Canterlot Castle
Six Hours Until the Coronation
Twilight
Twilight was befuddled.
She was in a very awkward and complicated situation, one that she needed to treat with the delicacy of handling a bomb. One slip up, in either direction, and all her hopes and plans could disappear in a flash of smoke.
In several hours, she and Nightmare Moon were to be officially crowned as the new ruling royal family of the newly revised Empire of Equestria. From what her mother had told her, all the nobles of Canterlot that had sworn fealty to her would be there, as well as the elders of the Lunar Pegasi from the Citadel of Stars. Many of Equestria’s rich business ponies and celebrities would also be in attendance.
Her mother had led her here to a private dressing room to begin preperations. Twilight was alone at the moment, as Nightmare Moon had left to go retrieve a few things for the ceremony.
Nightmare Moon had very explicitly told her not to leave, as she would be coming back soon. Twilight privately thought her mother didn’t want her to running around alone with Shining and Cadance again, as the soldiers posted outside were proof of her mother’s caution.
Speaking of the soldiers, Twilight heard them start to grumble at a pony with a familiar, lilting voice.
“What do you mean we can’t go inside?” The voice that belonged to Cadance said indignantly “The Empress commanded that we are her personal servants. You don’t want to get in the way of us carrying out our orders do you?”
One of the soldiers, Twilight guessed, answered in a gruff and unimpressed voice. “I do not care what assignment you have. Our orders were very clear. ‘Do not, under any circumstance, let any pony inside who might want to hurt the princess.’ Now move aside, or we will send for some other soldiers to detain you.”
Twilight could hear Cadance ‘hmph’ in annoyance, and then Shining’s voice picked up.
“Listen, we would never harm Twilight—“
“You will address our princess with respect.” The soldier commanded icily.
Shining sighed. “We would never harm Princess Twilight. We’re family.”
“Liar.” The soldier snorted. “Her highnesses’ only family is the Empress, and the recently deposed Celestia.” Twilight heard the faint clanking of metal. “You’ve been warned once, now move along before we make you move.”
Not wanting for them to get hurt, Twilight opened the doors with her magic. The two soldiers were immediately in front of the doors, standing between Twilight and the others. One of the soldiers looked back and gave Twilight an unsure frown.
“My apologies for the disturbance your highness. We were just about to send them on their way.”
“That won’t be necessary, you can let them in.” Twilight told him.
The soldier frowned slightly in concern. “But the Empress commanded—“
“I am well aware of what the Empress commanded. But I can assure you that these three mean no harm.” Twilight said shortly. She hated to have to use her new authority, but she wanted Spike, Shining, and Cadance’s presence, if only to comfort her. “Even if they did, all of them are either restrained or injured, and they wouldn’t pose much of a threat. I also need help with my preparations for the coronation and I require my personal servants.”
The two guards exchanged glances, before speaking up again. “Very well your highness, but we can only let your mare servant through.”
“And why is that?”
“Well…” The solders, to Twilight’s surprise, looked sheepish. “It’s a mare dressing room only your highness.”
“Oh.” Twilight blinked, that hadn’t occurred to her. “Alright let her through then.” Cadance smiled a little and walked past the guards, and Twilight gave an apologetic expression to Spike and Shining. “Perhaps you two should go back to your room for now.”
Shining looked reluctant, but at Cadance’s nod, he scooped up Spike with a hoof and put him on his back before returning to their quarters.
As soon as Twilight shut the door, she dropped her regal act and sighed heavily. “I’m so sorry Cadance.”
“It’s alright Twilight.” Cadance said soothingly. “I understand that you don’t have much of a choice.”
“Thanks.” Twilight nodded. “But I’m going to do everything I can to free you. I just need to be careful, and take it one step at a time.”
Cadance moved over to a cushion and sat down, frowning at Twilight. “I know you’re not thinking clearly, being under Nightmare’s spell, but you shouldn’t do anything to make Nightmare angry. She could hurt you.”
Twilight shook her head in despair. Apparently Cadance still thought Nightmare had enchanted Twilight into believing she was her mother. But she did need give some thought to Cadance’s statement.
Twilight had a long list of things to do. Free her friends, rescue Celestia, help her mother realize that Equestria had changed, and make her understand that Eternal Night wasn’t a good thing. She didn’t know how she was going to accomplish all that, or in what order.
