She had intended all along to visit all six of them, and purposely left Twilight Sparkle for last - it was unknown and unfelt to most, but the two of them had a connection that went deeper than most thought could even be possible. Luna wasn't sure if her sister even knew it existed. Still, the tell-tale candlelight from inside Twilight's home made it obvious that she was still awake, and at the very least, Luna was thankful she at least had that. Considering how studious her sister's star-pupil could be, it wasn't too surprising that she was up burning the midnight oil anyways. The Princess slowly approached the door and lifted a hoof to knock when she heard it unlock from within, and soon found herself face to face with Twilight. "Luna, what are you doing here? And... is that Fluttershy's cloak?"
The Princess nodded once, and she felt her face slowly grow hot - she had been hoping to actually surprise her. "It is. Did your friends, um... did they tell you I was coming?"
"They did."
"...O-oh."
Twilight tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as she peered at her. "Princess Luna, are you... feeling alright? You're acting funny."
She was right, too. In pouring herself out to Fluttershy, she found herself slowly regressing to how she was as a filly - reclusive and shy. Luna found herself torn on the issue - for the thousand years she had been trapped within Night Mare Moon, she often longed for the simple days of when she was a child. Now that she was free, though, she should have been alright. Why was this happening now? She found herself stumbling for her words, all while Twilight continued to watch on with a terribly confused look. "I-I... well, you see..."
Slowly, and without a spoken word between either of them on the issue, it appeared as if Twilight Sparkle began to understand just what had transpired that night - her expression slowly changed from one of confusion to one of pity and empathy. "Let's get you out of the cold, Luna."
Wordlessly, she stepped into Twilight's home, the younger mare shutting the door behind her once she was inside. Candles sat scattered around Twilight's study, and the only other soul present was Owlowiscious - Spike was no doubt asleep. He was a baby dragon, after all. Luna's horn glowed softly as she took Fluttershy's cloak off, setting it aside as she took a seat before the fireplace. Her ears flapped constantly with agitation, and she did her very best to stare at the dancing flame - though she may have been bigger than Twilight physically, her own shame at how she had acted thus far had her feeling like she was a filly all over again, small and insignificant compared to everything else.
"I uh... heard you met some of the girls. And talked to Fluttershy. How did that go, Princess?"
It was simply best not to respond. She had already made herself look like a fool - to talk any further would simply make things worse. Twilight's hoofsteps echoed off the walls of the study as she made her way over to the fireplace and took a seat beside Luna. For a while, the two of them sat together in silence, their shadows dancing upon the walls.
"You talked to Fluttershy about Night Mare Moon... didn't you."
Luna opened her mouth and tried in vain to speak, but the only sound that managed to come out was a soft whimper. She nodded feebly instead.
"Princess Luna, please look at me."
She did as told. She wanted to cheer, to yell, to use the Royal Canterlot Voice and proclaim she was fine, but she wasn't - despite the talk with Fluttershy, something deep within her still lingered, and she knew she couldn't force it out alone.
"Luna... those times are behind you. I know you suffered greatly for it. You probably still feel guilt, shame, fear - too many emotions and too few words to describe it. When we found the Elements of Harmony and Night Mare Moon pulled me away from my friends, part of me... heard something. A noble, pure spirit, locked within and crying out for release. I didn't know it was you, but at that moment, I knew that Night Mare Moon wasn't just a malicious and spiteful spirit - it was... a corruption of something good, something that can happen to anypony, even if they have the best of intentions. Deep down inside, there's still a bit of good at the core - sometimes you just need a guiding hoof, somepony to draw you back into the light and to help you realize that things will get better. They always do.
Let go, Princess Luna. Those days are behind you. You're free. Forgiven."
Forgiven.
At last, at long last, Luna understood. Though she had been redeemed, she had still blamed herself for Night Mare Moon's crimes, not once realizing that she had been forgiven for those terrible deeds. She felt Twilight press herself against her in a hug, and her heart soared to feel the warmth and comfort of a friend. "...tell me a story, Princess Luna."
Once more, Luna found herself at a loss for words - it wasn't that she couldn't find the words to use. She still found herself astounded at how deep her connection with Twilight truly ran. Never in her wildest dreams did she think such a pure and powerful thing could burn so brightly - was this the much-vaunted 'magic of friendship'?
"Please, Luna?"
The Princess blinked, quickly shaking her head and looking down at where the voice come from. Twilight lay pressed against the larger mare, staring lazily at the flame of the fireplace. Luna knew she was basically being used as a pillow, but after all she had been through, all she had earned, and all she had learned about herself, she wasn't one to complain. "I was like you once, Twilight."
"You were?"
"Ever the book-worm, shy and reclus-"
"I am not reclusive."
