Music of the Night: Epilogue
Princess Luna stood upon her balcony, and it didn’t take long for her to feel the immensity of her sister’s aura coming. Celestia exploded into existence, a sunburst of boundless magic. She landed daintily with a tap of four hooves, head veering back and forth. She saw her sister was alone, and now back to her normal self. “Sister?” she said cautiously.
Luna was draped mournfully over the railing of her balcony, crying quietly. She was looking out over the points of light that made up downtown Canterlot. Even at this hour there were hundreds of ponies moving about, going about their night lives. It was a small comfort for Luna, knowing that a few of them actually gazed up at the moon and stars when it struck them to do so. “Come to exile me to the moon, Tia?” she whispered vulnerably. “Again?” Luna could not bring herself to turn around and face Celestia. She leaned her head over the railing by gravity, as though she were being ill, and dangled there. There was a long silence.
“No.” Celestia said gently. “No, I think not.” She came up behind Luna, spreading her vast wings and slowly wrapping them about her sister. Enveloping her with a slow, quiet grace, she rested her chin atop Luna’s head.
“Why?” Luna said softly. “After all I’ve done— after all the ponies I manipulated and hurt and forced myself on— Why?” she couldn’t move, the heaviness in her heart had drained her of all strength. She shivered with cold, but Celestia’s warm body comforted her. Even at her full stature, Luna was not nearly as big as her sister. Spending a thousand years chained in the moon had set them apart, at least physically.
“Because despite everything you did, you made the right choice in the end.” Celestia said delicately. Luna shuddered in response. “You could’ve forced that stallion to stay with you forever. It’s not as though anypony could have stopped you. You’re a goddess, and your powers rival even mine.” She stroked Luna’s mane with her muzzle in a slow up and down motion. The princess of the night whimpered despite herself, new tears washing down her cheek.
“I’m sorry!” she suddenly wailed. “I’m so sorry!” she threw herself at last into her sister’s embrace, bawling like a filly. Though both were goddesses and ancient in their thoughts, something as simple as heartbreak could still rip one of them down. “Tia!”
“There now, just cry… it’s alright.” Celestia held her sister, tucking her under her chin. Luna wuzzled into Celestia’s breast as though she were mother, not sister, and wept bitter tears. It hurt, it just hurt so much. The solar goddess stayed quiet, stroking her over and over. “Shh-shh, it’s alright.” She crooned over her sister. Leaning down, she began a ritual that they’d not done in a millennia.
Luna squirmed a little when she felt Celestia’s teeth pressed into her wings. Then, she relaxed into her as she realized what was happening. The solar goddess’ mouth searched gingerly, and found a broken feather in Luna’s vast wings. Plucking it gently, she spat it to one side. It fluttered away into the night. It looked so strange, Celestia preening her sister like they were young lovers. Or perhaps birds. One after another, Luna lost more feathers from her span. They sprinkled out over the edge of the balcony and into Canterlot below. More than just a couple of ponies saw them drifting on the breeze, wondering where they were coming from. They could not see all the way into the highest towers of the palace. The stress, the transformations, everything that had happened seemed to melt away from Luna’s mind at the therapy. She’d been frazzled almost beyond recognition, and the wings were just the start. By the time Celestia was done, Luna’s wings were damp and it was decided to be bath time. The wee hours of the morning were approaching, but they could order hot water anytime they pleased.
It was so. Luna dozed heavily in the steamy room of their bath. Silent servant ponies worked with their Princesses. Luna felt her wings being pulled open so that ginger brushes and oils could be applied to her. Celestia sat in the hot waters, keeping careful watch. When they were left to soak, the princess of the night found herself mewling softly and drifting back to her elder sister’s embrace.
Celestia heaved a great, relaxing sigh. “So much music, my little sister. So much love and passion, it was beautiful.” She crooned quietly, stroking her sister’s aching back. “I’ve only tasted a bit of it for myself, though I’ve not the talent that you or your stallion had.” She said gently, a touch of pink on her face.
“You sing…?” Luna said vaguely, the steam of their hot bath making her head swim. Celestia nodded, and Luna rested her chin on the lip of their massive bath. She looked out the stained glass window, into the night sky. “Sing for me, Tia?” she begged in a whisper. “I want to hear.” The solar goddess nodded gently. The silent servants aiding their bath eyed them both out of the corner of their eyes. Such a thing would be something to tell their foals and grandfoals about. They could not help but listen. Celestia allowed them to stay, slowly drawing breath to soothe her ailing sister’s woes:
Foal of the night time, yes,
Born into to the dusk, yes,
You’ll learn to be lonely,
If darkness is your one companion.
None would be there for you,
To comfort and care for you,
If you are lonely,
Learn to reach and find companions.
You’ve never dreamed out the world,
There are hooves to hold you!
You’ve always thought you’ve known,
Your heart was on its own!
And laughed in your loneliness,
A foal deep in the darkness.
You’d learned to be lonely,
Life isn’t lived
Life isn’t loved,
Alone—
Luna came to tears anew, and her heart was aflutter with the blush of a newlywed mare. “Want to hear a secret, sister?” Celestia leaned conspiratorially. Luna blink-blinked, then leaned with some interest. “The stallion whom I was with when I lost my virginity-- left me for a mortal mare.” She whispered. Luna’s brow rose with a hot gasp. How scandalous! “You know what I did when he left?” Celestia whispered, careful of their nearby servants. It had taken ages to erase all the evidence of what had happened.
