Between Sisters
Princess Celestia watched Twilight scramble around the kitchen, trying to keep her cake batter from eating through the counter with a smile, breathing a sigh of relief. Their relationship was still on shaky legs but she was happy that she could be there for Twilight and even happier that Twilight was giving her the chance to do so.
To think a fit of impatience and a careless outburst almost undid decades of preparation. Princess Celestia was glad that Twilight wasn’t completely ready to discard her princesshood just yet. Celestia knew she didn’t have the time to wait around and train another pupil; it had to be soon and, unfortunately, it had to be Twilight. Their relationship was on rocky ground; she couldn’t deny it and while she hadn’t expected Twilight to immediately forgive her, it hurt to know that the wide eyed filly who once looked up to her was well and truly gone, replaced by a worldlier, warier young mare. Whether or not they would ever be friends again…well, she would just have to wait and see.
Princess Celestia stole one last look at Twilight’s house before setting off through the quiet streets of Ponyville, shrouded by a bit of magic in case any ponies were out late. She had hardly left Canterlot for the past year and the last thing she needed was a tabloid picture of her walking the streets of Ponyville like some kind of Sasquatch sighting. Across the grassy field and up a hill she walked until she came to a small brass plaque gleaming in the moonlight.
Princess Celestia sighed, regarding the small memorial stone with a twinge of regret. Twilight had been right; for all the times Fluttershy had assisted in the defense of Equestria, Princess Celestia couldn’t say that she knew her well enough to truly empathize with Twilight. She had liked the girl well enough; it was impossible not to like any of Twilight's friends. But she knew her only from brief glimpses gleaned from social interactions and Twilight's letters. That more than anything else made Celestia disappointed in herself; she had always prided herself with being a down to earth princess, equally at home with the common pony as with the “elite” of Canterlot. But now, looking at the beautiful memorial Twilight’s friends had put together, she found that she knew little of this brave little mare beyond her kindness and affinity with animals.
Casting around the grassy hill, Princess Celestia plucked a dozen or so wildflowers. She pulled a clump of weeds with her teeth and with a wave of magic; they wove together into a ribbon that fastened itself around the bouquet. A small pebble was transformed into a simple butterfly shaped pin that held the ribbon in place and a quick glamour spell gave the flowers a soft warm glow. Princess Celestia laid the flowers on the grave and for a moment, she thought of saying something. After a while, when she couldn’t think of anything personal or profound that hadn’t already been said by ponies who knew her better, Princess Celestia settled for a moment of reverent silence and a silent apology.
“Are you sure you couldn’t have helped her?”
Princess Celestia nearly jumped out of her skin as her sister appeared over her shoulder. “Oh for the love of…Luna! What have I told you about scaring me like that?”
“I can’t for the life of me remember.” Princess Luna said airily “But I remember that you told Twilight Sparkle that there was no way you could have helped Fluttershy. That there was nothing you could have done if she asked you.”
“How long have you been listening to us, Luna?” Princess Celestia said.
“Long enough to ensure you didn’t foul up your chance to make things right with Twilight.” Princess Luna said. “I’m curious to know why you lied to her, though.”
“Coatl venom is resistant most magical treatments.” Princess Celestia said evasively.
“Most…not all.” Princess Luna said. “It gained a reputation for being impervious to magic because it’s largely resistant to telekinetic manipulation, which is the standard, least invasive magical treatment method for most toxins. So, when telekinesis failed to affect it, most doctors wrote it off as magically impervious…but that’s not the case, as you well know.”
“No…it isn’t.” Princess Celestia sighed. “Coatl venom is designed to quickly kill magical beings so it evolved to be a fast spreading toxin that resists attempts to slow it down, extract it or stop it. Telekinesis, stasis, barrier effects…all of them ineffective.”
“But there are other ways to deal with it.” Princess Luna said. “The venom could have been transmutated into something benign, Fluttershy’s blood could have been transmutated to resist the venom, antibodies could have been enhanced to deal with the venom like it would a virus-”
“Yes, but you run the risk of irrevocably damaging patient’s body if you’re not careful.” Princess Celestia said. “To do that, you would need to understand the chemical makeup of the substance you were trying to change and how to alter it in a way that removes its harmful effects without harming the patient. It’s not exactly common medical knowledge; maybe one in one hundred doctors is even aware of the theory, maybe one in one thousand understands the theory well enough to explain it and even less are actually capable of performing it to an effective degree.”
