There, in her old, empty chamber, stood Celestia. The tower room stood as the highest point of the castle, (save for her sister's equally sized quarter tower, which stood just as tall and rested only a short distance away) and from its balcony the castle itself and the surrounding lands spread outward like a painting. For miles and miles the nightly landscape ran, the mountains of Equestria remaining right where she had left them. She could point out places where towns once were, and too she could see where old towns continued on, surviving time's test and living under the moon. Their distant lights spread their glow into the sky like candle-flames. Too did the castle from which her sister reigned stand out, despite only having minimal lighting. On its mountain face, it stood proudly and beautifully. From a distance, it was quite the structure. A monument to the success of a nation, and the passing of an era.
She couldn't help but wonder about those who had worked to build that high-up castle. Had they been forced to by an unfair ruler, or had that castle been brought forth with love? Celestia brought her gaze back to the castle she occupied, staring at the crumbling facade. There was a sliver of peace in Celestia's heart knowing those ponies who had worked to build this place had long since passed when it had met its untimely end. As she turned back to face the interior of her quarters her mind wandered to those who had worked to remove the castle's fixtures.
"What would it be like, Philomena, to stand in the bed chambers of a friend who had passed? To take down their personal effects so they may be respectfully disposed of or preserved?"
Philomena, who was perched on a simple end-table of wood, offered a chirp.
Celestia's mind painted image after image. She could see the frowns of those who had cleared away her desk, bed, and wardrobe. She could feel the aches in the hearts of those who had taken down murals, landscapes, and tapestries. Her own heart felt heavy with sorrow as her eyes wandered the space, looking from her once constantly alive fireplace, to the wall where a portrait of her sister once hung, to the domed, painted ceiling were a brass chandelier once hung with its many candles ablaze. For a moment an image of her sister's quarters flashed through her mind, the mere thought causing her to close her eyes and sigh. She dared not venture to that place. Her mind and heart struggled enough while wandering corridors and standing in once grand halls. Such a place would tear her apart.
A gentle breeze sent a shiver through Celestia, prompting her to turn to the door-less entrance to her balcony, the purely white, tattered drapes being lifted a tiny bit from the air. She stared at the drapes a moment before moving to them, her eyes following their length from the floor to their hanging rod. A gentle spell from her horn lifted the rod up and off of its hooks, dropping it to the floor with a clank as she slid each drape from each end. With a hoof she brought one drape up, looking at it a moment before taking two corners with a spell, flipping it into the air and moving it do be lowered onto her figure. From her shoulders to her flanks the drape sat, leaving a tail of length to flow from her backside to the floor. The second drape followed a similar path, its two front corners being held up and tied into a knot to loosely secure the sheet to Celestia's figure.
Philomena squawked as she flapped her wings, drawing Celestia's gaze to her.
"Improvisation, friend. Our blanket is absent, and we find ourself quite chilly."
Philomena cocked her head side to side, examining Celestia's new attire. She nodded, prompting Celestia to laugh.
"What was that? Approval?"
Philomena nodded again. Celestia looked over her shoulder to her own figure, spreading her wings from beneath the sheets.
"Quite fitting..."
Philomena's chirp drew Celestia's eyes back to see her patting her own head with the tip of a wing.
"Aye... our crown. We do wonder what became of it."
Celestia's mind snapped back to the final moment of her life in the old Equestria, Nightmare's sharp grin and glowing eyes being the only thing to fill the image. With less malice than Celestia had expected, Nightmare's magic gently brought her crown away from her temple, setting it to the stone a short distance away as opposed to dropping it or flinging it away as she had done with its wearer. It had not been crushed, or burnt away with magic, it had simply been placed aside. Had she kept it as a trophy, or left it be for another soul to find? Was it locked away in a box kept beneath Nightmare's bed, or preserved on some podium in an unknown place? With how much respect Nightmare had displayed in removing it, Celestia wouldn't be surprised it that crown had been gifted to somepony she had been close to or given its own shrine.
Celestia huffed a breath from her nostrils, looking up to Philomena. "Come, friend. Further into this place, we shall wander."
Philomena flapped from the table to Celestia's now adorned back, her talons doing a little dance as she felt the cushiony sheets.
"Better bedding than that blanket of ours, aye?"
Philomena nodded.
