The Nightmare’s presence retreated into the far reaches of Luna’s mind, just as she had commanded. It sat there, an aura of smugness surrounding it as it observed the effects of its actions.
A slow smile filled with sharp, black teeth crept across the Nightmare’s face. It saw Luna fall to the ground, and it cackled softly with joy as Luna started to cry. Her feelings of pain, sadness, and emptiness all filled the Nightmare with pleasure.
The Nightmare moved down farther, finding a comfortable place within the subconsciousness of Luna’s mind, and settled down for the long run of its plan.
“And the game begins . . .”
Luna lay on the ground as the last of her tears slid down her face. Her eyes were still closed.
What is the use? Luna thought. I might as well wither away for another thousand years . . .
Luna, things have changed, she remembered Celestia say, her picturesque smile splitting her face. But could she truly believe that? She didn’t know.
Her eyes finally opened to the thatched roof, and she found herself shivering gently. It was cold.. Luna slowly eased herself onto all fours and opened her wings for a stretch before closing them once again against her body. She brought a hoof up to her face to dry what little tears remained. Finally, Luna took a deep breath. She held it in for a second before releasing it, ease finally cascading over her body.
She looked up to her twinkling sky. It’s almost time to lower the moon. A quick glance to the distant castle towers inspired a sigh.
“Back to the start, I suppose,” she muttered before spreading out her wings, beating them down, and slowly rising into the sky.
Luna barely glanced at the city below her as she flew towards her tower. She landed on her balcony. Her eyes were half-lidded as she slowly made her way to the door and pushed it open; it swung inward with nary a sound.
The room was left in the pristine condition she left it in. She didn’t even think about Celestia, instead making for her bed. She collapsed onto the ocean of purple silk and rested her head on her hooves, her eyes barely focusing on the pillows in front of her.
She closed her eyes, giving them a moment's reprieve from the night. She started to think about the past, before she made her the mistake, back to when life was simply laughing and playing as a foal.
Luna remembered the happy times with her sister, their smiling faces and loving laughs as they bounced around on their beds. She remembered the bad times, when her sister was there to hug her and dry her tears after a nightmare.
She wanted that Celestia. She wanted the sister she remembered from childhood, not the deluded image she had developed due to the Nightmare’s influence.
She felt her magic well deep within her start to swirl a bit. With a sigh, she opened her eyes once again, then moved off the bed to return to her balcony. It was time to lower the moon, she knew; the sun was always impatient. Bowing her head downward, she charged her magic into her horn, her dark blue aura engulfing it. She could feel the connection being made with the lunar body; she was now in full control. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forced even more magic into her spell, struggling a bit through clenched teeth.
Slowly, the moon lowered in the sky, the blue light slowly being replaced by the purple-orange light of the morning sunrise. It seems that Celestia has awoken, she thought to herself before finally finishing her spell. She let out her breath, breathing hard.
The Nightmare has held me back from using my own power for far too long, she thought.
Luna turned around, going through the balcony door once again. She crossed the lightly sunlit room to her bed and laid down on it with a comfortable sigh. Celestia knew that Luna would be staying up late—as she always did—so she scheduled their meeting at two o’clock. That would give her enough time to get her much needed rest after that Heavens-forsaken night.
Luna gently slipped under the covers of her bed, curling up comfortably underneath and digging her head into her pillow. A small smile graced her face as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
The sun shone down upon the Canterlot parade grounds, giving much-needed warmth to the city. Winter had just been wrapped up, and the ponies of Canterlot were ready for a change of scenery and weather.
Luna ran past the stalls as fast as her little legs could carry her, a wide smile adorning her face. Her wide, excited eyes were set on one building in particular—a rather large building crafted with white stone, supported by four large columns in the front. The ecstatic filly didn’t know what it was, but she knew it was important.
And that her sister was there.
She continued running until she reached the main streets of Canterlot, the grass of the parade ground suddenly transitioning to cobblestone. The building still loomed over her, almost taunting her with both its distance and its size.
