Restoration
Luna dominated Twilight’s mind, despite being weeks away. Twilight had even planned out what outfit she would wear when her love arrived. She could already imagine it - Luna would walk in and see Twilight in her brilliant, amethyst dress, a Rarity original. She’d wear Luna’s horn ring, a clear sign that Twilight was Luna’s. They would then adjourn to a private place and they would learn to love each other, and eventually, kiss, and it would be perfect. Luna had been injured, sure, but Twilight knew the power of alicorn magic; she had studied it enough to know that Luna would arrive much better than she left, and while Twilight was upset that Luna had to be injured to come home, at least she was coming home.
Whenever Twilight imagined the kiss, she unintentionally smiled as her heart pounded in anticipation. Many long, painful months had passed, and soon, her anguish would finally pay off. In the grand scheme of things, nearly no time had passed. For Luna, it must have seemed like no time at all, but for a young mare in love, it had felt like an eternity. Even the letter, which should have put Twilight’s mind at ease, made it worse. Time felt like it enjoyed tormented Twilight.
Twilight spent days trying to perfect her look. She would consider all of her jewelry, trying to strike the perfect balance, but in the process, her eyes would pass over Cadance’s earrings, and then Silverhorn would flash in her mind. Twilight would struggle to cast his looming memory away. She didn’t blame Cadance; hell, she didn’t even blame Silverhorn. But his… approach had made it hard for Twilight to be in the same room with either of them. It just made her remember Silverhorn moving in closer and closer.... The fact was that Twilight couldn’t be around either of them, which meant that Twilight had to distance herself from their party.
But Twilight was not one to sit around idly, especially with the political climate of the city. Instead, she took the time to try and learn more about Fleur’s party. While the last outing hadn’t turned out well, she would take a duel over unwanted advances any day. And besides, while Twilight disagreed with the broad strokes of Fleur’s party, she knew that she was going to have to work with them to make effective change.
Fleur, on the other hoof, seemed less inclined with work with Twilight and more interested in displaying the Student. Once again, Twilight found herself at the heart of a party. The festivities had started hours ago, and Twilight eventually found herself thrust to the side, with a glass levitating by her side, and an adamantly chatting Fleur beside her. The chattiness wasn’t for Twilight, however; instead, Fleur was absorbed with the horde of ponies approaching her. A few would spare a word towards Twilight, and less still would actually converse with her.
While this party was excruciating, Twilight could always count on Rarity. Rarity had been one the few to actually keep her entertained that night, but her saviour had disappeared on her for a few minutes, promising to return shortly. This had left Twilight stranded by Fleur’s side for much longer than “shortly,” but, mercifully, Twilight saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Fleur’s last visitors were dispersing, leaving the two of them on their own once again.
Turning back towards Twilight, Fleur nudged against the purple mare’s side, giving a playful smile. “Having fun, Twilight?”
Twilight grimaced and shook her head. “Not so much. Sorry Fleur, but this isn’t my type of crowd,” Twilight explained, gazing amongst the crowd. Too many aristocrats and old blood, so many elder stallions. It was all too stuffy.
Twilight turned back to Fleur, hoping that she would appreciate the honestly, but Fleur face make it clear that Twilight's seriousness was not the proper response. As Twilight blushed, Fleur laughed her crystalline laugh. “No, I didn’t expect it to be, but honesty is always appreciated.” Twilight blushed even deeper.
After a few more moments at Twilight’s expense, Fleur stopped her laugh while clearing her throat. “I really do appreciate you being here. Just showing up does wonders for our appearance.” Twilight thought back to Blueblood. It makes sense that it shows. An outsider thrashing an insider does look worse than an internal struggle. With Twilight’s continued association with Fleur and her circles, the embarrassment and blame fell solely on Blueblood. Now, Twilight didn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but she could appreciate that the appearance mattered. If there was one thing castle life taught here, it was that this was simply the way the world worked.
Then again, Twilight didn't. She didn’t want to associate herself with the party and what it stood for. A lot of the other members were heartless at best. There was even a small faction that wanted to continue their opposition against Twilight, but Fleur was able to smooth it over. All in all, it was a tiresome charade, and if Twilight didn’t have to learn to work with this party, she would have left long ago.
Fleur reached a hoof around her and pulled her close, giving her a little squeeze. “EIther way, we’re happy to have you. I know tonight isn’t the most exciting of events, but I promise we’ll have something more your speed soon.”