From what Twilight had discovered by reading Celestia’s journal, her mother’s name had once been Luna, but something had happened a thousand years ago that made her change her name and appearance to take up the mantle of Nightmare Moon. Something that had involved Twilight.
Twilight knew with absolute certainty that her mother loved her, almost desperately. Twilight…returned those feelings. Twilight couldn’t deny she felt something for Nightmare, after everything her mother had done for her. Some deep, forgotten connection had been reignited inside Twilight. An instinctive, almost primal affection had been reawakened. And with Nightmare’s attitude and actions towards her, Twilight wanted to return her mother’s love. Twilight had looked into her mother’s eyes, those desperate afraid eyes, and wanted to comfort her, wanted to show her mother that the world had changed.
Twilight wanted to know her mother better. She had this burning need to know better the mare who she now recognized as the pony that brought her into this world. If she were honest with herself, Twilight would admit she was slightly irked at Celestia for hiding all of this from Twilight. A thousand and one questions had been raised in the span of a single day, with all the doubts and fears that came with it. Twilight had seen Nightmare at her lowest, when she had begged for Twilight’s love in Celestia’s secret chamber. She knew there was good in her mother, and she planned to bring out that goodness to change her for the better.
To heal her.
And to do that, she needed to put some faith in her mother’s capacity to be good.
“She loves me Cadance, I don’t believe she would hurt me.” Twilight replied confidently.
Cadance frowned skeptically. “Don’t believe her for a moment Twilight, Nightmare Moon is evil. It’s all an act, it has to be. I wish you could see that.”
A long pause followed, neither mare knowing how to make the other see their view on things.
“So.” Cadance broke the silence. “I hear you’re having a coronation.”
Twilight sagged onto her cushion, some slight guilt creeping up her spine. When she had been a filly, she had often dreamed of becoming a princess. It was every young filly’s dream after all.
Fate sure has a twisted sense of irony.
“Yes.” Twilight groaned. “Mother said all of Canterlot would be there, as well as the elders from the Citadel of Stars. I don’t know how she’s managed to get all of Equestria to accept her quickly.”
“I have a few answers for that.” Cadance said, a slight smirk creeping up her face. “I may have overheard a few things between Noctis and his soldiers while cleaning the castle.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“Apparently the Lunar Pegasi have been preparing to invade Equestira on the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration for quite some time.”
“Yes I know. Noctis told me they had learned of the prophecy that predicted Mother’s return.”
“Oh but it only gets better.” Cadance said sarcastically. “Since they expected Nightmare’s return and had an exact date, they did far more than just wait for her. I learned that they had been smuggling troops across the northern border for almost a month before the Summer Sun Celebration.”
‘That does make sense.” Twilight conceded. “It would explain how the 501st was this close to Canterlot, waiting for Mother to show up.”
“Yes. Apparently the 501st was camped on the edge of the Everfree Forest, making sure to steer clear of both Canterlot and Ponyville. Once Nightmare Moon found them, they quickly ambushed us in Canterlot Castle, securing the whole city.”
Twilight cocked her head to one side. “That doesn’t explain why the rest of Equestria didn’t resist.”
Cadance gave a sad sigh. “That’s because there is more than one legion. All of the major cities, Cloudesdale, Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Baltimare, and Los Pegasus all got captured around the same time as Canterlot. This was coordinated Twilight, and on a massive scale.”
Twilight sat there aghast. The logistics for such a planned attack were daunting. “What about the Royal Guard? There’s more than just the ones garrisoned here in Canterlot. What happened to them?”
Cadance paused, her face scrunched up in thought. “From what tidbits I’ve picked up, the other Royal Guard outposts in Equestria were completely caught by surprise. And I also heard that the local nobles pressured them to surrender peacefully so fighting would not break out. I imagine the remaining Royal Guards were extremely demoralized once it was confirmed that Celestia had disappeared, and that Shining and I had been captured. And with the large numbers of soldier the legions possessed, I can’t imagine the remaining Royal Guards would have resisted much and risk civilians getting hurt.” Cadance grimaced. “The fear caused by the sun not rising has made ponies complacent Twilight. They fear Nightmare Moon, and the power she holds over them. Literally. Nothing says ‘fear and obey me’ more than overthrowing Celestia’s rule that has lasted a thousand years and keeping the sun from rising. They’re scared Twilight, and frankly, I don’t blame them.”
