Princess of Shadows, Darkness, and Light

by jwizard

Chapter Twenty-Three: Meet The Sister

Equus, Neighico Beach, 06-19-05 A.N.M., 12:34 P.M. (After Nightmare Moon)

Celestia sighed contentedly, the noonday sun bathing her prone form as she lay sunbathing on a beach chair. Next to her, Luna chuckled.

Celestia looked over at her sister. “What’s with the chuckle, Lu?” she asked her. Luna just smirked.

“Oh, nothing really; just that myself and Cadance had a bet going. She said that you wouldn’t be able to relax the first week; I said that it would take three days, tops.” Luna’s smirk grew. “Seems I was right; she owes me five hundred bits.” Celestia shrugged.

“Cadance has a point though. It’s only because of Rainbow Dash that I’m at all able to relax; I keep on worrying that I’ve imposed far more on Twilight than is right.”

Luna frowned. “I know that Rainbow being named Co-Regent settled things for you, but I’m not sure of the details. Care to share?” Celestia nodded.

“You remember feeling Equus Exila being cast three days ago? Well, I was all set to teleport back when I found Rainbow Dash standing next to me. She was able to convince me that the best thing I could do is let her and Twilight handle whatever was happening.”

“Naturally, I wasn’t pleased at the suggestion, so I asked for details. Turns out that Twilight was forced to cast the Ritual on Andromeda Majestica of all ponies.” Luna nodded at that, without much surprise. “I wanted to be there, to support Twilight. Rainbow Dash told me that the best way I could support her was to ‘finish my vacation. The last thing Twi needs is to see that you’re worrying about her; she already does that enough as it is.’ And I found myself agreeing with her.”

Luna chuckled. “Seems as though Princess Rainbow has settled things for the both of us. Had it not been for her Ascension, I would not have suggested this vacation.” The dark blue alicorn sighed. “I just wish it didn’t seem as though we were imposing. A two week vacation isn’t the same as Regency; we won’t be going back to work- at least, I won’t -until next year.”

Celestia frowned. “As much as you think I’m a workaholic” the wry expression on Celestia’s muzzle caused Luna to stick her tongue out at her -“I don’t intend to take advantage of Twilight and Rainbow Dash any more than I have to. I wonder why you are; I would call it laziness, but I’m not that rude.”

“Oh, har har; it is to laugh,” Luna snarked, causing both mares to giggle. Luna turned serious. “I don’t wish to, but I have duties in mine own kingdom that will take more than a few days to learn.” She gestured with a hoof. “The defenses for Equestria have remained much the same, barring a few ‘new’ forts to handle ‘newer’ settlements. ‘Tis not the same on the Moon; the land there is ten times what I originally projected when I set the first settlers there. I have a lot of ground to cover; not to mention a lot of lost time to make up.”

Celestia smirked at her sister. “So, how does adulation feel, Luna?” The Lunar Princess groaned, causing Celestia to chuckle.

“I really wish that I hadn’t made that particular wish,” Luna grumbled. “At least things are better than what they were when I first revealed myself to those in the castle; Stern Gaze wasn’t all too pleased that I hid my identity when I first arrived.”

Celestia tilted her head curiously. Luna- with considerable effort -held in her squee. “Who is Stern Gaze?” she asked. Luna sighed, realizing the source of her sister’s curiosity.

“He is the youngest of Nightingale’s children, and one of four pegacorns she’s given birth to.” Luna scowled. “None of her past lovers have survived except one; most died far too young. And I have had words with the one that thought it was ‘too hard to be with a mare that did not love me’, when it is patently obvious that she does.” Luna started to grumble. “All because said stallion doesn’t think it right for a pony to have two ponies she’s in love with; we used to live in herds, for Faust’s sake!”

Celestia put a hoof to her chin. “That’s just it Lulu; herd relationships have fallen out of favor over the last thousand years. Plus, they’ve never been in favor with the unicorn nobility; didn’t you say that Nightingale has had problems with her nobles?”

Luna glared at her sister. “He said the same; it was just an excuse. I got him to admit the real reason why he left; it wasn’t until he found out that Nightingale had unrequited feelings for Nightmare Moon that he left.” Luna slapped the leg-rest of her lounge chair. “I would have understood if it was a stallion thing; most stallions do have problems when a significant other has feelings for another pony. That’s why adultery remains such a sore subject.”

