Common Sky

by SyrinKitty

Epilogue

“O-oh my.”

“It's very beautiful, isn't it?”

“Y-yes it is... I never imagined...”

Twilight and Luna were standing on the deck of the Ponyville Library. It was the middle of spring, and Winter Wrap Up had long past. The grass was growing and the flowers were blooming, adding a beautiful green hue to the world as Luna's moon shone brightly overhead in the dead of night. The temperature was warm and the air was muggy, but the sky remained crystal clear. The pair of them were looking through Twilight's largest telescope, which she had just set up the night before.

“Things are so much clearer with a bigger lens, don't you think?” asked Twilight.

“Definitely,” replied Luna, her eye glued to the eyepiece, the telescope pointed low on the horizon. “What's this star called?”

“It's called Antares. It's a part of the constellation called Scorpio,” said Twilight, looking at one of her books. Luna took her face away from the eyepiece finally, looking up at the sky itself. She stared in the direction of red star, the brightest one in the constellation, that continued to flicker different shades of red visible even to the naked eye.

“Does it always do that? I mean, how it shifts in colour constantly,” asked Luna.

“As far as I know, it always has, since the very beginning. It's how most astronomers find Scorpio in the sky.”

Luna continued to stare at intensely and curiously. She had never noticed it before, even in all of her time changing and perfecting the night sky so long ago. In the relatively short amount of time she had began doing astronomy with Twilight, she had started realizing that there was so much she didn't know about her own creation.

“Oh! There's something really interesting I want to show you before you go tonight!” Twilight began moving the telescope's orientation with her hooves, pointing it higher into the horizon. She fiddled with the viewfinder on the side, attempting to point it at a precise location. She then looked through the eyepiece, and then adjusted the telescope again. “A-ha, found it!” she exclaimed. “Although... it might be a little too dark to see on this particular telescope.”

“Oh, let me see,” replied Luna, trading places with Twilight. She looked through it again, squinting, trying to figure out what exactly she was seeing. “It's very... fuzzy.”

“Yeah... I'm sorry, I wanted to show you something I remember seeing back in the big observatory in Canterlot. Unfortunately this telescope just isn't big enough to see it clearly. It’d need to be a lot brighter for this particular telescope to pick it up.”

“What is it, exactly?” asked Luna, curiously.

“Well... nopony really knows. There's a few theories floating around, but as far as anypony can tell, it's sort of like a gigantic cluster of stars, very, very far away. They call it ‘Andromeda.’”

“Andromeda...” Luna looked out into the night sky again, trying to see if she could spot it with her naked eye. She could only see the same fuzzy outline out of the corner of her eye that she had seen in the telescope. Oh, how she wished she could see it. It was just then when a thought occurred to her.

“T-Twilight.”

“Yes, Luna?”

“If I... if I made it brighter, could we see it with this telescope?” asked Luna, turning towards her.

“W-well,” replied Twilight, taken aback by Luna's question. She had never imagined Luna could do something like that, but it did, of course, make complete sense. “... well, yes, theoretically you could make it brighter, and then we'd be able to see it from here. Are you sure you can do that, though?”

“I haven't done it in a very long time, but... I made all of this, right? I can't imagine it'd be too difficult.”

Twilight smiled. “Alright then. Give it a try, if you'd like. I can't wait to see what happens!”

Luna returned the unicorn's smile, then looked back to the night sky. She focused on where she had seen Andromeda, and closed her eyes, picturing it in her minds eye. Her horn began to glow with an odd type of brightness, as if it were moonlight itself. She didn't know what it looked like specifically, but she didn't need to. She only needed to command it to be brighter, and it would accommodate her desires. Suddenly, there was a large flash of energy from her horn, which shot up directly at Andromeda, lighting up the entire sky like a phosphorescent lake. The energy rippled across the sky, the stars gleaming and pulsating with waves of brilliant, pure light that could be seen through the entire sky. Luna opened her eyes finally, and the sight she saw nearly knocked her to the floor. A large, bright disk had appeared in the sky. It sparkled and filled the vista of the night, as if it was a cloud of innumerable stars, hovering in the abyss. It was so bright, so beautiful, and dwarfed everything else, short of the moon itself. There was not a sound to be heard from anywhere around them. They said nothing, only gasping and covering their mouths with their hooves in unison. The image of Andromeda burned itself into Luna's retina. Had she really made this all on her own? Twilight walked towards Luna and sat beside her, the two mares staring in awe at the galaxy, trying to take in everything.

