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A Talk Under the Stars

To Speak As Thou

A Talk Under the Stars

Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia stared motionlessly at the open double doors of her bedroom. After several minutes, she slowly walked over to the fallen sign and hung it on one of the doorhandles, closed the doors, then began to pace around her room.

"What, what happened?" she thought aloud, "It was going so well what went wrong? Think, Celestia, think!" She took a deep, calming breath. "Okay, what happened?" she asked herself, mentally retracing her steps. "Luna arrived, I greeted her, hung up the sign. Offered her a snack, talked about the Royal Canterlot Voice and how to get ponies to listen to you. She ate all the fries, I gave her some more. Then we started talking about the 'formal' and 'informal'…" Without stopping, she turned to look at the chalkboard. "That's when she started to get confused. I -" she stopped when she heard and felt a crunch underhoof. Looking down and lifting her hoof, she saw a small pile of fine, yellow, dust ground into the carpet.

Celestia turned her gaze from the carpet to the chalkboard in silent contemplation. Looking at it now, all she saw was a jumbled mess. Bright yellow chalk standing out in sharp contrast to the matte dark green surface of the board. Two sets of words barely visible underneath jagged crisscrossed lines and haphazard circles. "No wonder Luna was confused. But she also seemed a little sad, even angry. I know that Nightmare Night could have-" the Alicorn stopped and let out a sigh, realizing her mistake.

"I mentioned Nightmare Night," Celestia said softly.

Despite Luna not having a similar reaction that morning, it was obvious to Celestia that something about Nightmare Night still bothered her sister. She needed to talk to her, find out what it was. But she knew her sister. Chasing after her now might make things worse. Luna needed a little time to herself, time to calm down. Besides, it was almost time for sunset.

After lowering the Sun, Celestia stayed on her balcony to watch her sister raise the Moon and bring out the stars, eager to see the beauty she herself could never truly replicate. But when the Moon started to rise and the stars began to twinkle into existence, Luna was nowhere to be seen.

“This may be worse than I thought,” Celestia said to herself after a light sigh. She shuddered, memories from centuries past swimming through her mind. “No, I won’t let that happen again.” Determined, Celestia stepped from her balcony and left her chambers, smiling at the guards as she stepped onto the marble floor of the hallway and magically closed the doors behind her. Then, she started making the familiar walk to Luna’s bedroom. As she turned the last corner she saw that Stoic Disposition was still on duty. Seeing the Princess moving towards him, he immediately used his spear to block access to the doors behind him. Celestia continued onward.

“I’m sorry, your Highness, but by order of —“

“Stoic Disposition,” Celestia began, looking straight into his eyes as she steadily closed the distance between them, speaking in a forceful tone she rarely used. “I am Princess Celestia, Alicorn of the Sun. Beyond those doors is my sister, Princess Luna, Alicorn of the Night.” The Solar Princess stopped just in front of Stoic, standing tall at her full height and looked down at the unicorn. “Over a thousand years ago, I was forced to banish Luna after she became what she is not: an evil born from envy, jealousy, and hate. I have vowed to do anything and everything in my power to ensure that does not happen again.” She lowered her crowned head until the two were eye-level, lightly placing the tip of a gilded horseshoe on the center of his chest. “And right now, you are in my way. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, your Highness,” he whimpered. Celestia stared deep into the unicorn’s eyes, tapping his chest with every word.

“Then let. Me. In.”

The only response was the wooden and metal clang of his spear falling onto the stone.

“Thank you,” Celestia said softly with a smile, lifting her head. After taking a moment to collect herself, Celestia took a magical hold on the door handles, slowly opened them, and stepped inside just enough to close them behind her. Inside, she found her sister standing at the entrance of her balcony staring up at the night sky, her mane and tail swaying in an invisible breeze.

“I thought thou wouldst arrive, though not with such haste,” said Luna emotionlessly, still gazing at the stars. “Leave me be, sister.”

“Luna-“

“Aroint thee!" Luna yelled, turning her head to look back at Celestia.

“Luna please, just…talk to me. Please.”

“Hast I not spoken already? I will not say it again,” the Lunar Alicorn replied harshly as she turned back to the night sky.

“I’m not leaving,” Celestia declared after a short pause. She stood there, waiting.

“Then speak.”

Making the most out of the invitation, Celestia moved forward cautiously until she stood next to Luna. She followed her sister's gaze to the night sky above, filled with countless shining stars and a bright, full moon. “It’s beautiful,” Celestia said.

“Say what thou came to say, not what thou believes I shouldst hear,” said Luna. Celestia let her sister’s words linger in her mind as she thought.

