This is Home.

by Lucy_Marigold

Chapter 15 - The Lunar Lullaby

“Twilight! Get down from there this instant.” Queen Odantata snapped, levitating the youngling off of the nearby ledge.

“But Mommy, I wanna explore!” The young Twilight mumbled, pouting. 

“But it’s your bedtime dear. You mustn’t keep the others up with your racket.” Her mother chided, lifting her closer before settling the child onto her own bed. The nymph crossed her stubby little arms with another pout. 

“Nu! I don’t wanna.” She grumbled. Odonata rubbed her forehead, lowering herself down beside her child. 

“You’ve got to go to sleep eventually. Would you like to hear a lullaby?” Odonata pleaded, exasperated. The little nymph nodded, smiling as she showed her tiny fangs. “Okay then.”

“Little Moon, Little Star, far from home.
Your kind are waiting, but not alone.
We will watch, we will wait,

Little Moon, Little Star, all alone,
Though in the moon’s embrace,
We won’t erase the history you made.

We will meet again, Little Moon.
Little Star will help you,
Help you come home,
So you’re not alone.”

Odonata hummed the tune, stroking Twilight’s mane as the little nymph fell asleep. She glanced up at the nearby portrait depicting her own mother, a small frown gracing her face. “I won’t erase the history you made, mother.”

There was a knock at the door, Twilight Sparkle knew that much. Lowering the book she has been burying herself in, Twilight paused. 

Another knock, followed by another and another. And then the knocking stopped.

“Twilight? Can we talk for a moment?” Celestia’s voice echoed through the door. Staring at the door once more, Twilight took a deep breath before opening it. 

Celestia trotted in with a pensive silence as she closed the door. The alabaster alicorn was lacking her usual regalia which caused the lavender mare some surprise. “Princess, you’re not wearing your crown.”

“Twilight, I’ve come here as a friend, not a princess.” Celestia sat down and Twilight followed suit. The changeling in disguise shifted her hooves back and forth. “Is there something you’d like to talk about?”

Twilight hesitated, lowering her head slightly. “I… no. Not at all.”

“I’ve heard that you were going to move your Hive, correct?”

“Uh, yeah. Thorax said the older changelings were uncomfortable with Canterlot and Applejack said it would be a good idea to go and restore the old hive. I mean, it would be nice to get out of Canterlot for a while.” She mumbled, shifting more. Celestia’s concerned look bore into the young changeling as she simply remained quiet. “You’ve been there, haven’t you? What was it like?”

There was a moment of silence, Celestia seemingly processing the question before opening her mouth to speak. 

“It was a wonderfully beautiful place. Changeling architecture has always been a wondrous thing.” She sighed, pausing. “The Enigma Hive used to pride itself in its murals and titlings. There was a majestic stained glass window in the centre of the hive that depicted Enid and Luna’s moon. Your ancestors used to be quite close with Luna before her… banishment so it wasn’t too surprising that they used her moon in many of their murals.” 

“Who was Lantana? Luna mentioned her once... why?“ Twilight’s gaze wandered towards her dresser and a closed draw where she knew the damaged crown was residing.

“Queen Lantana was your grand-mother, the ruler before your mother. She and Luna used to be close, but like I, we were both too late to help her.”

“Luna, step down.” A young Celestia trotted forward, stamping her gilded hoof against the ground firmly. 

“Not-Not... another step!” Luna spluttered out, bearing her newly acquired fangs as her leathery wings were spread into the air. “Did thou really expect us to sit idly by while they all basked in thy precious light? Did thee?!” She seemed frantic as she spoke, titering on the edge of insanity. “There can only be one princess in Equestria! And that princess... shall be us!

“Luna, I shan’t fight thee! Thine must lower the moon! It is thy duty!” Celestia said calmly, lowering her wingtips. 

“Luna? We are... Nightmare Moon! We have but one royal duty now: to destroy thee!”

“Luna!” A third figure bolted into the throne room, skidding to a halt in front of the two princesses. In a swirl of purple fire, a changeling revealed herself. Her purple and silky hair was hastily pinned up in a bun as it spilled in tendrils around her panicked expression. Queen Lantana shouted again. “Luna, why art thee doing this?!”

“Lana… I-I..” Nightmare Moon paused, panic and guilt flicking across her face before she scowled. “We are doing what we must for a better Equestria!” 

“How does any of this better Equestria?! My kind has practically worshipped thine moon for centuries and thou think we’ve forgotten thee?” Lantana yelled back, flaring her wings.

“Thine worship does not change anything! Mine own sister has spread blasphemy!” Nightmare Moon retorted, narrowing her eyes. “Art thou joining her or me?”

Lantana glanced between the two sisters, lowering her head. “Art thou making me choose?”

Nightmare Moon scowled, charging her horn with archaic magic before letting it blast, striking the changeling queen as Celestia let loose a shriek. Celestia flew upwards with a start, her previously calm expression fading as she took to the skies. A battle waged overhead as the changeling queen stirred awake and glanced towards the fighting sisters. 

Celestial fell with an ear-splitting scream, crashing back into the throne room was a crunch. Her wing jutted out at an odd angle as she raised her bleeding head towards the changeling.  

“I believe she shan’t see reason, Lantana.” She said with a grimace as she heaved herself upwards. Lantana rushed over, assisting the pony princess upright.

“I was afraid this would happen.” The purple changeling whispered, sitting down as she watched Celestia trotting towards the centre of the throne room. “My little ones noticed signs of corruption moons ago. I should have come to thou sooner. I should have-” She paused, watching as the solar regent withdrew the Elements, the mythical artifacts glowing in the moonlight that filtered through the shattered ceiling. “Thou can’t! My mother told us of tales of them and how they turned the mighty Discord to stone! Thee can’t be serious.”

“My sister hast given me no other choice, Lantana.” Celestia glanced up at the moon with forlorn, avoiding eye contact with the changeling. 

There was a moment of silence before either of them spoke.

“Lantana, leave.” She said with a resounding boom, her eyes pleading for the changeling queen to listen. 

“CELESTIA!” Lantana shouted as a black projectile descended from the stars, shattered the window behind the mare. Celestia turned around, lighting her magic as Nightmare Moon charging towards her with murderous intent. There was a deafening boom as rainbow lights streamed around the two sisters, the Elements swirling around the eldest.

When the light dissipated, Celestia let out a wail, eyes glued to the surface of the moon as the realization set in. Lantana stared upwards, legs buckling beneth her. “What have thou done, Celestia?”

“So… Lantana and Luna were friends?” Twilight hesitantly spoke, interrupting Celestia’s recount of past events. The princess nodded, relinquishing a small smile.

“They were quite close. Things between me and Lantana didn’t clear up for many years. Not until your mother was born, at least. I think part of her despised me for what happened that evening whilst another part blamed herself. She designed a wing as memoriam to Luna. She even wrote a lullaby you might have heard.” Celestia explained, unfurling her wings as she draped them over her former student. “And even though she’s gone, I’m glad I get the chance to see Lantana in you as well as your mother.” 

“She sounded wonderful, Princess.”

“She was. She was.”