Twilight’s jaw dropped in a long, hollow yawn as she blinked her eyes open against the morning sun. She’d spent several days in Canterlot with Moon Dancer until the doctors were able to confirm Dancer was in a stable position. It’d still be a little bit before her friend would be awake, but at least the danger had passed. Twilight now laid in her bed, thinking about the events of that day, and how they had quickly spiraled out of control. It was almost like a bad dream; Moon Dancer as the new Nightmare Moon, it just didn’t seem possible.
Twilight’s eyes slowly drifted over to the window as she watched the morning sun begin its ascent over Equestria. Princess Celestia was right on schedule, as always. How’d she manage to do it? Twilight wondered to herself as the rays of sunlight peaked through the morning mist, adding a small shimmer to the air. How did Princess Celestia live with herself after banishing her sister? It must have been so lonely. Twilight curled up in bed, watching the sun as she couldn’t get the image of Moon Dancer as Midnight Eclipse out of her head. Those razor teeth, the scowling grin, and that voice, that voice that had reverberated through the night, it all sent chills down her spine. I almost lost a friend.
“Twilight.” Spike’s voice called out softly from the doorway.
“Yeah?” Twilight looked past her covers, seeing her little dragon standing awkwardly in the hall. She hadn’t realized he was even up.
“Everything okay?”
“S-Sure. Why wouldn’t everything be okay? It’s a new day!” Twilight rambled out, pushing off the covers and stretching herself out.
“Well, usually you’re out of bed by now and . . . Pinkie Pie and the others are here already.”
Twilight craned her head up. “They are?!” and Spike nodded vigorously, the look in his face being enough. “I’ll be right out!” Twilight stammered as she quickly jumped out of bed, and used her magic to tidy up the room a bit.
Spike had just disappeared out into the hallway when the sound of Pinkie Pie’s party cannon going off, followed by a scream for help from Spike, caused Twilight to poke her head out the door. On one end of the hallway, Spike laid in a puddle of confetti and streamers, and at the other end sat a giggling, boisterous Pinkie Pie. “Spike! You’re not supposed to stand in front of a cannon! That’s not how it works! Oh, hey Twilight! Up and ready to go?”
Twilight nodded her head as she glanced back at Spike, just checking that he was still moving. “Sure am Pinkie Pie. I guess I just wasn’t expecting you girls for a few hours yet.”
At Pinkie Pie’s request, the girls had started preparing a large surprise party for Pinkie’s sister, Maud. After graduating from college and earning her rocktorate in rock science, Pinkie had been literally dying to throw some kind of celebration. Twilight and the girls met about a week ago to start getting things ready. They would’ve started much sooner, but Pinkie had to convince Maud to return home and visit their folks. Things also kind of got delayed with the recent events involving Moon Dancer.
“Buuuuut, now that that’s all out of the way, we can really start going to town on all this! Maud won’t be back from the farm for at least a couple weeks!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she jerked the cord on her cannon, firing her artillery once more into the main hall of the Castle of Friendship, sending streamers, confetti and balloons of all colors rocketing into the air, covering the walls with ribbons and bows.
Scratching his head as he rose up from the mound of colored paper, Spike inquired, “But if she’s going to be gone for so long, do we really need to be setting up this early?” Of course, by the time Spike managed to ask his question, Pinkie Pie had disappeared down another corridor and within seconds, the sound of her party cannon firing another round of festivity inducing explosives could be heard.
“It’s alright Spike.” Twilight explained as he stepped up to her side. “Pinkie Pie’s been looking forward to this for weeks. We all have. It shouldn’t be too difficult to navigate some balloons and streamers for a little while. Besides, I think we’re all looking forward to Maud’s reaction when she finally arrives.”
“She’ll probably have the same look on her face she always does.” Spike grumbled.
Twilight only smiled in response as she led the way out into the main chamber where the other girls had gathered to help prepare. “Good morning girls” Twilight said as she watched Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy setting up a large “Congratulations Maud Pie” banner across the tree root chandelier. Rarity busied herself with hanging bright red ribbons and bows under the windows. Turning her head, Rarity noticed Twilight and said, “Twilight, darling! You’re finally awake!”
