of the Night rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide the grin or laugh that rose up after she heard what her sister said. Luna quickly threw it around her neck, smiling as she looked at it, and she leaned over to give her elder sibling a nuzzle. "Thank you, 'Tia. It's your turn now."
The elder sister nodded and picked up the gift her sister had wrapped, carefully pulling the paper off it with her magic. Upon seeing the canvas underneath, she carefully set it down on the floor, smiling as she looked over Luna's hard work. "...us as fillies. I think I know where you got the inspiration for that."
Luna grinned and nodded. "I spent the latter half of yesterday and most of the night working on it. I wanted to make sure it was perfect."
"Well, you certainly succeeded. It's beautiful." Celestia smiled and leaned over, giving her younger sister a quick nuzzle. "I'll be sure it goes over the fireplace in my room. Thank you, Luna."
"You're welcome, Celestia." Luna returned the smile and idly drummed her hooves on the floor. "Sooo, since we finished the presents, what do we do now?"
Celestia smiled mischievously and turned to face her sister. "There's another present, actually - and a guest."
The young Princess blinked at that. "...a guest? Who is it?"
"Oh, you two have met already." With the smile still upon her face, Celestia turned towards the doorway. Standing in it was Twilight Sparkle, a present of her own bobbing up and down behind her. The lavender mare strode into the room, smiling up at both Celestia and Luna as she approached them.
Luna wasn't quite sure what to make of this turn of events, and she was quick to ask the question that was most prevalent in her mind. "Twilight Sparkle? But... I thought you went back to Ponyville after the Hearth's Warming Eve play?"
"Oh, no. I'm going back in a couple of days. My parents are both still here in Canterlot, so I thought I'd stay a while and spend some time with them." It seemed that, regardless of the situation, the unicorn always stayed as friendly as always. Such warmth and openness had been well-appreciated during Luna's visit on Night Mare Night, and this was no exception. "I'm here because... well, because Princess Celestia asked me to come. She said that you never really got gifts, so I thought I'd get you one!"
The Princess of the Night blinked, eying both Twilight Sparkle and the gift before looking back at her. Now that Twilight mentioned it, Luna couldn't remember if she had ever gotten a gift from anypony besides her parents or her sister. The unicorn carefully sent the gift floating through the air, and the young Princess gently took it from her, holding the package in front of herself with her own magic. She began to slowly unwrap it, and both Celestia and Twilight eagerly watched on. Underneath the paper was a book, and though it was certainly something Luna enjoyed, this one looked different. The lettering was far too practiced, far too careful.
Twilight Sparkle smiled and looked away from Luna. "I um... I wrote that myself. Did the binding and everything else too. It's just an astronomy compendium - stars, constellations, planets, other noteworthy stuff. I had to use some of your notes for it, but... I thought you'd like it."
Luna looked down at Twilight before returning to the book, gently running a hoof over the cover. She opened it and began to flip through the pages, each and every one of them filled with descriptions or pictures of some sort. Twilight Sparkle had willingly made this - for her. And on a subject she loved dearly, no less. "I... I'm not sure what to say. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. This... it means a lot to me." She carefully set the tome down and walked over to the unicorn, leaning down to give her a nuzzle of her own.
"You're welcome, Princess Luna."
The young Princess stood back up and smiled down at Twilight Sparkle. "Please... just call me 'Luna'. You, of all ponies, have earned that right."
"Well then, you're quite welcome, Luna!" Twilight smiled and nodded, eliciting a smile from both of the Princesses. Since her return, Luna's time within Equestria had been a bit odd. But after everything she had learned and gained along the way?
It had been so very worth it.