“No, he was convinced that I- as Nightmare Moon -was unworthy of affection because I had ‘given in to my Dark Side.” Luna smirked. “He doesn’t think that any more, however. Angela overheard our argument, and slapped the idiot upside the head for thinking that. At least he and Nightingale are talking now; they haven’t since Gaze was a foal, and he’s past forty.”

“What gets me is that he’s not the only one that thinks that; over half the nobles that are left feel that way. It’s like they misunderstood my intention; I was never supposed to rule as Princess of the Moon Kingdom.’ Luna rubbed her hoof across her muzzle in frustration. “I set it up in the hope that at least one pegacorn would ascend and take the throne. Nightingale has ruled for almost eight centuries now; the fact that she has proves my efforts worked, at least with the commoners.”

Celestia scowled. “Speaking as a mare with over ten centuries of experience, nobles seem to cause more problems than they’re worth. You were so right in that, Lulu.”

Luna smirked at her sister. “So, you admit to my wisdom in that?” Celestia stuck out her tongue, causing Luna to giggle. After a moment, she continued. “That wasn’t just my observation though; nobility was one of the many things that Clover and Starswirl disagreed on.” Her expression darkened. “At least the Equestrian nobles have been mostly controllable; Nightingale has been forced to use Crystal Sealing on multiple occasions. Sometimes, she was left with only a few administrators, as there were entire generations that she was forced to Seal.”

“What?! Why??” Celestia exclaimed in shock. Luna scowled.

“Because of what is between a Rift that separates the near and far side of Lune; it is where Starswirl Sealed the vast majority of the Dark One’s power.” Luna’s pupils slitted as she continued. “In order to free himself, the Dark One used many of the same elements that enchanted the late Lady Lemyre to subvert various Crystal Councils. That culminated in a breach that occurred around the time Nightingale ascended.”

Celestia scowled. “And yet another reason to be angry at Starswirl. Was there anything he did that wasn’t subversive and completely unnecessary?”

Luna shrugged. “I wouldn’t know; he was never really my teacher. I got the sense that he never really trusted me.” She scowled. “Well, actually, I got the sense that he never really trusted either one of us. I broke off all of our lessons, and damn near had him banished from Equestria when I found out his reasons.”

Celestia tensed. “What were said reasons, Luna?” Luna looked at her sister sadly.

“This will give you reason to despise him, ‘Tia, instead of despising his actions.” Seeing that Celestia remained unmoved, Luna sighed. “He was like many a noble in that he had little trust for alicorns or pegacorns. However, he was chauvinistic as well; Clover told me that he was always careful to never act that way around herself, the other female Founders, or you. Considering that Platinum would have had him banished, I think that was smart of him.”

Celestia sighed sadly. “There were a few mares in high position that were replaced by their husbands that accused Starswirl- among others -of discrimination. I was never able to prove either contention. I wish I did; when I first found out, I almost did have him Exiled. However, not only was there no proof, both Clover and Pansy asked me not to.” Luna nodded at that.

“I’m not surprised; both of them made it plain to him that they were the only reason he was still around.” Luna grinned. “After that, it was only a few short years later that he left to deal with outside threats. I’m not ashamed to say that I clapped for joy; never did like the stallion, even before I learned how he felt about me.” Celestia nodded.

“You two never saw eye to eye, and I wish I had known that sooner. His heart was in the right place, but his ends were atrocious.” Celestia shook her head. “In any case, I don’t want to spend the rest of the only vacation I’m likely to get talking about a stallion that has been dead for centuries.”

Luna smirked. “You mean the rest of this part of our vacation. We’re both off for the next year, ‘Tia. Both the High Council and the Grand Assembly have given Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Rainbow Dash full Regency. Unless there’s a crisis, that will last for a full year.”

Celestia jumped up at that, her wings flared out. “What?! But the appointment of Regency was only a formality; I never intended for it to be official! Why would they issue that?!”

“Because you needed a break for longer than two weeks ‘Tia,” Luna said. She gazed at her sister with her eyes lidded. “Knowing you, you’ve likely not taken more than the occasional weekend off since before I was banished.” Luna yawned. “Besides, that’s part of what the Regency is for; at least, that’s the way that Platinum explained the law to me.” Luna looked at her sister. “Really ‘Tia; if both Twilight and Rainbow thought you were imposing on them, they wouldn’t have accepted it. Just relax; I certainly intend to.”

