"So, you're telling me I was..."
"Dead, yes," Luna replies, hugging you tighter as she utters that word. At this point, it is starting to hurt.
"Luna, not so hard, please," you tell her, your voice somewhat strained. She eases up a bit, but still remains draped over you. Luna has been attached to you since you woke up.
After the rude - and rather embarrassing - awakening, Luna and her sister ushered you across the hall to Celestia's room, for privacy and to be somewhere that wasn't a complete mess.
"Sorry, it's just - I never thought I'd get to hold you again, hear you speak again," Luna says, as she starts to sniffle just a bit. You put an arm around her, trying to reassure her you aren't going anywhere.
"What do you remember, Anonymous?" Celestia chimes in, her head cocked just a bit.
"Not much, I guess," you tell her, shrugging your shoulders. "I remember waking up, talking with Luna, and then you came in and said Chrysalis was awake. Everything kind of stops after that, until I woke up from what I thought was an hour long power nap, to find everyone staring at me like they had witnessed a miracle. I guess they had a right to do so."
"Well... yes and no," Celestia replies with a playful smile. "It's understandable to my sister and I. But historical texts don't go into much detail of our lives, and it has been a long time since one of us has... had a really bad day."
"What's that mean?"
"I suppose it has been a while. Not long after you and Luna had your little excursion, I mentioned that Luna and I have a peculiar 'gift,' as we refer to it. Do you remember that?"
"Yeah, you mentioned you two don't really die, you just kind of make like a phoenix and - Oh."
"It would appear you now possess that ability as well," Celestia finishes with a nod.
You find yourself speechless with the revelation. How do you even follow up with a response to that?
You never necessarily feared death, you were just mindful of the possibility whenever you got the idea to do something stupid. Though be fair, that didn't stop you from time to time...
A lightbulb pops on in your head.
"Celestia, the hospital," you gasp. Her gaze grows curious at your abrupt fragmented statement.
"What about it?"
"When I woke up, I mentioned... when I went back and relived the memory, I had this sense of my insides being on fire. One of the worst pains I ever felt, could that have been-"
Her eyes widen with the suggestion, connecting the dots as you speak. "You very well may have escaped death once, Anon. The doctor said you were lucky your broken ribs left your internal organs without a scratch. Personally, I've never experienced it, but we do heal at a faster rate."
"Like my shoulder. It felt just fine earlier today. I wouldn't expect that so soon. Of course, it's definitely good now, all things considered."
"Wait, why am I just now hearing of this?!" Luna exclaims. "You mean to tell me you have experienced this sensation of burning before?"
"Luna, I didn't bring it up other than when I was with Celestia because I didn't know if it was real or not. Nightmare didn't know what to make of it either. On top of that, you weren't to keen on listening to me when I first arrived a few evenings ago."
Luna cringes a bit at the reminder. "Right. That's on me then, sorry."
But with the end of their tale, you note the one missing piece out of it all. It makes your heart drop, as you know the answer, but ask anyway.
"So, Twilight is still... you didn't get the answer out of Chrysalis before she escaped, I'm assuming."
Both princesses drop their eyes downward, their ears drooping in time.
"No. Mark my words Anon, we have not given up, we will succeed in returning her back to normal," Celestia says, her gaze locking back onto you. "It will just take time."
"Or, it could be five minutes from now," a male voice chimes in, making you jump. Celestia and Luna both jolt up in surprise, scanning the room with their heads on swivels.
"Oh, relax. I've been hanging around this whole time." With that, a serpentine being droops down inverted from the chandelier on the ceiling, just feet away from where your group is situated. He still hangs on, using his tail to remain latched on to the light fixture.
Discord.
"Discord, now is not the time for your silly games," Luna quickly responds. While her voice remains calm and collected, it's easy to tell her patience for his shenanigans is very low right now. The same can be said for Celestia, who looks rather flustered with the interruption.
But Discord remains unfazed by all of this, the goofy grin upon his face not diminished in the slightest as he lets go of his perch, defying gravity while he slowly turns right side up.
"Why, I have to say I feel quite offended right now," he replies, feigning with a dramatic tone. "Here I am on my own time, trying to help solve your woes with dear Twilight, and you brush me aside with nary a speck of curiosity or passive glance at what I have. Maybe I should just keep this for now."
Upon his mention, an orb roughly the size of a golf ball appears in the palm of his taloned hand. He rolls it around in demonstration before you can get a good look at it, then tossing it up in the air and spinning it on the tip of his claw.
"What is that?" Celestia asks. Evidently, Discord has a history of showing off potentially dangerous objects, as the solar princess takes a step back, one wing curled partially in front of her as a shield.
"You don't recognize your prized student?" he asks. Abruptly, the ball stops, giving you a better look. While it seems to be made of clear crystal or glass, the inside contains a misty, lavender fluid or vapor, slowly twisting and twirling deep inside. Without warning, he tosses it up in the air, forcing Celestia to jump into action and stretch out her wings to catch it.
