The Story of Twilight Glow

by Jeweled Pen


S3 CH 9: Our Separation

“Yah all sure this is a good idea?” Applejack asked, eyeing the over sized stage light with concern. “Last time we used this thing, Nightmare Moon nearly ended us herself. Doin’ it again seems a might bit reckless.”

“It’s fine,” Trixie said with a dismissive wave of her hoof before glancing back at her team. “We won’t be going anywhere near the orchard, for one,” she said. The gathered unicorns looked nervous, but determined. “For another, you have me running this operation. You could not be in safer hooves.”

“Besides, Twilight AND Moondancer made this!” Spike said encouragingly. “There’s no way it could fail with those two working on it.”

Applejack sighed before nodding her head. “Well… ah guess that’s true. We’re all countin’ on yah, Trixie.”

The show mare merely laughed. “Oh, please. As if there was any chance I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, could fail. Now then!” she called, before pointing a hoof to the mare in front of the gathered unicorns. “Rarity! Aim. Team, get ready to power it on!” she yelled.

Rarity had been in charge of making the nests for the birds, but when all of the unicorns had been gathered for this task, Trixie had known that that mare was exactly what they needed to direct the heated beam of light. A mare known for her precision and control, if anypony could ensure that things didn’t go too far and cause another fire, it would be her. If there was one thing Trixie knew, it was how to recognize a proper light pony. She glanced at a small, red jewel she had on her hoof, which she had retrieved soon after the ruler had disappeared into the woods. A temporary enchanted item from Moondancer, it would glow the moment any shades came within a few miles of the town. With a few of the other tricks the Canterlot mare had left, there was no chance the shades would sneak up on them.

Trixie trotted back behind the crowd and watched the streets quickly empty. “Okay, everypony, begin! Turn it on!”

A soft, gentle hum filled the air. Moments later, a dim light came out from the end of the light. Trixie frowned, though. The light was not the bright yellow she’d expected. Instead, it was a dim, red light. The beam was wide and powerful, however, going all the way to the end of the block.

But it was so dim, she wondered if the two had failed to--

“Look, it’s melting!” Spike yelled excitedly.

The unicorn glanced down the road and, sure enough, the water was quickly melting under the heat of the lamp, turning to slush and water. A wide grin formed on her lips. “Okay, everypony! Get ready! Team A, keep following Rarity’s directions!” she yelled. “Team B, get ready to take over for team A when they get tired! Team P!” she yelled, glancing up at the sky and the gathered pegasi. “Get to work turning that water into clouds and get it out of the way! Today, we’re melting the snow!”

Discord chuckled while he watched from one of the snowponies, an amused grin on his face. He then glanced to the forest before shrugging. “I do suppose it’s true. While the Nightmare is away, the ponies will play.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared, the snowpony crumbling to flakes.

------

The main hall. Nightmare Moon stared, her eyes intent on the tapestries that dangled over the hall. Her’s and her sister’s. She could barely believe they were still here. How had they survived a thousand years and not fallen to ruin? She gripped them in her magic and, slowly, brought them down to the ground.

They felt faintly of magic, though any protective charms had long since lost the majority of their power. Had they been here when she’d first arrived so long ago, to destroy the elements?

------

“Look, look!” Luna said, excitement filling her voice when she ran into the castle. Finally, after so much time, it was complete. It hadn’t been easy. It had taken a mix of magic, time, effort and a bit of help to get it to this stage. Ponies from all over Equestria had set aside all manner of gifts for them to decorate as well.

A light chuckle made her glance back. Celestia stood in the threshold, her eyes on the banners hanging over main hall. “It’s amazing. The Castle of the Two Sisters. I couldn’t imagine anywhere I would rather be,” she said.

“Why would we ever be anywhere else?” Luna asked with a light chuckle. “It’d hardly be the TWO sisters if we weren’t here, would it?”

“No, I suppose not.” Celestia walked to the walls and tapped them, before lightly chuckling and galloping off. “Starswirl said there’s a secret slide! I bet I can find it first!”

“You’re on!” Luna yelled before galloping off.

------

“I wonder if they could be restored,” Moondancer said, eyeing the worn tapestry. “They’re very unique. Different from the ones in Canterlot.”