“... a trillion stars,” said Luna suddenly, after a few moments.

“W-what?”

A tear ran down Luna's cheek. She had never imagined that her night held such wonders. It was beyond her wildest dreams. “There's a trillion stars... I can see them all gleaming and shining. Every individual one. I... I made... all of that...?”

Twilight wasn't sure what to say. She looked at Luna, who was simply staring at her creation in a kind of wonder that Twilight had never seen in anypony before. Her mane glowed with the same soft hue as the stars above them, her eyes reflecting and absorbing the light of Andromeda. Twilight couldn't help but admire her once more.

“I made... all... of it?” repeated Luna.

“You made the entire night sky, Luna. All of this is you,” replied Twilight, still in a state of mild shock. “It was seeing things like this as a young filly that made me fall in love with your night. I couldn't imagine anything else so beautiful.”

Luna responded by resting her head against Twilight's, continuing to look up at the beautiful galaxy whose light displaced the entirety of the sky. Twilight leaned back against her in kind. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said finally.

“There's no need to thank me. I didn’t do anything.”

“You've shown me who I am.”

Twilight blushed. “I just showed you what was already there.”

Luna smiled, nuzzling Twilight's neck with her muzzle, enjoying the warmth and Twilight's scent. It was one of her most favourite things to do in the world. There was nowhere else she felt this safe. “I would have never known myself if it weren't for you.”

“I just wanted to show you what you’ve made, so you’d know how beautiful it is. That’s all.”

“And that's why you're wonderful, Twilight.” Luna broke from the loving embrace, looking at Twilight, smiling and giggling to herself. Luna looked almost euphoric. Twilight loved seeing her so happy and calm. “I need to go home now, before it gets too late. Celestia and I are having some sister-time tomorrow. She even booked the whole evening off for me.”

“I completely understand. I hope you two have great fun!”

“We will,” said Luna, smiling sweetly again. She embraced the unicorn in a hug, and held her for as long as possible. Twilight returned it, smiling just as brightly. Luna then took a step back, a blush forming on her cheeks. “I had a wonderful time tonight, Twilight.”

“I did too. The last few months have been wonderful. Would you like to do this again in a few days from now, on Thursday? Weather permitting, of course,” replied Twilight.

“I'd love to!” exclaimed Luna, her eyes lighting up. She blushed even harder, looking up at Twilight in a slightly coy way. “Oh, and... Twilight...?”

Before Twilight could even utter a single syllable in response, Luna leaned in closer to the other mare. Twilight blushed bright red, her heart skipping a beat, as she felt Luna lay a soft, gentle, sweet kiss directly on her cheek. She then brought her lips to Twilight’s ear and whispered, “Goodnight.” Luna stepped back, smiling, and extended her wings, stretching them as wide as she could, and began flapping them, ascending off the viewing deck of the Ponyville Library. She looked tenderly at Twilight for a few moments, before launching herself high into the air in the direction of Canterlot, blending in and disappearing into the bright, starry night sky. Twilight could only sit there, stunned for a few moments, before coming back to her senses. Her heart was nearly leaping through her chest, its heartbeat pounding through her ears, having just been kissed for the first time in her life. But it took only one look back up at the night sky they had just shared, like so many times before, to make Twilight calm once more. She sighed, feeling that pure elation that she only felt when she was with the Princess of the Night - the night itself, personified. Twilight spoke softly into the heavens, closing her eyes, as if it were a private conversation only between her and Luna. And it was.

“I love you too, Luna.”

THE END

Comments

[ScyStorm]

One of my favorite stories! Nice to see it here.

[Art of Shadow]

Wow, really really love the storys, one of the top on my list great job.

[RazorRaptor9]

D'aaawwwwwwwwww

[Wheller]

This was the first MLP fan fic I read, and it was the one that inspired me to write my own. Very glad to see it again!