One of two tall doors was pushed open by Celestia's hoof as she entered the castle's grand library, which now lay barren of all literature. She stood at the entrance for a time, looking around in the moonlit room of knowledge with the same ache in her heart that plagued her with every new sight. Rotting, broken down shelves of oak were the only thing to line the three windowless walls of the room, that fourth wall's line of tall, arch-tipped windows serving as the room's only source of light instead of the four grand chandeliers that once hung from the high ceiling. Keeping her hooves quiet to allow Philomena a peaceful nap, as the Phoenix lay across her back asleep with her wings spread lazily, she stepped further inside, her eyes instantly catching something at the far side of the room. Sitting in solitude on a low shelf that had not yet collapsed from age was a single novel, and with her eyes locked solidly on the book Celestia picked up her pace in approaching it.
The book was not laid in the position one would expect; its binding did not face outwards, its front cover did. Upon reaching the novel, Celestia felt a pain in her heart she had only felt the night of her banishment. A knot formed in her stomach as her eyes wandered the finely calligraphic, golden text that proclaimed its title.
"T-The Magic of Friendship... by Princess Celestia; Sol Sovereign"
Celestia's waning magic gently lifted the ancient text from its place, tears blurring her vision as she stared at the novel. Though, to where the book had been taken from its place, Celestia's eyes returned, and through tear-blurred sight she saw something that paused every motion in her body and every thought in her mind. There sat her crown, browned with age, though still perfectly intact. With a whimpering sob Celestia took the crown, holding it to her gaze for a time before dropping her head. Cries echoed loudly through the dead library as Celestia's legs failed her, dropping her to her stomach. Philomena squawked in surprise from the sudden movement, flapping her wings as she dismounted Celestia's sheet-adorned figure. Celestia paid her no heed, her head remaining fallen as heaving cries broke the cold air. Her magic fluttered away, her novel and crown coming a short distance to the floor along with Celestia's head. Her chin rested on the once carpeted hardwood, tears streaming down her pure cheeks to the old wood like drops of rain.
With concern, Philomena hopped over and leaned herself against the side of Celestia's face, her little gesture still bringing no response. Still, Celestia's tears fell, her chest's hard heaves shaking her entire body. In that grand hall once filled with the knowledge of a nation only remained a single soul's heart, or what remained of it. Tranquility cast by ponies reading and studying was now replaced with the broken cries from Celestia. Her blood-shot eyes came open, instantly falling to her book which sat a short distance away. Her magic lifted the novel upright, her blurry vision scanning its face as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position.
"T-They left this here... f-for us to find."
Again, her head dropped, her cries coming with more ferocity.
"They all knew one day w-we would return to this place! T-They all knew what it meant to us!"
With a gasping sob Celestia brought her head up, craning it skywards as she stared up not at the ceiling, but at something far beyond.
"W-We hear thy cries, old friends! We... we do so hear thy cries!"
She looked back to her book, clenching her teeth and shutting her eyes tight.
"So loud... do we hear thy cries..."
Back to the floor was her book placed, and her crown brought forth in its place. As her tears began slowing Celestia stared at the one shining gold crown held within her magic, the yellow aurora caused by her spell seeming to give life to the ancient piece. She let out a shuddering sigh, sniffling as she brought her crown to its proper place atop her head. As her waning magic ceased in releasing her crown, she remained totally still, her eyes scanning around randomly as she waited. She had thought that maybe, within the ancient gold and jewels comprising her crown, there would remain some shards of magic that her horn may draw from, but the longer she remained still, the more she realized that her hopes were null.
"There... there is a way, dear friend." Celestia turned to Philomena, wiping her eyes with a hoof. "There is something in these walls that will grant our horn power enough to raise the Elements. We art sure of it. The tomb of the Elements... nay single, simple unicorn could ever hope to bring it forth... what is needed is something of great magical ability."
Celestia let out an almost defeated sigh as she looked around the room, her eyes not focusing on what lay within eye-shot, but focusing on what may lay beyond.
"These walls are so barren. There remains nay great ancient artifacts. Nay tomes of spell-casting. Nay amulets what so greatly grant power... there remains null space. Only our sister could possess the ability to grant us our power back."
Philomena squawked, drawing Celestia's attention to her as she tapped her own chest with the tip of her wing. There was silence as Celestia's gaze remained locked with Philomena's, her mind working to create assumptions of what she could be conveying.
"W-What about thyself?"
Philomena hopped forward and tapped the very tip of Celestia's horn with her wing, bringing it back to tap herself once more. The confusion on Celestia's expression faded to a blank look.
"Philomena-"
Her words were cut short by a squawk, Philomena continuing to pat herself with that same wing.