Nightmare Moon froze, staring at the pair of tapestries. She then gripped them tightly in her magic, intent on tearing them apart. “We have no need of such trivial...” she trailed off, staring at the pair.

Luna and Celestia. Both were gone, now. She was no longer Luna. She would never be Luna again, she knew. She let the tapestries fall to the ground. “Do with them as you please.”

“Your highness?” Twilight asked. “Could you tell me more about the trap doors? I hear there are some all over the castle! According to my research, they--”

Nightmare Moon snickered. “Trap doors? Oh, there are many. This castle is filled with all manner of tricks and traps we...” She paused and then galloped off, turning the corner and galloping off into one of the hallways.

“Your highness? Your highness!” Twilight yelled, before she and Moondancer raced after her. However, when they turned the corner, the mare was gone. “W-what? Where’d she go?”

------

“Luna? Luna, where are you?” Celestia yelled, worry evident on her face. She glanced back and gave a nervous smile back at the red coated, pink maned unicorn behind her. “Mayor Redapple is waiting for us! I am so, so sorry. I don’t know where she wandered off to.”

“It’s quite alright,” Redapple said with a shake of her head. “If you would prefer, we could have the meeting without her.”

Luna paused from her hiding spot, preparing to jump out and scare Redapple. However, instead she listened.

“Without her? She’s one of the princesses as well,” Celestia said, eyeing the unicorn.

Redapple sighed. “Yes, of course. She is… one of the rulers. Of that, there is no doubt. But it must be incredibly difficult foal sitting her while hosting such important meetings, no?”

“Foal sitting?”

“Indeed. Apparently last time Goldencups was here, she put extra hot chili peppers in the cupcakes?”

Celestia snickered, before giving a nod. “Yes, my sister has always had a flare for her little pranks. But I assure you, she is quite important to our rule. Discord would have never been defeated without her by my side.”

“Of course. I just question how much she is needed for such discussions,” Redapple said. “Your sister obviously doesn’t want to be a part of them, considering all of her pranks and the way she fidgets. Last time she fell asleep in the middle of my presentation. Perhaps this time it would be best if we just had the discussion without her. Allow her to focus on other tasks.”

“She’s up all night, so she just gets tired sometimes. But… I supposed you’re right. If she’s hiding, maybe it’s best if I handle this one and give her a break.” Celestia gave a sigh, before looking around. “Luna? Luna, are you there?”

The Princess of the Night grinned from her hiding place. She couldn’t believe Redapple of all ponies was saying such a thing. This was AWESOME! Not having to do another big, stuffy meeting where they droned on and on? Besides, Celestia was the one who liked those things. Luna always found them so boring and bland. After being up all night, it was only thanks to the amusement she found in her pranks that she could stay awake for any of them. She snickered gleefully when the ponies trotted off.

Besides, whatever Celestia decided was certain to be the right choice. Her big sister was amazing.

------

Trixie hummed happily.

“Err… miss Trixie?” a voice said and she glanced over to the source. Crimsonwing, the town’s weatherpony.

“What is it?” she asked, eyeing him for a few moments.

“Err… well, it’s about the light. Ummmm...”

“Yes?” she asked, waving her hoof. “Get on with it, we’re on a time crunch.”

“We need you to slow it down. The snow is melting too fast, we can’t keep up with it. At this pace, we’re not going to be able to turn enough of the water into clouds and move it. I’m sorry!” he said, bowing his head politely. We’re doing the best we can, but it’s all melting so fast and there’s mud everywhere now and we just need a bit more time.”

“Really?” Trixie asked. “What about teams Q and R?”

“Cheerilee has P and Q working to make the clouds, but we need R to keep getting them out of the way. They won’t just move on their own, after all. Otherwise we’ll get a build up and then they’ll start raining and it’ll get just back to where we were.”

She paused a few moments before face hoofing. “Wonderful. We can’t just...” She trailed off, her eyes glancing to the dragon who was following behind her. “What if you didn’t have to move it? If R helps make the clouds?”

“They’ll just gather up and start raining. It’ll be right back where we started.””

