“Well, I am glad I could see you two here as quickly as I could.” Pen spoke, his voice having the slight trace of panic. Considering the fact he usually contained himself well with even the most disturbed and psychologically tortured ponies, it would only show his desire to be any place but this very room. In fact, he personally rescheduled the next two day’s appointments in order to leave town and relieve himself of his own stress. However, this one appointment could not be moved, as the two mares he was addressing were none other that his two immortal goddesses and ruler.
Luna, being hesitant to even return, was looking to Pen, a soft but ever-present fire behind her stoic eyes. Her expression showed his ever-growing desire to either leave, or to lash out at one of the other two occupants of the room. With all the flared emotions the last time the two had talked, Pen wouldn’t blame her for either option. However, he only hoped the ‘lashing out’ would not go so far as a physical confrontation.
Celestia, again accompanied by a cup of tea by her side, was even more melancholy than when she had left last session. Judging by the occasional yawn and slight bags under her eye, Pen doubted the elder sister had slept well, or at all. With the revelation of the dream and how impacting it was, it made sound sense.
However, even with both goddesses before him, what was pushing the doctor over his comfort zone so much was the fact that nopony dared to break the uncomfortable silence he had placed the three in. Judging by the two’s lack of reaction to his opening words, he doubted they would ever speak. Truth be told, Pen was hoping to build off of something one of the two would say. With that seeming like less and less of a possibility, he reluctantly cleared his throat, his nervousness again obvious.
“Well, as to your sister’s request, Luna, I have called you back here so that your sister and myself can try to mend everything the two previous sessions have exposed.” The earth pony began, looking to his rather filled notepad. “Now, Celestia, I feel we should bring up what we ended on in our last session; regarding your dream and Luna’s feelings of containment.”
Luna muttered something under her breath, looking away from Pen to Celestia. Apparently she heard, as the mare looked up to Luna for a brief moment, then returned to looking to the floor. Her expression now was even more deflated than before. Taking in a breath and sighing, Celestia finally spoke.
“Yes, about the dream. Luna, you know I did dream it. No, I’m not mad you did. I... I just wish I could have talked to you before this. What it meant. That dream was not what it looked like.” Luna’s eyes narrowed to this.
“And what was it then?” She spoke, her words like daggers to her sister. “Has Pen been told exactly what your drempt? Me, taking your throne, torturing your subjects? And what did you do in that dream? You simply cowered. You didn’t even fight!”
“Luna, stop.” Celestia spoke in a soft tone.
“I personally watched as you ran. You ran to your Twilight and begged her to help you now like you always do.”
“Luna!” Celestia said, tenseness growing.
“One question to you, doctor. In all your years of practice, have you ever seen a mare so scared of her younger sister she won’t even fight her?” Luna questioned, now standing, wings flared. “Because this is all I have seen of you, Celestia! You can’t fight me!”
“Luna, you have no idea what I could do to you! You would have wished I-”
“Both of you!” Pen shouted, slamming a powerful hoof down on the ground, both mares turning to the doctor. “We’ve only just begun and you two are already yelling. I have been in this profession for longer than I can remember, and I haven’t seen siblings so in need of counseling. Now sit!”
Both mares did as they were told, albeit hesitantly. Luna’s wings were still flared, and Celestia had lost her saddened expression to one of suppressed rage. However, Pen’s looked rather content. It were these little outbursts that often revealed what one hides most.
“Now that we can talk reasonably again, let’s take apart that little... episode.” Pen began, sitting back, sipping at his own cup of tea he had, until now, neglected. He had all the pieces he wanted. It was up to the mares to piece them together. “Celestia, Luna mentioned her taking the throne with force. Is this true?” After a second, Celestia nodded. “And, you ran?”
“Yes, however, it was not for why my sister thinks.” The elder spoke, Luna almost instantly standing to rebuttal. A swift hoof rase from Pen subdued her, for now.
“Ok, Luna, why is it that it troubles you so much that she runs?”
The mare gave a second’s smile to Pen, then glared to her sister. “Considering the fact that she left her people, for me to take over, I just don’t see how you could do it sister.” She growled the last words.
“Luna, there is a reason I left. I couldn’t tell you back then, and I am having trouble telling you now. Luna...” Celestia faded off for a second, deep in thought, her eyes breaking from her rage to sadness, maybe even regret” sister, I couldn’t face you in my dream for the same reason I couldn’t face you when you returned a few years ago.”
“That’s just it. Why didn’t you go after me then? If your student had failed, I would have taken over Equestria. You cannot say you didn’t have the power. I have seen you take on nations, power past gods. For goodness sake, Tia, you and I fought Discord and Sombra.” Luna lashed out, her expression now begging for an answer. “You... you should have at least tried.”