"Thou art... implying-"
Another loud squawk interrupted her, this time Philomena nodding her head.
"Thou art off thy head. We... would harm thee greatly by trying to bring magic from within thy being."
Philomena shook her head, stepping forwards as she repeated herself by tapping Celestia's horn, then herself. Celestia brought her hooves out, holding Philomena firmly by her sides as she stared at the Phoenix.
"Thou art off thy head!"
Philomena's response was to shake her head and wiggle herself free from Celestia's grasp.
"Drawing thy magic to our horn is not the answer to this problem, Philomena! There are other ways! Maybe it lies not within these walls... but we art sure that another method exists!"
Again came the doubting shake of the head from Philomena. Celestia held her silence a moment as she thought deeply. Moment after moment passed without a word, prompting Philomena to step forward once more and place her wing on Celestia's horn.
"Philomena... the state we art left in, thou hast been witness to it far more than any other soul. Our being is the product of magic being drawn away from within. Thou wish not to live in this state."
Philomena's nod caused Celestia to sigh.
"We do so appreciate thy willingness to help us, but-"
The wing on Celestia's horn came down to cover her mouth. In annoyance Celestia craned her head back, scowling at her friend.
"We shalt not subject thee to such a state; living with..." Celestia cut herself off, epiphany striking her. "...out magic..." She looked at Philomena, who nodded as if knowing what Celestia was realizing. "Thou art not held by the prison that holds us. Thy being is free to pull at the long dormant magic within the earth."
Again, Philomena nodded.
"Thou dost know well how much pain this would inflict upon thee, aye? Not only the process, but the post shall cause thee agony. Ourself serves as example to that."
The response was the same.
"And, thou art not troubled by that fact?"
Philomena's head shook as she walked away from Celestia to the ancient book of Friendship that rested a distance away, her talons carefully opening the cover. Celestia looked on in curiosity as Philomena used her wing to flip through a few pages, her eyes focusing on individual words as she read. Her page-turning came to a halt, as did her scanning, as her eyes landed on something within a sentence. A talon was carefully placed on a single word in the text, and Celestia scooted herself forward to see Philomena's talon rested perfectly below the word 'Love'. Philomena looked up from the book, looking into Celestia's now teary eyes as she walked back towards her, wrapping her wings around Celestia's neck. A whimpering cry left Celestia as she brought her hooves up, pulling Philomena into her chest and lowering her head to where her chin rested atop the Phoenix's feathery head.
"W-We do love thee, too. More than thou shalt ever know."
Celestia's eyes shut as she took a deep breath, her horn coming to life with what magic still remained in her being. She worked to clear her mind of all thought as she focused on the light within Philomena's being. Encompassed by her magic was the source of Philomena's entire magic ability, a thing that could not be seen nor felt by any normal being. Celestia gasped loudly as she began to draw at her friend's magic, an electric feeling beginning to crackle though her entire body. That cold within her chest faded instantly as magic flowed back into her body, the glow from her horn becoming brighter and more stable, and the aches throughout her body disappearing entirely. Then, her horn's glow ceased without her command, prompting Celestia to gasp once more in surprise. She had been anticipating the flow of magic into her body being slower, and more gradual, but instead it seemed to have happened within an instant. She took a deep breath, hugging Philomena tightly for a moment as she let out a nervous chuckle.
"It... it worked, dear Philomena. Now, we hope it is enough for us to bring the Elements to our hooves once more."
She expected a chirp or peep in reply as she had always gotten, prompting her to release her hug. Philomena's wings fell limp from their once tight embrace around her neck, and her head rolled back on the hoof which was wrapped around her figure. Celestia blinked as she looked at the motionless Phoenix in her hooves, her once vibrant eyes now shut, and what seemed to be a smile pulling at the corners of her beak. For a time, Celestia remained completely silent and still, her eyes darting over Philomena's figure.
"Philomena..."
Truth struck. So sudden and so harsh like a hard strike of a hammer. Her heart began pounding, tears welling up in her eyes, and her breaths began to quicken. A quiet whimper escaped her lips as she moved her hooves from around Philomena's body, letting her fall to the chilly hardwood floor. Celestia pushed herself back, her whimpering cries now turning into hard sobs that rocked her entire body with heaving breaths. Her head fell to the floor, her hooves coming up to press at the sides of her temple as she let out a scream of agony. Again, and again, she screamed out, her breaths between being shaky. Only harder did her cries come, unimaginable pain striking her deep within her chest.
