The Night of Nightmare Night
The revelry of the evening began to fade into the background as the citizens of Ponyville began to clean up from the Nightmare Night Festivities as well as an impromptu visit from royalty. A pair of ponies and a sleeping dragon enter the darkened Golden Oaks Library, with a slight glow of the horn of the smaller pony the lanterns along the walls begin to light casting a golden glow across the bookshelves of the reading room.
“I’m going to put Spike into his bed. You can wait for me in the kitchen if you want, its right through there,” Twilight suggested to the midnight blue alicorn.
“Are you sure he is alright?” Luna asked gesturing to the small purple dragon on Twilights back.
“He’s just in sugar shock,” she giggled. “He forgets his metabolism is adjusted for his magical age.”
“If you are sure,” Luna said.
“He’ll be fine. I just need to put him down and then make us some tea,” Twilight smiled.
The kettle came to a quick boil and Twilight used her magic to pour the water into the strainer to steep the tea.
“I want to thank you again fair niece, you have helped thee-me to a just to this new age,” Luna said her voice sounding odd to own ears at the new quieter decibel level.
“I am glad to help you Luna,” Twilight said sitting down at the table. “or would you prefer Aunt Luna? Or Auntie, that is what Cadence calls Mother.”
“We, I, think,” she paused. “I think I would prefer Luna, dear niece.”
“In that case, call me Twilight, niece seems a bit formal,” Twilight said as she poured the tea.
“That would be agreeable, Twilight,” Luna said with a smile.
“I will admit that I was shocked to find that you were my Aunt,” Twilight said.
“You mean Tia never talked about me,” Luna asked disappointed.
“No, she did. She just said you had to go away. When I pressed her for more she would look so sad I just didn’t have the heart to press further,” Twilight said.
“Oh, I did not know,” Luna answered looking down at the steam rising from her cup.
“I meant that I was shocked to find out that you were Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said now finding her cup equally as interesting. “Mother just said you had to go away.”
“I guess Tia was right,” Luna started then paused. “In a way I did go away, I was locked away in the corner of my own mind when the Nightmare took hold. But, you knew that, or at least you found that out when you freed me.”
“I guess, yeah, I mean as the power of the elements flowed through me I could feel Nightmare being washed away, but, I sensed something else, something of harmony. So, I latched onto it,” Twilight explained. “I just had no idea it was you, or a pony for that matter. I just knew it was something good and pure.”
“Thank you, de-Twilight,” Luna said. “I will admit being equally shocked finding out about you and your brother. I mean Tia was determined to not have another foal after the Blue Blood incident.”
“I didn’t know that,” she answered.
“She must have loved you’re father very much to have him sire two foals,” Luna smiled and Twilight squirmed not wanting of her father “Siring” anyone.
“I know she loved him,” Twilight said the sound of melancholy in her voice. “I really didn’t get to know him that well. He died when I was a foal.”
“Tia told me,” Luna said remembering the photo of Celestia, Night Lite, and the two foals. “He disappeared on a diplomatic mission to the griffins.”
“Shiney told me that we nearly went to war because of it,” Twilight remembered her eyes beginning to tear up. “Mother was so sad. I remember it being the coldest winter in nearly a 1000 years.”
“Tia showed me some pictures of your youth,” Luna said. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to comfort you. I’m sorry that I missed your foalhood. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help Tia through that time, I am sorry for so many things.”
“We’ll would you like to see it,” Twilight said looking up with a growing smile. “I know a spell.”
“See what?” Luna asked.
“My foalhood,” Twilight answered.
“I do not think time travel is advisable. The complications can be great, and the outcome you want seldom works,” Luna advised as if from experience.
“I wasn’t talking time travel,” Twilight said her mood improving. “I was learning this spell that would let you see my memories.”
“Y-you would do that?” Luna said surprised. “Y-you would let me share you memories?”
“Yes, of course, It might even help you adjust to the modern times,” Twilight said excited by the idea. “Besides, you’ll get to see me as a filly.”
“If you don’t truly mind,” Luna asked. “I think seeing your family together would help.”
“Luna,” Twilight looked straight into the alicorns eyes. “You are my family.”
“Thank you,” Luna said with a weak smile.
“I just need to get my notes, we can cast it on the couch in the library,” Twilight said almost skipping off to her desk in the other room.
“Twilight you may not want to join with me,” Luna cautioned as she sat on the reading room couch. “The memories I have are not, pleasant.”
“Don’t worry. The spell only works one way. You will see mine but I can’t see yours,” she said taking one last look at her notes.
The lavender unicorn and the blue alicorn sat next to each other on the worn velvet couch as Twilights horn began to form its magical aura around it.
“Now just relax,” Twilight said before exhaling and leaning in to touch horns with Luna.
A flash of white light filled Luna’s mind before she found herself standing in the library.
“Twilight?” Luna called. “I don’t think it worked.”
