The plaza hums with activity. Ponies of all kinds walk to and fro going about their business. Other ponies converse in small groups. Twilight sees unicorns talking animatedly with earth ponies, and pegasi helping unload a small metal cart stacked high with green cabbage and alfalfa. Beyond being a central meeting place, it seems the plaza also serves as a marketplace for produce and goods, judging by the many stalls set up along its sides. Twilight spots fruits, vegetables, and a glimmer of jewelry laid out on several tables.
“Mama!” A shrill voice cries out. It belongs to a small filly, only a few years old, who unsteadily follows her earth pony mother from stall to stall. “I wanna apple!” the filly cries out. In a moment Twilight loses her amongst the legs of the other patrons of the market.
Elsewhere Twilight spies a gathering not too dissimilar from her own group of friends. There are two pegasi, two earth ponies and a unicorn, all near the same age, in the midst of those years between fillyhood and adult life. All they lack is another unicorn. Her, perhaps. Twilight almost unconsciously reaches up and touches her silver necklace, as though to reassure herself of the memory of her real friends.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Twilight stamps her hoof back down, glancing over her shoulder at the Princess. Luna returns a coy glance in her direction. Twilight silently reminds herself that Luna can probably read her like a book if she’s lived some of her life. That knowledge is unfortunately not mutual. Despite having experienced at least a part of Luna’s life, She senses that Luna has changed and matured over the intervening years since that day on the bluffs. Twilight wonders what it would have been like to live through what happened after that day. The conflict, the strife, the power. She imagines living Luna’s life during the time of Nightmare Moon. And yet, it’s difficult for her. The thought of seizing control by force is so unnatural that Twilight simply cannot fully place herself in Luna’s hooves.
Idly she wonders if the disconnect between her personality and Luna’s formed at least part of the reason why she was able to escape Luna’s memories just after Luna made the decision to overthrow her sister Celestia. Perhaps the thought of violence against her mentor had helped separate her consciousness from those memories. Even now, fully armed with the knowledge of what Celestia had done, Twilight still doesn’t wish Celestia harm.
Twilight snaps out of her reverie. “Yes… although they’re just an illusion aren’t they? Everything I see in front of me,” Twilight sweeps her hoof to indicate the entire market plaza, “is just an illusion.”
On closer inspection Twilight can visibly discern the somewhat ephemeral nature of the images around her. The hedges covering the base of the walls of the palace are not completely opaque, letting through a glimpse of the stonework that should have been concealed by their leaves. Moreover, their outlines shimmer with a ghostly silver light, the same aura which surrounds the other ponies, the stalls, the trees, and Luna herself. Structures like the palace walls, however, remain solid. They still stand in real life, and so need no illusion to bolster their strength. It is as though a magical overlay is superimposed over the true scene.
“You are correct. These images are even more nebulous than I am. At least I have some physical presence, albeit barely.” Twilight nods, recalling the dust motes that had settled on Luna’s invisible form. In that sense, she barely exists in the physical world as anything more than a breath of air. Even if she had given Twilight a tremendous fright, she likely lacks the power to cast even the simplest physical spell.
Twilight looks up to Luna’s shadowy face. Outwardly, there are no visible differences between the visage she sees before her and the Luna she knows back at Canterlot. No wrinkles to mar her timeless features. No strange, snake like eyes that struck fear into Twilight’s heart in Everfree Castle. No scars to show the hurts she has suffered, except those on the inside and cannot be seen. Her eyes seem to Twilight like those of a caged bird. They are dark baubles shining out, a window into a soul which yearns to be free but cannot fly.
Twilight’s compassion wants to understand, and her curiosity demands an answer to the riddle she sees written out by Luna’s spirit. When Twilight last departed her memories, Luna had escaped a deep sorrow and begun to regain her passion, even it if was for a cause which Twilight’s conscience can not quite endorse. The advent of Luna’s Nightmare Moon persona was, in that sense a blessing. It had rekindled a fire for life within Luna’s heart, a fire which once again seems extinguished by the sadness Twilight observes in Luna’s spirit.