You don't know why she didn't just seize it with her magic, but who are you to judge?
Nevertheless, as her magic finally does cradle the mysterious object closer to her muzzle, Celestia's eyes light up. "How... where did you get this?" she asks breathlessly.
"Chryssy gave it to me, of course," Discord replies, disregarding the magnitude of his statement with a wave of his hand.
"What?!" Both princesses and you exchange looks after shouting in unison. But to his credit, Discord does not stray from his charade.
"Okay, she didn't just give it to me," he concedes. "First off, I'd like to mention I don't appreciate being kept out of the loop on this whole ordeal. Twilight Sparkle is my friend too. She also happens to be my favorite pony to toy with. Seeing her get all worked up, the steam coming out of her ears, it's hila-"
"Discord, focus," Luna warns.
"You're no fun. Nopony like a story these days," he laments, folding his arms. "Anyways, I happened to drop in just in time to hear you two and Chrysalis hammer out a little deal and-"
"What do you mean by 'dropped in?'" Celestia interrupts.
"I just happened to teleport in at the wrong place, right time."
"We have wards against such magic."
Discord shrugs innocently "Nopony told me that. I didn't see it in the rules," he responds, holding up a pamphlet to his face. After some quiet musings, he tosses it aside, as well as a pair of reader glasses that appeared upon his muzzle at some point. "Nope, nothing."
"Continue, Discord," Luna says, her voice devoid of any sort of amusement.
"As I was saying, you all made a deal. Let her go, and she would revert Twilight. Now, obviously that went pear-shaped, shame on you for trusting a villain."
"Duly noted," Luna chimes in again. Discord's attention instantly snaps to her.
"I feel like there was an underlying anecdote to that comment," he says, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"You are more than welcome to draw your own conclusions."
"Riiight," Discord replies slowly. "Continuing on, I just didn't think that was fair to her to agree to that and jet without holding up her end of the bargain. So, I intervened. It didn't take long to get her to talk."
"Are you implying you tortured her? That is illegal in Equestrian law," Celestia quickly adds.
"It wasn't torture, not at all. I just introduced her to my realm, let her experience the sights," he says, his grin becoming quite devious at this point. For the first time, he acknowledges your presence directly. "You should visit sometime, especially this time of the year. Birds' feathers changing color and falling off, trees heading north for the winter, very beautiful."
Every fiber of your being doesn't feel at all comfortable with the suggestion - whether genuine or not. Still, no reason to be rude.
"I appreciate the offer b-"
"I have seen your dreams, which you say pale in comparison to your home world. I have to say if that experience without permission is not torture, then I don't know what constitutes that term," Luna interjects sternly.
"Okay, so even if it was torture, what is the issue? It didn't happen in Equestria, nor did one of its citizens do the deed. Neither can be said for earlier in the dungeon, though."
At once, Luna is slapped speechless, recoiling just a bit as her ears drop and shoulders slump.
Evidently, there's more to the story.
I intend to tell you everything that has transpired, I did not feel it was appropriate at the time. After just getting you back, you hear Luna explain in your head. You give her another reassuring hug, trying to quell her sudden bout of shame and embarrassment.
"Now, I worked very hard to get that from her. It was actually well hidden upon Chrysalis," Discord says. The rest of you in the room exchange glances of disgust, to which Discord quickly takes offense. "Oh, do grow up, I don't mean anything like that. As it turns out, all those swiss cheese holes on her hooves are a great place to store small valuables. And collect dust bunnies, lots of those. But I digress, this should be fun figuring out how this works."
"You mean you don't know?!" Celestia's patience apparently has just run out.
"No, but it can't be that hard to figure out, we have the important bit," he says dismissively. "Worse comes to worse I have to track down Chryssy again, but I doubt she would have left if we needed her to undo this, knowing full well I will find her if need be."
"You let her go?! " This time it's Luna who raises her voice. "She tried to take Canterlot, she tried to keep my friend hostage, and tried to kill Anon, and you let her walk away?!"
"That was your deal, not mine. To be honest, I thought you could have gotten a bit more at the bargaining table had you tried. Besides the fact, I take no sides - I'm a neutral party here because let's face it, it's fun to see you all squabble and raise a little chaos."
Celestia looks about ready to zap Discord into another dimension, her horn glowing as her face grows cross. But a lick of his pawed hand and a pinch of her horn extinguishes her magic. "Now, now. We've wasted enough time as it is, let's go wake up Twilight," he says. With a loud snap of his talons, both he and the solar princess disappear.
"Geez, that guy sure enjoys pressing people's buttons, doesn't he?" you comment. Oddly enough, you don't get an answer from Luna, making you turn your head.