“Finally? It’s still very early Rarity.” Twilight said, chuckling.
“Yes, and look at what we’ve been able to do in that short time with the décor. It’ll almost be a shame after the party when it needs to all come down.” Rarity chirped as she perfectly tied a bow connecting a longer ribbon between two windows.
“It’s very beautiful. Thank you, girls, for everything.”
“Oh, not at all.” Rarity said, shrugging it off as she glanced at Twilight again from her work, “How’s Moon Dancer?”
“She’s hanging in there.” Twilight replied, taking deep breath as she looked over the room. “I really want her to be here for this. I know she’s not acquainted with Maud, but, I think attending this party would really cheer her up.”
“I think there’ll be plenty of time to invite her. After all, Maud’s gone back for a few weeks. Why that’s plenty of time to heal up and rest. By the time she gets out of that hospital, she’s just be itching for something spectacular like this. I know I would.” And leaning in, Rarity whispered, “Have you seen the interior design patterns used in hospitals?”
Twilight giggled a bit at Rarity’s musings, “I suppose they are kind of bland.”
“Bland doesn’t cover the half of it. Anyway, I’ll spare you the trouble of my rant on hospitals.” Rarity glanced over to Pinkie Pie, who had busied herself on the other side of the room with Applejack, chit chatting about something as Rarity said, “As long as some pony doesn’t get a wild hair to move the party up a week or two, Moon Dancer should have no problem making it.”
“Thanks Rarity. Speaking of Pinkie, I better figure out what she wants me to be doing. I’m not used to having some-other pony planning everything out like this.” Twilight trotted off, leaving Rarity to her work. Spike, meanwhile, had disappeared from her side at some point, and glancing around, she located him attempting to avoid some of the clutter of the party decorations as he watched Rarity.
Twilight just chuckled at the dragon as she joined Applejack’s side to listen to the conversation. Reviewing over a list of snacks, Applejack inquired, “Pinkie Pie, are you sure we’ll need everything on this list? I mean, even our barnyard full of critters don’t eat this much in a week, and you’re ordering it all for a day?!”
Laughing, Pinkie Pie answered, “Well, it won’t just be us silly! I plan on inviting the whole Pie family! And of course, all you Apples off the farm, and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash . . .”
“Okay okay. I get it. So, they’ll be a lot of us here. But just keep in mind what happened with the two hundred pounds of rock candy when Maud first visited Ponyville.”
“How can I forget! We were sick for a whole week!” Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed. Then, the point finally making its way across her head, she smiled and softly said, “Oh. Point taken.”
As Pinkie Pie drifted off to check on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, Applejack turned and saw Twilight. “She sure is all riled up with this little shindig of hers.”
“She sure is. And to be honest, I’m kind of excited for it. Just not enough to get sick over it.” Applejack had a good laugh, and Twilight was about to add to her comment when suddenly she heard a knock at the door. Excusing herself from Applejack, she hurried over to the entrance to see who was there.
“Derpy? What are you doing here?”
With her mailbag draped firmly over her back, Derpy peered into the castle, glancing around as she said absentmindedly, “Oh, hi Twilight. I’m just here to deliver Pinkie Pie’s invitations. Mrs. Cake told me she’d be here.”
“Those must be the invitations then. Come on in.”
Derpy stepped up into the castle, her eyes wandering in slightly different directions as she craned her head around to take in the sights. She’d rarely been inside the Castle of Friendship, but flying by it on morning mail routes always turned her head due to the sparkling stones reflecting rainbow-like colors into the streets. If ever she was slow on delivery, it was usually due to the extra time spent admiring the aesthetics of the castle.
Being so distracted at the columns of pillars, the draperies hanging below each window, and coupled with the sheer size and scale of the hallway alone, Derpy failed to notice when Twilight stopped at the entrance to the main hall. She butted right into Twilight’s flank, stirring up a surprised yelp from the princess. “S-sorry” Derpy muttered, embarrassed.
Being familiar with some of Derpy’s klutzy tendencies, Twilight just laughed it off and said, “Pinkie Pie should be in here. She was speaking with Applejack just a second ago.”
Just as Twilight stepped into the room to search for her friend, Pinkie thrusted her face in front of Derpy’s, causing the postal pony to fall back onto her rump. “Derpy! You made it! Did you bring the invitations?!”