"Twilight, dear - you live in a library."
"...a fair point. Go on."
"The librarians at our old castle often complained about how quickly I read books. They always joked about how "You could give Luna all the libraries in Equestria, and it wouldn't last her a week"."
Twilight peered up at Luna - inquisitive as always, the two of them had much more in common than they had initially realized. "What was the old castle like? Back before you and Princess Celestia left it."
"That was an innocent time. Myself and Celestia often played in the forest, making adventures for ourselves. I was usually content with simply staying in the library," Luna sighed dreamily as she reminisced back to simpler times. "You'll think it sounds crazy, but I often thought of the books as my friends. I always had an imaginary friend in every tale - that way, I was never truly alone."
"That's not crazy, Luna. I did that too."
The Princess feigned surprise at that, though Twilight was quick to pick up on it. "Well good, we can be crazy together!"
"That's not what I meant, Princess."
"I'm simply poking fun at you, dear. Our old castle wasn't nearly as grand as the one in Canterlot. Canterlot can feel so cold at times, though."
"How so?"
"Well at night, Celestia often goes to sleep - she has to be up in the morning, after all. That often just leaves me and the royal guards as the only ones still awake, and they're typically too busy to do anything. Because of that-"
"-everything feels really empty."
"Exactly. At least the old castle felt a bit warmer. I miss it sometimes." Twilight couldn't see it from her angle, but a smile had been on Luna's face the entire time - this was the most comfortable she had ever felt. She somehow felt truly 'at home' here.
"Princess Luna, what about your parents?" At the mention of that topic, Luna found herself trying to get even closer to Twilight, though such a thing weren't possible. Even after thousands of years, it was still a bitter topic for her and Celestia both. Still... she had managed to find solace in both Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps the same would happen here.
"I miss them terribly. They were the most wonderful parents one could ask for: kind, yet harsh. Flexible, yet strict. They were, in every way, perfect."
"So... what happened to them? You and Princess Celestia are basically immortal. Where did they go? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
"It's fine, Twilight. 'tis a wound that healed long ago, and I simply haven't wanted to talk about it - but perhaps that's how I'll best remember them. After our mother and father united the land into what you now know as Equestria, they both became... very sick. We held out hope for the longest time that they would get better."
"But they didn't."
"No. When it became clear that they would soon pass on, they gathered both myself and Celestia into the same room as them. Our parents told us that they loved us and would be proud of us, no matter what we did. They both passed away in their sleep that night."
She felt Twilight wrap her forelegs around her neck. "I'm so sorry, Luna. I can't imagine what that must be like when you're young."
"We were still children, Twilight Sparkle. Not even twelve, and we were left in charge of an entire kingdom. My sister Celestia handled her grieving far better than I did - she immersed herself in friends and found comfort in them. I retreated further and further into my books, and I found that the friends I had made up myself simply... failed. I was left to confront my sorrow alone, and it took me many years before I finally overcame it."
"But you did."
"I did. It wasn't easy, but I did."
They sat in silence for a while longer, and Luna was almost certain that Twilight had fallen asleep when she spoke up once more. "Princess Luna... we're friends, right?"
Luna looked down at Twilight fondly - no, not just friends. The connection they had forged was far too deep to simply be friends. In a way, Twilight Sparkle had become the sister and friend Luna had often wished for as a child, a pony who not only shared a common interest with her, but was also somepony she could trust and confide in. "No, Twilight - I'd say you're my best friend."
"...Really?"
"Really."
The Princess received another hug for her decision, something which pleased her to no end. She soon realized what time it was, though, and had a gift of her own to offer up. "Twilight, have you seen my sister raise the sun at the Summer Sun Celebration?"
"Mhm."
"Would you like to see me lower the moon?"
Twilight sat up and stared at Luna, and despite her best efforts, her inner-child slowly forced its way out. A smile slowly crept across her face, and it was all she could do to hold back a squeal of delight. "You... you would do that for me?"
"I owe you a debt I can likely never repay. It's the least I can do." Luna slowly stood and shifted her weight, tossing Twilight upon her back, before making her way outdoors. The younger mare hopped from her back and took a seat upon the grass as Luna took the skies, ready to undertake her royal duty once more. Wings and forelegs outstretched, Luna allowed herself to fully give in to her magic, the Princess suspended in the air as her entire body became bathed in a pale blue glow. Slowly but surely, Princess and moon alike descended from the heavens to make way for her sister's morning.
For Twilight Sparkle, this moment had brought forth the same spark of awe and joy she had felt all those years ago. For Princess Luna, tears silently streamed down her face as she reached the earth once more. After the pain of a thousand years, she had finally found true inner-peace.
She was happy.