When Twilight came to everything was so peaceful, so calm and serene. She found herself looking up at the most beautiful night sky she had ever seen. It took a moment for Twilight to recollect her thoughts, before she realized that she had been standing staring upwards... how odd.
Though it was the scenery that caught her attention, she had never seen the night be so beautiful before. The trees had a purple and green hue to their leaves; the water shone a light blue, while the sky embraced it’s darker colors. Going back to the water Twilight took a double take, it was perfectly still, unnaturally so, almost as if you were looking straight into a liquid mirror of perfect clarity. There was also that waterfall… she hadn’t noticed the waterfall before, but now that she had it seemed like the water was going up instead of down...
The Stars shone brighter than any other moment, alongside the moon. Which only caused the rest of the place to have it’s own natural glow, with little light specks that looked like giant glowing balls. Twilights eyes then looked towards the water as she began to walk towards it. When she looked in she saw herself as an Alicorn and not as a human.
It only took a touch of her face before she realized it wasn’t real. Even though it showed what she thought was her real self. “This has got to be a dream...” Twilight said to herself still looking into the still lake.
“That is because it is a dream dearest Twilight.” Luna said walking towards her. “You are in my realm after all. This place is known as the Moonlight Garden”
Twilight perked up when she heard Lunas voice, turning around to face her. “Luna! I am so glad to see you.”
Luna smiled a bit. “I am glad to see you as well Twilight Sparkle.”
It was then that Twilight noticed, that Luna was dressed in the most astounding thing she had ever seen.The beauty of the night sky itself seemed to dress her. The dress almost seemed to flow, scratch that it did flow, like something out of the everfree forest. As it wrapped around the scenery like some kind of transparent silk dress.
As Twilight took this all in the only thing she could manage to say was “Beautiful...” Before putting her hand over her mouth quickly. “I mean the dress.. not, I mean...”
Luna smiled at this before she held up her hand silencing Twilight. “We are glad you like our dress, Twilight Sparkle, if it was indeed just the dress.” She teased before continuing “Come. There is much we must talk of, along with your questions.”
“Of… of course it was the…” Twilight took in Lunas form, the subtle curves, the slightly revealing chest… the shapely form of her… beautiful night like wings... “dress…” she gulped, before shaking her thoughts away, as a slight blush appeared on her face. “Why does everyone keep teasing me like this.” She mumbled slightly.
Luna’s grin only grew as she watched Twilight. “Because you make it so easy.” She said before chuckling slightly.
This only caused Twilight to sigh, before she decided to change the topic… or rather get back on topic. “When are you and Celestia returning?” She finally asked Luna as they began to walk.
As they walked in the Moonlight Garden, Luna paused almost as if she was thinking back to something. “My sister, shall be coming back, within a few days. I however, must stay longer.”
“Why?” Twilight asked curiously
“...That shall be answered by my sister.” Luna said
Twilight nodded slowly, before thinking some more. “Why are we like this? Surely you and Celestia would know.”
Luna looked at Twilight for a long while before giving a small smile. “I’m afraid we don’t have all the answers to that, but we have… some ideas.”
“Ideas? What kind of Ideas? What have you two found out?” Twilight then asked feeling hopeful finally.
Luna frowned slightly as she looked off into the distance. “There are two things Twilight, the first we don’t know for sure, and the second is… it may not be our place to tell.”
“I don’t get it…” Twilight finally said confused. “Why wouldn’t it be your place to tell?”
Looking back at Twilight Luna placed a hand on her shoulder. “Because certain… circumstances have arisen, that have…” She thought. “Prevented us from doing so. Enough of this, you will find out more in due time, but for now we must focus on you…”
Twilight frowned at not being able to get the answers she so desperately wanted, before Luna’s comment had caused her to raise an eyebrow at it before turning to look at Luna. “Huh? What do you mean.”
“Your magic Twilight Sparkle, have you used it?” Luna asked as she turned towards the right of the Garden.
Magic? of course she had used her magic… what kind of question was that? Twilight was needless to say becoming more confused… and a little more concerned, hesitantly she answered. “I… have yes… why?”
“Has anything happened?” Luna asked as she waved her hand as a path opened in the garden, as a path opened up on the lake that looked almost like the milky way.
“I... I’m not sure I understand.” Twilight calmly walked beside Luna instead of behind her, almost as if they were equals in some way.
Frowning once again, Luna tried to think of how to explain this. “How much of Sombra do you remember? As in the history behind him? The reason I bring this up, is because it is vital that it happens to no one else.”
Twilight ended up thinking about this. “Well as the story goes he was corrupted by the crystals, but that’s not really what ended up corrupting him I think… It was that certain realization and influx of-” Twilight stopped for a moment. “Magic…” Then she looked down, specifically at her hands. “Oh… I think I understand now.”