Twilight leaned back and rubbed her temple with her hoof. Things just kept getting better and better.
Cadance leaned forward a little, a small spark of hope in her eyes. “You mentioned earlier that these ‘Elements of Harmony’ could be used to stop Nightmare. Do you know where they are?”
Twilight nodded. “Mother had them with her in a dimensional pocket the last time I checked. I’m not sure how to get them now, but she’ll have to store them somewhere eventually so that she does not exhaust her magic to maintain the spell.”
“If you had them, could you re-imprison Nightmare Moon?” Cadance asked excitedly, smiling widely at the prospect.
Twilight didn’t answer immediately.
“Well?” Cadance asked.
“I could. Maybe.” Twilight said reluctantly, shrugging her wings. “But…I don’t know if I want to anymore.”
Cadance’s jaw dropped in absolute shock. She sputtered while she stared at Twilight. “What—What do you mean you don’t want to!?
You do want to save Celestia don’t you? You do realize that Eternal Night will kill us all!”
“Of course I do!” Twilight said firmly. “I just…I just think there might be a better way. What if I could convince Mother to let you go? What if I could convince her to end Eternal Night? To stop this madness?”
Cadance snorted in disbelief. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But Cadance sighed and she got up, walking over to give Twilight a hug. “I’m sorry I got angry Twilight, but it’s just so frustrating. I promise we’ll find a way to lift the enchantment she’s put you under, and then you’ll be ready to get rid of her once and for all.”
Twilight pushed Cadance away. “I’m not enchanted!” Twilight shouted vehemently. “And she really is my mother! Why can’t you understand that? I want to save her Cadance! Not imprison her! I have to believe that I can change her! Because if I don’t try, I will never be able to forgive myself! I will never be able to live with myself knowing I had imprisoned my own mother on the moon forever! I intend to do everything I can before I try to use the Elements on her again!”
Cadance got up and looked down at Twilight angrily. Twilight shrunk back at Cadance’s sudden anger. Cadance looked dark and intimidating as she loomed over the smaller mare.
“So—So you’re just going to let her takeover Equestria!? Are you going to sit there on this throne she’s trying to give you and watch Shining and I become slaves!?” The pink alicorn was turning red as she yelled angrily at Twilight. “We don’t even know if Celestia is alive, Twilight! For all we know, your so-called mother killed her in cold blood! Are you going to twiddle your hooves hoping Nightmare Moon will change while the world freezes over!?”
“What!? No of course not!” Twilight protested. “I will do everything I can to free you and Shining! As well as Spike and my friends! I just need more time!”
“You don’t have time!”
BOOM!
Both Cadance and Twilight jumped in surprise as the doors to the dressing room flew open. There, standing tall in the doorway was Nightmare Moon, looking very, very angry.
If looks could kill, Cadance wouldn’t have had a chance.
Cadance suddenly became very aware of what she was doing. She scooted back from Twilight and paled, looking suddenly scared and ashamed. “Twilight!” She squeaked. “I’m so s-sorry! I just…I just felt so angry, and I—I didn’t mean to yell—“
“Get out.” Nightmare snarled. But before Cadance could comply, Nightmare picked her up in her magic and slammed her onto the floor. Hard. Cadance whimpered in pain as Nightmare loomed over her. Twilight was too shocked to do anything, as it had been so sudden. She stared as Cadance whimpered in fear at her mother’s hooves.
“It wasn’t enough that we were merciful and we gave you the privilege of serving my daughter was it? Instead, you abused what we gave you! How dare you yell at my daughter!” Nightmare growled threateningly. Her slitted eyes glared down at Cadance as if she were filth. “It appears that we have been too lenient with you and Armor. We will not be making that mistake, again.”
And then, to Twilight’s complete shock, Nightmare threw Cadance violently against the stone wall.
Cadance screamed in pain as her already injured wings were re-broken, and one of her back legs twisted at an odd angle. She crumpled onto the floor and squealed in absolute fear as Nightmare quickly approached her, the black alicorn’s iron shoes glittering dangerously in the moonlight.
“Let’s see you yell at Twilight again when we have broken both your legs!” Nightmare shouted angrily. “Maybe then you can at least crawl on the ground like the vermin you are!”
She towered over Cadance with impending doom written all over her face. Twilight watched in horror as Nightmare brought a iron hoof up to fulfill her threat.
Acting quickly, Twilight grabbed her magic and quickly teleported between the two other alicorns.