Her cross eyes opened wide in initial surprise as Derpy quickly recovered and pulled out a stack of paper tied neatly together with twine. Handing the invitations to Pinkie, Derpy rolled a hoof around on the floor as she glanced down, “I-I hope I got all the information right on the them this time. I’m really sorry about using the wrong name before.”
The invitations already opened up and spread out across the floor, Pinkie looked up, smiling brightly as she hugged Derpy. “Oh, don’t worry silly! They look great! They look amazing! They’re perfect!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, quickly escalating this innocent discussion into a party cannon worthy event. Derpy ducked when the cannon fired off several streamers and a shower of multi-colored confetti into the air.
Blushing a bit from all the excitement over her work, Derpy chuckled a bit and said, “Gee, I didn’t’ think the invitations were that important.”
“Of course, they’re that important!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “Don’t you know?! The invitations are one of the most important parts of a party! If you mess up the invitations, then you’re inviting guests under false pretenses, or worse yet, sending them to the wrong place for the wrong reason at the wrong time!” Pinkie Pie’s voice grew louder as she stood on her back hooves, stretching her body out for dramatic effect, “If the invitations are wrong, then . . .”
“Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said flatly, clearly irritated at the dramatic scene that had now captured the attention of every-pony in the room. “I think we get the picture.”
Starting to sweat, Derpy hastily grabbed an invitation and started checking it over once more. “Now I really hope I didn’t make any mistakes.” Memories from Matilda’s wedding quickly entered the pony’s head as she realized just how much could have gone wrong.
“Don’t worry Derpy. I’m sure they’re fine.” And to prove it, Twilight picked up one of the invitations and proof read it herself, giving the invitation the same amount of scrutiny that she’d give one of her ten page essays for Celestia. “It looks great Derpy.”
Stepping away from Pinkie, Derpy glanced around the castle, admiring all the work that had already been accomplished. She watched Rarity meticulously tie a bow around large stone archway, then glancing over to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, she watched them tying banners into place. The castle seemed to spring to life in front of her, balloons swarming the ceiling in a variety of colors. “The castle is really looking beautiful Twilight.” Derpy said, and allowing the excitement to wander inside her, she asked, “Would I be able to help with anything else?”
A little taken aback, Twilight asked, “What about your deliveries?”
“This was the last one. I wanted to make sure I had time in case the invitations needed more work.”
“Well in that case, maybe Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could use you. Pinkie Pie went all out with the decorations.”
Happy to help, Derpy nodded as she took off into the air, a slight wobble to her flight as she swerved up and around the tree root chandelier, at first just following Dash and Fluttershy around. It took her a moment to realize they were decorating the roots on the chandelier, handling not banners, but long strands of silk cloth like garland around the tree roots.
“Hey Rainbow Dash! Hey Fluttershy! Would you girls like some help?” Derpy blurted out, causing Dash to screech to a mid-air halt as she heard the familiar voice. Fluttershy almost slammed right into her from behind.
“H-Hey Derpy!” Rainbow Dash greeted nervously. “W-What are you doing here?”
“I just delivered the invitations for the party!” Derpy claimed proudly as she glanced around, looking for something to help decorate with. “And since I finished my route, I thought I maybe I could help you decorate.”
“I-I don’t know Derpy. We’ve kinda got things under control.”
“Oh, come on Rainbow Dash, we could always use another hoof.” Fluttershy argued, and smiling to Derpy, she continued, “There’s some decorations in that box over there if you’d like to hang a few more things around the room.” Dash glared at Fluttershy, shaking her head that this was a bad idea. Fluttershy however, didn’t notice.
Rainbow Dash would have commented further, but Derpy had already flew her way down to the box. She sorted through some knick-knacks, and other random decorations. Finally pulling out a strand of lights, Derpy busied herself with spinning it around one of the nearby pillars. She started at the bottom of the pillar and fastening the lights, worked her way up. She found it a bit dizzying as she circled around and around and around.
