Luminous Atonement

by Metool Bard

Morning Dew

As Princess Luna regained consciousness, she felt a slight nudging against her cheek. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Although her vision was blurry, she could tell that she was no longer in the ruins. When her vision fully returned, she found that she was in bed, and that Discord and Fluttershy were hovering over her while Philomena nuzzled her cheek.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead," said Discord. "About time you decided to wake up. I was this close to drawing a mustache on your face."

"Discord, don't you think she's been through enough?" Fluttershy said as she raised an eyebrow. "Besides, she's only been unconscious for a few hours."

"As a creature of chaos, I get bored easily," said Discord with a shrug. "I would think you of all ponies would know that by now, Fluttershy."

"W-wait. Wait a minute. Morning?" said Luna, still feeling very drowsy. "I-is it really morning?"

"See for yourself," said Discord with a snap of his fingers. The window on the other side of the room removed itself from the wall, carrying the view with it. It floated in front of Luna's face, and sure enough, the sun was shining as brightly as ever. Luna smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, it's all over," said she.

"Yes, Your Highness," said Fluttershy with a nod. "The curse on you has been lifted, and Orthrus has been returned to Tartarus without any complications. I'm so glad that everything is back to normal."

"As am I," said Luna. "I need not worry about my mistakes as Nightmare Moon ever again. Words cannot describe how much relief that brings me."

"Yep, now that mangy mutt of yours is back in Tartarus, permanently this time," said Discord. "I gotta hand it to you, Lunatic. Your little plan worked like a charm. Although I'm still a bit peeved that I had to miss out on all the fun, showing everypony in Equestria your battle with Orthrus was just the thing to get them all back on our side."

"I thought it would," said Luna. "Orthrus wanted to isolate me so that he could break my spirit. I had to fool him into thinking that I was alone when I really wasn't. And honestly, I couldn't have done it without your help. In fact, I don't think I would've gotten half as far as I did if I didn't have you all by my side. Each and every one of you have my thanks."

"And to think you were initially against having me tag along," Discord said teasingly.

"It was, not a problem, Your Highness. I'm flattered, really," said Fluttershy, blushing deeply.

Angel bowed to the lunar princess while Philomena cawed happily.

"Ah, you're awake."

A warm, familiar voice made itself known. Discord and Fluttershy moved to one side as Princess Celestia walked in.

"It's good to see you, Celie," Luna said with a smile.

"You as well," said Celestia. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a bit weak, but I'll be fine," said Luna. "At the very least, the pain is gone."

"That's good to hear," said Celestia. By this point, Luna noticed something about her sister.

"Tia, a-are you crying?" she asked, tilting her head.

Celestia smiled as she looked over to Luna. Indeed, she was very misty-eyed. "Is it really that strange of a sight, Luna?" she said warmly. She then breathed a deep sigh. "I'm just happy to see you safe and sound. I was so worried about you."

Luna gave a sigh of her own. "Tia, I..."

"I know what you're going to say," Celestia said, cutting across her younger sister. "And let me just say that it's a lot more complicated than you think."

"What do you mean?" Luna inquired.

Celestia took a deep breath before responding. "Luna, I have nothing but the utmost confidence in your abilities. And I knew that as long as you didn't give up, you'd pull through. Nevertheless, we were in the dark for almost the entire time. I had no idea what would happen to you while you were out there. It was, quite frightening."

Discord stared blankly at Celestia for a moment. "Hang on, I think I have something in my ear," he said, reaching into his ear with his talon. Sure enough, he pulled out a cupcake. "Huh, how did that get in there? As if I really have to ask." He then threw the cupcake away and turned back to the princess. "Now then, did you just say that you, the pony who prepares for everything and is always one step ahead, were scared?"

Celestia chuckled. "Even I can't prepare for everything, Discord. And even I have my fears," She then turned back to Luna. "While the Furies spread their dark rumors all across Equestria, I was worried that you would start to feel lonely. When I heard from Twilight about your encounter with the timberwolves, I couldn't bear to picture you suffering so badly. I knew that you wouldn't give in that easily, and I had faith in you every step of the way. But even so..."

The great white alicorn trailed off, shedding a few tears. Luna shuffled over and wrapped her forelegs around her older sister.

"I'm sorry I worried you, Celie," she cooed. "But, this was something I had to do. Something I should've done a long time ago."

"I know, Luna. I know," said Celestia, returning the hug. "And I'm very proud of you for all of the courage and strength you showed. But even more than that, I'm glad you're okay. I love you, little sister."

"And I you, Sis," Luna whispered.

As the two alicorns shared a touching moment, Fluttershy smiled warmly.

"Maybe we should leave them alone for a while," she whispered to Discord.

"Agreed," Discord said as they quietly left the room. "I'm not really into that mushy stuff, anyway."

Angel smirked and raised an eyebrow at the draconequus.

"Oh, come on! That bit with the Furies doesn't count!" Discord growled.

Angel shrugged and rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him.

"Now now, you two. There's no need to argue," Fluttershy chided with a giggle.

"Well, at least we're on better terms now," said Discord with a shrug. "Flying through a gauntlet of dragons and teaching that bunny a lesson in humility tends to do that."

"I suppose," said Fluttershy. "Although, I'll thank you not to remind me about the dragons."

"Right, right. Sorry," Discord apologized. He paused for a moment as he continued to walk alongside Fluttershy through the halls of Canterlot Castle. "So, what's next on your agenda, my dear?"

"Well, I think I'll be taking the first train back to Ponyville," Fluttershy answered.

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Discord asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Discord. It's just that I've had enough adventure to last me a while," said Fluttershy. "I just want to get back home and relax. You understand, right?"

"Hmm. Yeah, I see where you're coming from," Discord mused. "But be sure to visit again soon, alright? I certainly enjoy your company. Of course, try to pick a time when one of the monsters of Tartarus doesn't get any bright ideas."

"I'll keep that in mind," Fluttershy chuckled. "Actually, I don't think the next train is scheduled to leave for a while. We can still spend some time together if you want."

"Nothing would make me happier, my dear Fluttershy," said Discord with a smile. "You know, come to think of it, we never did get to finish our little picnic..."