"Luna, what's wrong?"
The mare in question simply hummed and pointedly ignored the other.
"Luna"
This time the tone was more serious, worry evidently lacing her tone.
"Celestia"
Her reply was stiff, cold, and a sense of hostility bellied it all. Cerulean eyes meet magenta, and they both stand their ground.
Tension rises between them and the air around them grows and decreases in temprature. Frost and ice began to build on left side while fire and smoke on the other.
"Luna"
The tone was softer this time, coaxing, calling for something lost.
"Celestia"
It was cold, but not as cold as she had first sounded. Weariness and caution bellied and softned her tone.
"Sister, I can't help you if you refuse to talk"
Silence ensures and the words are left to hang in the air. Cerulean eyes stare into her soul but her expression was blank. She lost
her harsh features and traded it with the husk in front of the Solar Diarch.
A barely repressed sigh escaped from the Solar Diarch and she lowers her gaze to the heated golden plate in front of her, "Please"
The other mare did not speak, pointedly ignoring her. To drive the point home, she levitated a forkful of food from her plate and gracefully shoved it in her mouth, rendering her unable to speak.
"You act like a child" came the exasperated remark from the worn patience of the other mare.
She chews slowly, as if tasting food for the first time.
"Luna, please talk to me"
Her eyes were down and she simply shook her head. A forlorn expression adorning the alabaster mare's.
"Luna, please..I can't loose you again"
She looks up sharply to the white mare, her eyes filled with sorrow and regret.
"Celestia, I came here to eat. Not to reconnect"
She winces at the words, and Luna winces inside as she could feel the guilt and the pain she inflicted on her sister.
"Luna?"
She looks closer to see Celestia trying to stop the tears from falling. A moment of tense silence passes between them before Luna releases a sigh.
"Celestia, I am not the same mare" the words hover between them before she swallows the lump down in her throat "I am still Luna, but I am not the Luna you wish came back"
Celestia remains silent and Luna looks at the silver platter in front of her, looking at her reflection.
"I may be the sister of the same celestial dust and ash, the same who fought and died with you on those battles. But I have changed as well" she pauses, looking away from her reflection "You lost me long ago, Celestia. I am no longer your sister, the one who you cherished and slaved for. She died long ago, when she gave herself up to her own inner daemons"
Silence engulfs them both before the sound of a chair being pushed back and the soft clopping of hooves on the marble floor echoes in the dining hall.
"Luna"
The mare turns around to see Celestia smile at her sadly.
"I love you"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She gasps, and sits up immediately on her bed. The candles flicker and she focuses on them, steadying her racing heart.
The words pound against her head and a splitting headache threatened to form. She cradles her head between her hooves before getting out of the bed and walking to the bathroom to take a bath.
"Princess?" a guard knocked on the door of her room.
"Yes?" she called as she slipped into her regalia.
"Princesses Twilight, Cadence, and Celestia, await you in the library. Princess Sparkle had called for a 'Princess-Get-Together' and had requested your presecence if it was no bother"
'How timely and fortunate' Luna sighs and opens her wings and gives it a shake "Alas, my schedule does not see to it. Please, send my regards to them" she relays.
The guard grunts and gives a salute before quickly making his way down the hall. She sighs before using her magic to change the bed and pillow covers. Once she was satisfied with her work, she slips into the freshly changed covers and relaxes against the soft mattress.
Silence, reigns and the worry and the panic she had found in the dream began to creep back into her mind.
'I'm not the same mare, Celestia' she thought bitterly. She raises her light fore hoof and removes the magic concealing the large scar on it.
She looks at it, running her other hoof across it gently, softly pressing on the wounded flesh. A sigh escapes her lips and she puts the magic on it again before closing her eyes. She opens them again, to glance at the candles, flickering by her bedside and the soft warm glow they provided.
'Home' she thought, lifting her crown with her magic and letting it fall to the side of the bed with a loud 'clang'. She closes her eyes once more and the images of a different life came crashing back.
"You don't have to do this" Celestia stood at the top of the once magnificent temple. Raw, ancient magic stood at the tips of their hooves.
I have to, Celestia. There is no other choice" Luna glanced at her sadly.
Neither spoke as Luna lifted the ancient tome and began chanting. Celestia does nothing to stop her, and Luna pays no mind. Magic and energy flow past the 2 goddesses and for a moment silence reigns. Nothing moves and nothing stirs. One short glance was all they had before Luna disappeared in a flash of light, taking away everything with her.
She opens her eyes and sweat trickles down and her breath becomes labored once again. The silence was deafening, but her heartbeat roared in her pounding head. A quiet cry escapes her lips as she sobs silently into the pillows.
'How can I tell you Celestia? How can I tell you I came from a time where I had nearly killed you and I was a traitor? How can I tell you that the reason why the Elements don't respond to me anymore was because I severed the connection? How can I tell you that the little sister you loved has already died?'