Her crossed eyes bounced around in her head as Derpy began to waver through the air in a stupor. She stopped momentarily in her weaving as she neared the top of the pillar. Noticing how the lights sagged, Derpy growled, a bit frustrated at the dangling lights. She pulled on the end of the strand, tightening them back up. Quickly tying the lights in place, Derpy looked proudly at her work; only to find the lights had sagged out of place again.
“This is harder than it looks.” She said to herself as she untied the lights, and, pressing her rear hooves against the wall, Derpy held onto the pillar with one front hoof. She pulled the lights strand as tight as she could, using her other hoof to help tie the strands. The lights clenched in her mouth, Derpy leaned back, keeping the lights taut. She’d just about had the knot in place when the whole pillar shifted.
Derpy clung to the massive pole as she glanced around, “G-Girls?” she pleaded, as the pillar started to tip. Not knowing what else to do, she clung to the pillar, closing her eyes as she felt the air moving past her head. “Help!” She managed to squeak out.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy only noticed a second too late as the pillar Derpy held onto crashed against the side of the tree root chandelier. It lay at an angle, rubbing up against the side of chandelier, pinning Derpy in between. For a moment, the damage appeared to minimal and Dash flew over to Derpy to free her.
As Dash attempted to pull the pillar off Derpy though, the tree root chandelier creaked and cracked as a loud rumble shook the castle, causing every-pony to look up as dust rained down from the ceiling. “Uh-oh” was all Derpy could manage as the tree root chandelier broke loose and suddenly collapsed down from its hanging spot!
Rainbow Dash gripped the pillar, not wanting to drop it in fear of hurting some other pony. She watched helplessly as the chandelier rocketed down towards the floor, where Twilight happened to be standing.
“Twilight, watch out!” Rainbow Dash screamed.
Twilight had noticed, but before she could use her own magic to stop the tree root chandelier from crushing her, a bright violet aura encased the chandelier, and held it only a few feet above Twilight’s head. Glancing over to the door way, Twilight found Starlight Glimmer holding the thing up.
“What on earth is going on here? I thought you were prepping for Maud’s party, not renovating the entire castle!” Starlight said as she waited for Dash to return the pillar to its rightful place before resetting the tree root chandelier.
Every-pony turned to Derpy who blushed shamefully. Here she had gotten herself so excited for helping Pinkie Pie with the invitations, that she thought she could be of help else-where. Of course, as it’d become second nature to her, Derpy only succeeded in nearly tearing down the whole building. “I-I’m sorry every-pony.” She said, lowering her head as she drifted down to the floor. “I was only trying to help.”
Rainbow Dash landed next to her and said, “We know ya were Derpy, but . . . well you kind of tend to make a mess of things.”
Derpy felt a tear come to her eye. Looks like I’ve failed again. She thought to herself as she again apologized and said, “I wasn’t trying to . . .”
Twilight glared at Dash for the insensitive comment and then turned to Derpy, “It’s okay Derpy. No-pony got hurt. Come, we’ll find something else for you to do.”
Shaking her head, Derpy said, “No, it’s alright Twilight. I should go.” And looking around, she quickly realized just how much damage she’d done. The pillar and the chandelier were the most heavily affected, but due to all the dust that was worked up, much of the already hanging decorations would have to be cleaned.
Derpy opened her mouth to offer to help clean up, but deciding against it, she hurried out of the room and left the castle.
Doctor Hooves wandered through his lab, reviewing the itinerary he had compiled for the day. The limitless discoveries that forever pounded on his door, only ever on the brink of revelation, was well worth the trip out of bed each morning. Today of course, would be no different. His new microscope had just arrived, allowing for a whole new molecular world to be unraveled solely for him. He could hardly wait to put it to good use.
Of course, it would have been wonderful to put to good use, except for a familiar change in draft from his southernmost window. It always happened to proceed the arrival of a certain grey haired, golden mane pony. Doctor Hooves had grown quite fond of his moments with Derpy, especially her arrivals. She’d become so obvious with her trips to the lab, that the doctor took great joy in predicting just when and where she’d land. He’d mastered it down to a science, one might say. Quickly running through his projections, Doctor Hooves pulled out his red marker and double-checking his measuring tape, he drew a red X on the floor, near his plasma ball lamp.