“Yea, like what; a party in the library instead?” Twilight half teased.
Fleur laughed again. “While that would be an interesting venue, I don’t think that much wine and paper should be in the same place.” Fleur gave Twilight a knowing look. “On the other hoof, we’re doing a food drive for the lower districts next week, would you be interested in that?”
Now, there was an idea. A little hope sparked in Twilight’s chest; maybe this wouldn’t be all bad. She wanted to do this to do good anyways, and that sort of event would do infinitely more than this bullshit. Sure, Twilight knew the importance of fundraising, interest polling, and new legislation; she had read enough about law to know their importance. But Twilight wanted to see the impact she would make directly.
It was what Twilight had signed up for, what she dreamed about. She could actually help both the soldiers and entertain the lower class all at once. It was a miracle solution for Twilight.
“I would absolutely be interested in that!” Twilight couldn’t help the goofy grin that spread across her muzzle.
Fleur giggled. “Calm down a little bit, Twilight,” she teased, although Twilight was too excited to be embarrassed. “It’ll be in five days from now, and since you’ve been so enthusiastic about it, I’m going to need you to help me plan it, if that’s okay.” Fleur’s eyes playfully pleaded. She already knew the answer.
Now Twilight would be responsible for the planning? Dream come true. “Of course you can count on me Fleur. But before anything else, do we have a where yet?”
“It’s set to be hosted in an area near the Rising Moon Market. Have you heard of it before?”
Twilight’s ears perked up. Rising Moon Market? That was right next to the orphanage; she had gone to it all the time when she was a filly. Twilight’s grin only got bigger. Now it was taking place in her old stomping grounds! “That’s wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed. “I actually used to live near there, in an orphanage. It was run by a griffon known as Matron; do you know how close we’ll be to that?” she asked. The only thing that could make this party better would be having it right outside of the Matron’s door.
“Your enthusiasm is adorable, Twilight,” Fleur giggled for a bit, before clearing her throat. “I don’t know what orphanage you’re talking about specifically, since there’s a lot around that area. But, I have been informed that there is one that’s close to our target location. I’m sure you’ll have time to visit it if you’re interested,” Fleur explained.
Twilight nodded again, her tail starting to wag. Best news that she’d heard that day, easily. “Thanks, Fleur. That sounds wonderful.” Twilight returned to her spot, eyes roaming around the room and yawning to herself. It was getting late and she’d gotten up early. Perhaps she would excuse herself and-
“It’s bedtime for little Twilight? Already?” Fleur teased. “I thought that Students of the Night would stay up a little later.”
Twilight huffed and up turned her nose, playfully pouting at the words. “Maybe I’m just going for a midnight nap!” It was moments later before a grin spread across Twilight’s muzzle. Fleur couldn’t help but laugh, and Twilight wasn’t far behind. A couple of the noble ponies turned towards the laughing pair, but the two didn’t notice.
After a few moments, the laughter died away. “Alright, alright, it’s true. I’m pretty tired, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” Twilight asked.
Fleur nodded and patted Twilight’s shoulder. “Of course. We need to start finalizing our plans. Only a couple of days to go.”
“Good night, Fleur,” Twilight said, giving Fleur a quick hug. Twilight then turned towards the exit, giving one last wave to Fleur before leaving. As she turned back forward, however, her eyes fell on another pink mare.
Cadance. Twilight’s mentor locked eyes with her. Even from a distance, Twilight could see the disappointment. Her heart twisted in her chest. Twilight wanted to run and embrace her mentor. She wanted to tell Cadance that she didn’t pull away out of hatred and that Fleur was no replacement. She wanted to tell Cadance the truth about Silverhorn, about what happened when they were left alone. She just wanted to tell her the truth.
But those words never came. Instead, Twilight looked away and walked towards the exit.
Weaving between groups of noble ponies holding glasses and server ponies holding silver platters, Twilight made her way out of the room. Once out of the room, however, Cadance’s disapproval hung over Twilight. The guilt she felt almost matched the shame that she felt on her birthday night. Almost.
Instead of running back to the party and finding her mentor, Twilight continued on to her room. Once there, she got into bed, pulled the sheets over her head, and tried to forget Cadance as she drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few days were a flurry of preparation. Twilight and Fleur met up several times to iron out the final details of the party. They talked with experts about the projected numbers, figured out the best possible layout of the booths, and figured which. In the days leading up to it, the pair felt liked their plan was going to go off without a hitch.
