“Luna!”
Celestia shouted herself awake, her wings flailing out involuntarily and sending her sheets flying. Trying to catch her breath, she looks out the window and up at the moon. The silhouette of Nightmare Moon is clearly visible on it’s surface. With a sorrowful sigh, the Princess rests her head on the bed once more. You’d think the night terrors would have eased up after the first few hundred years.
A knock at the door causes Celestia to look up again. “Enter.”
Her personal guard enters the room with his head bowed. “Your highness. Are the dreams bothering you again?”
She simply nods.
“Shall I get you some tea to help you rest?”
“Yes, Bright Scout, thank you.”
He bows again and leaves.
She's grateful for his help. Bright Scout had been her personal guard for many years, and was familiar with nights such as these. She dreaded the day when he retired and she had to find a new guard to put up with her problems. Then again, maybe such a thing wouldn't be necessary for much longer. In just a few more years, the seal on Nightmare Moon would break. If she plays her cards right at that time, it should be possible to banish the evil from Luna’s heart, and then she would have her sister back. For now though, she would have to continue to live with the guilt that plagued her dreams.
There's a knock at the door again, this one much softer than the last. Strange. It was much too soon to be Bright Scout with the tea. “Come in,” she calls curiously.
The door creaks open, and rather than the helmeted head of a guard, the Princess is greeted by the much smaller face of a little purple unicorn.
“Twilight, what are you doing awake?” Celestia had taken Twilight Sparkle on as her personal student a few months prior, and the young filly had been given a room in the castle to better facilitate her studies. But her room was a fair distance from Celestia’s tower, and she was always very mindful of bedtime.
“I'm sorry, Princess,” Twilight mutters nervously, “I know I'm supposed to be in bed, but I heard you yell and I got worried.”
Celestia smiles warmly. “That's an understandable reason to be out of bed. I’m sorry for waking you.” She vaguely wonders how many others in the castle heard her outburst.
“It's okay, I’m just glad Spike slept through it.” Twilight returns her smile, but it quickly changes to a look of concern. “Are you alright though, Princess?”
“I'm fine. Just a bad dream. But that was very sweet of you to worry about me.”
The little filly gapes up at her, looking amazed. “You have nightmares?”
Celestia chuckles. “Of course. Doesn't everypony?”
“Well, yeah. But, you’re the Princess. You're the most powerful pony in all of Equestria. What could you be afraid of?”
Ah, the innocence of a foal. “Being powerful doesn't make me immune to fears or regrets. I’m just as imperfect as anypony else.”
The young unicorn looks thoughtful at this. She stares at the floor with a frown. Then she looks up and says, “When I have a nightmare, I tell my parents and they let me sleep in their bed with them. Sometimes just having another pony there can help you feel better.”
Celestia stares in surprise for a moment. Then she laughs warmly. “That is a very good point. Unfortunately, my parents aren't around anymore. Would you like to help me out instead?”
Twilight's eyes light up. “I'd love to. But, are you sure it's alright?”
“Absolutely. Come here, my little pony.”
The little filly clambers excitedly onto the bed and snuggles up next to the alicorn Princess. Celestia retrieves her sheets with magic and drapes it gently over the both of them.
There’s another knock at the door, and Bright Scout enters with a tea tray on his back. He falters when he notices the young unicorn on the bed.
“Ah, thank you, Bright Scout.” Celestia floats her tea cup across the room to her nightstand. “Would it be too much trouble to ask you to go back to the kitchen and bring Twilight some hot chocolate?”
He blinks in mild confusion, then nods. “None at all, your highness.”
Celestia sips her tea serenely as he leaves. “I find a warm drink can be almost as comforting as the presence of a friend.”
Twilight looks immensely proud to be considered a friend to the Princess.
Proving the span of a child's thoughts, her expression changed to a bashful look only moments later. “So, is it okay if I ask what your dream was about?” She glances away, clearly worried she's overstepped her bounds.
The Princess sighs and sets her cup down as she stares out the window. “Your older brother is in training to become a palace guard someday, isn't he?”
“Yeah! Shining is really good at it too. I just know he’s going to be a great guard.”
