Rubbing her cheek with a hoof, Twilight cracks open her eyes to find herself surrounded by darkness instead of fire. “I’m glad that’s over Luna,” She speaks to where Luna last lay, still adjusting to the dimness of their bedroom.
“It’s not over for me yet,” Luna appears from the fog of darkness, jaw stretched wide in a yawn. “My sister will want to know.” She slumps back into her pillow’s embrace at the prospect, a sour expression broadcasting her emotion.
“Know what exactly?” Twilight questions, still curious of what exactly happened in the dream world. “It all happened so quickly I couldn’t piece together precisely what was happening.”
Luna’s lips part, words halting on her tongue as she rethinks the situation. “I think it would be easiest if we waited till Celestia arrived,” She says finally. “I do not wish to explain myself twice in a single night.” Concerned, Twilight leans into Luna, caressing a curl of her starry mane with a purple hoof. Still silent, she peppers Luna’s cheeks and ears and snout with light kisses, hoping to sooth the obviously shaken pony.
“Oh Luna, my poor, poor Luna,” The voice grasps the pair’s attention, drawing their eyes to the wedge of light creeping through the door. “Please tell me why you hid everything. Even after your fall you still kept it secret, all those years,” Celestia steps through the door’s gap, climbing onto the end of the bed.
Unable to contain herself, Luna breathes another yawn, Twilight’s comforting touch relaxing her into a state of half sleep. “I was afraid,” She manages, watching her sister nestle into the bundle of bedclothes at the bed’s foot.“ After one-thousand years together I was afraid our minds were clashing, that our time had run out. I formed a barrier in my fear, a barrier that barred any possible contact between our minds in a hope that would extend our sanity, but I was truly a fool.”
Perking up at the conversation, Twilight finds it answering none of her questions, only asking many more. “If you don’t mind me interrupting,” She asks with a weak smile and raised hoof. “Could you explain exactly what you’re talking about, because I feel like I’m missing a key point.” Each princess's eyes flit across Twilight for a second before meeting again, a supposedly silent conversation transpiring between the two.
How much have you told her of our past Luna? A thought floats into Twilight’s mind, adding to her confusion.
Celestia, Another thought, definitely Luna this time. We should tell her everything, especially after all we’ve been through together.
I wouldn’t want her to get the wrong impression of us however. The tone carried with this thought similar to the first, setting Twilight’s mind at work. Quieting her thoughts as much as possible, she studies the possibilities that would explain her current disorientation. With you two being together now, it would seem strange to reveal such a long kept secret.
You don’t mind if I ask one question, do you? Twilight asks, needing one last scrap of evidence to confirm her suspicions. A gasp escaping from Celestia’s mouth in time with her thought settles it. “So you and Luna, uh how do I say it, joined your consciousnesses as well?” Twilight questions the sisters aloud this time, wanting to be able to discern who is speaking.
Luna peels her eyes from Twilight to meet Celestia’s, a nod between the two, agreement truly without thought. “What you say is true Twilight,” Luna speaks up, turning her focus back to the unicorn. “We were the first pair of ponies to ever perform the spell, it made sense all that time ago. We were hotly in love and had just realised our full power. This was simply the next step of our commitment, the binding of minds.”
“But aren’t the two of you sisters?” Twilight inquires, her cheeks reddening with the burn of her imagination. Catching Twilight’s blush, Luna twists her head away in embarrassment.
“I see there is much to explain,” Celestia answers, much to Twilight’s disappointment and excitement. Turning to her sister, Celestia catches Luna’s chin, pulling blue eyes up to meet pink. “I think Twilight would appreciate it if you continue.”
Luna clears her throat with a cough, regaining her previous composure. “Yes I think that would be best,” She speaks, her voice failing to hide the previous emotion. “As I said, Celestia and I had recently gained the traits of all three pony races, Celestia growing wings and a horn and I gaining earth pony strength and pegasus flight. It was a result of our battle with Discord and intimate contact with the Elements of Harmony.”
Flashes of golden and blue magic shock Twilight as it bursts into her memory, a familiar draconequus the target. “I had been dabbling in the magic of the mind and dreams, it was simply another spell I wanted to test, we had no idea of any consequences.”
“And we have never seen any negative effects as a product of the spell,” Celestia cuts in, much to the agitation of her sister.
“It is true,” Lowering her eyes and voice, Luna agrees. “The first signs we ever saw of negative effects was another pair of ponies performing the spell. Two unicorns studying in my academy of dream magic, they were the best pupils I ever had.” Her lip under the assault of her gnawing teeth, Luna sniffs softly, blinking away tears.
The weight of emotion tugs at Twilight also, sharing Luna’s ancient memories. “I trusted them enough to lend them my secret spell book,” Luna continues, her mind telling the story just as much as her mouth. “It was my final gift to them as they graduated, the first and only two.” Salty trails staining her cheeks, Luna chokes at the build up in her throat.
“We never had a clue what would happen next,” Celestia continues for her sobbing sister, purple hooves cradling Luna’s head. “They wrote to Luna a week after their graduation with news of their ultimate union. I still remember my sister parading the letter around, announcing that some day everypony will be able to be joined so intimately.” She smiles wistfully at the memory, a ghost Luna prancing through a throne room crowded with ponies filling the trio’s shared mind.
“A month or two following the first I received another letter,” Luna picks her tale back up after choking back another sob, having recovered enough from the wash of emotion to speak. “This one held much darker tidings. It was not from either of my pupils, but rather signed by their town’s mayor. It contained details of a wave of abductions that had swept through the town, every missing pony last seen with one of my students. The town assumed the worst, however they had no way of stopping them out of fear they would find themselves captured also. I had to see for myself.”
