“Don’t worry, princess, I’ll get you out of there.”
Princess Luna’s ears pricked up at the sound of the voice, and she smiled. That voice had been keeping her company for the past twenty years, or so she estimated by the turns of Equus. It was the voice of a mare, one who had boundless magical potential. She didn’t always speak to her, although the voice’s owner used to accidentally call her while cursing something.
Luna sat up and looked down upon Equus through a window in her moon-shaped prison, fighting back the surge of tears. The time for tears had long passed, as had the time for anger. Yet she couldn’t help but miss the ponies and places, and a large part of her strongly wished to meet the owner of this benevolent voice.
“I have no doubt that you will,” said Luna aloud. “You are powerful enough to break my sister’s enchantment.”
Darkness suddenly blotted out her view of Equus, and Luna’s ears flattened in fear. She bared her teeth at the phantom.
“Go away,” she growled, crouching and flaring her wings like a griffin about to pounce. Given her size, the pose was probably laughable.
The phantom laughed at her. “Look at you, trying to be strong and brave. You resemble a filly. I’m surprised you even still have your cutie mark, foal.”
“At least I’m trying to fight you now,” Luna retorted, snorting. “I’m not the impressionable young filly I was all those years ago when you took over, Nightmare.”
“No, but I do know that you have another weakness now.”
“Don’t you dare!” Luna screamed. Her short blue mane swirled in an unnatural breeze as her hooves slammed against the window. It shattered. In her anger, Luna had forgotten that her prison was enchanted to keep the nightmare out. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks and her eyes widened in fear in the split second before the darkness consumed her.
In space, nopony can hear you scream.
Down on Equus, Twilight Sparkle awoke with a gasp.
“You alright, Twilight?” Spike asked her. “You kinda drifted off there.”
“I’m fine,” said Twilight, rubbing her eyes. “Just taking a study break.”
“You were talking to her again, weren’t you?” Spike appeared to be smirking.
“Yeah,” Twilight admitted. “But I think she’s in trouble. Normally she says goodbye, but this time she screamed.”
“Want me to take a letter?” At Twilight’s nod, Spike fetched a quill and parchment and stood poised to write.
“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight dictated, beginning to pace around the room. “As you know, I regularly speak with your sister via dreams. But during this latest dream, I heard her scream. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain, but more than that, she was… terrified. I want to help her but I don’t know how. Do you have any ideas? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Once her letter had been sent, Twilight sat down in front of the library window and gazed up to where she knew space was. While she’d said that she had no ideas on how to save Luna, she did have some inkling. The book that spoke of Luna’s descent into madness also mentioned something called the elements of harmony. Of course, it had been in a book for foals, but right now she’d take anything if it could help. She shivered again as she recalled the scream.
It had sounded like Luna was screaming in terror, and then in pain. There weren’t any monsters in the moon, none that Twilight had read about anyway, but something had hurt the princess. Maybe she’d been hit by a meteor? But she would have been able to get out of the way of that, surely.
Spike’s belch had Twilight turning around like lightning.
“Well?” she asked, grabbing the scroll in her magic. She unfurled it and scanned it eagerly for any information. It was surprisingly short.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Please wait for me in the library. I have much to talk to you about.
Princess Celestia.”
“Okay,” said Twilight, and ran about tidying up the library. She didn’t want Celestia to discover just how messy the library got when she was studying.
She’d just put the last book away when Celestia’s hoofsteps echoed on the marble floor.
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said happily, turning to greet her. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you.”
“And I you, my faithful student,” Celestia smiled, and extended a wing over Twilight’s back. “Now, let’s find somewhere comfortable to discuss this most uncomfortable subject.”
Twilight trotted up to the plush lounges located on the upper levels of the library and took the smaller lounge chair, allowing Celestia to lie down on the fainting divan.
“As you know, many years ago, I was forced to banish my sister to her moon using ancient magic. This magic was known as the elements of harmony.” She continued on at Twilight’s gasp. “My belief is that the elements separated my sister from Nightmare Moon. That would explain how you have managed to speak to Luna for all these years without the interference of the nightmare. But I knew that the magic would grow weaker as the years passed. I estimate that the barriers preventing her escape are even now weakening.”
“But what does this mean for Luna?” Twilight asked. Her mind swirled with ideas on how to help her. The book had mentioned that the stars would aid in Luna’s escape, but when would that be? Or was the book talking about Nightmare Moon’s escape?
Celestia’s grim face said more than words ever could.
“No,” Twilight said, slumping into the chair as tears blurred her vision. “It can’t be, Luna can’t be…”
“I’m sorry, Twilight,” said Celestia. “Luna has been possessed by the nightmare again. Tomorrow night, she will escape from her lunar prison. You must wield the elements to stop her from plunging Equestria into eternal night.”
“But how?” Twilight asked, jumping to her hooves.
“Make some friends,” said Celestia cryptically. “I’ll send you to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. You’ll be staying in the town library with Spike. I have no doubt that you can do this, my faithful student.”