Snatching his stop-watch, Doctor Hooves checked his watch and when he felt the gush of wind soar by him, he clicked it and re-checked his watch. “Blast. Three quarters of a millisecond off. Must have been the dang air pressure throwing me off again.” Doctor Hooves spoke to himself as he glanced up to Derpy, “How’d things go?”
When Doctor Hooves saw Derpy though, he quickly softened his voice, seeing tears streaming down her puffy face. Quickly snatching up a tissue, he rushed over to his dear friend, and placing a hoof around her, led Derpy deeper into the lab. “Here Derpy. Take this. What happened to you?’
Sniffling, Derpy accepted the tissue and nodded her thanks to the doctor. “I took the invitations over to Twilight’s castle to give to Pinkie Pie.” Sighing, she dried her eyes, calming herself down as she leaned against the doctor.
“Was something wrong the invitations?”
Shaking her head, Derpy said between sniffles, “No. The invitations were fine. Pinkie Pie even said that they were perfect. Even Twilight gave them the okay.”
“Then please, tell me what’s wrong. Surely you’re not crying over the amazing work you did . . .”
Derpy shook her head as she stepped away from the doctor and took a seat in the middle of his lab, amongst the model airplanes, the beakers and the burners. “I got excited when Pinkie Pie told me how much she liked the invitations. I asked if I could help with anything else.”
Carefully walking closer to Derpy, Doctor Hooves pressed her for details, “And?”
Gulping, Derpy replied softly, her voice quivering, “And because of me, the ceiling almost caved in.”
“The whole ceiling?”
“Well . . . not the whole thing, but the giant tree root chandelier that hung in one of the rooms. I was trying to help decorate when I loosened a pillar, and it . . . slammed into the chandelier, causing it to fall.” Doctor Hooves could hear Derpy softly crying as he approached her, “Someone could’ve gotten hurt doc, and it would’ve been all my fault.”
Taking a seat next to Derpy, Doctor Hooves drew her in close, comforting her. He allowed her to sniffle and cry to her heart’s content. “Doc?” Derpy suddenly asked, and when he looked down, he saw her crossed eyes staring up at him, like big puppy dog eyes. “How is it I always mess things up? Is all I’ll ever do is print invitations and deliver letters? Is that all I’m good for?”
Chuckling at the very notion, Doctor Hooves stepped away from Derpy. Standing in front of her, he made sure he had her full attention when he said, “I for one, would never believe such an idea . . . And, neither should you.” Then turning around, he raised his hoof, and pointed at various things in his lab, “Why, who has been the one that assisted me on so many of my meticulous studies?”
Turning around, he saw a shy smile from Derpy as she slowly raised her hoof into the air. Proudly beaming as he then pointed to a glass bulb, illuminated not by fire, but by a heated filament, the doctor continued, “And who helped me take strides in the advancement of electricity?”
Again, Derpy raised her hoof, but this time she interjected, “But that only happened because I struck you with lightning.”
“Yes, well, the ends certainly justified the means.” Doctor Hooves chuckled.
Derpy lowered her head a bit. “I destroyed your kite too.”
“Yes, but look at the work I have been able to accomplish since! How many of the things in my lab wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for you?”
“And how many of them have I broken?” Derpy sighed, appreciating the doctor’s attempt at cheering her up, but it just wasn’t working. “This happens every time doc. I can’t go two steps without running into some pony or breaking this or dropping that. I feel so useless sometimes.”
“You are not useless.”
Frustrated, Doctor Hooves thought for a moment. He fully understood his friend’s predicament. As much as he enjoyed Derpy, he knew of a few ponies who resisted the notion of spending time with her for that reason, and others. Still, he knew she was something special, and not just to him. To the doctor, Derpy is, was, and always would be his best friend. To every-pony else though, she was something more. If only he could express that to her.
As the doctor watched Derpy, he saw a breeze ruffle through her hair and that’s when he experienced his “ah-ha” moment. “Come with me Derpy. I want to show you something.” The doctor finally said to her.
Leading Derpy through the lab, the two passed by contraptions of all sizes. Some were masterful achievements in the world of science, complete with blinking lights, sparks, and even whirring noises. Others, were still a work in progress, with tags attached to them showcasing the various processes still required just for their initial testing phases.