“Wait!” Twilight pleaded, holding her hooves up to stop her mother. She stared up at her mother with pleading purple eyes. “Please don’t do this! She didn’t mean it!”
Nightmare stared at Twilight, her hoof still raised. She stayed frozen like this for a full minute, breathing heavily. But then some of her anger disappeared and she frowned slightly at Twilight, lowering her hoof. “Very well.” Nightmare said reluctantly, then her eyes found Cadance, the latter shrinking under her gaze. “But remember this Cadenza, you have only been spared my wrath because of my daughter’s intervention. Next time you will not be so lucky.”
Nightmare turned to the doors, where the two soldiers from earlier stood stoically. “Take this pitiful excuse for a mare and throw her in the dungeon with the others. Give her a cell to herself away from the other prisoners. Don’t bother treating her injuries until after the coronation, and make sure the guards down there know that. Then find Armor and do the same. Make sure they will not be able to talk with the other prisoners or each other.”
The two soldier nodded and proceeded to collect Cadance. She whimpered in pain as she was slung unceremoniously onto the other soldier’s back. Though she did not speak, her eyes stared at Twilight as tears begged for forgiveness.
Twilight quickly nodded, wiping away her own tears. Cadance sighed a little in relief, and then tried to relax as the soldiers took her to the dungeon.
Once the soldiers were gone, Nightmare closed the door. She then turned back to Twilight. Twilight expected her to be angry, but all she saw was her mother’s concern for her.
“Are you alright?” Nightmare asked quietly. “Did she hurt you?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, it was a complete misunderstanding.” She paused, trying to find the courage to ask her next question. “Why…Why do you hate her so much?”
“Because she is Celestia’s replacement for you.” Nightmare said simply.
Twilight stared, unsure as to how her mother had come to that conclusion.
Nightmare looked out the window and glowered. “It seems to me that since Celestia didn’t have the decency to let you live your life, she instead found Cadenza and made the pink menace her so-called ‘niece.’ Even though Celestia had you, her real niece, she was content to raise Cadenza as royalty. Even when she needed you to defeat me, Celestia never gave you the recognition you deserved and only made you her ‘student’ while Cadenza carried all the trappings of royalty that are rightfully yours.”
“Oh.” Twilight replied. She could see how her mother would come to that conclusion, and she wasn’t sure as to how she could disprove Nightmare’s assumption otherwise. Also, Twilight didn’t think it would be a good idea to try and convince Nightmare of Cadance’s sincerity right then. Not when she had just found Cadance towering over Twilight and yelling at her.
It confused Twilight that her mother was homicidal one moment and affectionate the next. And deep down, it disturbed her. It had been extremely frightening to stand between her mother and her prey. It seemed that Twilight was right when she had told Cadance that Nightmare wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t keen to test that theory again any time soon. She felt horrible for Cadance, and Twilight was ashamed of herself for letting that happen. It had just been so sudden and surprising that she hadn’t had time to react, and she wouldn’t forgive herself for letting Cadance get hurt.
She wouldn’t let that slide by though.
“Why did you attack her!?” Twilight pointed at Nightmare accusingly. “I…I understand you didn’t like her yelling at me. I didn’t like it either! But to…to throw her against the wall!”
Nightmare frowned at Twilight in thought. “In time you will see things as I do, and understand how much Celestia has manipulated your life. Cadenza doesn’t really care for you, my star. Cadance just wants to use you to regain the puppet throne Celestia gave her.”
Twilight wilted in frustration, grinding her teeth as she suppressed a yell of impatience. She was stuck in the middle. Twilight couldn’t convince Cadance and Shining that Nightmare Moon was her mother, and that there was good in her. And even worst, Twilight continued to fail in showing her mother the good in the ponies around her. It seemed like everywhere she turned, Nightmare Moon could only see ponies trying to undermine her or hurt Twilight.
Twilight tried to speak again, but Nightmare put a hoof to her lips.
“Shush, I don’t want to talk about them anymore.” Nightmare lost all the anger in her posture, and she rolled her shoulders and fluffed her wings as she tried to relax. Her mother smiled at Twilight mischievously, her black wings fluttering excitedly. “Don’t you want to get ready for our coronation? It’ll be soon and we both need a bath before then.”
Twilight’s mind derailed drastically. “A bath?” She asked again, as if she had never heard of such a thing.