“Currently the way you use your magic Twilight, is like trying an experiment in broken glass bottles or surfaces, you can contain most of it, and even produce accurate enough results, however, it still leaks, do you understand what I’m saying Twilight?” Luna asked as she continued, before stepping onto the milky way water path.
“I see...” Twilight said quietly to herself. “How… how did you know? I mean you weren’t there… when... ” She sighed. “When it happened…”
“That’s one thing you’ll come to learn from us Alicorns Twilight… if we can indeed be seen as Alicorns anymore, is that we have certain connections to what we focus on, and with others we are able to see what magic is around them, you I’m afraid, are leaking out tremendous amounts of magic, causing… multiple issues.” Luna said as she seemed to step onto a milky way path.
“How… how do I contain this?” Twilight asked as she followed after Luna. “I mean is it the stress? Is it because of the changes? Or do I just not know how to control it accurately in this form?”
The milky way path, seemed to ripple like water as Luna walked on it, before she answered Twilights question. “It’s more your changes Twilight, in the body that is, you don’t fully know how to send magic through it, and in turn, keep magic in it. The first is to begin to focus inwardly on yourself, to embrace the flow and control it, instead of going along with it.”
Twilight nodded as she listened to this, that was until a thought entered her head, which caused her to giggle slightly. “You’re beginning to sound like Celestia when she taught me.”
Luna seemed almost amused by that. “We may be different in size and shape, but we are still similar ages. Just because I was imprisoned on the moon doesn’t mean I was in constant Limbo. Perhaps one day I will show you the language of the stars, and what they reveal.”
“That... that would be nice” Twilight smiled slightly while looking towards the ground... water... thing. “So... how am I suppose to gain better control?”
“Normally?” Luna asked more rhetorically than anything else, before she continued on. “It would take months of meditation, but we don’t have months, we hardly even have a few hours, and while Celestia may have some difficulty with this and would rather teach you herself, we don’t have the time for that.”
Twilight Sparkle gazed at Luna somewhat perplexed. “I’m not sure I follow.”
A slight sigh escaped Luna as she looked at Twilight. “Think Twilight, how much time passes in reality vs what happens in a dream?”
This question caused Twilight to tap her chin a few times as she thought about it. “Well it depends on the dream, but theoretically years could… pass, whereas only a few hours have passed in reality…”
“Precisely.” Luna nodded in approval. “That is why you’re here.” She continued as she reached an area of falling stars which she proceeded to open like a curtain. “Since we cannot do this in real time, we must do it here, in your dreams.”
“So… how exactly are we… am I suppose to do this?” Twilight then asked as she stepped through with Luna.
“That is why I am here, to show you.” Luna said as they finally reached the other side, stepping onto solid ground once more.
“I see...” Twilight looked around some more. “Um, where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere... more suitable for thine training.” Luna replied
“More suitable?” Twilight asked
“That… that I’ll leave as a surprise, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna replied once again.
Twilight twitched at that. “No offence princess, but you guys up and just... left the kingdom with no word, you’re barely telling me anything as it is, and now you just want me to go along with you to wherever it is you’re taking me? Do you know how much stress I’ve been in? Not to mention the panic the nation is in?”
Twilight took a breath. “Not to mention the fact that you both just kinda, disappeared making me have to deal with it all. I’m not entirely sure I can handle anymore ‘surprises’ as it were.”
Luna smiled sadly at Twilight. “You are right, and me and my Sister are truly sorry for putting you in such a position. But know this, we would not have put you in that position, if we did not think you couldn’t handle it for a few days. As for where we’re going, somewhere to relax your soul and mind, I will tell you nothing else save that, but I do promise that it will be a nice surprise.”
Calming herself down slightly, Twilight then decided to ask another question. “There’s one thing I don’t understand… there was a few times when I felt… naked in the nude… I mean embarrassed about that fact I mean. Is that a side effect of our new bodies?”
Luna frowned as she thought about that. “That, is something you shall have to approach Discord about...”
“Discord?!” Twilight nearly shrieked. “You mean he’s behind that?”
Luna let out a slight snort. “Partially… just because he’s so called ‘reformed’ doesn’t mean he isn’t still mischievous, but know this, he hardly ever does anything without an underlying purpose.”
All this caused Twilight Sparkle to massage her forehead with her thumb and forefinger, as she closed an eye, inhaled, and then exhaled before continuing after she opened her eyes. “So, he did this for his own amusement, but also for a purpose? What kind of purpose!?” Twilight nearly shrieked.
“Calm yourself Twilight Sparkle, and yes, more or less that is the case.” Luna replied, before stopping in a clearing. “As to what purpose, I cannot say, I am after all not the Lord of Chaos.” She then gave a slight smirk. “Just a Queen of Dreams and Nightmares.”