Yet those are thoughts born from her memories. In the present, Twilight’s practical mind reminds her that she has only a short time to find the source of the spell which is nominally the reason she has been sent to the moon. This part of her mind questions the wisdom of allowing herself to be sidetracked by Luna’s illusions. What if Luna’s spirit simply meant to delay and confuse Twilight out of spite for her sister? Twilight sincerely hopes that isn’t the case, but she remains aware of her prime objective.
“Luna, why show me this? I could see the beauty of the city by myself, I could see that there must have been many ponies who lived here who you cared about and who cared about you in return.” Luna’s shoulders visibly tensed, but Twilight went on. “Why is it necessary to show me firsthand?”
“To help you understand.” Luna replies flatly. Twilight senses she’s holding back.
“Understand what?” Twilight asks, trying to provoke some response, hoping for some semblance of the passion she recalls from the Luna she knew.
“You’ll see.” Luna’s shade turns and starts walking towards the palace doors, walking ahead quite heedless of the other ponies, apparently secure in the knowledge that they are only conjured images.
Twilight seethes. In part she’s annoyed at receiving such a cryptic answer. She had hoped for something more direct, and more importantly, an answer which would give her a clue as to Luna’s intentions. Twilight is conscious of her time constraint, and this interference and lack of explanation is starting to get on her nerves. Moreover, Luna’s spirit does not act as Twilight expects. She had imagined it would be like meeting an old friend. She thought as long as she could explain the situation to Luna’s spirit, whether or not it was in the form of Nightmare Moon, she would immediately connect with her. Surely sharing each other’s lives for so long had to have that effect? Instead Luna seems so distant, passionless.
Twilight quickly trots to catch up with the long strides of the Princess. It feels odd, running directly through the images of random ponies which surround her, but they do not obstruct her way.
“What does that even mean? What’s happened to you?” Twilight says it perhaps a little louder than she meant. Her frustration is boiling over and with her blood flowing a little from her run.
“Give me a little time, and…”
Twilight hastily cuts her off. “Come on! Where’s the fire that once burned in your heart? Where’s the passion? I came here to see the Luna that sought to change the world, not some speaker of murky tropes and mysteries!”
Luna rounds on her in an instant. “You want to see the old Luna? You want to see… THE NIGHTMARE!?” Twilight recoils as she meets the frightful black slits residing in Nightmare’s eyes. “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? A BEING MORE POWERFUL THAN THE FOUNDATIONS OF EQUESTRIA! STRONG ENOUGH TO THROW OFF THE TYRANNY OF THE SUN! THE BRINGER OF THE FINAL NIGHT!”
All the other images fade, drawn into the shadow that Nightmare projects from herself, blanketing everything in a darkness so deep that no light can be seen but the glimmer of Nightmare’s mane. For a moment it feels as though there is nothing in the whole universe but her and Nightmare Moon, facing each other. And there is no one to support Twilight, and no one to save her. There is no Princess of Light, she failed long ago, and all that is left is fear in the darkness.
And yet, the fear only lasts for a moment, and as the light around Twilight returns it fades away, as if it was never there at all, leaving no trace and no shadow.
Twilight finds Luna in her normal form once again. “I can no longer be that creature, I cannot, nor shall ever be what I once was.”
There is a moment of awkward silence. “I’m sorry.” Twilight says. She rubs her neck with a hoof, reluctant to meet Luna’s eyes.
“Don’t be. The allure of power and passion is very great. It is a poison that tastes sweet, but can only lead to bitterness and pain.” Twilight meets Luna’s eyes. They are once again the round blue rimmed eyes she knows well. “I understand why you wish to hurry. You must return to Equestria soon, I presume?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Twilight answers.
“How much time do you have?”
“Two hours.”
“Ah, merely the blink of an eye in my life. It will have to do. Now please come with me. I will answer some of your questions while we walk.”
