//------------------------------// // Find Hope in Fear // Story: When Two Are One // by Rigoo //------------------------------// The terrible day had come. Her savior would arrive at the castle at any moment, flown in by chariot from the quaint town of Ponyville. It should have been a moment of excitement and wonder, but all Luna could feel was dread. Twilight Sparkle was the mare responsible for her second chance at life. She and her friends had done what Celestia and Luna could not, and repaired Luna's troubled mind with the Elements of Harmony. And what had Luna done since that moment? Nothing, apart from arguing with the demon she was supposed to be free of. Twilight's hard work was wasted on a mare who lacked the strength to do anything on her own. Now that faithful student was here to meet her once again. It wouldn't take long for her to see what a mess Luna was, and what a waste all this effort had been. Luna's shame would know no bounds and she would only sink deeper into her despair. But she knew Celestia wanted her to try her best and meet with Twilight, and Luna hadn't the heart to say no to her dear sister. So she opened the door to her chambers and marched out into the hall, doing all she could to prepare herself for yet another failure. When she got to the main hall, Celestia was already waiting with Twilight by her side. Despite her foul mood, Luna couldn't help but soften at the sight of them. Her beloved sister and the pony who saved her, the two most important beings in her life. The only ones who cared. It gave her just a spark of hope. “Princess Luna! It's so good to see you!” Twilight bounded up to her with a level of enthusiasm Luna couldn't remember seeing in a pony. “Twilight Sparkle,” she greeted, with the first genuine smile she had worn in weeks. “It is wonderful to see you as well.” “Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. How have you been since Nightmare Night? How's life in the castle? Have you made any new friends? There's so much to talk about!” It was overwhelming being the center of Twilight's attention. Luna could hardly focus on the dreaded questions when they were delivered so quickly. She hadn't been expecting Twilight to be so animated. “Twilight,” Celestia interrupted. “Please don't overwhelm my sister. One thing at a time, remember?” Her sister's interference was a godsend. She wanted to thank Celestia, but to do so would betray herself. “Right, I'm sorry, Princess,” Twilight said. “I'm just so excited! I've been waiting so long to see you again, Princess Luna!” Luna's smile felt awkward on her face. “I must apologize. I did not mean to keep you waiting for so long. I have been... well, busy.” Very busy, indeed, said the cursed voice. Your dedication to worrying over nothing is impressive, to say the least. Twilight didn't know that, Luna reminded herself. Everything was fine. Twilight was still her friend. Nothing had gone wrong yet. “It sounds like we've got plenty to catch up on then,” Twilight said, pulling Luna back into the conversation. “And I have a great idea how we could do it.” Luna shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “What might that be?” ”I was thinking we could go out to eat together,” Twilight said with a smile. “Out to eat? As in, outside the castle? A tavern?” A bolt of fear struck Luna's heart. The memories of her last escapade into Canterlot were still fresh in her mind. She wasn't eager to relive them. “Uh... I was thinking more like a restaurant, but yes?” Luna tilted her head. “Is that common in these times? In our day, our only meals outside the castle were while traveling and visiting.” “It's very common, yes. Especially among friends. I know better than most how good the castle chefs are, but there are many unique experiences you can only get at restaurants!” Do it, you fool. This is a perfect opportunity. This horrible voice. After how terribly its last suggestion had gone, it had the audacity to give her more advice? Fine then. Tell her no right to her face. Reject this opportunity for redemption and return to your room to sulk. Though part of her desperately wanted to, Luna couldn't imagine rejecting Twilight's offer. She was scared, terrified even, but she had already promised Celestia she would try. Besides, she had to admit she was curious to see what a 'restaurant' was. If Twilight was there to show her what to do, it couldn't be too bad, could it? She looked over to Celestia, who gave her a gentle nod of encouragement. “Very well, Twilight Sparkle. Where will you take us?'” Twilight's smile turned sheepish. “Well, I know it's