That last bit cut the rest of the wind out of Celestia’s sails. She soon settled back down on her lounging couch. She sighed. “Now I know how my staff feels when I tell them they need to ‘take a vacation’. I should have listened to my own advice.”

Luna didn’t respond; she was too busy snoring, having fallen asleep. Celestia soon followed her sister into the Dream Realm.

---

Celestia waited patiently in the Garden of Dreams for her sister. At least, she assumed it was for her sister; Solaris hadn’t given her any explanation when she had entered her lovely cake party earlier.

“‘Tia? What are you doing here? Are you brushing up on your Dream Walking skills?” Celestia turned to see her sister arrive with a basket of assorted fruits. She raised a brow, as the basket was real.

“Solaris led me here; she seemed to think that there was something here that I would like to see.” Celestia raised a brow at the assortment of fruits and flowers in the basket. “Hmm; I know that those don’t grow outside of my private garden. Well, except for the Moonflower; lately though, that plant is humorously toxic.”

“Save for when exposed to moonlight; Zecora taught me that,” Luna said cheekily. “But no; these are all from my garden. The golems I left tending it were refreshed by moonlight, so they kept right on after I was sealed away.”
Celestia frowned. “Luna, the Nightmare destroyed your tower during our battle; how did you preserve your garden?” Luna smirked.

“Oh, she only thought she destroyed my tower; what really happened was that she destroyed the clever simulacrum I had made to deter thieves. Nightmare was parochial; she didn’t try to hard to get knowledge I had Sealed away.” Luna’s smirk grew. “Not that she would have been able to; Clover taught me how to shield what I didn’t want others to know away in mine own mind. Naturally, it was all knowledge behind Blessed Runes of Lune and Serenity.” Luna looked down. “I wish that I had the courage to do more than what I did; if I had, we would have been together instead of separated for one thousand years.”

Celestia walked over and gave her sister a hug. “Lulu, what you were feeling was a natural result of ponies favoring me instead of you.” Luna looked up to see a smirk on Celestia’s muzzle. “In truth, the common pony has always respected you as a leader. In many ways, Nightmare Night is as popular as it is because there were so many that remembered the Lost Princess of Dreams. I may have had their heart, but you always had their respect.”

After a bit, the two broke off their hug. Celestia looked at her sister. “So, any reason why you brought a basket containing enough food for three ponies?” Luna nodded, blushing.

“Selene and Nightingale have been visiting me here whenever I can’t make it to the Moon Kingdom. I mean, I can use a Dream Projection, but there are certain things that one can’t do with those without having a vacant look all the time.” Luna’s blush deepened.

Celestia giggled at her expression. “Oh Lu, you haven’t changed. When it’s more than just sex, you still blush like a filly.” Luna’s face darkened even further.

A staccato clop of two sets of hooves caused both mares to turn. On the same path that Luna had used, two ponies were standing.

One of them had the appearance of a filly, though the look in her eyes was one of ancient wisdom. Her coat and mane were all in shades of purple, dark blue, reds, and golds; those colors that one often finds just as the sun sets. Her horn was a perfect spiral. Her flank showed a setting sun in the same red and gold coloration that Sunset Shimmer had for a coat.

The other was obviously an alicorn. She was larger than Luna, almost as tall as Celestia herself. Her build was as the lithe musculature of a warrior. Both her coat and mane sported the same color as a fuschia flower.

The alicorn’s cutie mark was an odd one; a polyhedral-shaped shield split into thirds, with three different colors. In the center was a gibbous moon, and a sword was behind it. The hilt of the sword was a Compass Rose.

Nightingale- for that is who it was -smiled softly at Celestia. “It is rather a lot to take in, isn’t it? I’ve always envied ponies with simpler cutie marks. I like yours; it fits a mare that loves to bring joy to ponies’ lives.”

Celestia was stunned. Few ponies knew that Celestia’s passion had little to do with the raising of Sol. “H-how did you know?” she said, stuttering a little due to her shock.

Nightingale looked down shyly. “I’ve always had the gift of knowing the meaning behind a pony’s cutie mark. It’s quite useful; a pony’s passion can help you find the reason for why they are the way they are.”