“Oh, it worked,” Twilight giggled as she faded into existence next to the alicorn.
“You’re mind is a library?” Luna questioned.
“Ofcourse, how else would it be?” she replied.
“I, ah, never mind,” Luna said.
“So, what would you like to see?” she asked.
“You’re mind, you’re memories, you can choose,” Luna answered.
“Okay,” Twilight said as she walked along a long shelf. “Here is one.”
The tome levitated off the shelf and opened itself on a desk, when looked inside it was a picture of Twilight and spike standing in the back of a royal chariot. “This was the day I came to Ponyville,” she explained, then the image started to move. Luna watched as the recent events played out before her, leading up to her own memory of the occasion, when her and Tia returned to Ponyville to retrieve Twilight and bring her back to Canterlot and let her stay their instead.
“I have to say that was a pleasant memory,” Luna mused. “But, could we not look at something of your earlier childhood.”
“All right then,” Twilight said, walking along another shelf until another book floated down and in front of Luna. The book began with a picture of a young stallion with a blue mane and standing at attention until it began to move. “I don’t want you to go,” a young unicorn filly whined.
“He has to go Twily. If he is going to take his place leading the guard he must attend Sandshorse academy,” Celestia said looking leaning down to filly twilight as Shining buckled his cadet uniform.
“Twily, I won’t be gone forever. I just have to go to school,” Shining said getting down on his knees to be eye to eye with his sister. “Who do you trust the most?”
“You, you’re my BBBFF,” Twilight smiled.
“Then who better to protect mommy and you than the pony you trust the most, to do that I have to go to the academy first,” he said kneeling down to look his sister in the eyes.
“I guess, but I’ll miss you so much,” Twilight said. “But, who will I play with?”
“You will be fine,” he said. “You will have mommy and cousin Cadence.”
“And we can always visit?” Cadence said, previously unseen in the image. “You are a princess, I’m sure they let princess’s visit.”
“We can visit on him on special occasions and on regular visiting days,” Celesitia said trying to quell the ideas in adoptive nieces mind which she was sure was filled with the image of attractive colts and mares in uniform. “I told you before you are not to go to the Academy unless I accompany you. We don’t want a repeat of what happened to get you banned in the first place.”
“I promise that I won’t whip the population up into a se…” she stopped and looked down at Twilight… “frenzy.” Cadence argued until a stern look from Celestia silenced her. “Yes, Auntie.”
Luna laughed out loud as the book closed its self and returned to Twilights shelf. “I can see how the alicorn of love would cause a problem at a school such as that.”
“I’m sure,” Twilight giggled. “Oh? I know a great one to show you. Stay here.”
Twilight ran off down an aisle of memories and that was defiantly longer and grander that the space afforded in the real Golden Oaks Library. So, Luna let her eyes wander the shelves reading titles like, 10th birthday, getting sick in court, she paused and pulled down a copy of Hearths Warming Eve then let the pictures tell the story of a young filly filled with the excitement of getting a new doll as her brother and mother sat by a roaring fire. Luna replaced the ideal memory then began to wander along the shelve continuing to read the titles of the book before her then stopped, a new title catching her eye, Princess Twilight Alicorn of the Stars, the shelve it was sitting on was appropriately designated as FICTION. The current alicorn of the stars continued her trek through her nieces mental library, until stopping at a big metal gate with a large sign hanging across it simply reading RESTRICTED. Luna more out of curiosity reached out her hoof to push at the gate and was suddenly repulsed by a violent surge of magic.
Luna awoke under a pile of books and a broken shelf, when she regained her vision she could see Twilight was sprawled out against a bookshelf tossed the opposing direction by the magical backlash.
“Twilight are you well? Are you harmed?” Luna said in a slight panic as she rushed over to niece’s side.
“Wha-wha-what was that?” Twilight said rolling to her feet and beginning to stand on shaky legs.
“I think it was some sort of magical backlash,” Luna suspected. “I think there was a memory you mind didn’t want to me to look at.”
“I don’t get it. You should have been able to access whatever you wanted,” Twilight said puzzled. “I don’t have anything to hide from you.”
“I am unsure as to why it happened,” Luna said.
“Well, did you get a better insight into our family?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, we did get a better understanding of your upbringing,” Luna said. “I do have more questions. But, it is late and I should return to Canterlot and we can discuss them anon.”
“You don’t have to go,” Twilight said. “You could stay here if you wanted.”
“You have made a kind offer, but me thinks that you’re mother would worry if I did not return to the keep,” Luna declined.
“Will you come visit me again?” Twilight asked.
“That would be most agreeable. I have truly enjoyed our time together,” Luna said before walking to the library door, exiting spreading her wings and leaping into the air. As Luna flew towards Canterlot she smiled at the memories that Twilight has shared with her, though was concerned with the memory that collapsed the spell, knowing burying memories was never a good idea, but was content to know the family she returned to was one filled with love.