We lay together on a couch. Raising the moon once more has given me courage to speak now.
“Celestia, I’m so, so sorry. I let myself be consumed by dark magic. I tried to hurt you, to hurt all the ponies we were supposed to protect. I don’t know if you can ever forgive me.”
“Forgive you? Oh, Luna!” She hugs me tight again. “I’m the one who needs forgiving. I saw that something was wrong, and I ignored it until it was too late. I saw that you were growing moodier, colder. I saw that something was bothering you, and you tried to talk to me, but I ignored you. I didn’t realize... When you began shouting that morning I didn’t understand what you were talking about. Then afterwards I started to think about it, and I realized how much time you must have spent alone. I talked with other ponies, and they all said how they didn’t pay any attention to you. The guards told me how you would wander the castle at night all alone for hours.”
Tears are streaming down her face again. I feel tears in my eyes too.
“Celestia, I was just so... I was unhappy and lonely. I felt like no one cared about me or needed me. And I let the negative feelings grow stronger and stronger until I was susceptible to the evil forces.”
“But it wouldn’t have happened if I had been there for you like I should have!”
I keep wondering when I’ll run out of tears to cry with, but it seems I have a never-ending supply. After a while we both grow silent again. Then Celestia speaks in a low voice.
“I never meant to banish you.”
“What?”
“I never meant to send you to the moon. I hated the idea of using the Elements against you, but I thought I could restore you to your true self. It wasn’t until we were... It wasn’t until the very last minute that I realized I couldn’t do it. The Elements draw their strength from ponies working together. Using them alone, it put them at their bare minimum of power. I just wasn’t strong enough by myself. So instead of changing you back I locked you away. I thought it would just be a temporary measure. I would seal you until I found a way of increasing the Elements’ power so that I could set things right. I thought I would be able to free you within a matter of days, weeks at the most.
“But after you were sealed something happened. I had just returned to the ground and set the Elements down when they changed. The five changed from jewels to cold, hard stone. And the Element of Magic... when the others changed it just disappeared, vanished into thin air.
“At first I couldn’t understand what was happening, but later I realized. You and I wielded the Elements together in harmony. When we fought we broke that harmony. We severed our connection with them. That was why they turned cold and heavy. And the Element of Magic... the Magic just went away.”
She takes a few deep breaths, and I think maybe we’re both going to cry again. Then she composes herself and continues.
“I couldn’t bear to live in the old castle any more. Every second I spent in there hurt so badly. I never even repaired the damage from the fight. I set the Elemental Stones on a pillar and closed up the castle forever. I came back here, to Canterlot, and built this palace. I took over controlling the moon so that day and night would continue as they should.”
“Why did you keep the Sun Celebration going?”
“I kept it going to punish myself. So that every year I would remember how I failed you, and how I was forced to send you away. I could never forgive myself.”
I lay my head against her neck. “You did what you had to do. I had become a monster. Your duty was to protect the ponies and the land. It was my fault, not yours.”
We hug tightly again. Then she seems to brighten up a little bit.
“I did make some changes to the Ceremony, things I thought you might like. The pillar that I stood in front of, you remember, the golden sun? I had a new pillar made that combines the images of the sun and the moon in one. I also added a custom that ponies should stay up all night long the night before. So for all these years the Summer Sun Celebration has begun on the eve of the solstice. The entire night is spent in partying and celebrating before I raise the sun.”
I can’t speak. I just hold onto my sister as hard as I can.