Luna turned back towards the doors of the palace, which stood open. Twilight follows somewhat more quiescently. She wonders if she should ask the nagging question in her mind: Does Luna know that she’s here to help save the imposter’s life? She must, surely. She seemed to know why I was sent here. But if she knows, does that mean she’s helping me or hindering me? Twilight thinks to herself.
Luna’s voice raises Twilight from her thoughts. “Don’t know which question to ask, do you?” Luna lets out a halfhearted chuckle. “I’ll begin with my banishment here.” Luna pauses. “Banishment does not seem a proper term. In time I came to view this place as my home away from home. In many ways it became my pride and joy. And not merely the city itself. The rock yielded readily to my magic, and I simply exercised my imagination to craft the beauty I always wanted to see in the world around me. Yet in the end, rock is simply rock. No, my greatest joy was finding a way to bring my people here after me. They were what kept me strong for hundreds of years.” Luna smiles ever so slightly. “We proved love was stronger than any barrier.”
“I wondered about that.” Twilight adds, just to prove she’s listening more than anything else.
“You should understand that I was at the peak of my power when I was sent away. I had a raw strength powerful enough to accomplish a great deal, and a recklessness to use that power however I saw fit. Shortly after I was imprisoned, I broke through some of the enchantments that held me. Not enough to break out, the Elements were too strong for that, but enough to bring other ponies and a few supplies in. It was a loophole which had not been strictly guarded against. I reached out across the distance, and every so often I could feel the intangible yet very distinct love that my followers held for me. I brought back those with whom I shared the strongest bond.”
They enter the palace. Twilight marvels at the height of the ceiling and the artistry of the decorative works carved into the stone. It is, however, quite dark and equally dusty as the rest of the city. Before them both is a huge staircase, elegantly carved and hued a shade of blue that is reminiscent of marble. There are some traces of color along the wall. Twilight wonders if there used to be a mural of some kind. She realizes that Luna had dropped the illusion when she briefly transformed into Nightmare Moon.
“Um, Princess Luna, would you mind, perhaps changing it back to the way it looked before?”
“Oh? You want me to show you how an ‘unnecessary’ vision of the past?” Luna chides.
Twilight sighs, but the feeling of defeat quickly turns to amazement as the vivid colors of the painting suddenly appear on the wall. The mural stretches across almost the entire room, depicting an open field of tall grass, the ocean, and a forest, all interspersed with ponies at work and in play. Each scene is depicted as bright as day, but the sky is painted a dark blue with a bright moon overhead.
“I didn’t want our future generations to forget what Equestria looks like. Fortunately we had several talented artists among our number.”
Twilight studies the painting for a few moments before turning back to Luna, a burning question on her mind. But a part of her fears the answer it might bring. “Princess, what happened to the other ponies?”
Luna seems to take the question relatively well, as though she had prepared herself to answer it when the time came. “It is that question, and its implications which I hoped to show you with this vision. You see, for the first few hundred years, I focused on my people. Life was not always easy, and there were challenges every day, but we not only survived, we prospered. I spent much of my time building, crafting, painting, as a way to keep my spirits up and give myself something to do. About five hundred years ago, we reached a peak of productivity. Everypony and everything worked together in near perfect harmony. Our farms prospered, our people were happy. We had no need of money, nor of any government. I simply kept watch over my ponies and waited for the years to pass.”
Luna sighs. “Then, I made a mistake. I brought about our downfall with my own foolishness and recklessness. I turned my gaze away from my people and towards revenge. I saw the globe of Equestria, out there in the void, just waiting for my return. I sought to overthrow my sister and escape the moon. I focused more and more of my magic against the spells that bound me. I fought them by day and by night, in my sleep and in my dreams. I fought them until there was nothing left in my life but the desire for victory. But my actions had a dire cost. Society started to unravel without my magic to stabilize the living conditions, and without my guidance to help the ponies deal with life in such a cramped space. Factions formed while I grew weaker, exhausted by decades of battle against the spells that held me. I didn’t notice, or perhaps didn’t care about the crops failing, and the trees withering.”