Trixie grinned wide. “Oh, don’t worry. I have just the idea. And even better, it’s not REALLY magic. Oh Spike, I have a job for you!”

------

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight yelled, racing through the castle, her heart filled with panic. Was it possible the ruler had sensed the false sun they had created? Was she on her way now, to put an end to it? Why had she been so foalish? Why--

“BOO!” Nightmare Moon yelled, suddenly leaped out from a hidden door behind one of the statues, making Twilight and Moondancer jump and scream. The ruler merely stared at the two, before erupting into a fit of laughter. She covered her mouth with her hoof, struggling to stifle it. “We see that our bard and student have not studied the secrets of this castle, have they?”

Twilight shook her head. “N-no. I mean, I’ve heard a little about it, but I’ve never had a chance to fully explore. Ponies haven’t come here in centuries,” she said sheepishly.

“We see. And what of you, student? This is where you came to face us.”

Moondancer shook her head. “There was very little information on it. Nopony has been here for nearly eight hundred years. I’d never been here. I’m sorry, your highness.”

The alicorn nodded before turning to trot down the hall. “Then please. Follow us. We will show you our throne room.”

The pair nodded and trotted quickly after her.

------

“Sister?” Luna asked, giving a light yawn when she walked into the throne room. As much as she did enjoy her nights, she couldn’t deny she was feeling a little lonely after having spent so many of them alone. Dipping into and out of dreams didn’t do much to relieve the feeling.

Worse, she had started talking to herself, just so she could have a voice to talk to.

Celestia glanced up from her throne, a list in front of her and a cup of tea hanging in her magic. “Yes?” she asked.

“I uhhh, I wanted to speak with you about… something. I, ummm...” the princess gave another yawn before shaking her head.

“Luna, I’m really busy. I have half a dozen meetings today, not to mention I need to go and talk with Clover about some strange sights in the Everfree Forest.”

“O-oh, right. Of course. I just… wanted to join you today.”

That made Celestia freeze and stare. “What?”

“The meetings. All of that. I know it’s been a while since I came but, I wanted to join you and--”

“Sister, I wish you wouldn’t spring these on me.”

Luna cringed. “I… I know, I’m sorry. I just…”

“Just not today, okay? How about we schedule a meeting for later.”

“Of course. When would--”

“I really have to go,” Celestia said before getting to her hooves and finishing off her tea. “We’ll talk when I return, okay?”

“Okay...” Luna said softly, watching the throne door slam shut. She’d been overjoyed to not have to stay up all day for all those boring, silly meetings.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to be completely locked out. She’d enjoyed the last few months of relaxation, of being allowed to come back to her room after a full night’s work and then collapse.

But she missed her sister. She missed her ponies.

------

“These were the thrones from which we ruled,” Nightmare Moon said softly, motioning across the long hall to the twin thrones. Over which dangled their tapestries.

“Your highness, if you don’t mind me asking, what were the night courts like back then?” Twilight asked.

“They were… non-existent,” Nightmare Moon muttered, closing her eyes.

------

Luna felt so gleeful when she woke up. It was all so obvious, she didn’t know why it had taken her months to finally figure it out. She’d left a small note on her sister’s bed stand telling her the full truth about what she wanted.

The two never seemed to meet anymore. By the time Luna rose the moon, her sister was already asleep, as were most of the other ponies. When morning came, Luna was so tired and Celestia was so busy, they couldn’t speak then either. Leaving a note was the obvious solution. Only a hoofful of the castle guards remained awake and most of them were so focused they couldn’t really talk with her.

She wished there were more night ponies around. The vampires or wereponies. She understood why her sister thought they needed to be hidden after all of the disasters and misunderstandings that had happened over the years, but she longed for somepony to talk to.

But soon, she knew her wish would come true. There’d be plenty of ponies to meet with her. It was so obvious in retrospect. If they just held a few of the meetings during the night, when she was working, then she’d be able to attend them with ease. It would lighten her sister’s load as well. She made her way down to the throne room and, to her delight, a letter was waiting on her throne. With her name written on the front in her sister’s writing.

She tore it open and read through it, her heart pounding with excitement.

