//------------------------------// // Princess Luna // Story: Therapy // by smxsonic //------------------------------// Dawn and dusk were special times for The Royal Pony Sisters. While they didn’t need as much sleep as the normal pony, they still used the time outside of Court to themselves.  Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset, The Royal Sisters would meet, have a meal and do their duties. This evening was no different; Luna and Celestia were having dinner in the royal banquet hall, Celestia telling Luna about her day and Luna telling Celestia what her plans for the night were. “…And So, I had to deny that ‘diplomatic request’” Celestia finished as she sipped her tea, “I would not wish Blueblood as anyponies consort” Both of the sisters giggled as they both finished their meals and headed to the Balcony to end the day.  Once there both horns glowed as the sun lowered over the mountains, and the moon took its place in the night sky. “Beautifully done,” Luna Admired. “It always is” Celestia Replied, both of them turned re-entered the Castle “What are the plans for the queen of the night?” Luna rolled her eyes, “Tia, you know I don’t like being called that!” Celestia just chuckled at that. Luna scoffed, “If you must Know, I am visiting your former student, I am helping her with some research” “Research?” Celestia smiled wide, “Come now, Luna, No need to use code words with me, I’m so happy for you two” Luna’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, “Princess Celestia Solaria of Equestria, You stop that kind of talk right now! By our mother, I don’t know who’s worse with crazy love fantasies, you or Cadance.” “If you were talking about that, Cadance would’ve owed me 50 bits.” Luna stared at her sister for a moment before she said, “You two have problems, Sister. If you’ll excuse us, we will be going to Ponyville.” In Ponyville, Twilight was preparing for Luna’s visit. She was setting up her note taking supplies, while Spike was brewing tea.  Already on the table were cookies, and other assorted treats. The Castle’s bells rang, announcing a visitor. Twilight steadied herself as the vibrations slowed, “Spike, remind me to ask Celestia to lend me a couple of guards to help around here.” Twilight flew to the entrance of the castle, and opened the gate. Revealing Princess Luna. “We really need to get you some Castle Guards, Twilight” Luna stated “Hi Luna, Come in,” Twilight motioned. The two walked to the dining room, where the tea had been set out. Twilight sat herself down as did Luna. Twi poured some tea for herself and the moon princess. “Now,” Twilight started “The reason why I wrote to you is that I wanted to get firsthand accounts on how The Elements of Harmony affected ponies.” Luna nodded pensively. “Would you be comfortable with that?” Luna steeled herself and nodded. Twilight readied her quill, “How would you describe how you felt as The Elements were used on you” “Well, at first, The Nightmare was still dominant at that time so, it was the usual ‘this can’t be’ reaction, but as the Elements enveloped u- me, I received visions, of my sister and I, when we were younger.  I started remembering all of the good times we had, and then my thought turned to what The Nightmare and I were going to do. I expelled it from myself, with the help of the Elements of Harmony. After that I just felt an over whelming guilt.” Twilight looked up from her pages. Luna was quite composed for talking about this traumatic of an experience, but years of mystery novels told Twilight everything she needed to know about the Princess’s true feelings. Her eyes were down, focusing on the cookies. “How long did you feel that guilt?” Luna looked straight at Twilight, "Are you aware of my year-absence after your conquest of the Nightmare?" “Yeah?” Twilight replied, then she paused a bit in realization, “Oh…” “This is a tale that’s going to take all of my night, so you best get comfortable” The Royal Chariot left a celebrating Ponyville. Celestia in high spirits, Luna despite the garland of flowers around her small body, wasn’t in the same mood as her sister. She stared through the sky, thinking about what The Nightmare had made her do and was going to make her do. Luna’s brooding was interrupted by a big, bone crushing hug, made all the more bone crushing because her weakened state made her a little less fragile than your average unicorn. “Oh, Luna, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you!” Celestia exclaimed. “Tia, you’re crushing me…. Can’t breathe!” The