Oh, I can’t wait to see her! the dark blue filly thought with glee. After what seemed like hours, she finally reached the stairs to the building. She stopped with a skid at the first step and stared up at the mountain of granite steps. With a huff, she charged up them as well.
She was determined to see her sister. Nothing could stop her.
Unfortunately, a large, ornately carved oaken door did stop her. After surmounting the mountain of steps, she stopped at the door. She arched her neck up at the door with wide eyes at its height.
“How am I supposed to open that?” she said out loud, moving slowly to the wooden wall. The portal suddenly opened, making Luna jump back. Out stepped a white leg, followed then by a white body.
“'Tia!” Luna shouted, running up to give her sister a big hug. She jumped at her, tackling Celestia to the ground in a flurry of hooves and gentle laughter.
Celestia wasn’t laughing.
“Luna, why must you insist on jumping at me and then tackling me to the ground upon every meeting?” Celestia said, sighing as she slowly pushed against Luna to release herself from her iron grip.
“But 'Tia, we never spend time together anymore,” Luna said, looking up to Celestia with pleading eyes..
Celestia stood and brushed herself off with a hoof, then said, “I understand, but my priorities are on ascending to the throne, as father wishes. I must learn the basics of Equestrian law before I can rule.”
“But 'Ti—”
“But nothing, Luna,” Celestia said, waving her hoof. “We have been over this before. This is important to me, and I need to focus. When I have completed my studies, then we can return to how things once were. Until then, you will have to find something or somepony else to bide your time with.”
With that, Celestia walked past Luna, descending the steps at a brisk pace.
“I shall return home after I go to the library to pick up some books on Equestrian economics,” Celestia said without turning her head. “Don’t wait for me, please.”
Luna watched her go down the steps and take a right down another cobblestone road. She hung her head before finally sitting down. She knew that she would one day undergo the same things her sister was doing now, but that was the future, something that she avoided thinking about. She just wanted to have her sister back.
She never had her sister. She was always alone.
You don’t have to be.
Luna looked up and swiveled her head around.
I can be here for you when your sister is not.
Luna twirled around in a frantic circle. The voice sounded oddly familiar . . .
“Who are you? Where are you?” Luna asked the air.
I am you.
Luna frowned. “But I’m me. How can you be me?”
We are both the same. And I can help you.
”Help me with what?”
You need me, and I need you. Without each other, we are nothing. You don’t want to be alone, and I don’t either. We can become friends.
Luna’s face contorted even further with confusion. “But I have ‘Tia, even though she is never around. . . .”
She is never around, and she never treats you like a sister. What has she taught you? What has she done for you? All she brings is heartbreak and broken dreams.
Now, Luna’s face twisted from confusion into anger. “She may not be there, but my sister is not a bad pony!”
Don’t worry. In time, you will see. But for now, do you accept my friendship?
The tone in the voice had changed. It still sounded like her, but she felt . . . different from listening to it. A desire to be friends with this voice and to hear more of what it had to say filled her. It was a warm feeling, that of trust—a trust that was built on years of interaction, like old friends trust each other.
And she wanted that warm feeling.
Almost subconsciously, she said, “Sure, we can be friends.”
Great! Don’t worry, Luna. We’ll be the best of friends!
Blind with the bliss of the voice, Luna walked down the steps toward the cobblestone road that led back home.
And we’ll do great things. . . .
Princess Luna woke with a start, jolting up from her sleeping position, breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide, like she had just been through Tartarus and back, though she soon squinted to see through the light shining in from the balcony window. It took her a second to finally grasp her surroundings, seeing that she was back in her room in Canterlot, the future Canterlot. No, the present Canterlot.
She slowly regained control of her breathing, easing back on the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins.
That had been the first time she had dreamt about her past in a long time. In fact, it was the first time she had dreamt of anything. Even during the first week, she had never had a single dream.
Yet now she had had one.
She didn’t have enough time to ponder the meaning before her bedroom door burst open, Celestia bursting in with a wide smile.
“Luna, it’s time to wake up!”