She speaks with anger in her voice, but Twilight senses it is directed inward, at her own failings. Luna continues on. “One day, a pony came to me, all skin and bones with a patchy grey coat. I had never seen him before, nor any pony else, for many years, having almost fully secluded myself inside the palace to do battle with my sister’s plans and the Element’s binds. He said he was the highest authority left among the ponies. He said the ponies were starving.”
“Something he said got through. I took the time to see with my own eyes what had become of the ponies I had once loved. In the end, I realized the city could not be saved. My people would never love me as they once had, nor could I replace the plants that we had lost to drought and bad air. It had been my magic that melted ice to produce the water that sustained us, and my magic that helped clean the air. I had drawn so much of my power into fighting my sister that I left none for these life sustaining functions. Of course, I came to blame my sister for my own failing, and swore revenge anew. But in the meantime I had to do something for the ponies that remained.”
“So I gathered them together and sent them back to Equestria. It was far more difficult than I thought. The Elemental magic resisted very strongly, far more so than when I brought the first ponies here. I collapsed from the effort at some point, and awoke much later. I found no trace of the ponies, so I can only hope that they did indeed make it back to Equestria. That was almost three hundred years ago.”
Twilight silently hopes so too, for what good it will do. She doesn’t recall ever hearing about the return of ponies brought to the moon. Perhaps they had disbanded and lived quiet lives after their return. Twilight could only hope.
“It’s odd.” Luna muses. “Sometimes I wonder if Celestia meant for me to bring my followers here, as a sort of correctional learning experience, so that I might learn to rule and realize the error of my ways. It almost worked. I learned to rule, and did well for a time. I might have eventually realized the error of my ways, but it wasn’t in time for my ponies. I had a responsibility to them and I failed them.” Luna turns away.
Luna ascends the staircase to the second floor of the palace. Twilight follows her as they walk out onto the balcony that overlooks the plaza. From this distance, it is easy to imagine the bustling scene Twilight sees below as being real. There are thriving trees and plants, and in the distance there are small fields of green which Twilight reasons must be the farms Luna mentioned. Somehow the enormity of it all struck Twilight at that moment. This city had once lived. Those fields that are now barren dust had once sustained many lives. Water had flowed through stone channels to irrigate the crops, and for whole generations ponies had lived their lives here. Luna was right. She needed to see what it was once like for herself before she could appreciate the scale of what had happened.
“Here I gave my speeches and made my appearances at festivals and the like.” Luna looks out over the plaza from the stone banister. “More often though, I simply talked to ponies face to face. There was a time I prided myself on the fact that I knew everyone who lived here by name.”
“Princess Luna?” Twilight ventures.
“Yes Twilight?”
“To be honest, when Celestia told me that I might find you here, I thought it might be like encountering Nightmare Moon again. You said you didn’t realize the error of your ways. When did you change your mind? What made you realize it? I mean, if you believed something for a thousand years, surely you believed in it very strongly…” Twilight trails off.
“Much as you have been changed by living another’s memories, I too have touched, and been touched by the memories of another.”
“But I haven’t…”
Luna waves her off. “Now, now, Twilight. You have changed. Would the pony you were merely a week ago have told me, or in another sense, Nightmare Moon, that she wants to help return her to her rightful form? I think not.” Twilight admits to herself that Luna has a point. “Besides,” Luna continues, “think of how much you’ve learned. Love and loss. Freedom and jealousy. Ecstasy and despair. These are not experiences to be taken lightly.”
“But what if I haven’t changed for the better?”
“Who can say what is better and worse? You have a broader perspective now. You can perceive the world, and your own life with far greater clarity. Trust me, if you have not already, you will see it sooner or later, as I did when I saw my life from a new perspective.”
“Surely you don’t mean… from my perspective?” Twilight asks incredulously.