“Why yes.” Nightmare said happily. “In case you haven’t noticed, you and I are still filthy from dealing with your magical flare. Your wings also need cleaning and preening, and you don’t know how to take care of them since you just regained them so I will need to assist you. Also…I haven’t bathed in a thousand years, so there is still a considerable amount of moon dust clinging to my fur, despite my best efforts.”
Then before Twilight could react, Nightmare swooped down with her teeth and picked Twilight up by the scruff of her neck. Twilight initially panicked when she saw the jagged fangs descend on her, but grew irritated quickly as her mother picked her up as if she were a foal again.
Twilight vainly struggled, but Nightmare ignored her struggles and started carrying her towards the bathroom adjacent to the dressing room.
“Hey!” Twilight protested. “Put me down! I’m not a foal! I can walk by myself!”
Her mother’s voice was slightly muffled by the mouthful of Twilight’s fur. “Well you’re my foal. And the last time I took a bath you were with me as a foal. I thought it would be nice to bathe together again while we talk about a few things.”
Twilight stopped struggling and let her mother carry her, but she still crossed her hooves in protest. “Talking would be nice.”
Nightmare Moon carried Twilight into the bath area, where a large tub set in the marble floor was already filled with warm and soapy water. Nightmare lowered Twilight into the tub before joining her, sighing in relief as the warm water washed away the dirt and ash on her fur. Twilight watched her mother lean back into the water with just her head above the surface, her starry mane losing its magic and reverting to a regular light blue.
“I didn’t know your mane did that.” Twilight said. She had seen Celestia’s billowy aurora mane of course, but she had never witnessed it lose its power like her mother’s just had.
Nightmare giggled a little at Twilight’s question. “Alicorns are so powerful that our magic crawls into every part of our body as we grow older. I simply have to cut off the flow of magic to my mane and the mane I had when I was younger comes back. It’s just easier to clean this way. I’m sure the more you grow into your own alicorn magic, your mane will also develop into something similar to mine.”
Twilight couldn’t imagine herself with a mane like Nightmare’s or Celestia’s, but she supposed it was something she wouldn’t mind having. They were very pretty after all.
Twilight had always admired her mentor’s beauty, and she may have been a bit self-conscious of her own image.
A new, not unpleasant thought developed in Twilight’s mind.
Will…Will I be beautiful like that?
Twilght supposed she might be, and she actually looked forward to it. She was going to have to get use to her alicorn heritage, but Twilight realized that it would actually be…nice.
She glanced at her mother, who had closed her eyes and fully relaxed into the tub. Twilight wondered if she would one night be as tall and slender as her.
Then she glanced at her mother’s teeth.
I sure hope fangs and dragon eyes aren’t a part of the package.
But the more she wondered, a new, and rather desperate thought came to the forefront of her mind. Twilight glanced over at her mother, and moved closer, sloshing the water around them a little. She gave Nightmare Moon a questioning prod, to which her mother grunted in response.
“Mother…who…who is my father?” Twilight asked timidly.
Nightmare sighed sadly and opened her draconic eyes. Even though they still intimidated Twilight, she saw that the teal orbs were filled with sadness. Nightmare reached out with her hooves and hugged Twilight to her body, holding her close. Twilight leaned into her, and she could feel her mother’s heart beat beneath her, and knew that her mother could feel hers in return.
“Your father.” Nightmare said sadly. “Lived and died a thousand years ago. His name was Terrace Crescent, and he was a Lunar Pegasi.”
Twilight gasped softly at that revelation, and she brought to her minds-eye pictures of Noctis and his soldier she had seen earlier, trying to form a picture of her father in her mind. She realized then that she was probably related to the Lunar Pegasi, since from what Noctis had told her, they had stuck together closely while persecuted by other regular pegasi.
And Twilight realized her father was one of the Lunar Pegasi that had probably been shunned and mistreated, much like her mother had been. Sympathy welled up in Twilight, and she sought comfort in the large warm body that was hugging her.
“He was a kind, and loving stallion. Crescent was first a guard in my Night Watch, but after he lost his wings and a leg to a fight with a manticore, he became a gardener at the castle in the Everfree.” Her mother’s voice trembled a little, and she held Twilight closer to her. “I…I’m sorry but I don’t even have a portrait of him for you to see, anything I had was destroyed with the old castle. I met him in that garden, and we slowly fell in love. I married Crescent, but we kept our marriage secret because the nobles then would have gone after him because he wasn’t of ‘noble’ birth like them.”