solar princess let go. Stifling a giggle as her sister regained her footing. “Sorry, Luna, my emotions got the better of me” Canterlot came into their view in all its pristine glory. “There it is, Luna, our new home,” Celestia announced. “It is… Shiny, to say the least, doesn’t offer much in the way of protection from siege” Luna observed Celestia let out a gentle laugh as the carriage landed on the balcony, “Luna, we haven’t had any kind of war here in a long time, in fact the last major problem we’ve had was Nightmare Moon.” Suddenly, a wail sounded throughout the room, Celestia turned and saw Luna on the ground, her eyes shooting tears like a fountain. “By Mother,” Celestia swore to herself, “Luna, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” “I-I was going to trap you, and –and rule over the ponies. I thought I would be a good leader, but it was going to be night all the time, nopony can live by night alone…” Luna kept babbling like that until her sister nuzzled her. “Luna, that wasn’t you, you were just as much a victim as everyponyelse,” Celestia stood up and helped her sister using magic, “Now come with me while I show you your room.” The sister traveled through the castle, Luna was recovering from her break down. Celestia acting the part of tour guide, showing Luna where everything in the castle was. Celestia stopped at a door, The midnight blue paint made it clash against the normally white wall. What was strange was that no pony ever seemed to notice it and if one looked at it they would have a strong urge to look away. Most importantly was the padlock on the door, it had no space for any kind of key, it just had Celestia’s Cutie mark. “Is this…” Luna Began, looking at the door with little effort. “We I had this castle built, I secretly added this room for you. No pony knows about it, hidden in plain sight, waiting for you, just as you left your old room,” Celestia exposited. She then cast a spell on the lock and suddenly, all wards on the room were released. The door opened and the two sisters walked in. The room screamed gothic, midnight blues and blacks enveloping everything. Flying buttresses supported the ceiling in many places. There were little to no furnishings, just one desk to the side and a four poster bed. On the bed was a stuffed rabbit holding a mallet. “You even saved Tsuki,” Luna commented, overwhelmed at what she was seeing. Celestia smiled, “You must be tired, let’s talk more in the evening,” Luna nodded and took her plushy and went to bed. That evening, Luna was awoken by a guard, who then led her to the Dining hall where Celestia was waiting for them. “Good evening, Luna, Did you sleep well?” Celestia greeted. Luna nodded and sat next to her sister. “Luna,” Celestia started, “This morning had me thinking about your current condition” “Do not worry about my current form, it is just magical atrophy, nothing to worry about,” Luna dismissed “Your physical form isn’t what bothers me, It’s more your mental state” “I am… fine, Tia” “Luna, you were possessed with The Nightmare forces for a thousand years, a pony does not go through that and heal easily,” “I am a princess, Tia, I am more resilient than most,” Luna’s gaze was darting around looking at anything but her sister. Celestia smiled warmly “Yes you are, and that’s how you’ve held up for all this time. Even so, It wouldn’t do for a princess to break down crying every time Nightmare Moon is–,” As expected Luna was hunched over the table, ocular gushers on in full force. Celestia paused for a moment, “Case in point,” The larger Alicorn hugged her sister and then said, “In order to help you sort through this, I have assigned one of my secretaries to you,” Celestia then turned to the side and called out, “Shorthand! You may come in now.” A male unicorn wearing a tie, glasses, and a pencil behind his ear entered the dining hall. His short, brown hair perfectly combed. His tan coat was well groomed and neat. Despite That, he was just … bland.  Even his notepad cutie mark was generic. Celestia turned to Luna, “Not only is Shorthand here one of my best secretaries, he also has a PHD in psychology,” Luna cocked her eyebrow , “ P… H…–“ “He can help ponies sort their minds out.” “I still don’t know, Tia…” “I’m afraid I must insist on this matter, you are to have a session with him for at least one hour each day and for the rest of that day, He will act as your secretary,” Luna just sighed and nodded. Each day after, Luna would spend an hour with Shorthand, talking about her overwhelming guilt and her stress. Luna was less than receptive to the treatment at first, usually deflecting questions and trying to change the subject. As time went on, Luna became more comfortable and started taking the treatment more seriously.   