Opening the door to his back office, Doctor Hooves led Derpy inside. The office was small, with a desk, and some shelving. Nothing special really. Underneath the desk though, that’s where Doctor Hooves dusted off, and pulled out and old, rustic box. He smiled at Derpy, taking in her wonder as he flipped open the locks, and stretched open the lid.
Doctor Hooves stepped back as Derpy pressed her face in close, eager to see what treasures her friend had hidden within.
“A paper airplane?” Derpy asked, the anticlimactic piece of folded, now yellowish paper, almost mocked her with its blandness. “What’s so special about that?”
Stepping around to the desk, Doctor Hooves carefully took the paper airplane out of its resting place. “While it may seem like an ordinary paper airplane to you, to me, it was the first of my great accomplishments.” Seeing Derpy cock her head to the side, Doctor Hooves only chuckled as he threw the airplane into the air, watching it masterfully glide around his office, buzzing over Derpy’s head and swirling around his body. “You see, when I was a filly, I was just like you. Everyone morning I got up, I looked in the mirror, and saw nothing but failure. At every turn of the proverbial corner, I’d trip and fall flat on my face. It was a vicious cycle that seemed to have no end.”
Doctor Hooves watched Derpy as the airplane finally landed on his desk. When Derpy’s eyes fell onto it, he nodded his head, encouraging her to take it for a spin. She did so only too happily, sending the plane curling up and around the light as Doctor Hooves watched it go.
“Then, one day, I saw my classmates flying one of these contraptions through the air. Immediately, I wanted to make one as well. I can still remember sitting at my desk through both lunch and recess, working and folding, trying to make my own paper airplane. I spent weeks, trying to make one, weeks of hideous, painful, papercuts. All in failure though I’m afraid.”
Even as Derpy’s eyes followed the plane around its path, she still listened to every word the doctor spoke. “What did you do?”
“Well, one day, I ran across a stroke of luck. My classmates had flown another plane through the classroom, but the teacher had caught it, and disposed of it in the trash. My chance! On my first opportunity, I snatched it from the waste receptacle. The creases in the paper still intact, I spent the next several days working to replicate those exact creases.”
The plane took a sudden nose-dive and spiraled down for Derpy. The Pegasus yelped as she ducked for cover, but anticipating the plummet, Doctor Hooves quickly stepped over to his friend and caught the plane in mid spiral. Setting it down, he finished, “After three hundred pieces of paper, I had done it. I had finally created the masterpiece you see before you. It would of course be years before I fully dived into my passion for science, not to mention tragedy; but, this one success taught me something very important.”
Hugging Derpy close to him, the doctor looked down at her and said, “It taught me that even the impossible could be conquered, as long as there was some-pony willing to try.”
Picking up the paper plane, Derpy looked it over. She carefully placed it back inside the box in which it came from. “But you’ve done so many great things since.” Returning to the door, Derpy gazed out into the doctor’s lab and said, “Just look at all of this stuff! You’ve been doing great things all your life.”
Laughing, Doctor Hooves shook his head and stepped over to Derpy, looking out at all of the gizmos and gadgets. “Hard to believe they all started with a paper airplane, isn’t it?” Derpy looked at him a bit suspiciously as he finished, “Derpy, all I’m saying is that I believe we are all meant to do great things. At the very least, each pony has the ability to do one great thing in Equestria. You look at me, the discovery and the study of science is most likely my greatest endeavor.”
Then, seeing Derpy’s still confused face, the doctor tilted her chin up to look at him. His voice softened as he said to her, “When I look at you though, I see the potential for something so great, that it will far outshine anything that I could ever do.” A smile slowly started to curl around Derpy’s cheeks as the doctor finished, “And I can’t wait for the day when I can stand back, and admire what you’ve done. It will truly be extraordinary.”
Derpy felt herself blush as she leaned in and hugged the doctor. Unable to pull herself away, she buried herself against his warmth. “Thanks doc,” was all Derpy could manage to say.
Doctor Hooves just chuckles as he patted her back, “Anytime.”