“You picked yourself up and moved on?” Luna said helpfully.
“No. I moved the stars in the sky to spell ‘Rockshoulder has red warts on his stallionhood’, and left them that way for a week. That was his name, Rockshoulder.” Celestia said with a rather coy smile. Luna stared in dumbfounded awe. There was a long silence. Then she burst into high-pitched, scandalous laughter. This startled all of the servants into a frenzy of work, whatever they happened to be doing in the room at the time. Celestia smiled at the genuine laughter, nodding confirmation that it was absolutely true. “I was an angry goddess, for a long time.” She chuckled, then steadied herself back into her normal serene stance.
Luna smiled gently. “I do not think I should do that to Cleff, but… having a stallion around seemed like such a dream come true.” She swooned a little, already starting to feel better now that she was talking about it.
Celestia nodded with a wry smile, then glanced to one side. “Well, the dawn is coming, Luna. I must go for now.” She rose and, with a flick of magic, superheated her body until it was dry. Every hair in her coat laid down perfectly, and she looked divine. “Why don’t you stay and enjoy your bath a little while longer? I’m sure you’re exhausted from your long night.” She kissed her sister on the forehead, and then was away. She flicked her eyes upward, then smirked as she headed out the door. The servants followed, and Luna was left alone.
Princess Luna studied her reflection in the waters of the bath, sinking in with a content moan. Sure, her reputation would be ruined. And Equestria would be abuzz about Nightmare Moon for another few decades. And she would certainly be out of the public eye for awhile while Celestia smoothed things over. But, for now, she had this lovely bath. She could certainly enjoy that. She heaved a new sigh, pushing her mane out of her face. How did Celestia always know exactly what to do to cheer her up?
It would be a long time before she was over Cleff, but for now she was nicely distracted. And by distracted, one meant that she’d spotted the twins hanging from the ceiling staring down at her. “It’s impolite to watch a mare bathe.” She said mildly, closing her eyes and lowering her brow with a dark chuckle. On the ceiling, upside down like bats, her twin guards gave a start. They were usually so discreet! How had she spotted— well she was a goddess, she could do that. One stallion smiled guiltily at the other, and they glided down to her. Their hooves clopped noisily on the bathroom tile as they landed in unison, bowing deeply. “I’m afraid that’s not good enough.” She chided them for their spying. They looked at each other, then humbly sank to their knees to bow even deeper. “Sorry boys, still not good enough.” They looked up at her with questions in their silent eyes, but a rather evil glint had grown into Luna’s eyes by then. They had just enough time to look afraid before Luna’s magic seized them and yanked them bodily into the bath with her! They flailed about, splashing, while their armor vanished from existence. Luna’s tinkling laugh stilled them, and they smiled bashfully at her. “Aegis Shield. Stalwart Hide.” She smiled at them both. “Sit, relax with me.” She commanded playfully. They obeyed, and only one of the two flinched when the servants reappeared to scrub them. Luna found grand amusement in watching them be fussed over and lathered. “Perhaps a look but don’t touch policy would be better for me. For now.” Luna leaned back, watching the naked stallions get furiously brushed, scrubbed and polished up. They’d not bathed in ages, always following their princess around. She smirked a little, very much enjoying the view. Cleff remained in the back of Luna’s mind for decades to come, but for now she could certainly enjoy the strained smiles of her two personal guards, and giggle when mares came to brush their bellies.
A week later…
Celestia sat upon her throne, looking over at her sister. She tended to doze sometimes during the royal court. Ponies referred to the solar princess, not the lunar one, during the day. But there was a small smile on her face. She sent questions to her sister with her eyes, and Luna turned over a newspaper that was in front of them both, pressed between their sitting pillows. The headline read, ‘Royalty Throws Best Opera of All Time: Princess Luna Casts Self As Nightmare Moon’, which made Celestia raise her brow. She scanned the article briefly. All of Canterlot had assumed it had all been part of the play: Cleff’s kidnapping, the real Nightmare Moon’s appearance, and even the stage-leaping of the mane six. She stared, unable to believe the pure, dumb luck. Night Mare, Triumphant had been praised as a triumph of romantic lust and dark passion, an opera that Canterlot had never seen the likes of before (nor would it again). the bad guy had gotten away at the end, what a new and inventive concept! Not to mention the virginal stallion, who's character hadn't had a name in the opera, had been whisked away into the night. How romantic! Both royal sisters gave a chuckle.
“I should write another opera, sister.” said Luna, grinning. Celestia was good sport enough to roll her eyes and smile.
THE END
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A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed! Its been fun and this took ages to write so please leave an honest comment or a thumbs-up if you have the time. I love to hear from my readers when they're not pointing out every other typo I just happened to have missed. This is probably the longest work I will EVER do that is pony, haha. All my other stuff is much shorter, one-shots and the like. If you've come this far I thank you deeply, dear Brony, for reading everything I've churned out. You've got my profound thanks and respect. :)