“Luna said the same thing,” Twilight recalled with a fond smile. “About being able to do it, I mean.”
Celestia smiled at her. “And she is right. Pack your things, you leave as soon as you are ready.”
Luna hid in a corner of the mind of the monster that called itself Nightmare Moon. She knew that this was the end, though for whom she wasn’t sure. She watched on as the Nightmare paced the length of her prison, and shivered under the onslaught of negative emotions.
“I know you’re listening, foal, so listen to this,” said the Nightmare, smirking. “I am going to destroy your pathetic little planet. No, first I’ll enslave all the little ponies and dragons and griffins and changelings and other creatures that call it home. But before any of that, I’ll have to get those other alicorns out of the way. Pesky things. Your sister, I think, can have the same fate that we did. That pretty pink love creature I’ll give to the queen of the changelings as a bribe to not interfere with my plans. And I know that your precious little pony friend was being groomed to be an alicorn. I’ll make her one, using her ribs as wings.”
Luna stifled the internal scream, but she did manage to briefly take control of one of the Nightmare’s hooves and clobbered her with it.
“A touchy spot? Hmm, then am I correct in assuming that this mare is more than just a friend to you? Could she be a love interest?” Luna’s fear seeped into the Nightmare as she cowered in her corner. “Ooh, then that changes things. I’ll just have to keep her as my little love slave, then.”
“No!” Luna finally screamed.
“There you are,” said the Nightmare, and squashed her.
Twilight watched the stars from her bed in the library while the party that Pinkie Pie had arranged raged on downstairs. How could she possibly party when the mare of her dreams was in trouble?
The door opened and Twilight turned to snap at the intruder, only to find that it was Spike wearing a lampshade as a hat.
“What are you doing hiding in your room, Twilight? Pinkie’s party is awesome!”
“I’m sure it is,” said Twilight, “but I can’t party when Luna’s in trouble. Why should I enjoy myself when she’s suffering?”
“You’ve done all you can for now,” said Spike. “You’ve made friends like Celestia said. And she finally had the time to answer me when I asked her about what happened next.”
“Show me,” said Twilight, leaping off her bed and pinning him to the ground. The lampshade rolled away down the stairs.
“Okay,” Spike wheezed, and grabbed the scroll from his basket where he kept everything.
Twilight snatched it in her magic.
“Dear Twilight,
I apologise for the tardiness of this letter and my messy hornwriting. I am so glad to learn that you have made some friends. Like my sister and I said, you can do it. And you could. I’m proud of you. Never forget that. Now that you have your friends, you must go to my old castle. The elements are there, waiting for you to activate them. Be careful, however, as I know that Nightmare Moon will stop at nothing to bring you down.
Princess Celestia.”
“Alright, now I know what to do next. Come on, Spike!” Twilight called, and grabbed him in her magic as she galloped down the stairs.
She found Fluttershy first, standing behind a lamp with a lampshade on her head.
“Fluttershy,” said Twilight, “how would you like to go into the Everfree Forest?”
Fluttershy squeaked and dashed away, leaving Twilight blinking in her wake.
“O-kay. Let’s find the others then, see if they’ll be willing.”
“The Everfree Forest? Darling, it took me simply forever to get my appearance just right for today-“
“And it certainly paid off.”
“Thank you, Spike. And I’m not letting all that preparation go to waste by trotting through some dirty old forest.”
Twilight sighed and found Pinkie Pie pouring more hot sauce into the punch bowl.
“Will you go to the Everfree Forest with me?” she asked. “Please, Pinkie?”
“Well I would, but Pinkie Pie never misses a party and this Summer Sun Celebration looks like it’s gonna be a par-tay!”
Twilight groaned and stormed off until she bumped into Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash, I’m glad I bumped into you. Would you like to come with me into the Everfree Forest? It’ll be awesome, you’ll be helping me rescue a princess.”
“Sorry Twi, I heard the Wonderbolts are gonna be at the Summer Sun Celebration. I wouldn’t miss that for the world!”
“It will be the world if nopony comes with me,” Twilight grumbled, and found the last pony who she could ask for help.
“Applejack,” she said, “I want you to come to the Everfree Forest with me to help me rescue a princess.” She silently begged for Applejack to say yes.
“Sorry, Sugarcube-“
Twilight screamed in frustration and ran back up to her bedroom.
Luna awoke briefly in time to feel the barriers dissolve. Her prison shattered, and she was at the mercy of the vacuum of space. She felt like she was living the foalhood fear of being sucked down the plughole in the bath as the magic holding her prisoner dissipated.
“Luna,” Twilight whispered, looking up at the moon for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. This time, it changed. Four stars surrounding the moon were pulled in, and the moon flashed white. Twilight blinked. The mare in the moon was gone.
It was only after Celestia disappeared that ponies started panicking. Twilight felt like yelling at her new friends when they gathered around her, worrying over the fate of Celestia.
“Let’s go save a princess,” said Pinkie, and Twilight smiled.
