It was a beautiful night in Equestria. The moon shone overhead, and the stars twinkled in the sky like a million fireflies. The crickets chirped in the stillness, accompanied by the croaking of the occasional frog, hidden away in reeds and cattails. Atop a great cliffside, the city of Canterlot stood quietly. The hour was late and nearly everypony had long since extinguished their lights and retired for the evening. Here and there, a flicker of candlelight could still be seen through drawn curtains, shadows periodically passing by. A light breeze drifted through the city, cooling the hot air that still rose from the sun-warmed streets. It was a perfect summer night.
Celestia couldn’t sleep.
She had been laying in bed for hours, but her mind simply wouldn’t rest. There was something… different about tonight. She checked the clock again, marking the end to yet another hour of sleeplessness. She gazed about her chambers wondering what it was, and sighed in frustration.
“What in Equestria is wrong with me to...night...”
She trailed off, mid sentence. She knew what it was. She knew what had been bothering her. She was staring right at it. Outside of her window, the sun goddess watched as one by one, the stars continued to wink out, like thousands of tiny candles being snuffed out one at a time by an unseen being.
“What-?” Her breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she put aside her feelings of panic and tried to think of a rational explanation.
“Perhaps this is Luna’s doing…” She muttered to herself as she threw on a pair of slippers and left her room. She stopped to grab something out of a dresser in the next room and hung it around her neck. As she passed into the hallway, she ordered her guards to stay at their posts. She needed to confront her sister alone.
The castle was eerily silent as Celestia made her way to the opposite wing. All the while, she continued to watch the stars wink out as she passed by each window. By the time she had reached the base of the tower, there was hardly a light left in the sky, save for the baleful moon, casting its cold pallor over the earth.
A dark staircase greeted Celestia as she opened the door to Luna’s tower. She took a tentative step, then paused.
“Luna?” she called softly. “Are you there?” She waited for a reply.
Nothing.
The princess concentrated for a moment, and a soft light began to emanate from her horn. The pale light cast long shadows against the spiraling stairs, flickering slightly.
“Luna,” Celestia called again. “I’m coming up, okay?” She waited another moment longer for a response, but got none. She stepped forward and began to make her way up the steps. The only sound to be heard was her heartbeat in her ears and her hoofsteps, clicking quietly against the stone. A cold breeze wafted down from higher in the tower, sending a shiver down the princess’s back.
“Oh Luna,” she whispered to herself. “I do hope you're alright.”
Soon, Celestia arrived at the tower’s summit. In front of her stood a heavy wooden door. She took a quiet breath, reached out, and knocked once on the door.
“Luna,” she pleaded. “Please open up.”
A shaky voice from behind the door whispered back. “No… Please sister, leave us.” A muffled sob followed, and Celestia bowed her head.
“I hadn’t wanted to use this,” the sun goddess said aloud as she drew a key from around her neck, “but you leave me no choice.” She unlocked the door, and pushed it open. Inside, Luna lay under the open window, motionless but for the silent sobs that wracked her body. The moonlight, sickly and pale, passed over her prostrate form and pooled on the floor.
“Luna!” Celestia rushed over to her sister. Luna stopped crying and turned her head, shooting a pained glance at her sibling before burying her face in her hooves once more. Celestia sat down next to her and placed a hoof on her back. “Please don’t be sad Luna,” she pleaded quietly. “Please don’t be sad…”
Several minutes passed before Luna’s sobs had finally trailed away. Celestia held her sister and the two alicorns simply sat. As she stroked her sister’s mane, the sun goddess began to quietly hum. It was an ancient lullaby from centuries long past, but in her mind it was still as fresh as the first day their mother had sung it to them.
Long minutes passed, before Luna finally stirred, and sat up. She swiped at her face with a hoof, but the moisture still clung to her eyelids, and the tracks carved by her tears still shone on her cheek. She took a shaky breath, and opened her eyes.
“Sister...” she whispered, her voice hoarse and cracked. She trailed off and turned to gaze out at the moon hanging heavy in the sky.
“What’s wrong, Luna?” Celestia asked. “What’s this all about.”
Luna’s eyes shimmered and another tear ran down her cheek. “Tis... tis only a memory, sister.”
“Oh Luna…” Celestia murmured softly. “I… I…”
Luna raised a hoof, interrupting her. “Tis alright, sister," she replied, a pensive frown drifting across her face.
“No, Luna. It’s not alright. You know where that path has lead you before!”
Luna turned to her sibling. “Sister, believe in our words. We are not traveling down that path again. Truly, it is closed to us now.” She sighed and her gaze grew distant once again. “Do not fear... we only dream.”
Celestia was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was sharper, more demanding. “And what is it that you dream of, sister?”
Luna sighed and closed her eyes. “We dream of the sky. We dream of light in the dark. We dream of pain and loss and what it is to be alone. We dream of the past, of love, and triumph.” She stopped to take a deep breath breath and stare out once again at the vast, canvas of the night.
Suddenly her eyes blazed and the sky exploded in a million tiny shards of light, swirling and weaving their way into familiar constellations and bathing the world in a soft glow. For the first time that evening, as she gazed into the silver canopy that hung from the sky, she allowed herself a small smile.
She turned back to her sister.
“We dream of Starswirl.”