“Isn’t that why we speak, because we want others to hear us? Didn’t you ask me earlier how to be sure ponies listen to what you have to say?” Luna blinked, her head turning ever so slightly towards Celestia. “Luna, I am sorry. I know that Nightmare Night still bothers you. I wanted to tell you that I understand. I know how you feel. I-"

Luna’s response was swift and harsh. “How? How, Celestia? Please, enlighten me as to how thou,” she shook her head in frustration, “how you, could possibly understand how it is that I feel.” Celestia was taken aback by how harsh her sister’s words were. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh, struggling to keep herself calm and collected.

“Because…because I didn’t like it either, not at first. I hated it.”

Luna at last broke away form the night sky and turned to face her sister. Her face held an expression of surprise equal to what Celestia had felt just moments ago, then morphed into one of curiosity. Celestia saw this, and allowed herself a slight smile. “Strange, isn’t it? How could I have hated something I was so insistent you go to? To be honest, when I first saw Nightmare Night, I thought it was an abomination. I looked at them and saw a celebration of the one thing I wanted to forget, but never could.”

Luna’s face turned cold again. “Thou sought to forget me?!”

“No!” Celestia exclaimed quickly, “No, not at all! I wanted to forget…her, that night, what I did. But never you, Luna. Nothing could ever make me forget you." She paused for a moment, then continued when Luna remained silent. "I can't remember how many years passed before it started. It wasn't called Nightmare Night then, but the idea was the same. That first night, hearing all the little fillies and colts yelling and screaming, ponies young and old alike saying 'It's Nightmare Moon, don't let her catch you!', I was both afraid and hopeful. I feared for the safety of our subjects, but a part of me knew it meant I might see my sister again.

"When I found out what was going on, I was furious. I couldn’t face them, let alone order them to stop. When I heard about it again a year later, I decided to let it slide. I had more important matters to attend to at the time, and hoped they would realize the error of their ways. But it went on the next year as well, even larger than before. That’s when I saw what they had done.”

“What, pray tell, was that?” Luna asked.

Her sister answered her with a warm smile. “They had taken something evil and foul, and turned it into something good and wonderful. They had taken fear, and turned it into happiness.”

Luna opened and closed her mouth, searching for something to say. “I, I had never thought about…”

“Amazing what our little ponies can do, isn’t it? They took something they all feared and found a way to enjoy it. In the end, I let them continue. If anything, it was a good way to ensure they never forgot about it. And even though it’s called Nightmare Night,” she turned to face her sister, once again greeting her with a loving smile, “To me, it’s always been about you, Luna.”

Luna's gaze drifted downward in thought, going over her sister's words in silence. “If that is so, why is it still known as ‘Nightmare Night’? If you truly cared, thou would not have let our subjects continue to remember me as that horror.”

“Oh, Luna,” Celestia said, “I have cared, and I still do. You just may not see all the ways that I’ve shown that.”

“Is that so?” Luna said, both curious and a little insulted. Her sister nodded.

“It is. Tell me, where did you stay and rest after your returned, weakened?” she asked.

"Here, in 'tis very chamber of course.”

“That didn’t seem odd to you? That in a castle that didn’t exist when you went away, there was a personalized bedroom just for you? With a balcony to view the night sky and a large bed with extra pillows and blankets, a bookcase filled with your favorite works and your old desk and a chest of your old things?" Celestia turned slightly, gesturing to the room behind them. "I even held onto your old abacus, that thing is an antique at this point!" She pointed at the counting device on the desk in the corner, the columns of polished marble beads standing within the black granite frame like stars in the sky. It was heavy and built to last, worn from age and years of use, but still in good condition.

The antiquated calculator was enveloped in a blue aura and slowly drifted towards the two sisters, beads clinking into one another, ruining the calculations that had been done. Luna gently placed it flat on the balcony railing, then haphazardly moved a few beads with the tip of a hoof. " 'Twas a birthday gift," She said quietly as she brought her hoof down, staring at the ancient abacus.

"After I accidentally set your old one on fire," Celestia said with a smile, turning to face her beloved sister and daring to get a bit closer. "I never stopped caring about you, Luna, and I never will.”

Without warning, Luna dove into Celestia’s chest and embraced her, tears building up in her eyes. Celestia happily hugged her in return until Luna broke off a long moment later. Managing to find some words between the slowing sobs, Luna said, “Thank you, Tia, thank thee so much! I am sorry, I’m sorry for attempting to push thee away!”

Seeing her sister the way she was, Celestia couldn’t help but tear up a little herself. “Thank you, Lu, and you’re welcome. I just…I didn’t want to loose you again.”

"Nor I, you."

Looking back up at the expansive sky above them, Celestia gazing again at the full moon.

"I meant what I said earlier," said Celestia, "It really is beautiful. All of it."

"You have my thanks, Tia," Luna said as she wiped away her tears. "I only wish that our subjects thought the same."

"They do, Lu. Like myself, they only realized how much they cared for something until it was no longer there." Luna's face quickly turned to one of fear and anxiety.

"What dost thou mean? Did something happen to my beautiful night?" Luna asked in a slight panic, turning to her sister, the night, and back.