A few more breathing exercises, before Twilight let everything go. “Alright.” She conceded finally, “Fine… fine, I’ll put this all behind me, I mean it’s not like it’s of great importance or anything… no, no… don’t think like that, Discord gives the two rulers of Equestria a hard time as well, just something I’ll do when I wake up, yeah that’s it…” Twilight paused as she looked around. “Wait… we stopped… why did we stop?”
Luna had an amused expression as she watched Twilight rant about Discord, before sitting down in the middle of the meadows, bringing herself into a relaxed position. “Because we’re here.”
Twilight looked around where Luna had brought her, realizing just how beautiful it was. They were located close to a water stream, which a beautiful waterfall looked as if it simply glided into it. The flowers were amazing, different types of different colors full of violet blue, reds, magenta, yellows. All of them mixing in harmony. The other thing Twilight felt was wind... could you even feel wind in a dream?
Blue small glowing orbs seem to fill the place, calmly hovering there without a care in the world. Twilight immediately recognized them, with some level of excitement. “Are... are these Will O the Wisps?”
Luna nodded smiling. “Yes they are.”
Twilight found herself spinning in the clearing, with her arms out laughing as she did so. She finally collapsed onto the ground, the soft cool ground. “Your dream realm is quite powerful Luna, also I can’t understand why no one couldn’t see the beauty in this...”
“I thank you Twilight Sparkle. Also neither could I, which reluctantly turned me into Nightmare Moon, until you rescued me from that accursed fate.” Luna said with a sad smile, as she took in the beauty of her own creation.
Twilight frowned slightly at Luna’s comment. “Luna… that wasn’t entirely your fault… there were many reasons behind it…”
“Regardless of that, it still remains that I lost sight of who I once was… and…” She looked down at the ground. “Who I could have been.”
Twilight placed a hand on Lunas left shoulder. “Luna…” She said softly but was stopped.
“We are not here to talk about my past.” Luna said as she brought up a hand to squeeze Twilights to reassure her. “We are here to help you.”
Twilight eventually let go of Luna’s shoulder before smiling softly. “You’re right. So… what now?”
“Now?” Luna began as she looked up at Twilight Sparkle. “Now you drink of my water.” She said as she gestured to the stream.
Twilight looked over towards the most beautiful stream she had ever seen in her life. “Okay, then what?” She asked as she went to the stream to drink.
“You come and sit across from me.” Luna stated simply as she waited for Twilight to finish drinking.
Twilight had never tasted water quite like this, as she kneeled down to drink from the water with her hands. It was different… sweeter slightly, that is sweeter than a fresh stream of water from a mountain. It also had some kind of… Twilight blinked she wasn’t sure what it was, but it made her entire body feel like it was tingling with energy. Once she was done she went over to Luna and sat down where she was instructed to. “Luna about your water it-”
She was cut off with a finger to her lips silencing her. As Luna produced a glowing orb which she handed over to Twilight. “One day Twilight Sparkle, I will tell you all about it, but that day is not today, for now take and hold this while closing your eyes.”
Taking the Orb obediently, Twilight closed her eyes as she held it. “Now what?”
“You will be going to a different area eventually, but before you’re sent there, there are a few important things I need to warn you about, for I will not be there with you.” Luna replied.
“What do you mean going there by myself? Why can’t you come? Where am I going Luna?” Twilight then asked as her mind started to begin whirling with thoughts.
“Because it’s something you need to encounter on your own, as to where you’re going, I can’t rightly say, for it is different for each and every person as to where they arrive.” Luna stated as she answered Twilights questions before continuing on. “However, this I can tell you, you will meet your reflections, one will give you the understanding… the other will corrupt you.”
“How will I know which one is which? What will happen if I choose the wrong one?” Twilight then asked.
“Oh you will know, everyone always knows, as to what will happen if you choose the wrong one…” Lunas voice suddenly got cold and dark. “You will become corrupt like King Sombra, the Elements of Harmony will no longer work with you, but against you, and you will most assuredly be put down.”
A shiver went through Twilights spine as she heard this, gulping slightly. “S… so…” a nervous cough. “H… How do I get… there?”
“Relax, clear your mind, and focus on the Orb which you hold, and you will be taken there.” Luna replied. “And Twilight? Heed my warning.”
“I will” Twilight Sparkle said, as she began to clear her mind, focusing on the warm energy of the Orb, eventually feeling herself being warped to a different area, to where everything felt different. Opening her eyes she found herself in a throne room, made entirely of Moonstone and Marble, which glistened off the reflections of the light. Only then to realize she herself was sitting on a silver and gold throne, with a red satin cushion.
Before her she saw two images of herself, one which was the Alicorn she once was, and the other a darker version of her current self, with a wicked grin upon her face. Both of which were bowing humbly before her, or in the case of one, mock humility. Both eventually rising, and both with two different tones of voices speaking out at the same time.
Their words were only three, which were, as it was said, spoken in unison. “Greetings your majesty.”