The day of, however, both Fleur and Twilight were surprise at the turnout. The day of, the analysis ponies reported that they were expecting twice as many ponies, which meant that their already cramped section was not going to cut it. In the end, the pair decided to move the event to the Rising Moon Market itself, taking a full quadrant for the festival. Different booths and games had been erected as well, so those who attended had something other than standing and talking to do, although it was assumed that the Lower Class ponies would be the main patrons of the stalls. The nobles, on the other hoof, crowded into the tent that Fleur had insisted they prepare, protecting themselves from the ‘harsh’ sun. In the end, the groups naturally segregated themselves, although Twilight swore she she spied an occasion noble weaving between the food and game booths.
Luckily for Twilight, while the location was moved, Matron was still intent on joining in, bringing along any orphan who wanted to come. For the busy mare, this was a stroke of luck; now, she wouldn’t have to find an excuse to leave the festival grounds. They hadn’t had a chance to talk yet, but Twilight periodically caught sight of the small griffin in the crowd, but never for too long. She was always hustling and bustling around, probably herding the youngsters, making sure no pony strayed off too far. Twilight made a mental note to make the time to go over and greet her as soon as she had the chance. This was for them, after all.
Among the large turnout, Twilight occasionally spied the odd face here and there. Naturally, most of the crowd was comprised of locals who came for the free food and prizes, but a startling number of nobles also made an appearance. Of course Silverhorn, Cadence, and their usual group attended; they were always intent on philanthropy, even when hosted by an opposing faction. Yet, even Blueblood came, and some of Charlemane’s party as well. Even more surprisingly, the nobles seemed to actually enjoy themselves. Of course, most of them wanted nothing to do with the common chaff, but after they found their respective groups, they couldn’t help having a good time.
Donations poured in as the day went in. Bit after bit came from the nobles and even from some of the lower class. Blue collar workers who were able to spare some change did so, and the pot grew ever larger; as it did, Twilight, for the first time in weeks, felt a sense of satisfaction. Finally, she felt like she was really making a difference! This was how she could be happy in the political world. She could focus all of her energy on helping ponies. She didn’t even have to spend time greeting the nobles; Fleur had insisted on relieving Twilight from that particular burden.
Twilight wasn’t freed from work, however. Since Twilight had come down to the Lower District in the wee hours of the morning, she had been inundated with tasks. First, after almost an hour of set-up, she was informed that the projected number of ponies just doubled, making their already cramped location completely useless. After deciding to move, she then had to make a new layout while directing late vendors to the new location. And even after that had been ironed out, she had to track down the tent, which had managed to get lost in the commotion. Twilight would never know how in Goddesses’s sake the volunteers lost something as big as that tent.
Oddly enough, once the party began, most things went off without a major hitch. There were the occasion struggles, like not enough props for the improve stage, or a leak in the apple-bobbing barrel, but those all had easy fixes. Plus, when she found the wood to repair the apple barrel, the green elder pony gave her what must have been one of the most delicious apples she had ever had.
The hard part of this part of the festival, however, was that Twilight was running around the grounds all day, and it had left her exhausted. Finally, after hours of work, Twilight found the time to meet up with Matron, who had taken a corner table at the edge of the fair for herself, allowing the orphans to roam within eyesight of her perch. Twilight took her lunch and made her way to sit next to her.
“Busy day?” Matron asked as Twilight guzzled down her glass of water.
Twilight nodded, “You have no idea!” Twilight answered, exasperated. “This morning was a madhouse. I was here at the crack of dawn when we had to move. We had already set up half the booths for Goddesses’ sake! And then I keep getting an earful from the vendors who came late because we moved. I mean, it’s clear that we needed the extra space, but I wish the ponies who did the projections wouldn’t have waited until the last minute to get the right numbers.”
“Sounds like a lot, filly.” Matron slide her own untouched water towards Twilight, who took a big gulp from that glass as well. Twilight could hear the concern in her voice.
“Well, it’s not quite that bad,” Twilight began, trying to mitigate Matron’s worries. “After the morning rush, everything came together. I’ve just been busy with little things, like finding extra wood to fix the bobbing-for-apples barrel.”