With a sigh, Luna pulled herself out of her bed and walked over to Celestia, steeling herself for the impending skeleton-crushing hug she would be receiving. However, it was a gentle hug, both warm and inviting, something she pushed into.
“Did you sleep well?” Celestia asked, parting from Luna
“As much as We could manage,” Luna muttered.
Celestia gave her a concerned look.
“Do not mistake Our tone," Luna said. "We simply fell asleep at an unreasonable hour.”
A smile crept along Celestia’s face. “I think this is a good sign. You always stay up late when you’re comfortable with your surroundings.”
I feel less comfortable here than I ever have, she thought even as she put on a brave smile. “That could be a plausible conclusion indeed,” Luna stated. She averted her eyes, not wishing to meet her sister’s gaze.
If Celestia had noticed this gesture, she gave no inclination. “So, I decided that the best place to have our little lesson would be in the gardens. They are secluded and simply beautiful this time of year,” Celestia said with a little vibrato, looking to Luna with eager eyes. “What do you think about that?”
“We see not why there would be a problem with this.”
The white alicorn nearly danced in place, a behaviour which brought a look of bemusement to Luna’s face before her lips tugged into an amused smirk. She used to be like this when we were foals. Maybe . . . maybe things will work out.
Celestia smiled. “I already have a table ready for us, with your favourite tea and scones.”
“That is quite a lot to do for just a simple lesson,” Luna mused, her face staying the same, though the barest hints of a smile etched the sides of her mouth.
“I thought that having the nicest atmosphere possible would make the ‘lesson’ more like a lovely afternoon conversation.”
Luna smiled, a real smile. “Sister, We thank thee for this. We are glad to be back . . . be back home, to be back here with you.”
Celestia gave her a smile in earnest. “I am glad that you are back as well. It has been too long. Far too long.” Celestia reached a foreleg forwards, wrapping Luna in a tight embrace, with Luna’s face buried in Celestia’s coat.
Luna felt warm. In fact, she felt far warmer than she had felt in a long time. It was not the simple warmth gained from sitting by a fireplace during a cold winter night but the warmth of another pony who loved her dearly. It was the warmth of acceptance. It was the warmth of joy.
It was the warmth of family, of not being alone.
Luna closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into the hug. She could stay like this for a thousand years. But it was cut short as Celestia pulled away, much to Luna’s disappointment. As Celestia pulled back, she—for the barest of instances—rubbed her hoof across her eyes.
A mischievous grin split across Luna’s face. “Wert thou crying?”
Celestia went rigid, before a red blush sizzled across her face. “No! I just . . . had something in my eye, that’s all.”
“Dear sister, we both know that is cliché.”
“Let’s . . . just hurry on down to the garden! Come, come!”
With that, Celestia swung open the door, and hurried through it at a brisk pace, as if she were running from something. Luna could only grin before following her sister down the hallway to the staircase awaiting her.
Things might be just fine.
The afternoon sun emblazoned the landscape of the garden with a brilliant light, providing warmth for the animals scurrying about the grass or climbing up the trees. Birds fluttered by, dancing from tree to tree in a game of tag.
Some birds took up stances on the arches covered in twisting vines with fully bloomed roses. They looked solemnly at the scene about them, using their position as a place of rest from the frothing activity about.
It was the absolute greatest place there could be for any outdoor activity.
Two alicorns walked through the rose-ladened arch, making small talk about the past.
“Due to necessity, I had to expand the power of the nobles to take care of some of the duties you had previous to your . . . leave,” the white alicorn said. “Many remembered their tribal government structures, so assimilating them to our style was not too difficult. In the end, they offered quite a lot of help for the first half-century.”
Luna gave a nod of understanding, continuing their walk to the table straight ahead. As Celestia had previously promised, there was indeed tea. It was placed on a silver tray with two tea cups sitting nearby on small saucers. A second glimmering silver tray sat next to it, with the promised scones. When they came closer, she noticed they were strawberry, specks of red poking out of the cake delight, and lightly covered in icing.
“Well, we can hold off on the conversation about the past for now,” Celestia said, sitting down on a side of the table adjacent to Luna. “For now, let’s enjoy some tea.”