Almost in the same way her anguish had struck now came a realization. Within her body now was the key to bringing forth the Elements of Harmony, and the Elements held the key to cutting down the chains barring her horn from being able to dig at the deep magic within the very world around her. Her cries slowed, her breathing still fast as she stood up, looking at Philomena. A tiny spark of hope ignited a fire within Celestia. Her no longer waning magic embraced Philomena's figure, holding her close as she spread her wings, turning and bolting from the Library with haste. Her hooves no longer carried her, her wings taking over as she flew down the dark halls of her home, each bend and twist in her path being handled with precision. Faster and faster she flew, her wings carrying her quicker than her mind could bring forth directions to lead her to the grand room of the Elements. Twist after turn after climb brought her to the final hall, and through the quickly approaching archway did Celestia see the tomb of the Elements. In her eyes, it almost glowed; and as she finally came into the room, her wings pounding at the air to bring her to a halt, the Elements did so loudly call for her. It was not a call of sound that the ears could sense, it was a call that she felt within her mind and heart, a call not with words, but with force, drawing her to them.
Her hooves clacked to the stone just before the tomb as she lowered Philomena, her eyes shutting hard as she encompassed the Elements chamber with her magic. The floor shivered and the rumble of ancient rock clashing rang into the room as she pulled at the inner workings of the tomb, the square door now rising from its perfectly flush position and splitting in two, each half sliding away from each other as a torrent of dust rose from the opening. From that dust echoed the churning of gears as a podium topped by a stone sphere began to rise. Around it orbited 5 finely carved stone arms capped by a podium, and at each podium, surrounded by swirls of dust, were the Elements. Age had not tarnished their glimmer, and dust stuck not to their finely etched surfaces. The mechanical grinding came to a halt as the Elements now stood high within the room, their globe-topped podium standing taller than most homes. With haste, Celestia climbed into the vertical, her wings bringing her to a hover as she landed atop the dusty, stone globe of the pillar, her horn's glow becoming more intense as each of the five Elements became surrounded by her force.
Celestia's own horn blinded her as the Elements worked without her command, and within her she could feel an electric shiver running through her bones. A warmth she had not known in 700 years filled her chest as magic flowed not from the Elements, but from the very air around her. That dormant light came to life ever so brightly, the room being cascaded by the sun-like beams escaping the spirals of Celestia's horn. The walls at her hooves crumbled away, and the chains around her being shattered as the Elements tore at the long-in-place prison that had held her from the light surrounding her. Her eyes came open, darting around the bright room as she gasped, the incredible glow from her horn beginning to fade. The Elements, though still being held by Celestia's magic, gradually floated to orbit around her in perfect unison. In harmony. Her gaze turned down to Philomena lying far below as she leaped from the Element's podium, her wings only stopping her fall at the last moment as she impacted the floor beside Philomena. With tears in her eyes, she took the Phoenix with a spell, bringing her to her chest as she dropped to her haunches, her hooves coming up to embrace her friend. Her magic searched within Philomena, never finding the magical being she had felt only a moment ago. Within Philomena remained nothing, not a single shard to grasp at or cling to.
Her heart began pounding once more as she tried to pour the great magic now within her own body into Philomena, but nothing came of the act. No matter how clear her mind was, no matter how focused her sights were, no matter how much she tried, nothing came of her actions. She shook her head, crying as she screamed out the name of her friend. That flame of hope died entirely, her magic releasing Philomena as she continued holding the Phoenix at her chest. Echoing through her mind came words she now truly understood; the words spoken by her sister. "It's all or nothing". Over and over those words repeated, their truth being nothing more than a nightmare. A gasp of surprise left Celestia as the feel of Philomena's body in her hooves disappeared, and she reared back to see that dusts of ash now coated her hooves, a pile of the same gray dust now lying before her. Through tear-blurred sight Celestia stared at her hooves, the gray ash clinging to her fur being the only thing her eyes could lock to.
Philomena's flowers, still hanging loosely from their jar of water, seemed to shimmer in the light of the fire. The occasional pop of moisture was the only sound within the throne hall. Celestia sat totally still, her eyes fixed on the flowers and her ears focused on the fire's pop. Her body felt warm and alive once more; her legs no longer ached, her stomach no longer wished to refuse its contents, and commanding her magic no longer brought pain. Despite that, nothing had changed. Still, she couldn't find the energy to move. Her mind couldn't deviate from its single track of thought. Her heart still hurt within her chest, that pain now worse than the stabs from a thousand swords.