It was now the time of the Grand Galloping Gala, and Luna was already dressed to the nines. Her magic was slowly coming back in, as evidenced by her mane and tail, both sparkling like starlight but still lacked the ethereal quality her sister had. Luna looked out of her window anticipation. Today was the day where she would get out of the castle and meet her subjects in a better light. There was a knock on Luna’s door. “Come in!” Luna called Shorthand entered the room, “Good evening, Princess” “And a wonderful evening to you, Shorthand” “Well, you’re certainly lively this evening,” “How could I not be? Today is the day I finally present myself to the ponies of Equestria!” Shorthand fidgeted a bit, “Is that really a good idea, Princess?” “My dear Shorthand, I know there is still some work to do, but I think I can hold my own in a social function,” The secretary lowered his eyelids and simply said, “Night mare Moon,” Luna emitted a small whimper, then swallowed it, “S-See? There was barely any reaction!” Shorthand sighed, “Your majesty, most of the ponies here are high-ranking nobles very set in their ways, when you meet them they will say that name, and how you react will tell them all they need to know about how you will rule.” “As always, you are right, Shorthand, but none the less, I have made up my mind. Even if I don’t make my grand entrance, I shall still enjoy the festivities.” “If you’re sure, I shall be by your side” So, Luna and Shorthand went into the gala, where the opening ceremonies had just ended. The two walked to the main hall of the castle, when Luna suddenly froze. Shorthand inquired, “Princess? What’s wrong?” “So… Many… Ponies…” Luna stammered, “Oh Yeah, you haven’t had to deal with so many ponies since you returned, have you?” Luna shook her head, “No, I am a princess, I can over come this.” A few seconds went by and Luna was still at the door. “Do you want to go somewhere less populated?” Shorthand asked, concerned for the princess. “Yes, Let us go to the gardens.” Luna answered quickly. Once at the royal garden, Luna calmed down considerably. The cool night air combined with the local fauna gave a great atmosphere. “Oh, Why am I cursed to have these problems” Luna lamented “It isn’t you, Princess, Any pony would experience this after facing the kinds of trauma you’ve faced,” Shorthand assured. “Thank you,” Luna smiled They walked through the gardens, until they heard some talking over the hedge. “I'll catch you yet, my pretties... Oh yes, as soon as one of you little birds, or monkeys, or bears touches this net... you'll be mine! MINE! Hahaha, Hahaha! Whoa!” They heard a voice ramble. Luna and Shorthand both peeked in from the hedge to find a buttercream pegasus hanging in a net. “Isn’t that one of Twilight Sparkle’s friends?” Shorthand asked. “Why yes, Fluttershy, I believe her name is” Luna stated. “Poor thing’s suffering from Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome,” “Come again?” “It’s a phenomenon where a pony stops thinking rationally once they fail to meet their special talent,” Shorthand explained, “I guess nopony told her that these animals are a bit distrusting of ponies,” The two removed themselves from the Hedge and stared at each other for a bit. “Shorthand, I wish to join the gala at the courtyard.” “Agreed, it’s not pretty when they blow,” They went into the court yard and they joined the gala. They still hid in the back, Luna was still afraid to actually mingle. They saw that Applejack had a stand selling various apple themed pastries. Luna gave Short hand a few bits to buy them each an apple fritter. Shorthand returned with the desserts and passed on to the princess, once Luna ate the pastry, her eyes lit up. “Shorthand, remind me to personally endorse Sweet Apple Acres in the near future, these are simply divine!” Shorthand just smirked, the more he got to know the lunar princess the more she acted like her sister sometimes. They both walked the gala, sticking mainly to the background, most of the nobles were too absorbed in themselves to even notice the princess in their presence. They both saw and pitied Rarity for trying to woo the least like pony in Canterlot. The classical music came to a halt when Luna noticed Pinkie Pie on stage. “Shorthand, I believe we must vacate this room,” “Are you feeling