Luna smiles. “In part. Your memories helped me understand what true friendship is. You must understand that the Princess-subject relationship is vastly different from that of two friends of equal standing. You’ve lived it for yourself, in my memories.” Twilight is honored, and perhaps a little shocked that her own life would have any meaning to a Princess, let alone one who has lived a life like Princess Luna has. “Regarding your question, however, it is actually the memories of my sister I speak of.”
“Princess Celestia? How could you see her memories?”
“Recall what I said about the mind melding spells. They work both ways. So when her spell enchanted in the Elements of Harmony hit me, I was able to see her own mind, for a few moments. Even though it was just a few brief seconds of contact, it was enough to show me that I was wrong. Imagine every action you have ever taken in your life, seen from the opposite perspective. That is what I saw. Moreover, I found no malice in her mind. There was sadness, there was determination, and there was hope. All of it centered around me. I thought my sister thought only of herself. I thought she was selfish. But I was wrong. All that time. From her eyes, I was the selfish one. I destroyed…” Luna chokes on her words.
Twilight, standing at her side, wants to comfort her, to tell her it is alright. And yet, what words does one use to comfort a spirit? It’s okay? At least it can’t get any worse? She couldn’t even give her a hug because she simply did not know if Luna’s ephemeral spirit form would stay intact with that much physical interaction.
Luna makes a sniffling sound. “By the time I had this revelation, it was too late. Celestia’s spell sent me here, and replaced my consciousness with the imposter.”
“I’m sorry.” Twilight tells her.
Luna raises her head and smiles, albeit with sad eyes. “You don’t have to be, my dear. It’s not your fault. None of this is. You just happened to be caught up in the whirlwind.”
“But we can do something about it now, can’t we? Now that I know, I can carry a message to Princess Celestia, and we can fix this.”
“Yes… we can.” Luna muses absentmindedly. She turns to Twilight. “There’s one more place I’d like you to see, if you’d oblige me. How do your legs feel?”
“Um, fine?”
“Good. We’ll need to go up quite a few stairs.”
Luna had left Twilight with many ideas to ponder. Her own life, Luna’s life, how to deal with Celestia. These thoughts occupy her mind while she walks through the empty dust filled halls. Twilight follows Luna into the left wing of the palace. A door stands open which reveals a flight of spiral stone stairs ascending upwards. Twilight reasons it must be the interior of one of the towers that reaches towards the ceiling of the cavern. Luna begins to ascend first, while Twilight follows behind. Each step is fairly steep, as though they were designed as a compromise between long alicorn legs and slightly shorter pony legs. Luna was right, Twilight thinks, these steps would be difficult to tackle with worn out leg muscles. But the persistent partially weightless feeling helps Twilight climb the spiral without too much difficulty. The inside of the tower is quite dark, and seeing her footsteps proves difficult until Twilight notices the silver light coming from Luna’s horn. Twilight adds her violet glow to help light her own steps.
Soon Twilight imagines they must be near the roof of the cavern, and her guess proves correct as she sights the top of the stair. Silvery light streams through a doorway at the landing. Luna reaches the door and steps through it. Twilight follows a moment later.
The most striking feature about the room beyond is the view. It stops Twilight dead in her tracks. For the first time she sees Equestria, a globe of blue and green and white, hanging suspended as if by an invisible string over the moon’s horizon. All against a backdrop of numberless stars. This image is framed by the tall arched windows which line the room. The roof is held up by black rock columns and walls built of stone blocks.
“How did you ever build this place?” Twilight asks, overawed.
“It was tricky,” Luna admits, “but with careful application of magic it was possible. The most difficult challenge was ensuring that the rest of the cavern was not put in danger from a room built at the surface like this.”
“Well, I can see why you wanted to show me this room.” Twilight says, staring out the window.