A exaggerated cough breaks through Luna’s pause, drawing all eyes to Celestia. “You mean we had to see it for ourselves,” She teases, a sly smile hinted on her lips.
“Celestia and I arrived unto a scene of utter horror,” Luna continues, ignoring her sister. Twilight fails to notice the tension, her mind locked on the scene portrayed by Luna. Fire, it fills the small town completely. From the smouldering corpse of an unidentifiable building, to the roar of flames eating at the base of the town’s water tower. “We found the town abandoned, a trail of blood and bones and flame leading us into the surrounding forest. It-”
“Let’s just say it wasn’t nice,” Celestia interrupts, the disturbance bringing Twilight’s horror to Luna’s attention for the first time.
Nodding, Luna shifts on the bed, fast-forwarding her recount. “After that experience I was, put off the idea of a conjoint mind,” She explains, turning to face Celestia, her eyes and lips saddened. “I am truly sorry for what I did in my panic, it is my greatest regret. I, I lied. I told you our connection had faded, but the truth of it was I formed a barrier in our mind. Permanent, it required much of my strength, maintaining it weakened my power, allowed certain, undesirable influences to reside in my mind.”
Blue unfolds into Twilight’s mind, the sky parted by the sun over a city hinted with familiarity. Observing the expanse of thick forest circling the white city, she pulls at the scrap of a memory, trying to recall its entirety. Just watch Twilight, Celestia whispers over her mind’s shoulder, eyes glued to the cityscape.
Heeding her teachers instructions, Twilight pay closer attention to the skyline, attempting to place each building in her memory. A sharp white point sticks out, the pillar of stone the centerpiece of the city. “Oh,” Twilight breathes aloud at her realisation, the scene telling its story with the first lick of flame climbing a nearby inn.
Unable to interfere, Twilight’s eyes follow the orange beast’s path, climbing the rooftop of its first victim before leaping to the next, spreading its influence. The memory growing closer and closer to the smouldering ruin Twilight recalls from Luna’s nightmare.
“As you can see,” Luna continues, drawing Twilight out of the fiery scene in her mind back to the dim bedroom. “With my mind weak the nightmare crept in, slowly wearing away until I was weak enough to possess.” Silence follows, the weight of Luna’s confession churning thoughts in Twilight’s mind.
“Why did you never come to me Luna?” Celestia’s question pushes noise into the dead air, her tone passive.
Luna’s initial response is a sigh, the somber breath of air tugging on Twilight’s heart. “I was afraid,” She admits finally, her eyes finding Celestia’s. “After I realised my mistake there was nothing I could do to remove the mental barrier. I was terrified that if you knew of my growing madness I would be dealt with as my pupils were.”
“Oh Luna,” Celestia shakes her head, lips holding a sad smile. “They were a lost cause, completely consumed by insanity, but you. You were still you. I knew that even if it took the rest of eternity, I would help you overcome the nightmare.” Her eyes drift across to Twilight, holding the younger pony’s gaze with appreciation. “As it happens however it was Twilight who broke the wall and freed you from your torment.”
“How could you know?” Luna questions, puzzlement creasing her brow. “I assume you only gained knowledge of the events in my nightmare after the barrier had fallen.”
Celestia murmurs agreement, her head bobbing, rainbow mane dancing with the movement. “It was simply an assumption, my first knowledge of our reconnection was Twilight’s cry, it broke through my sleep and pulled me into your dream.”
“How could I have possibly broken the barrier,” Twilight shifts on the bed, fighting a growing ache with the twist of her neck. “If Luna couldn’t break it how could I?” Her question strikes the princesses with a pause, both unable to instantly formulate an answer.
“I truly do not know Twilight,” Luna’s words come slowly. The whirlwind of thoughts in her head hard for Twilight to ignore. “I have a few theories, but it is something completely untested, any information given would likely be false.”
Noting Twilight’s lower ears and the hint of disappointment in her mind, Celestia reaches a hoof across the bed, resting it on Twilight’s shoulder. “How it happened is no matter Twilight, what matters it you saved Luna from another bout of madness, something I and all of Equestria are truly thankful for.”
The encouragement lifts the corners of Twilight’s lips a little, allowing her mind to drift into scheduling the future. “If you don’t mind me bringing it up again, you two were in love once, right?”
The question pulls the sisters’ eyes into meeting, their simultaneous nod Twilight’s answer. “Did you two ever, um,” The reddening of purple cheeks finish Twilight’s sentence, eliciting a giggle from Celestia, Luna’s face sharing Twilight’s shade.
“Oh we never stopped, isn’t that right Lulu,” Celestia teases, her lips finding their way around Luna’s ear, stealing a light nibble.
Swatting the white pest away, Luna snorts in denial. “I would never do such a thing, I am committed to Twilight.”
Luna’s defiance only fuels Celestia’s playful nature, a grin spreading her lips. “I’m sure Twilight wouldn’t mind,” Her eyes follow Twilight’s figure, tracing the blurry body in the dimness. “And she’s more than welcome to join in.” The invitation overfills Luna’s agitation, her gaping mouth lost for words.
“Actually, that sounds like something I-I’d like to try,” Cheeks still stained with red, Twilight addresses Luna, seeking to shift her opinion. “To be honest, I sometimes dream about a moment like this. the three of us together, Celestia always starts.”
Taking Twilight’s hint, Celestia leans into her student, pressing their lips together, much to both Luna and Twilight’s surprise. Luna’s expression twists from shock to rage, her hoof moving to defend Twilight.
Pushed away, Celestia giggles at the pair facing her. The hint of want on Twilight’s features, the same feeling also tainting Luna’s mask of anger. “I can see you’re tired sister,” She says with a smirk. “Maybe another night?”