Which quickly turned to disappointment. She read over the letter two more times just to be sure. But her request had been denied. She was told, if it meant that much to her, to just stay awake. That ponies didn’t desire to stay up that long.

Luna took a slow, deep breath, trying to push the disappointment aside.

Fine then. If she had to stay awake, then she would. She wrote a letter back, letting her sister know she’d soon be coming for more of the meetings. It would be a lot harder than she’d have preferred, but if her sister felt that way, then she knew she could trust her judgment. She’d come tomorrow, even.

------

“Were these your first thrones?” Twilight asked.

Nightmare Moon shook her head and turned, beginning to walk away from the throne. “Come with us. There is something I think that will answer all of your questions.”

“All of them?”

“We had a secret room. It may still be there.” She felt the memories of a life, so long ago that they might as well have belonged to another pony, clawing and biting at her heart despite her attempts to bury them down. Despite her great power, all she felt now was exhausted. Even with her precious bard so close, a loneliness she thought she had shoved away seemed to envelop her.

Twilight gasped and shared an excited look with Moondancer, the two following quickly after the alicorn. “You know...” the earth pony whispered. “Even if this is just a distraction, it’s really amazing.”

“I know,” Moondancer whispered back. “All this history that was lost. We should write a report on it when we return. Maybe you could release it as your next book. How’s Tirek’s going?”

“Decently. I’m hoping it’ll help calm some more nerves,” Twilight whispered back. She paused when they passed a great dining hall, glancing inside. “Your highness? Is this where you had your meals?”

Nightmare Moon stared at the hall, her eyes leveled on that long table. “Indeed. We… had many meals there. With visitors. Many… precious visitors.”

------

Luna blinked blearily, awoken by a sharp jab into her side. “Sister? You fell asleep again,” Celestia whispered.

“Huh? Oh. Right, sorry,” Luna whispered back, sitting up. She wiped a piece of hay bacon off her cheek. “Where were we?”

One of the meeting ponies stared at her, mayor something or other. She was too tired to care. “Err, if your highness is tired, perhaps you should rest? Your sister can--”

“Nonsense! We are a princess as well! We, too, care for our subjects. We just...” She gave a light yawn. “Had a long night.”

“Err, well, as I was saying. This year the fiscal--”

His boring, bland voice threatened to make her fall asleep yet again. How did they have meetings like this EVERY day? How many times had she fallen asleep in them, now? She just wanted to go to bed.

A trolley came into the room and she let out a sigh of relief. Cupcakes. Just what she needed. They were put in front of them, one by one. There was even one with a little moon on the top. She gave her sister a grateful smile before biting into it.

Her mouth was on fire. She let out a shriek, tossing the cupcake away and grabbing the pitcher of juice from the table, spilling it desperately into her mouth and face, coating herself in the juice.

“Too hot?” Celestia asked, her eyes wide with shock.

“W-what?!” Luna roared, her fury rising. She looked to the cupcake and, amongst its remains stood a single bright red pepper.

“Gotcha,” Celestia said, giving her a weak, shaky smile.

“Oh, how absolutely delightful, your highness!” the mayor said, before the gathered ponies began to laugh at her.

Luna stared at Celestia, her heart hurting. Tears formed in her eyes. “W-what?! How could you?!”

“It was a prank, I thought--”

“A PRANK?!” Luna roared, her wings flaring out and flipping the table through the air, slamming it to the wall and making the gathered ponies cower and scream.

“Sister! Calm down!”

“You find humiliating me AMUSING?” Luna asked, her eyes turning dark.

“You’re over reacting! Calm down!”

“I will not calm down, I--” Her words were cut off when she found herself grabbed in her sister’s telekinesis and slid out of the room, her sister following a moment later and slamming the door behind herself.

“What is wrong with you?” Celestia snapped.

Luna glared up at her, juice dripping from her mane. “You deemed to humiliate me and--”

“It was a harmless prank! You’ve done that one dozens of times! Besides, I thought it would help you stay awake for once!”

“Stay awake? I--”

“Am acting like a child!”

“I have been up all night! I am sorry it’s hard for me to ENDURE such boring tedium all day! But unlike you, I have a duty to uphold BEYOND just smiling and nodding alongthrough these tedious social gatherings!”

