Noctis Somnium
Outside the castle windows, a party that would surely rival anything Pinkie Pie had ever even dreamed of had begun. Luna smiled at the sight, as she had paused to look down at her old subjects for just a second as she worked her way up to the Solar Tower. As she turned away from the window to resume her climb, Octavia and Baralinka could be seen hug-tackling their middle sister.
Unlike the Lunar Tower, which was made of onyx bricks lined with torches to lead its owner to the top, the Solar was made almost entirely of stained glass and polished marble, and the steps before Luna seemed to have been dipped in the brilliant colors of a rainbow as she ascended them for what felt like the last time.
A new chapter for Equestria had began, and although there would certainly be much chaos and grief yet, Luna held certainty that it would also lead to a new era of harmony that would surpass anything that Celestia and her could have wrought. However, it still meant that hers had drawn to an end, and it would be a falsehood to say that it wasn’t a frightening feeling. Something that she had never even thought would occur was about to; A whole new beginning, a whole new life… Unlike anything she had ever known, most likely.
A series of windows just ahead told the tale of Discords reign over Equestria, and lit the stairs directly before her. When they had taken Equestria from him, and in turn, had taken their own place to reign; as the world that was once under their parents was split equally before them all... They had hoped to give the ponies of this land the freedom that Discord’s cruel way of ruling had prevented. This memory, in turn, brought a new concept to Luna that hadn’t occurred to her personally before. What was “Freedom,” really? Celestia had roughly defined it that day as the ability to make one’s own choices without unnecessarily high consequences. Although Tia had meant it more in the idea of “free will without retribution” the original way she had put it seemed… Fitting for what Luna was feeling.
After taking the throne, those millennia ago, when had she held that freedom? Every step had to be measured, as a single slip up could hurt thousands. She could remember that frustration, even though it had eventually faded to acceptance. Every step taken with the utmost care, but no-one gives a prayer. Luna’s eyes slid closed at the cold memory. Perhaps it was that bitter frustration, that feeling of being trapped with the only thing she felt freedom, choice, and pride in dismissed that had led to her corruption. But it would not be of any use to wonder about those things now. The spell that she had to cast would be long and complicated, and disarrayed thoughts would only make things even trickier.
The staircase drew to an end, stopping Luna before the soft pink and silver door that led to Celestia’s bedroom. It swung open as if by its own accord to allow her to pass through unheeded. The spell’s ruins had begun to alight upon the walls and fill the air with the scent of its ancient magic before she had even reached where Celestia lay. Questions that the spell itself seemed to dredge up were brushed away with the determination to save her sister, to make up for the sorrow she caused those ten centuries ago… And the underlying hope for the new day that would dawn tomorrow, filled with abandoned dreams born anew… And, perhaps… Freedom, as well.