Luna stopped drooling over the scones enough to take notice of the tea being offered to her in Celestia’s yellow, magical grasp. With a quick transfer, it was enveloped in sparkling dark blue before meeting her lips.
Luna savoured the flowery taste as it relaxed her body. The sense of ease that she had missed returned to her, allowing her to release a contented sigh as she returned the cup to the table.
“You always did like your tea straight,” Celestia said with a smile, dipping sugar and honey in her tea with a spoon held by her magic, mixing it around with ease. “Even after all this time, I cannot understand how you can stand it.”
“We have never believed in artificially making drinks taste better,” Luna said coolly. “We find that the most flavourful drinks are the ones made as they were meant to be.”
Luna then pointed her head to the tray of scones, levitated one over, then took a small bite out of it. She swallowed before saying, “Of course, that does not apply to vittles.” Together, they let out a hearty laugh. It had been a long time since they had had a conversation such as this: laughing and enjoying each other’s company as a family should.
Luna couldn’t stop smiling as she continued to eat her scone. Celestia challenged that smile with one of her own, her face almost ironically emanating a brilliant glow. It was a glow that she had last seen a millennium ago.
Celestia and Luna finished up the remaining scones with haste, mainly due to Luna scarfing them down, with Celestia in tow trying to compete with her. They finally settled down to begin the lesson, both with fresh tea that had recently been delivered upon Celestia’s request.
“All right, where were we?” Celestia asked, taking a sip of her tea. “The nobles were extremely helpful during my time of . . . weakness due to recent events. They were what got me through it all in one piece. It was actually due to this that I kept the capital here in Canterlot and didn’t move it to some of the more populous areas.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t have them work for me forever. I felt guilty that I relied on them for fifty years to run Canterlot and the whole of Equestria. So, I took complete power, or at least in name. This would cause a lot of anger towards me, as the nobles had started to get used to having that much power in their hooves. It took months of negotiation to finally come to a settlement that benefited both sides.”
“And what of the peasants?” Luna asked. “Did they have a say in these matters?”
“No, they did not. This was a term of the agreement that the peasants be kept out of the agreement of power,” Celestia answered, taking a sip of her tea once more.
“We . . . do not understand. The peasants were an invaluable asset to Equestria. Without them, there would be no crops and no weather control. Why would you agree to such terms?” Luna’s voice took on an edge of astonishment, slowly flowing into anger.
Celestia hesitated at Luna’s question. “It was . . . a moment of weakness on my part.”
Luna’s face went blank with confusion. “Sister, you cannot seriously consider that a reasonable excuse.”
Celestia gave a forlorn look at her cup of tea. “It isn’t, and neither is the excuse that everypony makes mistakes. Unfortunately, we all must live with our failures and hope to learn from them.”
Celestia sighed, then gazed up at her brilliant sun. “I just hope that I have learned from them.”
Luna’s stomach balled up, and she looked at a nearby tree. “S-shall we continue?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Celestia said. She then took a sip of her tea. “The peasants were obviously not pleased with my decision, but they did not outwardly protest. It was for the best, in the end.
“For decades, this would continue. The peasants would not protest more because the nobles were benevolent with their new power. Therefore, they had no qualms with this change. Unfortunately, this would not last. One family of nobles spiraled out of control with their power. It was a slow process, and therefore I was unable to notice it. They condemned the houses of the peasants for supposed treason by going against their word.
“As you know, this was unacceptable. Unfortunately . . . I did not know that at the time. They had lied to me, and used treason as a way to get rid of them. Treason is a hefty crime, and this is part of why I did not listen to the pleas of the guilty. Many thought treason deserved the death penalty. I suppose the only good that came out of my stupidity at the time was to not use it, and instead banish them.”
Luna listened intently at her retelling of the history. She knew that the times had changed, and that the nobles had changed with them, but finding the cause of it was . . . astonishing.
What could have led them to do such a thing? Luna thought.