Nightingale sat down next to Luna and unfolded the blanket that she had carried under a wing. Once this was done, Luna began to unpack the basket, arranging the fruit in a pleasing manner.

The other ponies sat down as well. Nightingale took the sole Moon Pear and set it aside before grabbing a bunch of Moon Cherries. Luna selected a few choice Moon Grapes, while Dusk picked a Moon Apple. Celestia went for the Moonflower, as it had been some time since she had had one. She ate the others regularly, as she had all but the pear in her own garden.

“So, this is why Solaris asked me to journey here; you wished to meet,” Celestia said, after having eaten a few petals. Nightingale nodded.

“Things are finally starting to settle down in my Kingdom, though not enough for me to make any kind of plans to visit Equestria.” She ate another cherry before continuing. “I’ve made a point to meet with the family of all of my many paramours over the years. ‘Tis been fortunate that they were all members of my own Kingdom; you are the first that wasn’t.”

Celestia nodded. “I hope that I haven’t taken you away from anything important; I know just what it’s like to have a busy schedule.” Nightingale shook her head.

“As I said, things have been slower than usual. We numbered on average at least ten attacks a day on the Rift since the Alicorn of Light first appeared. However, as of the fifteenth of this month, that number has dropped to zero.” Nightingale nodded at Dusk. “Dusk seems to know the reason why; other than the Dark One burning through all of his chaff.” The Essence nodded.

“Much of what you have had to deal with was the fault of Starswirl,” Dusk said, her sweet voice at odds with the anger on her muzzle. “Many of the spells he had in place in Equestria- and elsewhere in Equus -were on objects designed to seal away shadow wraiths and the like. Because they were all easily subverted by the Dark One, he was able to use them to quickly gather his army.”

Celestia frowned. “What changed?” Luna smirked.

“Oh, just that you finally lost your temper where Starswirl was concerned, that’s all.” Celestia flushed at the reminder.

“Please, there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed Celly; though it was a shock for you to have done so, it was precisely what was needed.” Dusk smiled at the day alicorn. “While these creatures are now more free to attack Equestria, they are also less likely to do so unless He forces them. Without those spells and enchantments, the Dark One is no longer able to control them as easily as he did.”

“Ah, so that is why I Felt; she had Called on the Essences to Undo what Starswirl had wrought,” Nightingale said, pleased. “I had wondered.’ Her expression grew curious. “What drove you to that point though? I only ask out of curiosity.” Celestia sighed.

“In the end, I did so out of pain and rage. It was bad enough that a ridiculous self-fulfilling prophecy forced me to abandon my sister when she needed me most; but when I realized that the exact same thing was happening with every prophecy he left behind, I snapped.” Celestia scowled. “What did it was the prophecy concerning the Princess of Friendship. There was a part that concerned Sunset Shimmer-- or, I should say, a pony that showed a deep connection to the Primal Star.” The others blinked as they noticed that Celestia’s pastel mane began to shift, turning into red and gold on the edges. “I’ve put the exact wording out of my mind, but the gist of it was that the ‘one that shows a bond to the Primal Star is Destined for Magic’s Touch’.”

“I schooled Sunset to eventually take up the Element of Magic. When she found out my full plans, she confronted me with the risks involved. She was far, far closer to her friends than Twilight was to hers, and they would have died if she had cast the Harmonic Aegis spell.” Celestia blinked. “Now where did that name come from?” She shook her head. “In any case, I suddenly realized that Angela’s warning was true, and that Starswirl had been playing me like a fiddle. With the lives of the ponies I love as the bow. I snapped.”

“And with that, you pulled on the last remaining string tying the Dark One to Equestria,” Nightingale said. “I owe you many thanks for that alone, as it’s something of a reprieve. For a time at least.” Celestia nodded, still wishing she had kept her temper until alone.

For the next few minutes, the four continued to eat of the their picnic, until the only thing that was left was the Moon Pear sitting next to Nightingale’s plate. Celestia looked at it. “Are you going to eat that? I only ask because those are mine and Twilight’s favorite.”