Matron gave Twilight a soft pat. “Still, you’ve been doing a lot today. By now, that horn of yours must have put in a lot of work. Aren’t you pushing yourself a little too hard, filly?”
Twilight brushed the claw away and sat up in her seat. “I’m fine, Matron,” Twilight insisted. “I actually haven’t used my magic too much today. There are plenty of volunteers who can help set up, but not many ponies who know how to organize the whole event. My hooves have been too full just making sure every pony knows what they should be doing.”
The truth was that Twilight had actively avoided using her magic. She still hadn’t found a way to mask her magic color, and she didn’t want to give her enemies any additional ammo, which meant that she had to lift everything physically. Besides limiting her effectiveness in party set up, it had also made her pretty sore, so sore that she wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through the day.
“Alright, but be sure to take care of yourself, understand? If you end up in the hospital again, I’ll tan yer hide, filly,” Matron warned, tapping a claw on the table. Twilight knew better than to take the threat idly. She had rarely faced discipline, but it was mostly because she knew that Matron meant business.
“Right, sure. How’s the food?” Twilight asked, trying to change the subject. Twilight shifted her attention to her plate, which was loaded with local fare from the Doctor, her absolute favorite cook. Today, he’d made stuffed buns. ‘Dumplings’, he called them, each cooked in a weird way she couldn’t quite put a hoof on and stuffed with all sorts of veggies. They were made to be dipped inside a black sauce he called ‘soy sauce’. Weird guy, amazing food.
Matron had her own dumplings, though hers were stuffed with shrimp. The Doctor was pretty considerate of the small griffin contingency in the Lower District. “Good, actually. Don’t know where in Tartarus he gets this stuff, but that Doctor always comes up with the most interesting meals, doesn’t he?” Twilight nodded, as she polished off a couple of dumplings. They really were great.
As Twilight took another gulp of her water, she could hear yelling in the distance. “You hear something?” she asked Matron.
Matron sat up in her seat, ears swiveling on her head. In turn, Twilight cast a hearing-amplification spell, a minor off-shoot of her full body one. “Filly, I think they’r-”
“Calling for me,” Twilight finished, frowning deeply. Dammit, she just wanted a nice meal after a long morning, and she couldn’t even get that? Who in Tartarus would even bother calling her name? Fleur was supposed to handle the public. “I should probably go and see what they need.”
Twilight stood and dusted herself off, not quite ready to abandon her respite. “I’ll see ya later, don’t worry nothin’ about that. Just keep yourself out of too much trouble. If you can,” Matron teased, giving Twilight a little wink.
Twilight nodded and stood up with a long stretch, her body already aching and sore from the long, painful day. “See ya later,” Twilight said, giving Matron a brief hug before reluctantly starting towards the pony calling her.
This better be good. It better not be a waste of her time. She just wanted some time to breathe after her hectic morning, and she couldn’t even get that. What could be so important?
As Twilight approached the caller, she saw that it came from the middle of a huge, dense crowd. With a twinge of annoyance, Twilight amplified her voice in the way Luna had shown her. “Clear the way!” she boomed. Almost instantly, the crowd parted, allowing her to enter. Twilight forced her way through the split crowd, keeping her head up as she garnering stares and attention galore.
As Twilight finally got sight of the center, she saw a chariot, but not just any chariot. No, it was a Lunar Chariot, one of the chariots assigned to Luna’s personal guard. Her heart stopped for a second. What was it doing here? That wasn’t supposed to be back from the war; Luna’s troops were too valuable. Unless....
Twilight broke into a gallop towards the chariot, until she realized that the mare in the seat was not her Luna. She skidded to a stop before it, just as the grey mare caught sight of her. “Twilight, thank the goddesses!” The mare cried, in relief. “I’m Honeysuckle, one of Luna’s assistants in the field. Please, if you would, can you please get on the chariot?” she asked, voice pleading.
Twilight felt an instant twinge of disappointment, which frustrated her. She knew better than to expect Luna herself. Despite herself, Twilight felt like she needed to fight the request. She was busy with the festival after all. “What do you need from me, Ms. Honeysuckle?” Twilight asked, trying to maintain an appearance of professionalism.
“I need you to come with me, Ms. Sparkle,” Honeysuckle started. “The Queen has returned and she’s asking for you,” she explained.