“What about you?” Princess Luna said. “Could you have done it?”
Princess Celestia bit her lower lip, lost in thought. “I…I don’t even know the venom’s chemical makeup-”
“But if you did?” Princess Luna asked.
“Then…perhaps.” Princess Celestia said. “I’ve done it in the past, but that was with lesser poisons…I don’t know how much help it would have been.”
“You might have been able to do something.” Princess Luna said.
“What use would it be to tell that to Twilight?” Princess Celestia said. “She already blames herself enough for Fluttershy’s death…if I told her that I might have been able to help her then-”
“I understand.” Princess Luna said. “I just wondered why it never occurred to Twilight to try anything other than telekinetically removing the poison.”
“She panicked.” Princess Celestia said. “Her friend’s life was in danger and she and Spike settled on the most obvious solution to the problem. It’s not her fault she didn’t think of alternatives; her study of magic has always trended towards the…arcane rather than the practical. Metaphysical energy transfers, methods of transfiguration, spatial manipulation…I don’t think she’s ever cracked a magical medicine textbook.”
“She might now.” Princess Luna said. “When we lost Aigis, I remembered you burying yourself in defense charm scrolls for months at a time.”
“Tragedy has a way of…focusing our interests.” Princess Celestia sighed. “Twilight did what she could do, given what she knew. What-if’s and what-could-have-been’s are deadly to ponies who have the time to dwell on them.”
“Speaking from experience?” Princess Luna said.
“You know I am.” Princess Celestia sighed. “Twilight will have plenty of time to collect regrets without use adding to them.”
“Agreed; telling her would serve no purpose.” Princess Luna said. “Not now that you two are speaking again.”
“Yes.” Princess Celestia said fondly.
“I’m glad you finally did right Twilight.” Princess Luna said.
“Thank you.”
“You were beginning to become insufferably moody.” Princess Luna said, earning her a light smack on the shoulder from her sister. “But I suppose this means you would like to spend more time with her.”
“I think we have to.” Princess Celestia said. “The lessons I had planned for her got interrupted by our little spat…I’ll need time to bring her back up to where she needs to be and I’m sure you have things left to teach her.”
“So we postpone it…again?” Princess Luna sighed.
“I’m afraid we have to.” Princess Celestia said.
“Is that wise, given your advancing…condition?”
“I’m learning to live with it.” Princess Celestia said, swallowing heavily.
“You call burning down a house in a fit of anger living with it?” Princess Luna said.
“It’s not easy, but I think I can make it work as long as we need to. Besides…Twilight’s in a very delicate state right now.”
“She’s not made of glass, Celestia.” Princess Luna said.
“She’s not made of stone either.” Princess Celestia countered.
“Are you really willing to risk the security of thousands of ponies to spare the feelings of your special favorite?” Princess Luna said.
“I’m surprised at you, Luna.” Princess Celestia said sharply. “I thought you liked Twilight.”
“I am very fond of Twilight Sparkle; I consider her one of the few real friends I have made in the past thousand years.” Princess Luna said. “But if I had to decide between Twilight’s happiness and the good of Equestria, I would choose Equestria without hesitation.”
“No hesitation?” Princess Celestia said.
“Not for a moment.” Princess Luna said.
“Sometimes I think that you don’t care about these ponies as much as I do.” Princess Celestia sighed.
“There’s no need to be cruel, Celestia.” Princess Luna huffed. “I’m merely saying that-”
“And sometimes I think that makes you better suited to rule them.” Princess Celestia finished
“Oh?” Princess Luna said.
“Perhaps you’re right.” Princess Celestia said. “Perhaps I do coddle my little ponies too much…perhaps I would do well to be less of a friend and more of a ruler; more concerned with their safety than their happiness.”
“Tis better than the alternative.” Princess Luna said. “Would Equestria truly thrive under an icy dictator?”
“Maybe not, but I don’t think you’d postpone our project to spare the feelings of a single pony.” Princess Celestia said.
“Looking down on the world from millions of miles above it puts things in perspective.” Princess Luna said. “Were I in your horseshoes, I may not feel such…distance from most ponies.”
“You still feel that way?” Princess Celestia said. “Even after working with Twilight and her friends?”
“The effects of being displaced one thousand years in time do not get undone in the span of a few months.” Princess Luna said. “I don’t know if they ever will.”
Princess Celestia regarded her sister’s distant expression for a moment. “I…spoke to Discord today.”
“How unfortunate.” Princess Luna said. “What did that old billygoat have to say?”