a little informal but...” “Truly fascinating, Twilight. We must say, we have never tasted something quite like this 'Hay Burger.'” “I hope that means you like it?” “Oh, verily! Perhaps it does not meet the standards one expects of royalty's refined palate, but it has an authentic, homey taste that we very much enjoy!” Twilight's sigh of relief went unnoticed by Luna. The food of the common pony had changed immensely in her thousand years of absence, and it seemed it was for the better. Before her banishment, good food had been scarce and often mundane. Now, ponies not only had plenty of food to spare, they had all sorts of exciting new techniques to make it. “And these small horseshoe shaped ones, what is it they are called?” “Fries.” “Yes, these fries. We find ourself compelled to keep eating them. This would be concerning if they were not so delicious.” The Hay Burger specialized in 'deep fried' food, she was told. It was delicious, if Luna said so herself. It was rich and strong, but mellow and comforting. Every bit was bursting with flavor, sending her taste buds overboard with pleasure and demanding she keep eating. Not only did it taste wonderful, but it was readily available at a moment's notice. To think, they had arrived at this establishment completely unannounced, and within mere minutes a feast had been assembled! Luna was a Princess, and it was expected that ponies would treat her with respect, but she was still amazed by how quickly this 'restaurant' had accommodated Twilight and herself. “Well, you might want to be a little worried. This food isn't exactly the healthiest.” “Unhealthy?” Luna asked through a mouthful of deep fried hay. “In what manner?” “Fast food is notoriously high in fat and sodium.” Twilight winced when she saw how much had disappeared from Luna's side of the table. “Also, you're kind of eating a lot. Maybe you should slow down?” Luna grinned smugly. “Our metabolism is regulated by our Alicorn magic, Twilight Sparkle. We are not concerned about becoming overweight. Besides,” She nearly drooled as she looked across the table stacked high with strange modern delicacies. “We have spent a thousand years without the pleasures of food. We can afford to enjoy its abundance.” Luna tore back into her meal, leaving Twilight to stare in awe. Twilight was no stranger to binging, be it books, studying or food. She had learned to down hayburgers faster than she'd like to admit, but Luna seemed to be on another level entirely. Eventually, Luna had to swallow. “Thank you for taking us to this place, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, taking a moment to catch her breath. “Thanks so much for coming with me, Princess. I guess you don't get many chances to spend time with friends.” “Nay,” Luna said sadly, losing some of her enthusiasm. “It has been a long time since we shared a meal with friends like this. A very long time indeed. The last might have been during our tutelage with Star Swirl.” The memory was faint, but she could picture herself with Celestia and Star Swirl sitting around a table, eating and laughing. It wasn't often the old mage let his hair down and had fun, but there was still a normal pony somewhere underneath his cold exterior. It was a nice memory, made sour by the knowledge of what came after. “Oh my goodness!” Twilight's face lit up. “You knew Star Swirl the Bearded! I didn't even consider! I mean, you recognized my costume at Nightmare Night, but I didn't think you were comparing it to Starswirl himself!” She looked at Luna with shining eyes. “You have to tell me, what was he like?” Twilight's enthusiasm caught Luna off guard once again. She hadn't expected this behavior from a student of her sister. Celestia almost never lost her composure anymore. “Star Swirl was a rather solemn pony,” Luna started. “His work was his life, and he had little patience for anything that might get in the way of it. If he wasn't studying or practicing, he was probably teaching. Of course, he wouldn't teach just anypony. Only those he felt had true potential were worth interrupting his sacred workflow. Being Alicorns, my sister and I qualified.” “Wow. He sounds eerily familiar.