Twilight froze. Luna. Luna was back. And she wanted Twilight there, by her side. The festival no longer mattered. She was needed elsewhere. “R-right,” Twilight squeaked, her voice cracking from the sudden news. Shoot, Twilight thought as she blushed at the eyes around her, why is my voice always betraying me? Her eyes spun around, spotting the rest of Honeysuckle’s small entourage, Twilight pointed a hoof towards one of the spare guards, selecting him as her newsbreaker. “Y-you. Could you go find Fleur De Lis and tell her that I was needed at the castle? L-Let’s go, Honeysuckle.”
The guard saluted and Honeysuckle stepped aside to let her in. “Thank you, Ms. Sparkle. Once again, I’m so sorry to interupt your festival, but the Queen asked for you specifically an-”
Twilight cut her off with a shake of her head. “It’s fine, Honeysuckle. I needed to know this,” Twilight explained. “Actually, I think I need to apologize; I shouldn’t have been so standoffish.” Honeysuckle gave a small nod in acknowledgement before Twilight continued. “How… um… how is the Queen? I know that she was injured, but how bad was it? Do you know if she’s still conscious?”
Honeysuckle tapped a hoof on the cart. “She’s um…” With a deep sigh, Honeysuckle managed to looked Twilight in the eyes. “Well, it was a pretty bad injury, Twilight,” Honeysuckle began to explain. “The griffons made some kind of weapon that we hadn’t seen before. It’s capable of firing tons of metal at once over a huge distance.”
That was new. Twilight had never heard of something like that before. Her mind buzzed with questions - how did it work? How did it shoot the metal out? How effective was it?
Before she could ask, Honeysuckle went on. “Um, for what I’ve heard, it’s more of a prototype than anything that could be relied upon during war. It’s far too heavy to even aim properly, let alone maneuver around the battlefield. The only reason the Queen was injured at all was that it was hidden underneath the canopy, and even then, it barely hit her.” Twilight sharply suck in her breath. “She pulled up in time, of course, but it still shredded her wings and the back of her legs. Some of the forward scouts even said that it cut her wings to the bone.” Twilight felt like fainting as she saw Luna’s shredded wing in her mind. “Fortunately, her alicorn powers saved her, and her wounds aren’t fatal. Our scouts managed to recover her body before the enemy could, well, captured her.”
Twilight felt ill. She had only been told that Luna had been hurt in battle, but she didn’t know the extent of her injury. Shredded? She couldn’t even imagine the type of pain that her love faced in that moment. Despite knowing better, Twilight couldn’t help blaming herself. She should have been there to protect her, not hosting festivals and getting into petty duels.
Twilight shook her head hard, forcing herself out of that spirling mindset; Luna was the one in pain. She couldn’t be a total wreck before even seeing her. “R-right,” Twilight swallowed. “You said she’s okay though, right?” Twilight asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Honeysuckle nodded. “She’s going to be fine, but even for an alicorn that is not an easy wound to recover from. When she was recovered, she was out cold. It was the Lunar guards who decided that the best place for her recovery would be at the castle. She’s been out for most the trip, but she woke up right before we reached the castle. She’s still conscious, though she remains weak. But, um, once you see her, just remember what’s she’s been through, okay? It would have killed a lesser pony.”
Honeysuckle’s words were obviously meant as a comfort, but Twilight couldn’t help focusing on the worse of what was said. Her love had been out for days. She was almost captured. Her body was in ruins. Why wasn’t Twilight there? Why hadn’t she-
Twilight shook her head, pushing those thoughts from her head. Instead of thinking, she leaned on the edge of the chariot, watching as they approached the castle. Thankfully, Honeysuckle took the hint and allowed Twilight wait in silence. Every second brought them closer, the pegasi cutting through the air. Twilight could already see the balcony they planned to land on; from her experience, she knew that it would be one closest to the Royal Sister’s private quarters.
By the time they finally began to land, Twilight couldn’t wait any longer. Once close enough, Twilight teleported to the balcony, not bothering to hide her magic olor. Two Lunar guards began to level their weapons before recognizing the Student. These were Twilight’s guards. They stepped back as Twilight passed, offering her only brief nods as she sped past them.
Twilight felt a twinge of guilt at not acknowledging either of her friends, but she knew they would understand. She could catch up with them later; for now, she needed to see her Queen. She needed to see Luna. Twilight sprinted through the halls, hurrying deeper inside the castle. She turned right, then left, then another left. Nearly there now. She passed the whole damn company of Lunar Guards, but nopony tried to stop her. Well, at least not until the door itself.