"Nopony remembers anymore, and it isn't in any of the history books, but yes. For a time, the night was not complete," Celestia said. "While difficult at first, moving the Moon was much like moving the Sun, and I was able to figure it out fairly quickly. But the stars," the Alicorn looked at the twinkling points of light above them, "I couldn't figure out how you did the stars."

"Dost thou mean that following my banishment, the stars were…gone?" Luna asked in horror.

"Yes," Celestia admitted, "they were. For quite some time your Moon traveled through the night alone, surrounded only by darkness."

Luna continued to panic, looking into her older sister's eyes for answers. "What ever happened? For how long did it stay like so?"

"Our little ponies saw that the stars were missing, and wanted to know why," Celestia said plainly, "It wasn't long before questions came up during Court. 'Where have the stars gone, Princess?', they would ask. 'When will the stars come back?' 'Where is Princess Luna?' 'What happened to the stars?'" Celestia looked at her sister, her face more serious and somber, "Do you know what I would say? 'You sent them away. They did not feel loved or wanted, so they went away."

"But I did not want to leave, sister!" Luna exclaimed, tears forming in her teal eyes, "I did not desire for any of those events to happen! Not truly!"

"I know, Luna, I know," Celestia cooed, hugging her sister, "And I never blamed you. If anything, I blamed myself. Every night when I raised the Moon, myself and all our subjects would see your image on its surface. Every night we were reminded of the mistakes that led to that tragic event, and how much we missed you." Ending the embrace, Celestia once again looked up at her sister's night and the countless sparkling stars. "Eventually, after longer than I would have liked, I figured it out," she said. "Looking at them now, though, I see that I never got them quite right."

"In what manner?" Luna asked.

"I'm honestly not sure," Celestia answered after a moment, "They just seem, brighter, more pleasing to the eye. Actually, I've always been a bit jealous."

"You, envious of my night? In what way?" Luna asked in surprise as she sat down on the balcony. "I dost not recall that being the case, dear sister."

The Solar Alicorn paused to think. "Well, while my Sun brings the day, warmth, and light, nopony can ever truly appreciate its beauty. Nopony can even look at it for long before damaging their eyes without the right equipment or spells. They will never see how alive it is. The swirling fires of its surface that I feel every day. It is a bright light, a warm light. That is true. But it is also harsh and unforgiving." Celestia paused for a moment. On her face was the expression made when having to remember a hard truth; a truth that will remain true and cannot be changed. Still gazing out into the dark sky, she took a deep breath of fresh night air. "But your night, Luna, your Moon and stars, they are different. They are pleasing to the eye with a soft, inviting glow. They light the night sky with beauty and elegance, guide ships and sailors, spread light across the world without having to hide their own beauty." She gazed in brief silence at the night sky, which in all the long years of her life had never lost its beauty. "It's amazing."

For a long moment, they both sat on the balcony in silence, staring at the Moon and stars. It was Luna who spoke first.

"Thank you, Tia," she said, "I dost not know what I would do without thee."

"Oh, but I do," Celestia said, looking deep into her sister's eyes as tears started to fall from her own. "And that is something I hope with all my heart you never have to experience." She brought her forehooves to her cheeks as she tried in vain to control the tears. "You don't know what it was like. Controlling the Moon every day and every night. Knowing you were there. Knowing it was my fault! Not being able to do anything about it!" Tears flowed like rivers down her face, carrying with them a millennium of guilt and sorrow. "I tried, Luna! Oh, how I tried. But the Elements wouldn't respond. Without you, my own harmony was broken. They were useless! I was useless! Even on the night you returned, there was nothing I could do. All I could do was wait and entrust the fate of my sister and all of Equestria to another. If Twilight and her friends hadn't -"

The sudden assault of dark blue fur brought her back to the present. Half lost within memories from centuries of guilt, regret, and sadness, face wet with tears she no longer cared to hide, Celestia looked down to see Luna holding her in a warm and loving hug. "Worry not, dear sister! Let bygones be bygones. I am here now. We are together again," she pressed herself against her older sister, holding her tight, "and I swear to do everything within my power to ensure that we shan't be separated in the future." She let go of her sister, who started to wipe the tears from her eyes. "But we needst not fret this night. For now, you should rest. 'Tis getting late."

"Thank you, Luna, you're right," Celestia said with one last sob as she stood up. "But first, I want to show you something."

Author's Note:

Huzzah! After nearly two years in the making, chapter three is finally here! I apologize again for the ridiculously long wait. Thank you to everyone for being patient with me, and for reading my story. Please, don't be afraid to leave a comment! Let me know what you think. If there are any errors that need to be fixed, point them out! Any and all input is greatly appreciated, and I'm sure there are at least some grammar or tense problems that I either missed or am oblivious too.

Thank you again for reading. If you like it, please let me know. All it takes is one click, and it means more than you know.

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