Princess Celestia stepped slowly through her castle in Canterlot. Having pushed the sun down only a few hours ago, it was now time for her to turn in for the night. She passed through a long, red carpeted hallway, with stain glass windows on either side, showcasing various events in the history of Equestria. The formation of the Wonderbolts, the founding of Equestria by the three tribes (Earth ponies, pegasi, and Unicorns), the defeat of Discord; all were present and detailed out in spectacular color. This had always been one of Celestia’s favorite portions of the castle. So much history right here at her hoof-tips, it felt almost like a time machine whenever she walked this path. It made for a quiet place for her to recollect her thoughts from the day, and just unwind.
As she walked, she came across one of the more tragic displays. It was a window glowing of midnight blue, and dark violet. Princess Celestia stopped as tears sprinkled down her cheeks. This eerily majestic work of art depicted the initial rise of Nightmare Moon, one thousand years ago. Nightmare Moon’s tall, slender frame towered over Celestia, with Equestria doused in shadow behind her.
“And to think, this could have all happened again.” Celestia whispered to herself. The power of Nightmare Moon was not to be underestimated. It could infect any-pony, at any time. “Now, my sister suffers again.” Celestia spoke to herself, staring up at the window, remembering how adamant Luna had been with having this display be taken down. She had not wanted any reminder of her past self to live on in the castle. Celestia however, had refused. She did so not out of historical preservation, but because she had needed it here. Princess Celestia, the most revered pony in Equestria, needed this humbling reminder of how her abandonment of Luna almost destroyed everything she held dear. Nightmare Moon was her greatest failure.
With the events that had unfolded just several days prior with Moon Dancer, Celestia needed the reassurance that her sister was okay. She’d observed Luna ever since her return with Twilight to the castle. Although calm when in the presence of her former pupil, Luna had broken down after Twilight’s departure. In her fear for everyone’s safety, Luna spun up a chain for the amulet where the two had trapped Nightmare Moon’s energy, and placed the cursed object around her neck, for safe-keeping.
Celestia needed to know that her sister was alright. She left her beloved hall of memories and climbed the stairs to one of the tallest towers of the castle. She knew it to be a favorite location for her sister during the night. Sure enough, when Celestia reached its peak, she found Luna, her star speckled mane blowing in the cool breeze, watching over the moonlit Equestria.
“Luna, how goes the night?” Celestia asked softly.
“Sister?” Luna asked, turning in surprise, “Why are you still awake? You should be in bed, resting.”
Celestia chuckled at the comment. “Me? What about you?” Luna winced at the question, turning her head back to looking out over the land. Princess Celestia joined her sister at the lookout, “I know you haven’t been sleeping. I can’t help but think it is due to that thing around your neck.”
“You don’t have to worry sister. I’m fine.” Luna said, gulping as she kept her eyes focused away from Celestia.
“If you are, then why don’t you sleep during the day? You may be the ruler of night, but you are still a pony. You need your sleep.”
Luna bit her lip. She could feel her sister’s gaze boring into her. “I cannot sleep. Whenever I close my eyes, I see her.”
Leaning against Luna, letting her sister know that she was there for her, Celestia said, “Then throw it into Tartarus. Do not torture yourself with this evil.”
“I cannot. I will not put Nightmare Moon out of my sight. The thought of her escaping again . . .” Luna shook her head. Turning to Celestia, the bags under her eyes hung low as she could barely keep them open. “I’ll be okay.” She said, reassuringly.
“If you won’t throw it into Tartarus, then at least let me share the load with you. This is a burden that is too great for one pony, even one as great as yourself.” Celestia said, smiling to her sister. “Let me help you.”
Luna was about to respond, but Celestia hugged her sister, pulling the alicorn in close as she wrapped a hoof around her. Snuggling up with Luna, Celestia blinked out a couple of tears. “Please, I could not bear to lose you again.”
Luna stared out over the land, thinking what Celestia had said. She had hoped to keep this demon under control herself, but perhaps some assistance would be appreciated. “Very well.” Luna relented. “Let us discuss this matter later. For now, you need to rest.”
Celestia, satisfied with Luna’s response, hugged her little sister once more and said, “Then I shall head off to bed. Good night Princess Luna.”
“Good night Celestia.” Luna answered back, turning to watch her sister disappear back down the stairs. When Celestia had vanished, Luna returned her gaze back to the stars. “I don’t want to lose you either, Celestia.”