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Uh,” Twilight said awkwardly. “Before your return, I was a pretty secluded pony myself. I almost never spent time with other ponies and I didn't really have any friends.” “Truly?” “Yeah, pretty much all I ever did was study. My family and the Princess were the closest things I had to friends.” Twilight wore a thoughtful look. “I never really thought about it, but my life has changed a lot recently. I almost feel like a different pony now.” “Do you regret that change?” “Not at all! Sure my friends can be frustrating sometimes, and studying friendship is much less concrete than magic or history.” Twilight's features turned soft as she smiled. “But the time I've spent with them has kind of filled a hole in my life I didn't know was there. We've made memories I'll cherish forever.” “I see.” Luna suddenly found the food didn't taste quite as good. Despite the mare at her table and the surrounding ponies, the restaurant felt lonely. Her whole life, she realized, was lonely. “Twilight Sparkle, do you think the other Elements might like to meet with me?” she asked. “I think I would like to get to know them better.” “Of course!” Twilight beamed. “I'm sure they'd love to!” To Luna's surprise, her mind stayed quiet. No taunts, no snide remarks or accusations. All she felt was her own excitement at the prospect of new friends. She smiled back at Twilight. Outside the restaurant, dusk had settled on Equestria. The night would soon arrive, but its escort was out of sorts. “We see now there was in fact some merit to thy warnings, Twilight,” Luna groaned as she rubbed her stomach. She got an angry gurgle in response. Twilight giggled. “I guess some ponies just have to learn the hard way.” “Indeed, we have never been one to take the easy route,” Luna confessed. Twilight looked up at the dimming sky. “It's getting dark,” she said. “Shouldn't the moon be out soon?” “We shall raise it shortly. But before then, we would like a few minutes to gather our strength. Might we rest somewhere?” “Of course. Let's go to the park.” Fortunately, the Canterlot park wasn't far from The Hay Burger. A commendable design effort by the city planners, if Luna said so herself. The park was sparsely populated with ponies who were relaxing on the well maintained lawn, some with blankets underneath them. Many of them were looking at the darkening sky where stars had begun to appear. Luna laid down on the bare grass, sprawling out her limbs and letting her sore stomach be tickled by the thin blades. Twilight sat next to her. “The stars look beautiful,” she said. “We are glad you think so, Twilight.” Twilight's face immediately flushed. “Oh my gosh, you're responsible for the stars! I keep forgetting.” Yet another outburst. Twilight struck her as a very strange pony. Who would be so excited by the night sky of all things? “All of night is our domain,” Luna said. “The moon, the stars, dreams, darkness.” “Wow, that sounds amazing! It boggles my mind!” Twilight's smile positively sparkled as she looked at Luna. “What's it like, having all those important responsibilities?” Important? Is that what she said? Did she really mean that? She had certainly sounded genuine. Luna stared into Twilight's eyes, looking for some proof she was lying. Ultimately, she couldn't find any reason to doubt her. “It is lonely,” she answered simply, looking back to the sky. “I...” Twilight stuttered, caught off guard by Luna's somber tone. “I'm sorry to hear that. Personally, I've always been a big fan of astronomy. I've spent so much time reading about stars and space. Well, I spend a lot of time reading in general, but I really enjoy astronomy in particular.” “Ponies have written books about the night sky?” Luna asked, turning back to Twilight. “Oh, you have no idea, Princess! I have a whole shelf dedicated to them. Would you like to come see?” There were books written about her work? Ponies had noticed the stars after all? Was it really true? The thought scared her. Luna hadn't dared hold out hope, she'd given up on her dreams long ago. Afraid of your dreams coming true? Don't be ridiculous. Stop letting your petty fears control you and go. No. She wasn't falling for that again. Today had been more wonderful than she could have ever imagined. She wasn't going to ruin it with a needless risk. “I would like that very much, but I'm afraid we don't have time.” Luna's horn began to glow. Slowly, the moon crept above the horizon, covering the land in its pale light. Twilight turned back to the sky, her eyes sparkling with wonder. Luna savored the look on her face. Twilight truly was more than she ever deserved. “There are duties that need my attention,” Luna said. “I'm afraid I must get back to the castle.” Yes, of course, the voice laughed. Your duties. Like worrying. “We, um,” Luna stammered, trying to keep her focus on Twilight. “Might we do this again sometime, Twilight?” Twilight gave her the warmest smile she'd ever seen. “Of course, Princess. That sounds wonderful.”