“I'd imagine he’s rather protective of you then.”
“Of course. Once, when some other fillies were picking on me about being a bookworm, he yelled at them and scared them away. They didn't pick on me any more after that.”
“That's an important part of a big brother or sister's job. Protecting their younger siblings from anything that could hurt them. But they can't always be there, and when something bad does happen, they will almost always blame themselves. Thinking, if I could have just been there, this wouldn't have happened.”
Twilight looks up at her in confusion, trying to figure out if this relates to her question, or if it was merely a subject change. Her thoughts are interrupted when Bright Scout returns with her cocoa.
“Thank you very much,” she chirps happily.
“Of course. Will you be needing anything else, Princess?”
“That will be all, thank you, Bright Scout. You may return to your post.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bows and backs out of the room.
When the door has closed, Celestia looks down at her young student. “How about I tell you a story?”
“Okay, I like stories.” The filly looks eagerly up at her teacher.
“Once upon a time, Equestria was ruled over peacefully by two princesses. They were sisters, who loved each other and their subjects very much. The elder raised and set the sun, and the younger did the same for the moon and stars. They worked together for many years, and shared their burdens equally. But soon, things began to change.
“The ponies of Equestria played and worked during the day, but slept during the night. They were missing the beautiful night the younger sister had created for them. She began to feel neglected, as it seemed to her that the ponies of Equestria loved her older sister more than her. The older sister was very proud of the love her subjects felt for her, and did not notice her sister’s feelings until it was too late. Her sadness and fear had been allowed to fester, and an evil magic had taken hold of her heart. She was transformed into a creature of darkness, and used her newfound power to get back at her sister and the subjects she felt had betrayed her. She prevented her sister from raising the sun, and tried to force Equestria into an eternal night.
“The older sister tried as hard as she could to talk her sister out of her plan, to apologize for not caring for her as she should have, and to prove to her that she loved her more than anything else. But the magic that had taken hold of her was too strong. Nothing the elder sister said could get through to her any more.
“With a deep sorrow, the elder sister did the only thing she could. She had to protect her subjects. She used a powerful ancient magic to banish her sister, and the monstrous power that had taken hold of her, to the moon. From then on, the older sister raised both the sun and the moon on her own, and Equestria has been largely at peace ever since. But while the ponies she ruled over were safe and happy, the elder sister would never be able to forgive herself for not being there when her sister needed her most. It is her greatest regret, even to this day.”
By the time Celestia had finished her story, both the tea and the cocoa were gone.
Twilight sat quietly with her teacher, a sad look on her face. “So, the little sister is still trapped on the moon?”
“Yes, she is.”
“But , she wasn't really herself when all of that happened. She never got to hear her big sister's apology.”
“No. I suppose not.”
“Will they ever get to see each other again?”
“Maybe someday.”
Twilight looked up at Celestia, at the sad frown on her face. With very little hesitation, she reached up hugged her as tightly as her small forelegs would allow. “I'm sure your sister still loves you. And I think she'd forgive you if she could talk to you now.”
For a few moments, Celestia is shocked by the unexpected comforting, unable to do or say anything. She chokes back sudden tears and wraps a foreleg around the little filly to return her hug. “Thank you, Twilight.”
They hold on to each other, as the Princess tries to regain some of her composure. Once she's sure her student won’t see her tears, she pulls away and nudges the unicorn back into a resting position. “Let's get some sleep now.”
“Okay. But, no more nightmares.” She says this matter-of-factly, like a statement rather than a request or a demand. It doesn't take long for the young foal to drift off after that.
Celestia can't help but find herself amazed by this tiny filly. She'd known Twilight was special from the moment she'd met her, but while she'd seen her capacity for magic first-hoof, she never expected the capacity of this little unicorn's heart. With such a combination, she knew this was a pony destined for greatness. If at such a young age, she could bring a comfort to the Princess she hadn't even known she'd needed, there was no telling what else she'd be capable of someday. With pride in her heart, Celestia is able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night, secure in the knowledge that she has chosen a truly great student, and the hope that she can earn her sister's forgiveness.