She wanted to stand, gather her saddlebag containing the Elements, and return to her sister's castle, leaving this place of heart ache and loss behind, but her body held no strength. She didn't wish to return with malice in her heart, she wanted to return to be with her sister once more. The Elements, sitting nearby in their unflattering saddlebag, still remained silent. They did not draw her in a direction, or paint light on what she should strike with their power. Still, as she had suspected, they did not see her sister as a threat, or as an evil needing to be removed. In her dark hour, Celestia found light in that fact. The more and more she thought, the more she came to believe that, even if the Elements did place their sights upon her sister, she would still be unable to act. There was one being that still held her in their heart and mind, and if that being was the one standing in her way of making things 'right', then she doubted that she would follow that direction. What would life be without any single companion?
Happiness comes not from having what one wants, it comes from having who one wants, and that truth became more apparent with every passing moment. If she was to strike down her sister and take the reigns of Equestria to return harmony to the land, what joy would she find in the future?
"Celestia..."
Celestia jumped as she looked up to the somewhat distant entrance to the broken down throne hall; standing there, without her armored helmet, peytral, or shoes, was her sister. Her black figure seemed almost invisible against the distant forest, her eyes, mane, and tail being her defining features. Seeming to move with caution, Nightmare Moon began walking towards Celestia; even from a distance she could see the nervous look plastered on Nightmare's expression.
"How did thee know to find us here?"
Nightmare chuckled, pausing a distance from Celestia. "It... wasn't too hard to figure out."
"We assume thou hath come to bring us back with thee."
"A night ago, I would have said yes..." Nightmare gasped in surprise, now taking a few steps closer to Celestia. "Your crown! Where... where did you find it?"
A pained look overcame Celestia's expression. "The Library. T'was with our one novel upon a shelf."
Nightmare smiled. "I-I'm glad you found it... you'll need it."
"What... doth thee mean?"
A worried sigh left Nightmare as she lowered her head. "I... came to tell you that I lied about not knowing any way to return your magic. I-I know that the Elements of Harmony could break down my barriers... but I've," Nightmare sighed. "Been scared. Scared that if I helped you get them you'd use their power against me... but now, I trust you, and I trust that you won't."
Nightmare looked on as Celestia stood up, her teeth clenched and eyes shut tight in anger. "Thou art jesting."
"I'm not lying this time. I'm sorry that I lied to you, but I came here to help you. I want to bring the Elements back into your control, a-and I trust you that you won't use them on me."
Nightmare yelped as an incredibly bright bolt of pure white magic flew past her, striking a distant pillar with an exploding crack. The boom echoed through the hall as the ancient stone began crumbling, the pillar falling to the floor with an ear-shattering crash. Nightmare's eyes darted back to Celestia, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared into the raging eyes of her sister.
"Thou art nothing but a child!!"
"C-Celestia?"
"Thou has nay clue of what thy lie hast caused! Thou know not what thy baseless, childish fears do!"
There was a bout of silence from Nightmare as she stared at Celestia with fear-widened eyes. "Y-You're right... and I'm sorry I ever lied to you, but-"
"We trusted thy word, as did Philomena! P-Philomena... she acted believing thy words held truth, believing that her life was the only true way for our magic to return!"
The fear on Nightmare's face instantly turned to horror. "Celestia... what are you talking about."
"Philomena is gone because of thy lies! She held herself to us, letting us take her life so that we could raise the Elements!"
With those words, Celestia's horn came alive to bring the Elements from her saddlebag, the gems moving to surround her in an orbit as they had earlier. Nightmare took a step back, tears welling in her eyes.
"W-Why? Celestia, if you had waited, I-I could have fixed this!"
Celestia screamed out in anger as another bolt flew vertically from her horn, shooting far into the night sky and cracking into an explosion some distance up.
"Thou shalt fix nothing!!"
"Celestia, you don't know what the Elements will do to me if you use them against me!!"
Nightmare's words were of pure fear, her tears causing her voice to crack and shiver. Celestia glared at her for a moment before beginning to walk towards her.
"And thou dost know!?"
"Yes, I do! That night... I dreamed... and I-I saw what would happen to me if you used the Elements against me! They would banish me to the moon for a thousand years!"
Celestia stopped her pacing.
"I saw, after you had gotten rid of me, how much pain you were in! How alone you were! That night, it was either you or I! C-Celestia, I didn't banish you that night because I hated you! I-I couldn't let you feel the guilt and loneliness I would come to feel. And... thinking back, maybe life would have been better for you; you were the one our subjects and friends loved..." Nightmare's voice cracked towards the end of her sentence, her chest shuddering as she began to weep. "Y-You weren't the one taking over... a-and you weren't the one trying to bring a new way of life to everypony.