Sunny waited outside Luna’s rooms. She didn’t move to the side like the others. Instead, seeing the purple streak that was Twilight, she moved between the Student and the door. “Twilight,” she greeted, her full regalia making her look much more intimidating than usual. Twilight wasn’t used to seeing her with a full helmet and barding; usually, castle guards only wore their light armor at the castle. “Now, hold on a minute.”
Twilight tried to duck around her, but to no avail. Sunny’s size and training made Twilight’s attempts appear foolish. With a huff, she stood straight up, glaring at Sunny. With dismay, Twilight realized she was still craning her neck up several inches. Stupid older ponies; Twilight just needed a couple more years and then she’d be able to stand eye to eye with anypony! “Why do I need to wait, Sunny?” she demanded. “I have been explicitly called for by the Queen of the Empire.”
“Celestia is with her now, okay? She wants to talk to you, but, for now, give her a few minutes to talk to her sister first, okay?” Sunny started as she pushed Twilight toward the wall, leaving a stupid hoofmark on her dress.
Twilight nodded curtly, taking a small, step back. “Right. Sure, sure, whatever,” Twilight practically snapped. Some part of her realized that neither Sunny nor Celestia were at fault, but that didn’t stop her from being mad. Taking a moment to relax herself, Twilight began interrogating the guard. “The assistant told me the broad strokes, but you would know what’s really going on. How is she, Sunny?”
Sunny frowned. “Not even a good to see you?” Twilight glared back. Sunny got the message. “She’s fine. Well, she’s conscious. This is the best that she’s been in a few weeks. She’s been sort of in and out of it; apparently alicorns go into an almost trance like state when they’re recovering. Who knew?”
Twilight knew. That’s why she needed to be in there. She was the pony who had spent hours pouring over every book that covered the alicorns and their magic, though she never thought that it would actually be useful. Not even in her wildest dreams could she imagine Luna getting hurt.
“Anyways, she’s doing much better. That’s the important thing. When you go in, just remember that she’s just beginning to come out of the worse of it, so don’t freak out when you get in there, okay? It’ll only make Luna feel worse about herself. Just act normal and be that cute little filly you always are,” Sunny finished, punctuating her statement with by tousling Twilight’s mane.
Twilight felt some of her anger and frustration start to melt away. Sunny was right; she needed to compose herself. Luna needed her to strong right now. That was all she could do for her Queen. With a begrudging smile, Twilight tossed Sunny’s hoof off her head and fixed her ruined mane. “Thanks, Sunny. I needed to hear that,” Twilight mumbled.
In that moment, she really did love Sunny. She had been the messenger of the news Twilight wanted to know since Celestia first walked into her room. She worried that it would be permanent, or that she was still broken. To hear of her coming out of the trance was greatly relieving. According to her research, that meant Luna was no longer in serious danger; she wasn’t going to be at full performance right away, but she’d improve. Good news from somepony close.
“No problem, kiddo,” Sunny teased. “Er, sorry about that. You just look so young after being away for so long. Like, I know you’re older, but have you ever grown an inch?” Twilight couldn’t help laughing, despite the circumstances. It was utterly impossible to stay mad around Sunny. Her teasing was never malicious, and her good nature simply cheered ponies up. Twilight breathed a little easier; if Sunny could joke around, things had to be fine. The guard loved Luna nearly as much as Celestia and Twilight.
“Hey, I have to-”
The door behind Sunny suddenly opened with a loud creak. Celestia stepped outside, flanked by two Lunar guards, one of which Twilight immediately recognized as Iridescence. The bright mane was such an easy giveaway, even under all that armor. The alicorn paused and looked between Sunny and Twilight, offering them a small smile.
“It’s good to see you, Twilight,” Celestia said, voice calm and soothing. “Luna’s waiting for you, she knew that you would come. Go on in.” The Princess gestured towards the doorway as Twilight’s heartbeat became audible.
Twilight returned the smile and eased her way past the alicorn and the guards, entering the room beyond. The first thing that she noticed was that the room was shrouded in darkness. The only light in the room was a soft blue flame, and as Celestia closed the door behind her, Twilight was left in the near dark. She looked around, lighting her horn to guide the way.
