How Many Times?

Author's Note:

Well, this definitely took a lot longer than I had originally intended to get out. But, what's done is done. I'm sorry that it took so long, but, here it is, the fourth and final sequel to Song of the Moon!

Princess Celestia stood next to her younger sister, Princess Luna, as their chariot was pulled through Ponyville by four members of the Royal Guard. The smaller, dark blue alicorn stood stiffly, her eyes downcast, unsmiling. In contrast, the Princess of the Sun stood in a more relaxed, yet still regal, position with the gentle smile she was known for upon her lips. Once their chariot had reached the edge of Ponyville, the four Royal Guards pulling it took off and began to make their way towards Canterlot. As soon as they were definitely out of sight from the ponies of Ponyville, both alicorns relaxed their respective positions, though the Princess of the Night remained standing instead of sitting beside her older sister.

They both stayed silent for a few moments, Celestia staring straight ahead, while her younger sister looked around at the landscape of Equestria. As the Sun Princess sat, lost in her thoughts, she heard a very faint, almost unintelligible whisper, “I’m sorry.”

The white alicorn turned to look at her sister, who, to her surprise, was no longer looking around, and was curled in a ball crying quietly. Extending a wing over her little sister, Celestia said, “It’s alright, Luna. I forgave you centuries ago. I’m the one that I can’t forgive.”

The smaller alicorn raised her tearstained face to look her elder sibling in the eye, “Why? You did nothing wrong, Tia.”

Celestia gave a short, bitter laugh, “Nothing wrong? I banished my own sister Lulu. My little sister, at that. If I hadn’t ignored you like a stupid fool, then I could’ve helped you and these past thousand years would’ve been so much better for both of us, but especially for you.”

With a gasp, Luna exclaimed, “No, don’t you dare Tia! Don’t you dare blame yourself for something that I did. You reacted in a perfectly appropriate way when I turned into Nightmare Moon. At first, you tried to reason with me, but when that didn’t work because I was too wrapped up in jealousy to listen to reason, you did what you had to in order to protect all of Equestria from a threat. You couldn’t just sit back and let me take over. It was your duty to protect everypony, and that’s exactly what you did. Look at me, Tia. You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise you that you didn’t. Do you understand that?”

The Princess of the Sun’s head drooped and her body shook slightly as she tried to hold back her emotions. However, it was to no avail, as mere moments later, tears began to cascade down both of her cheeks as her entire body was wracked with sobs. Gently, Luna pulled her older sister’s head into her lap and cradled it there as she spoke, “Why do we have to do this, sister? Why is it that, instead of us both being able to talk about this even somewhat calmly, we’re both a bit of a mess now? After all, this isn’t helping our situation, now is it?”

With a small, wry sort of smile, Celestia replied, “No, I suppose this isn’t helping anypony at all. I just wish that we could go back to just over a thousand years ago and fix the small problems that led to you becoming Nightmare Moon, and, well, to what is pretty much the entirety of our problem right now. Knowing what we do about how awful it was to spend a thousand years apart, both of us living with so much guilt and having to handle it all alone, it’s hard not to wish for a chance to not have to deal with that. It’s especially hard knowing that either one of us has the power to turn back time to do just that. It wouldn’t take much, and it’s just so, so tempting, Lulu.”

The smaller alicorn shook her head slightly at her sister’s wish. “Oh Tia. That wouldn’t do anypony any good at all. Aside from the obvious detrimental effects it would have on all the inhabitants of Equestria, not just ponies, doing that wouldn’t help us either. We made mistakes, just like any other living being, and, we have to face the consequences. We have to be strong enough to overcome what we’ve done, and, therefore, come out better ponies for what we went through, not run from everything that doesn’t go perfectly our way. It would be one of the worst possible things that we could do if we turned tail and ran rather than standing up to face what was our fault in the first place. Well, mostly my fault for putting us in this position, but I think you get what I’m trying to say, don’t you?”

The white alicorn raised her head to look her little sister in the eye, “I do understand what you’re getting at with this, but I still just, I don’t know. I can’t shake the feeling that I have to blame myself. You’re my sister Lulu, and there’s no way that I can let the entirety of the blame rest on your shoulders. There had to have been something else I could’ve done instead of banishing you for so long. There just has to be.”

Luna wrapped her wings tightly around her sister, “How many times am I going to have to tell you that you did nothing wrong, at least, not in terms of what you did after I became Nightmare Moon? Yes, I do admit, it would’ve been helpful if you had been there for me more in the years leading up to my becoming a monster, but once I had become a Nightmare there was nothing you could’ve done. Absolutely nothing. I promise you, Tia, I promise. I admire the decisions that you made a thousand years ago, and, to be honest, I don’t think, if our positions had been reversed, that I would’ve been able to do what you did.”

Celestia gave a small, shaky smile, “You really mean that Lulu?”

“Of course I do, Tia. And, even if you had done something wrong after I became Nightmare Moon, I would’ve forgiven you in a heartbeat. You’re my sister, and I love you more than anypony else in the world.”

Pushing herself into a more upright position, Celestia returned her sister’s hug, and said, “I love you too, Lulu. And I’m so glad you’re back.”

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