"Why should we believe thy words?"
Nightmare's pained expression worsened. "Celestia, why would I lie to you now!? T-The only reason I ever lied to you is because I was scared! I came here not to lie to you further, but to help you! I-I didn't know you'd... you'd kill Philomena to get your magic back!"
Burning rage contorted Celestia's expression, the look in her eyes causing Nightmare to take a step back as she mentally prepared herself.
"We did not kill her!! Her passing is on thy hooves, not ours!! We held her in our embrace believing thy words, and she too felt thou were being truthful! Thou make thy lies and thy old actions against us out to be simple mistakes, feeding us this drivel about how thy cursed magic cast us from our home not because thy heart held hate for us, but because it held love!?"
"Sister, listen to yourself!!"
Nightmare's booming words echoed through the hall until their reverberations fell silent, leaving the two glaring at each other.
"Listen to what you're saying. Yes... I have lied to you, and y-yes, I ruined the life you spent a thousand years building for yourself, myself, and those around us... but I do not hate you. What reason would I have to hate you!? If there is anypony that deserves to be in a position of hate, it's you... and you've never once even hinted that you hate me! You've expressed regret for having said you'd like to strike me down, and you've looked me in the eye and told me that you love me! You've told me that you would never tell me that you didn't love me! If you... the one who has had your life ruined... do not truly hate me, then why would I?!"
Celestia failed to respond, the venomous expression of anger on her face slowly melting to a neutral frown.
"When I walked through the doors of your home castle, did I lie to you? I came here wanting to repair what... tiny shards of a relationship you and I still have! C-Celestia... if I had known what would happen tonight, I would have brought you here and given you the Elements the very night you and I finally made it back to Equestria. No amount of 'sorry' from me can ever repair what I've caused. That's why I didn't come here to apologize to you, I came here to help you!"
Again Celestia only offered her silence. A moment of quiet passed as Nightmare dropped her head, Celestia seeing a tear roll from her cheek and splash to the stone before her.
"I-I know my words don't hold any meaning with you. They h-haven't since I first saw you two weeks ago. I-I wanted to solve this with words... and I could see that I was failing, s-so I followed Iris' advice. I came here to solve this with action... b-but you acted before I could." A shuddering cry broke Nightmare's speech, her body visibly shaking. "Y-you acted more drastically than I ever could! You... left me with nothing else to do. I w-wanted to show you that I do love you, a-and I wanted to see that you too loved me!"
"There is still action thou shalt take, Luna."
Luna's head bolted upright, her eyes wide. Celestia took a moment, her own words shocking her for a moment.
"Luna, know this. We shalt never forgive thee for thy past. For the light thou hast shut out, for all of the innocent things thou hast doubted, for the scars and tears thou hast caused, for the strings of our heart that thou has broken... we shalt never forgive thee. That does not mean we shalt never love thee. Despite all our bones thou hast broken, thy soul is still where we hath made our home. It is the one place that we hath always been... happy."
Celestia began walking towards Luna, as she did her horn's glow ceased, the Elements of Harmony falling a short distance to the stone floor with an echoing clack.
"And, while we hath seen thee through hate-blinded sights, and felt dread and anger in thy presence... thou art still our sister, and the day our heart no longer holds thee closest is the day it shall stop beating."
Now standing right before Luna, looking up at her, Celestia's horn lit up once more, taking Luna's rear and forcing her to sit down.
"Since thou hast brought us back, we hath only asked for one thing; to return magic to our being." A pained look overtook Celestia's expression, her chest tightening. "P-Philomena... did that for us... a-and she did it with the intention of letting us bring forth the sun. She gave her life up to allow us happiness, and we are now sure happiness is on the horizon of time, but we do not see happiness without peace in our mind, and peace in our mind comes from having her final wish fulfilled."
Celestia placed her hooves on Luna's shoulders, looking into her teary, slit-pupil eyes.
"Luna. Lower the moon. Not for us, for Philomena. Please... let her passing go with purpose, and not go in vain."
Luna's fearful frown slowly turned to a gentle smile, tears coming back to her eyes.
"I-I can't let the sun raise."
Before Celestia could rebut she was pulled into a strong hug by her much larger sister, Luna letting out a hearty laugh.
"It's not morning yet!"