“Actually, it is only part of the reason. I’m going to let go of the way it looked then, and show you how it looks now. Try not to be too alarmed…”
Suddenly, before Twilight’s eyes, half the roof disappears, and the windows shatter into jagged shards. She lets out a startled squeak at the fear that suddenly grips her. There’s nothing between her and the stars. But, she notes, she can still breathe normally. She glances at Luna questioningly.
“There’s a magic barrier around this room, and around much of the cavern that prevents air from escaping, even in case of damage.” Luna explains.
“But how did this happen!” Twilight exclaims.
Luna points one leg off to Twilights right. “Do you see that large crater there? Off in the distance?” Twilight peers through a broken window. “That was not there a few months ago. It seems another celestial body, thankfully a small one, hit the ground nearby. The shock and debris destroyed this room. It seems the impact has also destabilized the entire cavern. The tremors have gotten worse and worse, as though the rock of the walls is under stress to settle into a new position but our magic barrier is holding it back.”
Twilight gasps. “The entire cavern? The spell must be huge!”
“Indeed it is. I cast it when I was at the peak of my power, after all. But you know as well as I that the Luna back on Equestria does not have enough strength left to support it for much longer.”
Twilight swings into action. “We have to do something then! We should seal off this room, and I’ll tell Celestia to strengthen the shield around the rest of the cavern. That should buy enough time to…”
“Twilight, Twilight. Stop. There is nothing that can be done for the city.”
“But… But, I know Celestia can save it!”
“She may be able to, she may not. But I have also seen firsthand what happens when a ruler uses their power to help a futile cause instead of paying attention to her own people. Celestia has other responsibilities that already are hard enough for her to shoulder. There is no need to burden her with any more. Her focus should be on Equestria.”
“Then how…”
“You must tell Celestia to sever the connection between Luna and the moon. That is the only logical way to save her in time. She must be completely disconnected from the moon and this spell.”
“But how will she raise the moon?”
“Luna can build up the connection again, over time. It was the same for me, when I took over from my mother.”
“So the city will be destroyed?”
“Yes.”
Twilight swallows a lump in her throat. “What about you? What will happen to you?”
“I will die.”
“What! You can’t die! You said your consciousness is still linked with the Luna’s mind on Equestria!”
“That’s true, but I’m also bound the moon, and that bond is stronger than the one between that body and me. Once the connection is gone, I’ll simply fade away.”
Tears begin to appear in Twilight’s eyes. She fought to hold them back, but she couldn’t stop them as they rolled down her cheeks. “You can’t do this! You need to come back!”
“No. Equestria doesn’t need me. Celestia doesn’t need me. She needs a companion to stay by her side. She needs someone she can always love, and feel loved in return. The imposter she created will be that comfort, that security.”
“But it isn’t you!”
“Then so be it. My sister may not be perfect, but she is Equestria’s best hope. If it requires my death to secure the future then I shall die.” Luna pauses for a moment. “Besides, there are times when I think I should have left this world long ago. I should have died by Orion’s side. This way I’ll finally be free to join him, wherever he may be.”
“I just can’t… It’s not fair! No one will ever know who you really were! No one will ever know about the life you lived!”
“That is true. When I’m gone only Celestia and you will bear those memories. If you want my memory to live on, pass on that knowledge.”
Twilight nods, in between wiping tears from her eyes.
“Oh, and speaking of my sister, you must forgive her. She only did what she thought was necessary to save Equestria. She cares for you, and you care for her. Somewhere inside I know you can find a way to forgive her. Perhaps you can help her come to terms with her own problems.”
“She’s in denial over what she did to you.” Twilight sniffs.
“Then help her. She isn’t as strong as she seems. She’s just as fragile as any other pony behind that façade. Do that, and tell her that I forgive her.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Good. Give her a little while to calm down before you try. You both must be at peace. Finally, don’t let my experiences deter you from living your own life. I know the pain of losing my love was great, but so was the joy of having someone to love. Don’t let fear of loss deter you. Make your own adventures, and be good to your friends, because they will repay you in kind.”