Nightmare Moon taunted Luna the whole way to the castle.
“Even now, your sister is burning in the fires of her sun.”
“If you listen carefully, you can hear her screams of agony.”
“Remember the treants? Your marefriend will have her coffin built around her, how thoughtful.”
“Perhaps a manticore can tear your marefriend to pieces.”
“Oh dear, she’s standing on a cliff. It would be a shame if it were to crumble beneath her.”
“She will drown in the raging waters. If the sea serpent doesn’t kill her first.”
“Her friend abandoned her for the Wonderbolts. Perhaps I can offer something better.”
“Look at her face! Priceless!”
“Luna!” Twilight cried as she faced off against Nightmare Moon in the tower. “Luna, I know you’re in there. You can fight this!”
“No I can’t.”
“Yes you can! I believe in you!” Twilight looked into the Nightmare’s eyes, trying to find Luna somewhere in there.
And Luna pushed forward, just for a brief moment.
“Use the elements, Twilight,” she said. “They’ll still work. Think about your friends. I lo-“ And then she was bucked back to her corner. She lay there, unconscious.
When Luna next awoke, she heard that voice again. The voice that had kept her company for the last twenty years. And her sister’s voice.
“Luna.” The princess gasped and opened her eyes, trembling. Her sister looked stern.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, eyes streaming with tears. She flinched as Celestia lowered herself down to her level.
“It’s okay, my little sister,” said Celestia, “I forgive you. And I’m sorry too.” It was incredible. Celestia was actually crying.
“I missed you so much!” Luna ran to hug her sister, sobbing openly now.
“And I you, sister.” Celestia joined her in sobbing, as did Pinkie Pie.
And then Pinkie Pie suggested another party.
For once, Twilight didn’t mind going to a party. If she hadn’t, she probably would have had to wait even longer to finally speak to the mare of her dreams. She found her hiding in the shadows.
“Princess Luna,” she said, and smiled at her. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you in the flesh.”
“I am glad to see you too, Twilight. And to learn your name.” Luna smiled back at her. “Would it be too forward to kiss you?”
“In front of your sister?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know…” And then she leaned forward and kissed her.
Luna’s wings fluttered and she gave a little squeak of delight, but she was quick to return Twilight’s kiss and give her another one. And then another one. And another…
“And here I thought that you were being literal when you called her the mare of your dreams,” said Celestia, chuckling softly.
Twilight looked to her teacher, blushing, but Luna only smiled and kissed her marefriend again.
“I was,” said Twilight, her cheeks still glowing like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “But I also love her. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“My sister does not control my relationships, Twilight,” Luna assured her. “Just as your brother does not control yours.”
“No, but I can sure as hay threaten her marefriend,” said a white stallion with a blue mane and tail. He walked up to the two and looked sternly at Luna. “If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down and hurt you twice as bad.”
“And,” said Celestia, turning to Twilight, “even though you are my student, I will personally escort you to the gates of Tarturus if you hurt my sister. If she doesn’t do that first.”
And with that, they turned and walked away. Luna snorted and then began laughing.
“Can you believe him?” she laughed. “Him, a unicorn, threatening me, an alicorn.”
“He is the most powerful unicorn stallion in Equestria,” said Twilight. “And the captain of the royal guard. He’s also dating an alicorn princess.”
“And you are the most powerful unicorn in Equestria,” Luna pointed out. “And my sister thought that she could threaten you.” And she dissolved into gales of laughter again.
Twilight’s heart fluttered as she watched Luna laugh. She was so unlike the mare who’d spoken to her in her dreams, but at the same time she was the same wonderful mare who’d stolen her heart. She was so much happier now, free of the darkness that she’d worried about. And Twilight loved the look of it on her.
“I never got to say it before,” Luna finally said, her chest as light as air. “The Nightmare interrupted me. But I love you, Twilight Sparkle. I have for some time now. You kept the darkness at bay as effectively as the enchanted windows did.”
“I love you too.” Twilight nuzzled her and kissed her a few more times. “I’m glad that I could help you escape from the nightmare.”
“The stars,” said Luna, stroking Twilight’s cutie mark lightly with a hoof. “They truly did aid in my escape.”
“Celestia probably set the whole thing up,” Twilight realised. Were all alicorns so cryptic?
“I agree,” said Luna. “It would be just like my sister to do that. Though, how she managed to create the link between us is a mystery.”
“Maybe it was fate,” said Twilight. “Let’s just leave it at that.” She’d research it later anyway. “Also, enchanted windows?”
“I will explain it to you later. We have plenty of time,” said Luna. “Right now, I wish to focus on the present.”
“Agreed,” Twilight nodded. “Now, let’s enjoy this party. It is in your honour, after all.”
As the two marefriends made their way through the party, Celestia watched them happily. Everything had worked out just the way she’d wanted it to. Though she hadn’t seen the relationship coming, it was still a good outcome. With Twilight’s help, she knew that her sister was going to be just fine.