There, side-by-side, sat two sisters. The distant, eastern horizon was the focus of their gaze, as well as the gaze of Iris and the large group of castle staff and royal guards gathered in the throne hall of Equestria's mountain-perched castle. From within the room one could see miles in almost every direction. The two huge front doors allowed a perfect view to the west, and the many tall, arch-topped windows provided mostly unobstructed line of sight with to the north and south. The large hall hummed with quiet, almost nervous chatter. Before Celestia and Luna sat two items; a little chrome alarm clock, and a large, glass jar of water. From the wide mouth of that jar hung a gathering of wild flowers, a gathering Celestia had a hard time keeping her eyes from, despite the guilt and anguish stabbing at her heart every time her gaze met with them.
"When's the sun supposed to come up again, Your Highness?" inquired Iris somewhat quietly as she leaned forward to put herself within Luna's gaze.
"6:30."
Iris looked to the clock, its hands reading 6:28.
"And, during the day is when downtime will be?"
Celestia too leaned forward. "Aye, Iris. For thy kind, the day brings slumber. For myself and the ponies of Equestria, the day is when we rise. Though, I suspect most ponies will choose to sleep during the day, for that is when they are used to sleeping."
"Do remember, Iris, what we call downtime has been day from the start. When things changed 700 years ago day became downtime, and night became uptime."
Iris hummed, leaning back and bringing her eyes back to the outside world. Though, her eyes were brought back and to Celestia as she stood from her haunches, taking a few steps forward to where she stood right at the railing of the throne platform, the saddlebag at her side opening with a spell as she brought out the Elements of Harmony. They began a slow orbit around her figure, their rotation gaining speed with each second as the glow cast by Celestia's horn became brighter and brighter. Those below in the hall turned their gazes towards Celestia as light worked its way up the spirals of her horn, breaking from its tip with a great boom. Outwards expanded a wave of light magic, the wave passing over every being within the throne hall, the castle, and the many towns and cities lying beyond in Equestria. Thought it was invisible to them, Celestia could see the once dormant light within the environment come to life, rising up like a fine, purely white mist.
Instantly, that mist disappeared as the sun, for the first time in 700 years, peeked just over the distant, cloud-laden horizon. Its rays gave new life to the sky and the land, colors not a soul alive save for Celestia and Luna presenting themselves in the land, hues of purple, blue, and pink shining into the once purely black night sky and once gray clouds now glowed with orange and red shades. As more and more of the sun began to present itself Celestia turned, looking at Luna, who still sat at her haunches with a slack-jawed expression of awe. Celestia's gaze was drawn to Luna's eyes; they no longer held a gentle glow, and the whites of her eyes were a more pure white than their previous hue of light blue. Her iris' held their previous shade of blue, a much deeper, yet far more gentle shade than before. Her slit pupils were mere slivers, allowing little light in as the sun's rays slowly crept on to her black fur.
"Luna?"
Luna looked up, maintaining her look of awe.
"Art thou here?"
"I... never left."
Rays of morning sun cast long shadows across the items it touched within Luna's quarters. The big, circular room's western windows let in the light with open arms, an orange glow bringing new color to things that once seemed gray, blue, and white. The deeply blue walls shined as the noon's sky would, and the stars of the night sky mural adorning the dome ceiling of the room sparkled with life. The chrome chandelier hanging from the room's center shined brighter than the candles topping its arms, and the many lacquered, dark wood furnishings within the room showed off their dark hues with pride. Celestia looked away from the rather nice room into the 'bathroom', as Luna had called it, her eyes looking at the reflection of her sister in the large, full-body mirror within the rather expansive sub-room. Standing with a tired slouch, and heavy eyelids, Luna looked herself in the eye.
"They're... how they once were."
"Aye."
"Why didn't... all of me change?" Luna looked over herself, spreading her wings from her sides. "Why do I still... look evil?"
Celestia smiled. "Thou dost not look 'evil'. One looks evil when one is evil. Thou art not evil; no hate, spite, or venom resigns within thy heart or mind. All of thee did change, Luna; and quite drastically, at that. What resigns within thy mind is far different than what resigned there days ago. Appearances matter not."
Luna looked away from herself, meeting Celestia's gaze. "You're right." She paused a moment, looking past Celestia into her room at the helmet, peytral, and shoes gleaming in the sun upon their table. "I'm still going to get rid of my helmet, however."
Celestia too brought her eyes upon Luna's helmet.
"I don't need a helmet." Luna scoffed. "I'm not a warrior anymore; I have my huge army to fight for me."