“Luna, that wasn’t you. And it’s not because I was powerless to stop you. I just wasn’t strong enough to do it again. I could have sent you to the moon. I could have imprisoned you in the sun. But... I couldn’t save you, Luna. I didn’t know how... I couldn’t save anyone. When I did what I did that night with you, I truly saw what I had become.”
“Sister...”
“Like you said... I had taken on Discord, Sombra, and the others. But at what cost, sister? Like you, all I did was banish them to isolation. That’s all I could ever do, Luna. I was powerful enough to condemn any living being away for eternity if I dare wish, but what soul deserves that form of loneliness. To be tortured day in and day out without knowledge of how long they have been alone. Sombra... Sombra came back more twisted and distorted than before. Discord’s pure intent was revenge for what I did. And you... When Nightmare moon returned, I saw in her only hatred for me. “
“Tia... I... I didn’t know.” She began, recalling to the fateful day she herself was banished. The fight was monumental. However, Luna also knew that her punishment was correct. “But, you did the right thing. I couldn’t have been let to exact my revenge. I would have devastated our land.”
“Luna, it wasn’t you. It was... something else. But what I saw that night, what I saw was not my loving sister that I had neglected. You have no blame, Luna... I have never blamed you...”
“Sister, you are too forgiving... but, I do thank you for your honesty... However, why then... when you weren’t able to change the course of your power, did you choose a young mare to take me on?” Luna asked. She held no malice in her voice, more true curiosity.
Celestia fell silent this time, her eyes shifting to her teacup. However, both Luna and Penn knew her gaze extended much farther than a simple piece of china. After a moment, he spoke, not dropping her expression of melancholy. “It’s the same reason I went to Twilight in the dream. It’s why she has led the battles. It’s why I let her go to the empire rather than you. Luna, like I said, I had the power, but not the strength to save you. Well, Twilight was the solution.
“After your banishment, I truly saw all I had done. I had never won a true battle. I just postponed the inevitable. For the millennium you were away, I governed equestria as best as I could, while also looking for any solution I could find to save you. Every night, I would look up to you, pulling your moon across the sea of the stars. Every night, I would remember how dire it was I needed to free you from your prison. As the centuries turned to decades until your return, I knew I needed a way.
“That’s when the solution came. I was never going to free you... I was the one to imprison you. So, I needed somepony who was innocent. Somepony pure. That’s when Twilight came. She was a student to the school of magic, and when I saw what she was capable of, I took her under my wing. Every day I trained her and motivated her to do her best, I knew I could be sending her to her death. Was it cruel? Yes. Was it inhumane? Yes... But, was it needed? Luna, I was desperate. I needed an answer. I was running out of time. If she hadn’t gained the friends she has now, I... I don’t know what would have happened that night.” There were tears flowing from the mare’s reddened eyes.
“You and Twilight were close... to the point she could have been your daughter.” Luna spoke, looking into her sister’s eyes. “You... and you would have sacrificed her... for me?”
“Luna, I needed her to do what I could not. I had taken so much from this world. I just hope I could give one thing to it. And that one thing was Twilight, and she did it. Again and again she had proven she is what Equestria needed. Even I had lost my touch with the elements.” she replied, her tears gone and now more looking to the ground with an empty stair. Pen could tell even Celestia didn’t know how to feel. She had raised a child for a near-suicide goal.
“Did it hurt?”
Celestia turned to look to Luna.
“Did it hurt sending her to fight me?” She asked again, studying her sister with much concern.
“Of course it did... I couldn’t bring you back, Luna. I couldn’t. But she did. I don’t mean any ill thoughts, but your return was a bitter sweet. You now understand why. You were by my side, but it was I who sent you. And it was only because I wasn’t powerful enough to actually bring you back that I chose a mere child...”
“Have you told Twilight?”
“How could I? How can one be told they were used as a wea-”
“Celestia... you didn’t use her as a weapon. She, on her own, did what she did. And she brought me back. That’s what truly matters now. She has become a true savior yes, but she is still your student, and you should be proud of her. She brought back your smile, and brought me back to my home. Truly, she is the princess of friendship.” Luna spoke softly, lifting a hoof and rested it on her sister’s shoulder. Looking into each other’s eyes, they exchanged soft smiles.
“Thank you, Luna. Thank you. I needed to hear that.” Celestia said, confidence returning to her voice once again. “You know... With the exapion in Manehatten lately... The city could use a princess to guild them...” she then added, a slight twinkle in her eye.
“Sister, you don’t think you can get rid of me that quickly. Somepony needs to keep an eye on you. Gods forbid I leave and you get on another cake obsession.” Luna teased, then came to her sister’s side and hugged her tightly. As the two laughed within their embrace, Pen closed his notebook and sighed contently. Whether it was the reassurance that Equestria was back in stable hooves, or the simple but emotional sight of two siblings finally breaking the walls of their pent up sadness and anger, Pen closed his eyes and smiled, letting a single tear of joy fall from his right eye. A family had been reunited; one that had been apart for over a millennium, all because of a single dream.