My dearest teacher, my continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the presi something bad is about to happen. For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response.
“Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Celestia lowered the note with her magic, and brought a blank sheet of parchment before her. I had been almost one thousand years since she had banished her sister. One thousand years alone.
“That’s not true. I have Cadance; I have Twilight; and most of all, I have many caring, loyal subjects.”
“They aren’t the same,” Said a soft, imaginary voice. “Luna understood you, and you understood Luna.”
“Those who are close to me understand me very well.”
“Who is there that has been as close to your heart as Luna?” Said the voice, a bit louder now.
“None are closer to my heart than her; but they are all close to my heart.”
“Which is why you spend so much time talking to yourself?”
Celestia sighed. It felt like a part of her had been missing for a thousand years. Yet, her fond memories of her sister had not faded. Her alicorn magic had prevented that for the past millennium, and would continue to for several more millennia. It was both happy and tragic that she could not forget her sister, yet she wondered whether that’s what she really wanted, having removed nearly all trace of her from historical texts, until she was confined to the roles of “the younger of the legendary Alicorn Sisters” in one story, and “the Mare in the Moon” in another. But even if she wanted to forget, she couldn’t. It was her duty to protect the ponies of Equestria, and she would have to be prepared for when the seal of the Elements broke on the coming Summer Solstice. It was all up to her to rediscover the Elements of Harmony; and one of them, so she believed, was vested in her young pupil, Twilight Sparkle. She had confidence in Twilight’s magical ability and good nature. Yet as her thousandth Summer Solstice approached, she was at her wit’s end trying to find the rest of them.
She lifted Twilight’s note and read it again. “Leave it to Twilight to solve a thousand-year-old mystery,” she mused. “Wait…”
A thought struck her. She quickly began writing.
My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely, but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books! My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!
Mere minutes after she had sent the reply, Twilight barged into her quarters. “Princess, did you read my note?”
“Of course I did, my faithful student, otherwise I could not have replied.”
“And I presume from that you know the books that I drew my conclusions from?”
“Of course, Twilight, but you shouldn’t worry yourself. The Mare in the Moon is an old pony’s tale.”
“But the story of the Alicorn Sisters is based on historical fact! It’s in a HISTORY book for crying out loud! It can’t just be a coincidence that Nightmare Moon and the Mare in the Moon were both banished to the Moon!”
“Twilight, the Mare in the Moon could very well be based off of Nightmare Moon’s tragedy, but it’s still an old pony’s tale. You shouldn’t rely on fairy tales and prophecies for facts.”
“But what if it IS true?! If Nightmare Moon returns, we need to figure out how to stop her from bringing about an eternal night, because without the Sun, plants won’t grow, the land will grow cold, and we’ll starve and freeze and...”
Celestia raised a hoof, silencing Twilight, though she continued breathing at a rate at least four times too fast.
“I will never let that happen to Equestria. You have more important things to worry about. I’ve seen you grow from a filly into a young mare, but you still prefer remaining cooped up in the library reading books to having any friends.”
“I have friends! Shining Armor’s my friend.”
“He’s your brother.”
“He’s my BBBFF!”
Celestia raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Big brother, best friend forever?”
“Family is some of the most important friends you’ll ever have,” said Celestia in agreement, “but Shining Armor is my Captain of the Royal Guard. He has responsibilities to fulfill, and can’t spend as much time with you as he did when you were a filly.”
“Spike is my friend, and he spends all of the time with me. We even sleep together! In separate beds, though,” she added.
“Which makes Spike practically family as well. He might as well be your little brother for how close you two are.”
“And you…”
“Am more than happy to be your mentor, and yes, your friend. But you need to get out and meet mares your own age. Meet new ponies so you can learn more about the world, and about the most powerful magic known to ponykind.”
“What’s that?”
“The Magic of Friendship.”
Twilight gave her an odd look, as sort of mish-mash of disbelief, surprise, and curiosity.
“Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it’s more powerful than you can imagine. I even suspect it to be more powerful than I can imagine.”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the prospect of a magic that even Celestia could barely fathom. She shook herself out of it. “But if Nightmare Moon is coming in two days, we have more important things to do than making friends!”
“If Nightmare Moon is coming in two days, I will be the one to worry about it. You, on the other hoof, need not worry. Go to Ponyville, and ensure that the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are coming along well. While you’re there, make it your duty to socialize with the ponies around town. Just relax and don’t bother yourself with things that may or may not come to pass. I promise you that it is more important than any other task you’ve undertaken as my protégé.”
Twilight sighed. “Okay.”
“Thank you, Twilight. Tomorrow morning you’ll take a chariot to Ponyville, faster than the train or your balloon. I trust that you’ll remember both of your tasks well, especially the latter one.”
“I’ll remember, you have my word. I better go pack my things.”
“That I think you should. Also, I think you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve arranged for you to stay overnight at the town’s library.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
“Have a wonderful trip, Twilight. I’ll see you at the celebration.”
Twilight left to pack. Celestia yawned. It was time to rest her sleepy head. She concentrated her magic, lowering her Sun and raising her sister’s moon. She walked over to her bed, and slipped under the covers. She stared at the moon, marked with her sister’s face to constantly remind her. Sadness washed over her, as she longed for the escape of her dreams. That Summer Solstice, she would have to repeat the thing in her life she most regretted. She would have to re-seal her sister in the moon for the next millennium.