Celestia took a deep breath, before sighing. “Very well.” She spread her wings. “Luna, as you cannot contain your anger. I’ll take care of these meetings.”

Luna blinked a few times, before shaking her head. “What? I have every right to--”

“Right? No. You have LOST that privilege. Your assistance with the ‘boring’ meetings is no longer required. Nor is it desired. If you cannot contain yourself from frightening our ponies over something so petty, then you can rest in your room, where you won’t do any more damage.”

Luna blinked a few times, staring at her big sister. Slowly, she shook her head. “Sister, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“You should have thought of that before you flipped the table. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go clean up your mess. Now go get some sleep or… something. I don’t care.” Celestia stormed into the castle, slamming the door behind herself and in Luna’s face.

The princess of the night stared, her mouth falling open.

------

“… They enjoyed laughing at us. With us,” Nightmare Moon muttered, shaking her head.

“Did you have fun then?” Twilight asked.

“We did not.” The ruler shoved open a door, revealing the library, still lined with ancient tomes. “Hmph. It seems our sister did not care as much for books as our bard, did she?”

“All these tomes were here?!” the earth pony asked, her mouth open in horror. “Moondancer, can you--”

“Already on it,” the unicorn said quickly, trotting forward and, very slowly, beginning to pull the books off the shelves.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, before glancing at the chairs in the middle of the room. Her horn glowed and one of the chairs tipped back, causing a pair of book cases to slide aside to reveal a small, tiny room.

Twilight let out a gasp, stepping into the room. Resting on a pedestal was a single book. She read over the cover. “The Journal of the Two Sisters. Wait, is this--”

“Our journal? Yes. Read it if you desire. It… holds no meaning for us now...” the mare muttered, looking around the room. “Perhaps… you’ll find it more interesting that we did...”

Luna held the pillow over her face, sobbing into it. How could anypony say that?

Sure, it had been almost a decade since she’d been banished from the meetings her sister ran, but she at least tried to interact with ponies during the day. On occasion. Not that any of them wanted to.

She’d had a few more outbursts, her anger getting the best of her. She never meant to hurt or scare anypony. She just wasn’t as sociable as her sister was. Every day it felt as if she was drifting further and further away from her ponies, as if they cared less and less that she even existed.

‘Backup princess’ they called her. ‘All she does is play around while her sister does the hard work’, ‘Nothing more than a spoiled child’.

How could they have said such harsh words. When she’d heard they were readying a Princess Appreciation Day, she’d been so excited. She’d been touched. She’d been staying up later each morning, sneaking around the castle and listening to all of the preparations. She’d heard the excited way they talked.

But then she’d spied on some of the cooks and they wondered why she was even going to be a part of the celebration. She wasn’t just a backup. She was a princess. Her duties just took place in the dream realm. That was all.

She’d lost her temper again, threw a fit. The anger had bubbled up within her so strong. She hadn’t meant to scare them, to wreck everything. Just in that moment, it had all bubbled up and she hadn’t been able to contain it.

She cringed when she heard the secret passageway open. “There you are,” Celestia said, her voice cold and angry. “I was wondering where you were hiding. Do you want to tell me WHY you nearly destroyed our kitchen and ruined weeks of hard work?” she snapped.

Luna slowly raised her head. She wanted to come up with some excuse, some reason, but the thought of lying to her sister made her feel ill. “I… I was hurt.”

“Hurt? What could hurt you?”

“Emotionally. I was… they… I heard them talking.”

“About?”

“Me. Us,” Luna mumbled, looking away. “Sister, I… this celebration.”

“Yes? What about it?”

“It’s… I heard them talking,” she finally said. “They don’t think I deserve to be a part of it! They think I am just the backup! As if I don’t matter, as if I do nothing!”

Celestia blinked a few times and then sighed. “Is that all?”

“… All? I am a princess as well!”

“You certainly don’t act like it,” the sun princess snapped, scolding her.

“W-what?”

“You don’t see me throwing a temper tantrum whenever I’m annoyed, do you? Or when somepony is rude. No, because I maintain control and the dignity that I THOUGHT you would have learned by now. You cannot allow words to upset you in such a manner.”