Nightingale lifted the pear with her magic. “Yes, I plan on eating this; well, a piece at least.” She used her magic to divide the pair into thirds. “Among the ponies of my kingdom, the Moon Pear symbolizes shared unity. No other fruit can be cut in such equal amounts, nor is there another that always grows so uniform, save for starfruit.”

Nightingale levitated a slice over to Luna and Celestia. “It is said that those who are bound by Love, whether friends or family, can strengthen their bonds by sharing a Moon Pear. That’s why I never eat one alone; it is a fruit that is meant to be shared.”

“And a fruit that is meant to be treasured with another,” Celestia said, causing Nightingale to blink. “Neighpon has a similar tradition.” She lifted her slice. “The first bite is given to another member of the group, signifying the shared bond.” She used her magic to cut into her slice, removing a small square of the flesh. Luna and Nightingale did the same. They each passed the slice to the pony on their left. Once they had done so, they all ate the given slice at the same time.

Nightingale picked up the remainder of her slice, and once more separated it into two pieces. Luna and Celestia followed suit. These pieces were passed to the pony on the right. Once more, each mare ate her slice in tandem with the others.

Finally, Luna took the last three slices, and removed the core that was left. These she placed in a bag that was then placed into the center part of a special dish. The remaining slices were divided up into smaller pieces and placed in the same dish. She then covered the dish.

Holding the dish up with her hooves, Luna intoned the last part of the Rite. “Let the Love we three share; that of the Shared Bond of Family, and of the Heart, Bless these Seeds. Let their fruit bear witness to the Love we share.” She then set the dish in her basket.

Nightingale smirked. “And here I was thinking that only Celestia would know of this.” Luna smirked.

“I’m an otaku Nightingale; since my return, I’ve partaken of as much of the Arts of those islands as I could.” Luna suddenly shuddered. “Though I’m not sure I will ever get used to Hentai,” she mumbled. “Things like that are simply not supposed to go there.” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“You sound just like Cadance; she was into all of that at one time. What’s worse is that she got Twilight interested in it as well.” Luna smirked. “Who do you think got me started? For a bookworm, Princess Twilight certainly had a well-rounded grasp on various cultures.”

Celestia nodded. “She only lacked making friends as a skill set.” Dusk snorted.

“Moondancer. Lyra Heartstrings. Minuettte. Spitfire. Sunburst. Cadance. Spike. Numerous other classmates she had helped without realizing it.” Dusk gazed at Celestia with lidded eyes. “My Princess has been able to make friends easily. She never interacted with them because her teachers insisted that ‘her work was more important.’ Never tell a professional student that study is more important than having a life; they’ll neglect to see that they actually have social skills.”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, I’m sure they said that; Twilight isn’t the only student that has been stunted by well meaning yet moronic teachers. I’ve since gotten rid of those that judge a pony based on their degree portfolios, or what grades they have.” She stood. “In any case, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your visit Lu, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She then walked down the path, fading as she left the Garden. Dusk followed soon after.

Luna and Nightingale took the opportunity to curl up next to each other; they soon fell asleep, one of Nightingale’s wings draped around Luna, and Luna’s left front leg lying across Nightingale’s withers.

---

Author's Note:

Originally, I had planned to jump back in time to when Luna and Gaze first met. That may happen later on, though it's much more likely to be a flashback, rather than a back step.

I've already done that enough with this story as it is.

The reason for the time jump is because nothing of worth has happened since Apple Crisp and Company were all arrested, other than a bunch of trials. That's gonna take a lot longer than three days, as there's a lot of evidence to sort through.

Boring lawyer stuff; something I certainly don't wanna see in a Twidash fic.

In any case, I wanted to have a chapter where Celestia and Nightingale meet snout to snout. Interestingly, the whole thing about the Moon Pear was my own inspiration. I got the idea from something I saw in a game, but went my own way with it.

As far as both Luna and Twilight being otaku, that's just my headcanon. It's also a bit of a self-insert, as I have a deep love for Japanese Anime myself.

Have a Happy Holiday.

Edit, December 7th: Added to the first scene; should better match up with prior chapters. As of this moment, only a hoof-ful- Glorious Sunrise being one all by herself -know that Luna is in the Moon Kingdom. Her full reveal won't be until next chapter.

Comments

[T-Dash]

Cute chapter, Celestia and Nightingale meeting was intriguing to see how they interacted... and of course, Luna and Nightingale. Until next time.