“A nasty lie, no doubt.” Princess Celestia said. “But he said that he…that is to say, he didn’t…and it’s really quite ridiculous but-”
“Are you going to wind your way around to a point sometime tonight, Celestia, or should I go get some snacks?” Princess Luna said.
Princess Celestia bit her lip. “I want to talk about…Nightmare Moon.”
Princess Luna stiffened. “What of her?”
“I pressed Discord about his involvement with your…with Nightmare Moon.” Princess Celestia said. “And…he denied any involvement. Said that…it was all your doing.”
“Did he?” Princess Luna said.
“Not that I believed him!” Princess Celestia said hastily. “You know that he spins the wildest tales.”
“He does.” Princess Luna said.
“I just want you to know that I…I believed you when you said that Discord was responsible for your…transformation.” Princess Celestia said.
“Why?” Princess Luna said suddenly.
“Wh-what?” Princess Celestia said.
“Why are you so quick to dismiss Discord’s account in favor of mine?” Princess Luna said.
“Because…we’re sisters.” Princess Celestia said gently. “ And he’s a liar. I…I trust you."
“Did it ever cross your mind that Discord might not be lying in this case?” Princess Luna said softly. “Did it occur to you that he might be telling the truth?”
“Why would he…you said-”
“Many convenient lies.” Princess Luna said.
“Luna…are you telling me that Discord had nothing to do with Nightmare Moon?” Princess Celestia said.
“…yes.” Princess Luna said.
“But i-if not Discord then...then who?” Princess Celestia said.
“What?” Princess Luna said.
“If you w-weren’t being controlled by Discord, then who was it who manipulated you?” Princess Celestia said. “Discord? Tirek?! Grogar?”
“Celestia…what makes you think anyone was manipulating me?” Princess Luna said.
“But…if you never…if you weren’t manipulated by anyone then that means you-” Princess Celestia stopped suddenly, looking at Luna in surprise. “Luna, what are you saying?”
“I am saying that…Nightmare Moon was a demon of my own creation, borne out of the jealousy I bore towards you and my desire for greater power; nothing more.” Princess Luna said. “There was no mind control, coercion or magical seduction involved at any point during my rebellion against you. Any attempts on my part to persuade you otherwise were, for lack of a better term, lies.”
“Why?” Princess Celestia said, shaking her head. “Why…why now? Why are you telling me this now?!”
“You asked.” Princess Luna said.
“Damnit, Luna, don’t be glib!” Princess Celestia said, standing up suddenly. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth when you returned?”
“Because you made it easy to lie.” Princess Luna said. “After I came back…you were so quick to forgive me because you had convinced yourself that Nightmare Moon wasn’t my fault. It was so easy just to nod along with your speculations, so easy to pin something on a hated enemy long since vanquished. And after all that time I just wanted so badly for things to be right between us…so of course I went along with your little Discord theory. I wanted my sister back...so I lied. But it wasn’t true…Discord nor any other evil force was responsible for my transformation. Nightmare Moon was my creation and mine alone.”
“What...what could I possibly have done to warrant such hatred from you?!”
“What does it matter why I did it?!” Princess Luna said. “That was one thousand years ago; why does it matter now?”
“It matters to me!” Princess Celestia said firmly.
“Nothing I can say to you will make you happy, Celestia!” Princess Luna said. "If you're looking for some kind of peace from my story then you shall be sorely-!"
“Well maybe I don't want peace!” Princess Celestia said. “Maybe I’m sick of everypony trying to make me happy and I want to hear the damned truth for once!”
“Oh, now you want to hear the truth!” Princess Luna said. “When have you ever cared for the truth, Celestia?! It was so easy to lie to you because you wanted to believe it! If you had even tried, if you had only reached out for the truth you would have seen that it was right in front of your nose the entire time?”
“And what is this truth I’ve conveniently overlooked?” Princess Celestia said.
“That it is as your storybooks have said and nothing more; I was jealous!” Princess Luna said. “You had friends and followers and worshippers and hangers on and I had the cold lonely nightshift after everypony went to bed. We ruled together, Celestia, but as far as the average pony was concerned, yours was the only star in the sky!”
“That’s it?!” Princess Celestia said. “You’re blaming me for how other ponies behaved?!”
“No, I’m blaming you for how you behaved!” Princess Luna said. “You were drunk on their attention! You bathed in the warm glow of their adoration! You flitted about like the bell of the ball, accepting all the acclaim for our hard work!”