“The light, please,” a feeble voice called. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. It sounded like Luna’s voice, but it was so weak, so scared. Was that really her? “Unless it’s a night-light, it hurts.” Twilight felt a moment of realization. That’s why there was a blue flame. “Come closer, please. I need to see you.”
As if Twilight could ever disobey that order. Wordless, she stepped forward, obediently walking towards the blue flame. Thankfully, the candle rested on the nightstand directly next to the bed, and nothing stood between the entrance and the flame. Using her hooves, Twilight managed to shuffle her way to the bedside.
Once there, her eyes roamed over Luna’s body, or what little of it she could see. With only the blue flame, all Twilight could make out was her love’s muzzle and mane. The rest was shrouded by the darkness and a thick blanket covering Luna. Yet, even with this darkness, Twilight could see that wonderful, beautiful smile on Luna’s muzzle.
“I love you,” Twilight blurted, her cheeks instantly filling with blood. Goddesses, get a hold of yourself, Twilight!
Luna chuckled, the small movements of the sheet betraying her mirth. “I love you too, dear Student,” she echoed back, amusement tinging her voice sweetly. “Closer, closer, please. You’re well, aren’t you?”
Twilight pressed herself right against the bed. As her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, she saw the blood that stained the sheets. “I’m perfect, but what about you? Why are you still bleeding? What’s wrong?” she asked, each question coming in rapid fire mode.
Luna waved a hoof and shook her head. “I’m fine, Twilight. It’s just my body healing properly. What saves somepony in the moment isn’t necessarily what gets them back on their hooves, so the open cuts is nothing. Really. Please do not worry about it, I’m just happy to see you again. Did you get my letter…?” she asked trailing off. For the first time, Twilight heard her Queen nervous. She hadn’t thought that Luna could get nervous, much less about her. Twilight could feel herself tear up. Luna love her. It was one thing to get a letter, but to hear it made Twilight’s heart bloom.
Twilight’s smile widened and her heart swelled. Goddesses, this was really happening, wasn’t it? Passion was coursing through her veins as Twilight leaned over Luna, closed the gap between them, and locked their lips together. The warmth blossomed outwards as Luna kissed back, thank the goddesses, joining them together, although Twilight had to supply most of the muscle for once.
Luna’s arm feebly wrapped around Twilight’s head, pulling her close and keeping them together. Despite her weakness, Luna didn’t seem to want Twilight to move away even a centimeter. She kept them locked together, deepening the kiss. Without warning, she pressed her tongue into Twilight’s muzzle, sending a small shiver down Twilight’s spine.
Just as quickly as it had come, however, Luna let her go, dropping back to the bed. She panted, her breath coming in short pants. “Student… I missed you,” Luna whispered out. Her breathless voice scared Twilight. Was she truly that weak?
“I missed you too.” Twilight’s eyes began to roam over the weakened Queen. Now that her eyes had adjusted, she realized that Luna’s mane had changed. The galaxy-like patterns had been somehow snuffed out, instead, a light blue mane taking its place, almost like a normal pony’s, except with a slight ethereal quality. It made her look enfeebled. Worry pierced Twilight; yes, Luna was home, but it was hard to imagine her recovering from such a weakened state. “Luna, are you really sure that you’re alright?” she urged, trying to eek out more from the mare.
Luna saw where Twilight was staring. “I really am fine, Twilight. It’s just that recovering from such wounds takes much out of my sister and I. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“But what if another attack…”
Luna cut her Student off with a hoofwave. “I have my guard taking position around the room at all points. Celestia has also insisted on staying close to the castle in case she’s needed. Nothing can hurt me in this bed.” Even in the dark, Twilight could see a small smile spread across Luna’s muzzle. “Besides, I have my own champion right here with me. Even in the chaos of war, I heard about your duel. Congratulations are in order, dear Student,” Luna added, the last part an obvious attempt at changing the subject.
While Twilight could see the Queen’s intentions, she couldn’t stop her determination from swelling; she would be Luna’s champion. “I’ll be here. Always,” she promised, giving a swift nod of her head. This room wouldn’t be so bad. She could just move her books down here and study next to her Mentor. Why go to the college when she had the sum of ponykind’s knowledge at her disposal? “I won’t leave your side, promise. I shall be your Shield.”
