Celestia stood outside the door, fidgeting. Putting this off another day wasn't going to make it any easier, and the longer she waited the more likely Luna would be asleep. Already, the sun was almost all the way up.
Taking a deep breath, Celestia reached forward with one wing and knocked on the door. "Luna?" she called -- but not too loud, it would be terrible to wake her by mistake. "Are you awake still?"
A single large thump came from the door, followed by quick hoofsteps as it eased open. Luna stuck her head out the small opening, cautiously, as if she might be attacked any moment.
"Celestia?" she said.
Celestia winced internally. It had been too long already.
Luna looked up as she recognized her sister. She was still recuperating from the summer solstice, and her ears came only up to Celestia's chin when they both stood straight. "Celly?" she said again. "What's the matter?"
"Luna," said Celestia. "May I c-- no, that was rude, I shouldn't have said that." She shifted weight to her other side. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, come in," said Luna, opening the door. "I just-- What brings you up here?"
Celestia hesitated in the doorway. "Well, I was hoping-- that is, I was wondering--" She noticed Luna looking at her from over near the closet, and rushed through the rest. "Would you like to go flying with me?"
Luna's expression brightened momentarily. "I'd love to! --When were you thinking?"
Celestia looked absently out the window and tried to lift each hoof imperceptibly in turn. She wasn't terribly good at it yet, somepony watching her hooves intensly could still notice. "Today. Now." She snapped her attention back to Luna. "Is that okay with you?"
"Of course," said Luna. "But, what about the things you have to do today?"
Celestia smiled wanly. "I've cleared my schedule for today. We can spend all day together, if you like."
⁛⁙⁘※⁜
Luna dove and pulled ahead of her sister. The wind roared past her ears and tousled her mane, still its natural pale-blue out of her control, tickling her ears getting in her eyes. Inverted, just to feel it, head up and forward and then flying normal again. A laugh escaped and Luna pushed from the left, circling a line below her hooves once, twice, three times until colliding with a thermal.
Luna rolled to take advantage of the thermal, climbing until she was once again level with her sister. A flip, and they were flying one above the other, a stunt they'd practiced sometimes long back before the war. Luna smiled as realization struck--Celestia couldn't see her very well back here, that was after all the point of the practice. This would be tricky, but worth it. She reached out, and... "Tag!" Luna shouted, and dove away.
⁛⁙⁘※⁜
While cloudwatching after lunch, Luna remembered there was something she never had done.
"Celestia," she called, "on the way back to Canterlot, remind me that there's something I want to show you."
"Of course," said Celestia. Then she looked up. "What is it?"
"I can't tell you, Celly," said Luna. "I need to show you."
"Are you sure it's between here and Canterlot?" said Celestia.
Luna thought about that one. "Or we could do it at Canterlot, I suppose," she said. "It's a when more than a where."
"A when not a where, between here and Canterlot, and you can't tell me," said Celestia. "What could you possibly want to show me?" It was a joke, but Luna answered anyways.
"I want to show you the sky you've never remembered," she said.
⁛⁙⁘※⁜
Luna sat alone in the ruins of the castle, gazing out what had once been a window--her window. How it had come to this she didn't know, but a lot of things she once thought made sense had stopped some time ago.
There was a faint shift to the whisper in the air, which told those with sharp ears and the training to hear some serious air power was landing. Luna had both those. She'd been practicing with the 'Bats for years now. Not that it had done them any good. Not that anything had done any good.
She was tired of running. Let them come.
From the stairs came the sounds of hooves. Only one set, not the many she had been expecting. It didn't matter. If she had wanted to, she could outfly, or better yet overpower, almost any force they could muster against her.
Almost. There was one.
Celestia walked unopposed through the empty doorframe and sat down next to her. Neither of them said anything, simply sat together in the silent moonlight.
Finally Celestia spoke: "Ordinarily I'd probably say that this had gone on long enough. But there's something else, isn't there?"
Luna didn't respond directly, instead gesturing out the window with her opposite wing. "There used to be a flag out there. Remember?"
Celestia grimaced. "Rather a nice one as I recall; in gold and blue with our seal in the middle. It looked rather elegant in the wind. Pity, really."
Luna turned away in a sulk. "I never liked that flag."
"Whyever not? It seems to me you picked out that shade of blue, and chose the final design as well."
"The blue was used mainly for accents, leaving the gold and the seal to dominate the design. With you in the dominant position on the seal, might I add, I was never happy with that either. I only chose that design because I thought all the others were worse, and to do otherwise would be awkward." Luna sighed, her moment of fury expended. "A little thing to be upset about, I'm sure. But it was symptomatic of so much more."
Celestia looked around, then back at her. "Still. I have no doubt you can keep this up just about forever, but what about the others? Mortals still have to eat, you know. Stars, you and I probably still have to eat. I hadn't tried this in a while."
Luna rounded on her sister again. "What do you want, Celestia‽ A signed apology note? Me to swear fealty in public? What about a treaty, would that do it? You always were the rule-oriented one. I might even consider that last."
Celestia bristled. "What do I want? If at all possible, I'd like my sister back."
Luna sighed. "Oh Celestia. Don't you see?"
"Apparently, I don't," said Celestia snappishly. "I see dark out when it should be broad daylight. I see ponies we swore we'd protect in danger of slowly starving to death because they can't grow food. And I see you imponyating my sister. But whatever you want me to see, no."
"That's just it, Celestia. I'm still me," whispered Luna. "That's why we're having this problem."
⁛⁙⁘※⁜
Luna flapped hard as she came in for a landing in Canterlot palace. Nearby, on the other side of the platform, Celestia landed as well.
Luna walked over to her sister and gave her a nuzzle. "Thank you, Celestia," she said. "This was a wonderful day. But now I had better see to the stars."
"Yes." Celestia glanced away, showing the slightest hint of distraction. "I've left the sun just slightly too long, as well. Ah, do you--" --she faltered, briefly-- "do you need a hoof with the night?"
"I believe I can do it, but thank you," said Luna. "Though we may have to do without phases for a little while."
Celestia chuckled. "I don't think I ever quite got the hang of phases myself," she said. "I think we can manage without for a while longer." She turned to head towards her chambers. "Good night, Luna."
Luna paused at the edge of the balcony and watched over her shoulder as Celestia departed. "Good night, sister," she whispered. "Sleep well."
⁛⁙⁘※⁜
Celestia dropped towards the western horizon as the pony of the same name walked towards her room. Today had been a fairly good day, all things considered. Maybe tomorrow, they could make some progress towards reconciliation.