“I’m not going to apologize for having fun, Luna!” Princess Celestia said. “What was I supposed to do; decline all the love my subjects-”
“Our!” Princess Luna said. “Our subjects! No, I didn’t want you to become a shut in recluse but would it have killed you to drop my name when the entire world was singing your praises? Would it have really hurt that much to share the spotlight with me for ten seconds?!”
“Do you remember the early nights, Celestia?” Princess Luna said. “The early early nights when I treated every night like a unique work of art? When stars wheeled and turned about the sky in thousands of different constellations and displays?”
“I remember some of it.” Princess Celestia conceded. “But I had to be up at five to raise the sun; I never got to see those late night-”
“Nopony saw my late nights!” Princess Luna said. “Nopony! But I endured it all, patiently, while you gorged yourself on the love of our people, leaving me to nibble the bones of society you left unclaimed! I withstood it all with as much grace and dignity as I could muster until...until the eclipse honoring twenty five years of our reign.”
“And I did something on that day? Something to cause you to hate me enough to fight against me?!” Princess Celestia said.
“You did nothing.” Princess Luna said. “When we raised the sun and moon together, everypony fawned over you and saying how amazing it was that they could see the sun more clearly now that the moon covered and how brilliant you were for orchestrating it. And you…you just stood there and drank it all in with a smile. I was standing two feet away from you and nopony said anything about me! Nothing! Not one word about my moon! And they loved you! All it would have taken was a few public words of kindness to get people to start appreciating my work but you…you said nothing! You just kept it all for yourself while I was left alone night after night, year after year-”
“I know, Luna!” Princess Celestia said. “I know what it felt like, staying up for hours on end while the rest of the world went to bed. While you were slumbering on the moon, frozen in time, I alone stood watch over the night. So for the past thousand years I have endured while you slept peacefully on the moon!”
“Celestia…” Princess Luna said.
"From where I'm standing, you've certainly had it easy napping up in space while I was forced to carry on without you!"
“What makes you think I was asleep?” Princess Luna said icily.
“What?”
“What makes you think that I just fell asleep when you sent me to the moon and didn’t wake up until a thousand years later?” Princess Luna said. “What makes you think I wasn’t awake the entire time?”
“But…” Princess Celestia said, shaking her head in horror. “But you never said-”
“What was I supposed to say?!” Princess Luna laughed bitterly. “That I spent eight million, seven hundred and sixty five thousand two hundred and eighty six hours, five hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred thousand minutes lying awake on a barren frigid rock looking down on a world that had forgotten me? That Nightmare Moon screamed inside my head whenever I tried to steal a moment’s sleep? That time and again I tried to pull an asteroid out of orbit to strike me, only for Nightmare Moon to deflect it back into space again?!”
“Luna…” Princess Celestia
“What would you have done?” Princess Luna said. “What could you have possibly said or done that might make things easier for me? How could a pony like you possibly understand?”
“A pony like me?” Princess Celestia said.
“Love and cherished by millions.” Princess Luna said. “Perched in a seat of immeasurable power and privilege with every comfort you could desire thrown at your hooves in tribute.”
“You think I had it easy?” Princess Celestia said. “I watched thousands, millions of ponies I loved die again and again and again!”
“Millions of ponies who adored you and practically worshipped you as a living goddess!” Princess Luna said. “Oh, no, but you're right, Celestia; endless company and adoration is certainly as difficult as empty silence on a frigid rock. I don't know how you endured all of the love and attention thrown your way. Truly you are made of the sternest stuff to suffer millions of parties held in your honor; how do you do it?!”
“I have suffered just as much as you-”
“Don’t you dare!” Princess Luna hissed, eyes flashing violet. “Don’t you dare say that you have suffered as I have suffered, Celestia, or so help me I shall show you what true anger looks like! I will not have this argument with you again; I do not doubt that you have had your share of trials to overcome but if you think for one half of one second that living in a lavish palace and being surrounded by mobs of swooning subjects is the same as a small eternity spent alone, a million miles away from everything and everypony you have ever known and loved! Forgotten and demonized by the ponies who used to know you? You had the love of our people! You had our friends; you were her with them while I was-”
“Yes, I was here with them!” Princess Celestia shouted. “Through everything! Parties and weddings and dances and dinners but not all. I watched Aigis take a blow meant for me and held her as she bled out on some spirits forsaken battlefield. I saw Persephone sicken and die from a plague she was trying to cure! I watched Leto waste away, ravaged by age, her mind completely abandoning her before the end to the point where she didn’t even know my face! And I was here, Luna, when a messenger stood in my throne room and told me that I…I had sent Bellerophon to die on foreign soil on a stupid whim.” Princess Celestia took a deep shuddering breath, looking away and blinking rapidly. "I was here, Luna...and only me."