“I--”

“Nopony thinks you do nothing. But now they think you’re a danger and threat to all of them and I have to clean up your mess. Again.”

“But they do! I work all night and--”

“Yes, yes. You flit around through pretty little dreams and make everything nice and cozy,” Celestia said with a roll of her eyes. “That must be oh so hard.”

“I work just as hard as you, sister!” Luna yelled, standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Of course you do,” Celestia said with a shake of her head, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Luna, stay away from the kitchens. Keep your anger under control. They’ve already started calling you a real nightmare. If you can’t, then just stay in your tower away from our ponies!”

“But--”

“No buts. If you can’t control your temper, you’re just going to make my job that much harder!” Celestia yelled before turning and storming off. “I swear, Luna. It’s hard enough running the kingdom without having to foalsit you as well. Try to at least ACT as if you’re a proper princess.”

Luna stared at the entrance, the tears still filling her eyes.

------

“Your highness?” Twilight asked.

“What?”

“Err… did you hear what I said?”

“Yes. Of course. Do as you please,” Nightmare Moon said, before her gaze fell on Moondancer. The mare had stacked every book in the library on the table in the main library. “When did you...”

“For the librarians to retrieve. There’s no way I could take all of these home on my own,” Moondancer said with a light chuckle. “They’ll need a full escort.”

“… Right. Yes. Of course. We… should go. You’ve… got--”

“Which room is your favorite?” Twilight asked.

“Favorite?”

“Yes? Did you have a favorite?”

“We enjoyed… many of the rooms. But...” She trailed off and began to walk. “We enjoyed this room.”

“Then why not--”

“Enjoyed. In the past. No longer. Our favorite room is in our home. Our castle. This place is naught but a relic of the past. Is there anything else you’d like to see?”

“All of it,” Moondancer offered.

“Of course you do,” the alicorn muttered, her voice filled with sarcasm and annoyance. She trotted away, down the hall. “Then come along, little ones. Let me show you all.”

Twilight shared a concerned look with Moondancer, before picking up the journal and trotting after the ruler, trying to skim through it as they walked. The unicorn snickered and her horn glowed, giving the earth pony light to read by while they walked.

------

Luna slowly knocked the small red gem from hoof to hoof. “Equestria only has room for one princess, doesn’t it?” she asked the small element. “No, you can’t answer me, can you? You may be part of harmony but… I don’t feel very harmonious right now.”

“Sister? What are you doing?” Celestia’s voice rang out through the throne room, making the smaller princess cringe.

For a moment, Luna almost told her. She glanced up to her big sister. Celestia looked tall, regal, powerful. Beautiful. The one who’s light they all basked in. While she drowned in the shadow the princess cast. Telling the truth did nothing, all it did was make it worse. Her elder sister held no more loyalty to her. All her sister did was laugh with them at her. “I’m… examining the elements.” She held up the gem. Once it had glowed with a light that was so beautiful. Now it only gave a dim glow.

Perhaps it, like the rest of their kingdom, had decided to abandon her as well.

“Whatever for?” Celestia asked. “There aren’t anymore threats.”

“Perhaps then we should take them back to the tree. Where they came from.”

“Maybe,” the elder alicorn said before her horn glowed and she pulled the gem to her hoof. It radiated a soft, purple light. “But isn’t it best if they stay nearby? If any more dangers came, we’d need them nearby.”

“Perhaps,” Luna said before getting to her hooves and staring at the beautiful gem. It dazzled more in her sister’s hooves than it had in hers. A part of her wanted to believe that it didn’t dazzle nearly as much as it once had, however. But she was certain it was her imagination. She started to trot away. “Sister, we--”

“I need you to raise the moon later tomorrow.”

“… Why?”

“I need to keep the sun out, it’s a special request for a sun festival. The--”

“Of course it is,” Luna said bitterly. That note of anger welled up in her stomach. “We will do as you wish, sister. After all, we wouldn’t w ant ponies to have to miss a moment of your glorious sun.”

“Thank you. You should get some sleep, too. Who knows? Maybe you can come to the festival if you feel up to it,” Celestia said before depositing the gem on the platform with the others.

There was only room for one princess in Equestria.

And Luna wasn’t it.