Instantly, you're assaulted with a flurry of kisses, on your forehead, your cheeks, and finally your lips. Luna finally runs out of steam after you manage to return a few of them.
"Luna, I know I don't get the full scale of everything you went through, but slow it down just a bit. I'm not going anywhere," you calmly explain to her.
"I just can't help it, I thought I lost you. I thought I'd never see your smile again, feel your embrace, hear your voice - even your awful jokes," she says, managing a slight smile at her last addition.
However, it quickly fades as her emotions grow somber. "Anon, when I - when I found you, and knew you were deceased, I lost myself. I nearly let myself go again."
"Er, what do you mean?" you ask. Certainly, it's understandable to be lost in your emotions with loss, but you don't think that's what she is getting at in this case.
"I mean I almost undid everything that I have accomplished - both on my own and with your help," she says. Her bright teal eyes close for a moment, snapping open as they warp and change, growing predatory as her pupils narrow and her sclera shift color to match her irises more closely.
The familiar eyes of her once alter ego, Nightmare Moon.
Luna closes her eyes again, shifting them back quickly as her ears again droop with shame. "I just couldn't handle the thought of being without you, of being taken away from me like that. All I could think about was getting revenge, by any means necessary."
The last half of her sentence carries an ominous tone that gives you a slight chill. Nevertheless, you shake it off. "But you didn't go off the deep end, you're still you. I'm guessing your big sis got you to come back."
"Yes. As well as you. She reminded me how far I have come since those dark days in the past, as well as the simple fact that vengeance was not going to fill the void in my heart that you left."
"Luna, I-"
Luna holds up a hoof, denying you the interruption. "Anon, you have opened my eyes, you have guided me through some truly difficult times," she says, her breath hitching in her throat. "Every time I have fallen - even if I have been unkind to you or hurt you - you have been there to help me back up. Time and time again, even if it was against your best interest, after so many instances of your trust being broken, you have been there for me. Your presence - just being with you, it has opened me up to the rest of the world, helped me experience joys I have not felt in ages, and given me a greater appreciation for what I have, even in moments of despair."
You can't stand to see the tears beginning to once again gather on her cheeks, forcing you to carefully wipe them away with your thumbs.
"Anon, you've helped me find a side of myself that I lost long ago, to help me forgive myself. You have given me a greater appreciation for my sister, and your loss gave me a greater understanding of how much you mean to me. I feel truly blessed to not only have known you, but to have you returned to me. I love you, with all my heart, Anon."
Evidently, some dust in the air has gotten into your eyes as they start to water as well. "I love you too, Lulu," you tell her, throwing your arms around her neck. She gives a half chuckle as her hooves - and wings - return your embrace.
"I told you not to use that name," she says teasingly, leaning in towards you
"It's too adorable to not use. It was either that or Moonbutt," you reply, brushing your lips against hers. She doesn't hesitate to seize the moment, her velvety soft lips locking on at once, to which you're more than happy to oblige.
Time stands still as you revel in the moment. This last week or so has been a terrifying rollercoaster and unraveling of secrets, twists and turns around every corner. But now, almost all of that is but a memory, leaving you here with the mare you love. Perhaps it's been a shaky relationship along the way, some might say it was ill-advised, especially when Luna put Nightmare Moon with you on purpose. Yet what she said is true - Luna had to deal with her past through this all as a result of her actions, and Nightmare is a... relatively decent pony to be around.
And if it weren't for all of this from a stupid spell so many months ago, you would not be here now, alive.
You and Luna finally separate, as a question pops up into the forefront of your mind.
"Luna, if I just come back from the dead like... well, like I did, does that mean I have the whole package deal you two have?"
"You mean immortality, I assume?" she asks. You nod your head, which spurs a moment of thought from her.
"I have to say it is odd that it took so long for you to come back. For us, it's mere minutes while you were delayed by at least an hour, I believe. Yet it was not days ago you didn't go through the whole process, but seemingly remained unconscious while your organs regenerated. That has never been the case for us."
"So..."
Luna merely smirks at your impatience. "What I mean to imply is while you're do not seem to possess quite the capabilities as my sister and I do, like the wielding of magic, you are developing and growing. There is only one way to know for sure whether your longevity is limitless. But considering that there are only three individuals I know of that possess our 'gift' - my sister and I, as well as Discord - I would be willing to bet you likely will be with us for a very, very long time, if not infinite. Immortality is a very likely possibility, yes."
The truth hits you like a ton of bricks. Living forever does not sound like a good prospect to you. It never has.
But Luna senses your discomfort as she pulls you closer again. "It will be a change and quite the adjustment, but remember you aren't alone in this. We're in this together, and I wouldn't want it with anypony else."
"If your sister hears you, she's gonna be jealous," you quip, booping her nose playfully. She recoils in surprise, before giggling and lightly shoving you.
"I think she will manage."