"Thou were indeed quite the warrior all those years ago. Always so anxious to practice sword dueling with poor Captain Cloud Fall."
"Oh, I still duel. Captain Flicker keeps me well in practice." Luna smirked. "And by that I mean he hasn't beat me."
Luna walked past Celestia coming to one of two large wardrobes, opening the left door and taking a sleeping blind from a small hook.
"Maybe..." Luna cut herself off with a long yawn as she began towards the big, blue bed at the room's center. "Maybe I'll have that helmet re-forged into a crown. One like yours."
"Such an ordainment would be quite fitting for thy ever so regal figure."
Luna paused, looking over her shoulder with a smile. "You've always been so eloquent."
"And thou hast not been?" inquired Celestia as she trailed Luna to the bed.
"Well, today's Equestrian sounds a lot less... official. Everypony around me speaks how I do, and when I hear you speaking how we all once did, it's sometimes a little jarring."
Celestia hummed, watching as Luna placed the sleeping blind around her neck and then fell sideways onto her cushion-y bed, the many wonderfully stitched pillows hopping up from her impact. From the western windows shined a ray of sun directly onto Luna's bed, many particles of dust dancing in the beam.
"Did... thee always wish for our sun to return? Is that why thou hast brought us back... to bring the sun back?"
Luna looked hurt. "Is love not a good enough reason for me to want you back?"
Celestia drew her gaze away. "It is..."
Luna sighed. "I brought you back because I love you... more than anything. And, you are the Princess of the Sun. It's in your name. It's on your flanks. It's who you are. I wanted my sister back, and with my sister came the sun. I didn't... want it back, but I didn't want it gone, either."
"Art thou happy to have the sun back?"
Luna looked around her room, wiggling as she dug herself further into bed. "Yes. I forgot how... comfy it is."
Celestia smiled, sitting down right at the bed's fringe. "Quite comfy, indeed. We art quite excited to get back to our own quarters so we may too fall into sleep's embrace. We too art exhausted."
"Do things feel... normal? To you, with the sun back, and with... me back?"
Celestia looked outside. "Normal? Nay. Right? Aye. Things... shalt never be 'normal' once more. We never wished for 'normal'. Quickly, we realized that wanting our old life was selfish and stubborn, now we wish for what life we have now to be right. Thus far, tis right... save for one thing."
Luna sighed, her ears falling against her head. "It doesn't fix anything... but I'm sorry. For... Philomena. I-If I had known..."
"She passed on her terms. She was happy in our hooves. While... she could still be here... she is not. But, thou hast given her death meaning. For that... we thank thee."
There was pause of silence, the two sharing a misty-eyed look before, almost simultaneously, looking away. Luna let her head fall to the bed, her face turned away from Celestia to hide the tears that now came to her eyes.
"700 years... since we last put thee to bed, as a big sister should."
"I know." Luna's voice croaked in return, her cries stifled.
Celestia sat up, putting her front hooves on the bed as she leaned in to kiss Luna on the cheek.
"Know that, no matter what the past holds, or what the future may hold, we shall love thee with every ounce of our being."
Luna failed to respond, Celestia's words leaving her in a little bit of shock.
"I... love you too, Celestia."
With that, Celestia righted herself and began towards the door to Luna's private quarters. As she exited through the room's tall, single door, she closed it as softly as possible with a spell, standing idly for a moment as she listened. Time passed, and hard cries of sorrow began to sing through the door, the sounds bringing a horrible pain to Celestia's chest. The door was swung back open, Celestia walking back inside and making her way to Luna where she climbed up onto the pillow-like bed and laid down behind Luna, draping her hoof over her much larger figure.
"No sister of mine shalt cradle herself to sleep in tears, or feel the pain of sorrow in solitude."
Luna looked up, sniffling as a little smile broke through the clouds of her guilt. She brought up her own hoof, placing it over Celestia's as the two shared a smile.
"T-Thank you... Celestia. No pony could ask for a better sister."
Celestia held her words. She wanted to return the remark, proclaiming that Luna too was the best sister one could ask for. She herself knew that remark to be false, and she knew Luna too knew that remark to be false. She knew if she returned the remark as she wished too, Luna would be quite to make a rebuttal.
"Will... you stay here? Fall asleep with me as we once did?"
"We planned on it..."
Celestia scooped her other hoof under Luna's larger body, her hooves not being able to meet each other as they once were able too as she hugged her sister tightly.
"Craft us joyous dreams, Luna." Celestia spoke as she closed her eyes.
"Till time itself stops, Celestia.”