“Did…Did he ever know me?” Twilight asked in a quiet and scared voice.
Her mother shook her head though. “I…I’m sorry Twilight, but no. Your father died a few weeks before I discovered I was pregnant with you. He caught some disease I couldn’t identify, and despite my best efforts…he died.”
…
“I buried him at the old castle in the Everfree.” Her mother continued. “Perhaps you and I one day can go find it together, and we can…we can clean up his grave and plant a few moonflowers. Those where his favorite.”
“Thank you Mother, I would like that.” Twilight murmured softly, a few tears falling down her cheeks. She had…well…expected her father to be dead, since she had been born a thousand years ago. But…it sounded so tragic, like something out of sad play.
Nightmare nuzzled her. “You have his eyes.”
“I do?”
“Yes, but everything else you got from me.”
Twilight actually felt…happy about that, and a little proud. But…she knew this wasn’t what her mother actually looked like. She had seen Celestia’s pictures and sculptures of her mother’s true form. She now knew the tall, black, alicorn with dragon eyes and fangs for teeth wasn’t her mother’s true form.
“Can I see you?” Twilight asked.
Nightmare looked down at her, brow creased in slight confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Can I see you,” Twilight tapped Nightmare’s chest, right above her heart. “from before you were banished?”
Nightmare smiled in happiness. “I’d love to show you.”
Her mother’s horn lit up and Nightmare’s whole body briefly glowed. She shrunk to where she was smaller than Celestia but larger than Cadance. Her fur turned from black to dark blue. The wings at her side curved and resembled Twilight’s. Her teeth flattened into regular vegetarian molars. And her eyes rounded and lost their draconic resemblance.
Twilight stared up into those loving, eyes and she felt nothing but love for her mother.
Nightmare smiled at her, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile back. “This is what I looked like a long time ago, and I guess it’s easier to see the family resemblance now.”
Indeed it is.
Though her appearance was the completely different, her voice was exactly the same. But with this appearance, it came off a lot better.
“What magic is that? I’m not familiar with it.”
“It’s something I picked up while studying magic with my mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. It allows me to change shape or form at will. It’s something that only powerful and experienced magic users can do though.”
“You studied with Starswirl the Bearded!?” Twilight asked, stunned that her mother had known the legendary wizard.
“I did.” Nightmare said fondly. “He was in fact the closest thing I ever had to a father, so I guess you could call him Grandpa Starswirl.”
That thought was too weird for Twilight. A picture of Starswirl sitting in a rocking chair with Twilight in his lap while Nightmare talked to him popped to the forefront of her mind against her will.
Shaking her thoughts off, Twilight gestured to her mother’s beautiful blue coat.
“Why…Why do you not want to be like this all the time?” Twilight asked hopefully. “Why do you want ponies to see you as dark and scary?”
Nightmare’s face turned sad, and she held Twilight closer. “Because ponies don’t respect me like this. They only seem to respond to me when they fear me, and so I made myself taller than my sister, with a black coat to so as to be her complete opposite.”
“And…And your name? Why do you want to be known as Nightmare Moon instead of Luna?”
Her mother snorted in annoyance. “Even before I was banished, the ponies a thousand years ago called me the Night Mare, and not Luna. So I combined the two. Luna in the old language translates as moon. Night Mare Luna. Nightmare Moon.”
…
“Can…Can I call you Luna? I like it much better than Nightmare Moon.”
Her mother smiled and snuggled closer. “Of course you can. But only you.”
Twilight sighed. It was a start.
“Though I’d much prefer ‘Mom.’” Luna said smugly.
Twilight giggled a little, despite the seriousness of the whole situation. She couldn’t forget what her mother had done though. Conquer Equestria, hurt Cadance, and imprison Shining and her friends. She still didn’t know what Luna had done to Celestia, and she was still afraid to ask.
But now she had hope.
Luna relit her horn, and she grew taller once again. Her teeth sharpening and her blue coat darkening to black.
But now when Twilight looked at her, she wasn’t scared anymore.
She knew what was really under there.
“I think we’ve been in here too long.” Luna said. She climbed out of the bath tub and Twilight followed her. “Come, I need to preen your wings before we get dressed for our coronation.”
“Alright…Mom.”
And Twilight smiled.