“The peasants then decided to protest after the accused were banished from Canterlot. As you can imagine, the nobles did not take it lightly. Those that were corrupt fought the hardest, and due to their propaganda that said the peasants wanted to overthrow them, they gained fast support. Of course, the peasants did not let up. But this would be the beginning of the end of the peasantry in Canterlot.”
Celestia took a sip of her tea while Luna asked, “Indeed, I know of this. But what of the nobility? How did they react to this mass exodus?”
“They saw it as a victory on their part, but they were too blind to see the effects this would have on Canterlot. The majority of the workforce left to find better opportunities elsewhere, which would spawn the east coast cities. It would be another few decades before I took notice of their prosperity and tried to initiate taxes on them. They had yet to declare sovereignty, therefore I considered them a part of Equestria. Surprisingly, they were still a part of Equestria, or at least considered themselves to be. I still taxed them, but it was after this that I started to take a look at how I had treated the peasants. They were true citizens of Equestria, able to forgive my stupidity for the better of the country.
“Unfortunately, the war would begin soon after that.”
Luna silently cringed. “What had really happened to cause . . . that?”
“Truthfully, I do not know. There were accusations made against me by the griffon crown, and when I brought my rebuttal to them, Rurik exploded and sent me away.”
“And it was after that that the griffons would invade,” Luna said.
Celestia sipped at her tea once more. “Indeed. It was not the greatest part of the history I have lived through.”
“Did you ever investigate more into the claims?” Luna asked.
“Unfortunately, no. That was a time in my life I tried to forget.” Celestia then filled her cup with tea, adding the appropriate amount of sugar and honey for her tastes before taking a sip of it.
I have thought wrong about her this entire time, Luna thought as she lowered her gaze to the table.
“I believe that truly sums up everything that has happened that wasn’t recorded in the the history books,” Celestia concluded. “Things went by a little slower than I had wanted, seeing as it is nearly evening.” She took a sip of her tea as she stared up at the sky.
“Sister . . . We have a . . . confession to make,” Luna forced out, struggling to do even that. “We had . . . ill thoughts of you when We first read through the book, and learned of the amount of power you had gained, and when We read about the war.
“We— I just . . . I wanted to say that I am sorry I doubted you. I knew that it was preposterous to think you could ever be striving to be a queen, but . . . I for some reason still had that thought in my mind. And then We— I went to blame and fault you for the war when I didn’t know all the facts. We— We—”
Celestia embraced her sister, laying her head on Luna’s shoulder while she spoke softly into her ear, “There is no need for an apology. I love you no matter what you think of me. I have done things I regret, and I do not fault you for coming to that conclusion.”
Celestia then broke away from the hug and stared directly into Luna’s eyes.
“I can only hope you can come to forgive me for my actions.”
Luna didn’t know what to say. She sat there silently for a moment, contemplating how to respond. Thoughts were running through her head at a million miles an hour. This was the first time Celestia had openly apologized to her.
“S-Sister, don’t. It had to be done,” Luna said somberly. “If you could have avoided it, then you would have done so.”
“There were many things I could have done, Luna, but I didn’t do them. I feared more for the safety of Equestria’s citizens than for saving you.” Celestia turned and walked to a nearby tree where a squirrel was standing, grudgingly collecting nuts from the ground. Celestia then picked them up with her magic, and placed them in a hole in the tree that the squirrel called home.
Without looking, Celestia asked, “So, I say again, will you forgive me?”
Luna hesitated. She still didn’t know how to answer. She wanted to say yes, and then finally be over with this, but . . . she was still indecisive. She may have been without the presence of the Nightmare, but there were still some things she couldn’t get over.
So, after a moment’s thought, she took a leap of faith. “Yes, I-I forgive you,’T-Tia.”
Celestia was the one who was stopped this time. But she regained her composure quickly, and allowed a toothy grin to spread across her face.
“Come on, let’s head on up to the castle,” Celestia said. “It’s been a long day, Lulu.”
Luna blushed furiously at her nickname. “Sister, please!”
Celestia let out a laugh before getting up. With Luna in tow, they both made their way back to the place they called home. And Luna was smiling the whole way there.
Little did they know that somepony else was smiling as well.