I usually don't read fanfics but stumbling upon this was one of the best things thats happened to my in the past week :) Great job, perfect way to end my day, 1:17 am, and good night. Stars have a new meaning ^-

[The Unknown Twinkie]

Awww this story is very cute, I love it^^

What a super-duper awesome story... Can't put words on it. Just too beautiful :)
-This goes to my bookmarks so i can read it again sometime !

[Chris Langridge]

That was a great read. Very cute and it ended perfectly. Well done

[Happy Thoughts]

A very well written story. A real joy to read! THANK YOU!

ps. are you thinking about a sequel? The story was far too short - I wish I could read more of it :)

[Voba]

DAWWWWWWWWWW.

[UsernameMadeNChina]

THE ENDING WAS FILLED WITH SO MUCH DAWWWWWW AND HNNNNNNNNNNG THAT I ACTUALLY SQUEE'D!!

Ahem... I apologise for using the Royal Canterlot voice so very suddenly but this fic is just that awesome! I it! ^_^

[john-117]

Twilight and Luna shipping, my favorite.

Wonderful story, and well written as well.

[Bitz]

I wanted to see more, or at least a two sided acknowledgment of the actual love, rather than just it being left at a kiss. But that being said, the story was great, and was well written.

[Aenbr]

Lovely, simply lovely.

[See ScriptScrolls]

36810
I agree! another chapter is needed

[SyrinKitty]

55560

In "The Staremaster" and "May The Best Pet Win" you can see that the ponies keep a coup of chickens - which only makes sense if they're using the eggs. Not only that, but Applejack's farm has cows which they presumably use for milk.

So ponies are ovo-lacto vegetarians, by my guess. :P

[Balancer]

Wow I don't think this story had any shipping as I know it in it but was more of an emotional love story than a physical one. 5 trillion stars

[Sargent Squid (Protector/Avenger Second Class)]

7330
.....first Fan-fic I ever read was "Cupcakes", and for some twisted reason, I liked it (even though t made me sick at the sight of anything edible and rainbow colored).

As for the story........
*removes hood on camouflage trench coat*
BEAUTIFUL!!
*places hood back on head*
.......
........
ahem.

[LunaUsesCaps]

That was an amazing way to end your fic. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, you portrayed pre-eclipse Luna so well. I have read and reviewed hundreds of fics, and only given five stars to three stories, ever. This has certainly earned the fourth place on that list. You brought so much life and emotion into this story, I can only hope that you continue to write romance like this.

[LunaUsesCaps]

Edit: Looks like my rate boosted your average up to 4.9.

Well deserved.

[gbbrony]

I loved this story, its one of the most beautiful I've read, I look forward to more

[animeyasha66]

d'awwwwwwwwwwwwww
i finished this so i can finally go to bed, now that its almost 1 am
right after i 5 star and favorite this story

[Gbv09]

So great, took me like 3 days of busyness to get it read. Well worth it.

[GrayFox2510]

So... Celestia damn cute...
Simple ending (would have loved to just a bit more [Not in THAT sense, necessarily]), but quite beautiful nonetheless.
The only sad part is that the max rating I can give you is 5, because this deserves to go off the scale.

[Dig]

Hate It when stories, like yours, end. It was simply brilliant how you did it, though.

[jillswift]

A beautiful story. I'm being all humany-wumany and weeping with happiness at it.

[asr3]

now THAT, is a conclusion. well done.

[neighsmith]

oh my sweet Celestia's cream filled cunt i didn't know that this was even a different story from All's Fair in Love and Star Dust! omsccc!!!! i shall read, cause i love TwiNight Shipping! (TwiNight=TwiLuna)

[kladdos]

Hope to be able to read another story so amazing like this one from you! Its just... number one on the epicness scale!

[Therizzen]

Amazing - simply put, but the best way I can describe this.

Magnificent ending, just the subtleness of it, nothing too overblown, just a tiny moment. The impact though... just marvelous.
How I wish I could read more of this, oh how I wish...

It's okay though, this is one of those stories that leave a mark, maybe not a large one, but it's there. I've said it before and I'll say it again - brilliant. Honestly, this story took me on a ride of emotion little others do - to this degree anyway. It was a wonderful experience to be able to read this, and I sincerely thank you for writing this.