alright, Princess?” “I feel that the gala is going to get much more interesting, and the best place to be is not here.” Luna dragged short hand out of the room as Pinkie’s jaunty party song permeated the room, and chose to stay in the hall to see what the moon princess was talking about. “I’m not sure I see what-,” Luna silenced him and beckoned him to watch, Applejack bursted through the door with a giant apple cake on a cart, Pinkie then did a stage dive into the cart. The Cake flew towards Blueblood and would have hit him if he didn’t use Rarity as a pony shield. That proved to be the last straw as Rarity shook the cake off of her and on to him. This caused the unicorn to run away, knocking over a statue that was in the middle of the room. Shorthand’s jaw dropped as the chaos unfolded. Luna just smirked. Blueblood brushed against her in his cake covered haze. “Watch where…, Princess Luna” Blueblood yelled before realizing who he was about to chastise, “It’s good to that there’s somepony with class here. I wouldn’t go in there, It’s worse than Nightmare Moon in there,” Luna squeaked “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you transformed right now, to cow those plebeians,” If the trigger word wasn’t enough, the implication that Luna would ever do such a thing or had the much control over her counterpart had made Luna take a deep breath. “Between you and me, I would have preferred Nightmare Moon’s rule,” Blueblood added. One would suppose he thought he was being clever there. One would suppose he thought he was playing politics, but even the stuffiest of the upper crust had a saying about Prince Blueblood: First rule of politics, don’t be Prince Blueblood. In reality, the use of the trigger and the implication that she would even consider usurping her sister had been too much, and Princess Luna started to bawl her eyes out. Fortunately, that had been about the time Fluttershy had come into the hall, proclaiming that all animals will love her whether they wanted too or not. Thus, the chaos was complete and every pony ran out of the main gala. Shorthand had taken Luna to her room and calmed her down. Celestia left a donut for the sleeping alicorn. The next day, therapy was once again in session. More months went by, Shorthand started to help Luna with social anxiety as well as the Nightmare Moon trigger. The more time went by and Luna’s magic came in, her mane finally becoming the image of the night sky. Her coat turned to a midnight blue and she gained height.  She basically looked like a miniature situation. “It is with great honor, that I deem Princess Luna to be of sound mind and fit to rule Equestria’s night!” Shorthand announced happily as several guards and Celestia Applauded as Luna took the stand. “Thank you, everypony, It is with great pleasure to join my sister on the throne of Canterlot. The time couldn’t be any better. For in a weeks time, We understand that there is a holiday that is dedicated to The Nightmare, therefore We shall go out on this night and make ourselves known to our subjects” Celestia leaned to Shorthand “Does she know that the Royal We is a bit archaic?” Shorthand coughed into his hoof, “That’s something I was wondering about, She also puts on an archaic accent in the presents of other ponies, I don’t think it will intrude on her ability to rule,” “I will trust your judgement on that, Shorthand.” “And So, on Nightmare Night, I decided to visit Ponyville first, to thank you and your friends of course. In hindsight, I should’ve known that the town The Nightmare terrorized first would fear me the most.” Twilight put her quill down and organized her papers. “I think we can end it there, I know pretty much what happens from there. Thank you for opening up, Luna” “I should be thanking you, It felt … Refreshing to tell this story” The two princesses smiled at each other. “You’ve come a long way since I saw you on Nightmare Night,” Twilight assured “Thank you Twilight, I do hope I helped with your research.” “You definitely did, and now I think I know who to interview next,” “Pray tell, whom?” “That will be a surprise, for now let’s just talk, I’ve been dying to get some face to face time with some of my fellow princesses” Luna had a sly grin on her face, “Getting a bit cocky, aren’t we?” “Let’s just say I’m getting used to my Title” So, the two princesses talked through the night, all the while, Twilight kept her eye on a certain book emblazoned with the crest of the sun. After this meeting, she was going to give her own student her first assignment.