Celestia trotted slowly toward Canterlot, still thinking about the day's earlier events. She'd never meant to lose her temper like that, she was just so frustrated with the whole situation.
"I didn't mean it, Luna. I promise I didn't."
She saw the capital city in the distance has it got larger and larger. All the while, she was thinking of all the ways that she could possibly fix the mess she made.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Fluttershy was trying to console a very inconsolable Luna. Her sobbing had calmed down quite a bit. Eventually, she stopped and was able to speak clearly.
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I... I don't know what came over me."
"It's okay, Princess. Sometimes we just need to let it out. Now, why don't you tell me what happened? Start from the beginning."
"It started at a play that I had really wanted to see. Apparently it was too long and boring for Celestia, so she dragged us away. It was still MY TURN!" Luna yelled.
"Oh my. That doesn't sound very fair."
"It doesn't end there. You know what my sister dragged us away for? Hiking... through a whole bunch... Of prickle bushes." Luna spat.
"That doesn't sound fun at all."
"It wasn't..." Luna said flatly.
"What else happened?"
"We got into an argument that got out of control. I admit... I said some things I shouldn't have said. I don't know, I was just so angry."
"What did you say?" Fluttershy asked with concern.
"That she probably wishes I never came back." Luna visibly cringed remembering her statement.
"Oh my." Fluttershy was surprised at this.
"Yeah I know. But I didn't mean it, it just seems like... She always wants things done her way. I can't help but feel that way sometimes, you know? It's like... she said she didn't like the pressure of ruling day and night when I said that. But then..."
Luna's ears flattened.
"You won't let me take charge for once. It feels like I have to play second fiddle... sometimes I ask myself 'What am I even doing here?' You want me to step up but don't trust me to do so... I'm a princess, not a puppet. If you want it otherwise..."
Luna levitated her crown over to her hooves.
"I might as well just take this thing and throw it into the sea." Luna looked at the crown, sadness evident on her face.
"Now princess, I certainly don't think that's necessary. You're a wonderful..."
"She said she wanted a sister she could depend on." Luna said, still at the crown.
"Huh?.."
"She said she wanted a sister she could depend on." Luna said again, but a little louder.
"... Oh." Fluttershy was a little shocked at this.
"Yeah." Said Luna, finally turning to look at her.
"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. You know how ponies get sometimes." Fluttershy said reassuringly.
"As I left to come back to Canterlot, she decided to put me down some more. Told me how 'childish' an 'inconsiderate' I was."
"... Oh, well that's certainly uncalled for. But it's like I said, I think if we all just talk this out, it can all be fixed. After all, I know Celestia still loves you." Truth be told, Fluttershy was having more and more doubts, but still kept trying to look on the bright side.
"She said I wasn't worth loving."
"But that's... Are you sure she said that?" Fluttershy's eyes were wide in disbelief.
"If you weren't so mopey and immature, you'd be a Princess worth loving." Luna repeated the phrase all staring straight ahead.
Fluttershy was at a loss for words. For one thing, she had known Celestia to be very, very kind. But on the other hand, she knew Luna wouldn't lie about something like this. Maybe Luna had exaggerated, but the fact that she was able to recall that statement word for word suggested otherwise.
Then again, it didn't really matter if she exaggerated or not. In the heat of the moment, she obviously heard something and believed she heard it. That made her pain very real. Plus, according to Starlight, arguments like this between the two weren't impossible.
What do I do? This is so... I can't even begin to figure out how to make her feel better. Not even a Pinkie party could fix this. But maybe...
Luna continue to stare off into space until she felt something warm wrap around her. She looked down and found Fluttershy hugging her. It was Luna's turn to be surprised.
"Fluttershy?"
"I'm so sorry this all happened to you. I honestly don't know what to say or how to fix it. But... I think I know how to make you feel better."
"Oh, how's that?" Luna asked.
"The same way Rarity's able to cheer herself up."
Half an hour later, Fluttershy and Luna could be found at an ice cream parlor down the road from the castle, laughing and having a wonderful time.
"So you mean to tell me that Discord, Lord of Chaos, tried to pass himself off has a normal schmuck?" Luna couldn't believe her ears.
"Yeah. He had a sweater vest on and everything! Poor dear, he was trying to impress me."
"This is most humorous."
"That's not even a half of it. I had to start acting like Discord in order to get him back to normal."
Luna paused, a look of genuine surprise on her face.
"You? The spirit of Chaos? Truly, that would be a sight to behold!"
"I had to gather a whole bunch of mirrors and then have myself a Discord styled brainstorm."
"Oh my goodness!" They both laughed until they started coughing and were red in the face. Luna couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard.
"You know something, Princess?"
"Yes, my little pony?"
"I can't believe I was ever afraid of you." Fluttershy said sadly.
"Whatever do you mean? When were you ever afraid of me?" Luna asked, now puzzled.
"Nightmare Night. It was the first time I'd ever met you. And looking back, I feel so bad trying to run away from you." Fluttershy said as she looked up at Luna.
"Oh, Fluttershy. You know I don't hold that against you." Luna said as she put a hoof on Fluttershy's.
" I know you don't. That's kind of what makes it funny, you know? I was so afraid of you, and as it turns out, you're just a...
Complete sweetheart." Fluttershy said with a smile that could light a room.
Luna blinked for a moment, and then started giggling like a school filly.
"Fluttershy, you are too much!"
Both ponies carried on late into the evening, laughing and smiling like they didn't have a care in the world.
Back in the castle throne room, Twilight and her friends were having a discussion. Having delegated all roles for Royal Swanifying, the ponies had a little time to talk about Luna and Celestia.
In the middle of their conversation, the large doors opened and Celestia came trotting in, the look of distress present on her face.
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight called.
Celestia ran up to twilight.
"Twilight, where's Luna!?"