“I do not deny that you have suffered, Luna, now especially since the extent of your suffering has been made known to me.” Princess Celestia said. “But know that I have suffered to. All grew old; all died but I was left rotting in a perfectly preserved body, witnessing the passing of everyone we held dear.”
“I witnessed them as well.” Princess Luna said softly.
“How could you have known what happened to them?” Princess Celestia said.
“I didn’t.” Princess Luna admitted. “But I knew how old they were and I remembered their birthdays. And I counted them, year after year…until I reached one hundred birthdays…I didn’t expect them to live one hundred years after I had gone.”
“They didn’t last fifty.” Princess Celestia said.
“So…after one hundred years had passed,” Princess Luna said. “I marked a small stone for each of them…starting with Aigis, the eldest, and ending with Leto, the youngest…one by one I made graves for the friends I knew had left while I was gone.”
“There is no winner in contests of suffering.” Princess Luna said. “Only losers in varying degrees.”
“How long have you been holding on to this?” Princess Celestia said.
“Since my return.” Princess Luna sighed. “My time in exile has haunted me for one thousand years…and I doubt it will ever cease.”
“And I could have stopped it…” Princess Celestia said. “All it would have taken was…a few words and I could have stopped it all?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Don’t you think I did?” Princess Luna said. “All those times I asked for the night to continue a few hours longer, all those times I begged for a few more minutes of darkness in the morning for ponies to see my art…all the times I was dismissed or outright berated by you for asking. There came a time when I was done begging…so I decided to take what was mine by right for myself. I never wanted open war between us…I just wanted to get your attention. But I was consumed by the power I thought to wield against you…”
“And if only I had listened-” Princess Celestia said.
“It’s a tad late for if onlies sister.” Princess Luna said.
“I’m sorry.” Princess Celestia sniffed. “How could I even compare my time on Equestria to what you had to go through?”
“You cannot.” Princess Luna said. “Just as I cannot compare my loneliness to yours; it is meaningless to bicker over who has suffered more.”
“I had our friends.” Princess Celestia said. “I had a castle and jewelry and parties and parades! I had everything in the world I could have ever wanted…except you.”
“You had me once.” Princess Luna said.
“And I took you for granted.” Princess Celestia said. “And when our friends passed, the last pony to know me as simply Celestia disappeared.”
“It is a hard thing, becoming more than your name.” Princess Luna said. “Something all royalty learns, in time.”
“We could have had a thousand years together.” Princess Celestia said. “If I had only pulled you up to stand beside me instead of overshadowing you all the time-”
“If only if only.” Princess Luna said. “I’ve had enough only’s to last me a lifetime.”
“Will you take a sorry then?” Princess Celestia chuckled miserably. “I know it’s not much but…it’s all I can give. After all this time it seems that sorries are all I have left.”
“I suppose that’s something.” Princess Luna sighed.
“Are you still…are you still angry with me?” Princess Celestia said.
“At times.” Princess Luna said. “Nightmare Moon left her mark…and you can still be irritably pompous.” Princess Celestia laughed. “And it’s hard not to feel bitter and wonder what I could have had were it not for my exile but...I don't want to spend what's left of my life holding on to age old grudges.”
“I would have loved to share the night with you.” Princess Celestia said.
“The night was never yours to share.” Princess Luna said. “It was mine. You were only watching the shop while I was gone.”
“I did my best.” Princess Celestia said.
"You certainly tried I'll give you that much." Princess Luna said. "But I've seen your work, Celestia, and I have to say it lacked a certain...nuance."
"It wasn't easy for those first few hundred years." Princess Celestia said. "Your night sky fought me every step of the way. I still don't know how you force those stars into constellations."
"Did you try persuading them?" Princess Luna said. "Stars are proud things that don't take kindly to being ordered around."
"Something you have in common with them." Princess Celestia said.
"To your credit, you did my duty passably." Princess Luna sniffed. "Everything went as it should...I'm ashamed to say I thought you might have neglected it in my absence."
"Wandering the empty halls night after night after the rest of the world had gone to sleep gave me new...perspective on what you do." Princess Celestia said. "You know, I don't know if I ever told you this but I helped fund the ponies who invented electricity.”