It has been a heck of a time, every moment... worth it.

[Evil Paladin]

One of my favorite Twiluna fics is here!
Please tell me the sequel is here! I lost track of it and I want to pick it back up.

[Karach]

I loved it. Somehow this isn't your normal shipfic, ending with a simple love confession and whatnot. Instead you focused on the not so obvious emotions like anxiety, and a little bit of fear. I particularly liked it, how you portrayed Luna and Twilight as inexperienced but both willing to expand their relationship. And the ending, though subtle and delicate, deals a tremendous blow of emotions, especially as the most intimate contact they have is the kiss on the cheek.
You know, it is kind of open-ended, so if you had any idea for a continuation, I'm sure not only I, but many other readers as well, would be delighted to read it.
Have a thumb, and thank you for this little piece of art.

[Method in Maddness]

Great sotry! I completely agree with all above statement on how awesome the story was.

[Xenotype]

AHEM...
WE ARE PROUD TO AWARD THIS STORY 12'S OUT OF 10.

[MetaLucario]

aww and i was kinda hoping this would never endthis story, new personal fave

[KaiCalimatinus]

[Thespurgin]

eh, I'm not much for shipping (at least between fillies) but this was very well done. It didn't just focus on their relationship, but the aspects of their personalities that made then relate so deeply with each other, and I treasure that. All in all, I think this is a fantastic story, though it might just be the fact that for all the emotion it didn't get risque. Luna and Twilight became deep friends without venturing into territory I personally consider repulsive, and at the same time it was romantic enough that I felt touched by it more deeply than I would by a more gentle story of Luna simply finding redemption.

I take my hat off to you SyrinKitty. You have painted a masterpiece. The parchment is your celestial canvas, and the letters are your stars.
Luna would be proud of you.
...
...
...
Okay forgive me for how corny that just sounded.

[Gwenio]

233750

There is an 'okay' work that exist in the same timeline in the author's DA gallery; the sequel has been cancelled and erased. You can find the plans for it somewhere in the author's DA journal.

You can find it still in PDF form at: http://maximillianveers.deviantart.com/gallery/32043513?offset=72#/d3kvrvv

NOTE: The author had (last I checked) stated they are done with writing pony.

[Evil Paladin]

393674 WHAT?!?!
She cancelled?
NOOO!!
*sigh*
Life calls I guess.

Thanks for the heads up Gwenio

[Gwenio]

393790

As I said, she did put up the plans for the plot in a journal (link to her DA page can be found in her profile here). Part of the reason it was cancelled was in hindsight it was going to be far darker than the author had ever intended to get with pony.

EDIT: http://comments.deviantart.com/1/269301422/2282335022 <- summary of plans for it.

[agentreilly2000]

I usualy pride myself in being able to edit thing to make things better...............................................
I am shedding tears of pure joy and happiness

no words

[SamWinchester]

31589 SPOILER! Damn now I know what happpens.

[Machiniman20]

Hadn't already done this, so... This story is aDAWWWWable. It is very well written, and It gave me some feels.

[rabbitfaster]

SOOOO GOOOD.

Yep. Very good. There were minor grammatical errors throughout but it didnt take away from the story.

I loved the Nightmare conversations, the scenery was amazing, and the relationship you built in such a short time was beautiful in its entirety.

Excellent fiction all around, thumb and a favorite for re-reading later.

[D Styles]

Awesome! It helped me get my mind off of a horror game a played...wait... Doh!

[Twilicorn]

Beautiful. Heartwarming, slow, good emotional buildup... /insert D'aww attack.
Luna is now best pony.

[HiroJiyuNaka]

Must... read.... Finals.... tomorrow.....
GAH! Finals win. Goodnight. This is first on my Read Later list.

[HiroJiyuNaka]

Aaaaand.... DONE! That was beautiful! I don't know if it was you or the room I was in, but the blizzard and the hypothermia scare actually made me physically cold.
*squee* That was so incredibly wonderful, I could just... just...
You, friend, win. Dunno what, but you win it.

[The_Necromancer]

meh

[Dawnforge]

Amazingly well done. I look forward to anything else you write. I tip my fedora to you. -tips fedora-