“I will.”
Both went silent for a few moments, with the exception of Twilight’s sniffling and fighting back tears. It hurt to lose someone you know so well after such a short meeting.
Luna speaks up. “How much time do you think we have left?” She asks softly.
“Some minutes I think. Maybe half an hour.”
“Well, let’s make the best of it.” Luna walked towards the broken window that faced towards Equestria. She sits down on her haunches and pats the floor beside her. “Come here, we’ll look at Equestria. It’s like reverse stargazing.” Luna smiles just a little at her own joke.
“Okay.” Twilight takes a seat beside her, shivering as she sits on the cold floor. Half of Equestria is shining brightly, covered with white clouds, the other half is green and blue, with the encroaching shadow of night looming on the eastern horizon. For about a minute Twilight fidgets restlessly, feeling the need to do something other than just sit and wait. But somehow she can sense the waves of calm energy radiating from the spirit of the Princess sitting beside her, and after a while, the moment seems timeless, as though it could go on forever. Twilight thus couldn’t say how long it lasts, only that it is a feeling of peace she has rarely experienced, looking down on Equestria.
At some point Twilight feels compelled to ask Luna a question. “What do you think death is like?” She asks quietly.
“I don’t know. If it is something like this, it would be okay.” Luna answers serenely.
Somehow that comforts Twilight. Luna seems to be prepared, and seems to be at peace with it. At the same time Twilight wishes she didn’t have to go, but Luna’s logic is inescapable. The Luna in Equestria won’t survive if the link isn’t severed. Doing anything else will take too long, and involve too much complicated spellwork.
Having finally accepted Luna’s fate, Twilight feels a strange power starting to grow around her. She wants to remain sitting here, but the power refuses. It wants to take her far away, back to her home. She realizes she has no choice, she must leave. Twilight looks at Luna one more time.
Luna seems to understand. There is no pleading in her eyes, only the deep understanding brought by a thousand years of experience.
“Goodbye, Princess.” Twilight whispers.
“Farewell, Twilight.”
The power surges and takes Twilight away. She disappears from the room, leaving Luna’s spirit all alone. Luna gets to her hooves, determined to at least meet death standing up. Her silvery-blue starlight mane streams out, even without a source of wind to propel it. She stares out at Equestria, her head slightly lowered, wondering if she will know when her time has come to an end.
---------------------------------------------------
Twilight’s arrival back at the castle is more precisely timed than her departure. Celestia and all Twilight’s friends are there waiting for her when she arrives. She's sitting down on the floor, in the same posture she left the moon. She gets up quickly, as it is readily apparent her moment of peace has faded.
Twilights friends clap and cheer when they see her appear, unharmed.
“Thank goodness you’ve returned! What news have you, Twilight?” Celestia nervously asks.
Twilight motions Celestia in close. Hesitantly, as if expecting bad news, Celestia lowers her ear to Twilight’s level.
“You must sever Luna’s connection to the moon.” Twilight whispers in the Princess’s ear.
“Are you sure?” Celestia whispers back. “That is a drastic action. There’s no guarantee it will work.”
“Luna told me it would work.” Twilight tells her.
Celestia looks at her for a moment, as though evaluating her words. A suspicious expression crosses her face.
“And what if she lied?” Celestia retorts.
“Then your Luna dies anyway. There is no other option.”
Celestia bites her lower lip for a moment before she bows her head. “Very well. If it must be done. Stay here, I will be back in a few moments.”
Celestia hurries out the door. And with that, Twilight knows she has assured the death of the true spirit of Luna. All that would be left is an empty shell of the pony Luna had really been. The one pony who probably understood her better than anyone else. The pony who had shared her mind and life. She would be gone. It still stings. As her friends begin to pat her on the back, ask questions and congratulate her, she finds herself drifting away, as though on an island of her own making. She can’t focus on the here and now, even though she wants to reassure her friends she is alright. But on the inside, she is, in many ways, still lost.
End part 10