"You did?" Princess Luna said.
"I lent them the gold to spread their invention to every corner of Equestria. I wanted ponies to have a way of staying up after the sun went down." Princess Celestia said. "I wanted them to come out and enjoy the night unafraid of the darkness."
“So you wouldn’t have to spend your nights alone like I did?” Princess Luna said.
“So you wouldn’t.” Princess Celestia said. “I always hoped you were coming back and, when you did…I wanted ponies to appreciate your night as I had come to…I didn’t want you to be so lonely ever again.”
Princess Celestia sighed, wiping her eyes with the corner of her hoof. “Oh Luna…I’ve lived too long.”
“Age like a medicine.” Princess Luna said. “More is better than less…but enough of it can kill you.”
“I had hoped to stay a while longer but…no, you’re right.” Princess Celestia said. “It has to be soon…perhaps the next Summer Sun Celebration?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of the Autumnal Equinox.” Princess Luna said.
“That’s only a few months away!” Princess Celestia said. “I won’t be ready in time!”
“Spring then?” Princess Luna said.
“Spring would work…” Princess Celestia admitted reluctantly.
“But you’d prefer summer.” Princess Luna said.
“I really would.” Princess Celestia said. “But that wouldn’t be fair to you. We’ve done things my way for over a thousand years-”
“I see no reason to stop now.” Princess Luna said. “Very well; the Summer Solstice…at dusk.”
“As you wish.” Princess Celestia said. “That’ll at least give us a day to…wrap up.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Princess Luna said.
“One more year.” Princess Celestia sighed, regarding Fluttershy's tree fondly. “This tree won’t even be as tall as I am by the time we go.”
“Well…maybe I can fix that.” Princess Luna closed her eyes, letting purple tendrils of magic seep from her horn and encircle the tree. There was a bright snap of light and with a great creaking and groaning of wood, the tree began to grow. It spread out across the little plot of land, dropping roots deep into the soft ground and stretching higher and higher towards the heavens. The tree grew around Fluttershy’s gravestone, swallowing it within its trunk so that only the polished faceplate remained sticking out of the wood. The branches sprawled out overhead, shadowing the moon and stars in a thick canopy of pink and yellow leaves. Finally, Princess Luna opened her eyes; a mighty tree towered over her in place of the small sapling and at the center, Fluttershy’s grave marker shined in the evening light.
“Absolutely lovely.” Princess Celestia said.
“Thank you.” Princess Luna replied.
“Twilight and her friends will like it.” Princess Celestia said.
“It might smooth things over with her if…if we tell her you did it.” Princess Luna said.
“What?” Princess Celestia said.
“As a peace offering.” Princess Luna said. "It might make things easier going forward
“Thank you Luna…but I think I’ve been taking credit for your work for far too long.” Princess Celestia said. “I’m only sorry that we don’t have the time to make it up to you.”
“I am glad I can do that much for them at least.” Princess Luna sighed, regarding Fluttershy’s tombstone sadly. “Such a sweet girl; I would have liked to have known her better. I suspect we might have even been friends, if given the chance.”
“You might get that chance.” Princess Celestia said brightly. “Elysium is on the horizon for us; maybe we’ll meet up there.”
“So you believe.” Princess Luna said. “You still believe, after all of this and with no proof-”
“Yes, Luna.” Princess Celestia said firmly. “Don’t you? Isn’t that why you’re so eager to join me?”
“At this point, I am so ready for this nightmare to be over that I do not care what I wake to.” Princess Luna said. “If I wake at all.”
“We’ve earned it.” Princess Celestia said firmly. “After all we’ve been through…we’ve earned a rest.”
“We old ponies have endured the most.” Princess Luna said fondly nuzzling her sister as they looked on at Fluttershy’s tree. “Those that are young should never see so much.”
“Or live so long.” Princess Celestia sighed.
As the princesses turned to leave, a nightingale came and perched in the highest branch of Fluttershy’s tree. A squirrel crawled its way up the trunk and into a hollowed out knothole in the center. A jay, a raven and several owls bunkered down for the night, making their nest for the night. Hundreds of ants carried their queen from a hill in the forest down into the roots of the old tree. Spiders crawled up and ate the ants; lizards came down and ate the spiders. A lone family of coatl on their way back to Tenocoltlan stopped in the tree for a rest. The smallest one, still nursing his injured wing, rested in soft branches, sleeping safe at last until the morning came.