Luna chuckled, closing her eyes again. “I’m afraid I don’t mean quite that much. I don’t want to be an anchor around your neck, Student. You will still do all of your lessons outside of this room, but if you wish, I will arrange it so you can sleep in here. I can have another bed brought in, along with a desk. Would that be sufficient, my Shield?” she asked, chuckling softly at her last remark. In an odd way, that relieved Twilight; even when injured, Luna wouldn’t be separated from her teasing.
Twilight nodded, silently thanking the dark room for hiding her pink cheeks. Then again, Luna could probably see the dark, making it impossible to not blush harder. “Yes Luna,” Twilight agreed, giving a small nod of her head. She looked away, looking towards the ground. Her mind flashed back to Eclipse. She knew she would need it soon; although, with Luna back, it might be better to start calling it Vaunted again.
Luna’s trembling hoof gently pat Twilight’s head, her smile more like Celestia's than her own. “That’s a good girl,” she whispered. With a sigh, Luna’s hoof feel back to the bed. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I must sleep. For now, however, if you are serious about staying in my room, go talk to the guards about procuring what you’ll need for and go apologize to the ponies I took you away from.”
Twilight frowned. She would rather sleep on the floor than leave her Queen now. Twilight wanted every second she could get with Luna, even if that meant Luna would be asleep. She had simply missed her too much. She didn’t need the plan right now.
“Yes, you have to,” Luna added, seemingly reading Twilight’s thoughts. Twilight’s blush deepened heavily, and she nodded towards the ground. Even when injured, Twilight still had no sway over her Queen.
“Right.” Twilight sucked in a deep breath. “Right, yes, okay. But I’ll see you soon, right?” she asked, uneasily starting to pull away from the bedside. The few hours she would sleep were nothing compared to the months the two had been apart, but even so, they felt like eternity.
“Of course… my Student,” Luna whispered, beginning to drift off to sleep. Twilight’s hoof hit the door and she sniffed back tears. Just be strong a few seconds longer, that’s all she needed. Twilight turned back to Luna, and only heard her breathing.
“Love you,” she whispered, right before stepping through the door. She closed it behind her with a click, but could have sworn she heard a response.
“Love you, too.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was a pony of her word. During the following weeks, she barely left her Queen’s side. Of course, she had to follow Luna’ instructions, staying away during meals and class time, but other than that, she was a fixture in the room. For how terrible it was that Luna was hurt at all, the one good part of the situation was that it gave Twilight a polite excuse to escape her social obligations. She no longer felt like she had to explain her absence to Cadance, Silverhorn was nowhere to be found, and Fleur understood Twilight’s predicament. The only pony who was really put out was Roamane; Luna had insisted that her Student continue her sword training, but Twilight had managed to talk the lesson down to only half the length. While this gave Twilight more free time, she knew that it put all the strain on Roamane. He still had to prepare for the training all the same, now with only half the time to properly teach the mare. Although, when Twilight asked, he gruffly denied being put out and went criticizing her form.
Luna was also a pony of her word. A bed was brought inside the shadowy confines of the room, although Twilight didn’t use it nearly as much as she should. Luna also procured a small desk for her Student, but instead of light, which still hurt Luna, Twilight relied on a newly-learned night-sight enhancement spell. Besides allowing Twilight to study in the dark, the spell had the added benefit of allowing her to see what had happened to Luna. Her coat seemed paler, losing it’s midnight blue color, and, at least to Twilight, it seemed like her Queen had physically shrunk. At first, Twilight thought it might have been a weird side-effect of the spell, but after a while, she realized that she was getting a proper, undistorted image of her love. Whenever she looked at her mentor, Twilight wondered just how much of Luna’s appearance was dependent on Alicorn magic.
But the most striking aspect of Luna’s injured state was her mane. It no longer carried the night sky; instead it was a beautiful, if somewhat flatter, blue. This particular change meant the most to Twilight because of what it implied. Twilight had been allowed to see Luna’s true mane color; it was a fact so intimate that probably only Celestia was allowed to see it. Sure, odd guards had probably seen it by accident, but Twilight was allowed to see it on purpose. She was allowed to stare at it while Luna slept. She was allowed to try to name the color of it. It reminded Twilight that Luna had allowed her Student to see her in this state. It showed the depth of Luna’s love more than even the ring had. It made Twilight feel special.
While Luna was confined to her bed, the two tried to make the most of their time together. They talked, laughed, and simply got to know each other better. Occasionally, the outside world would make itself known. Celestia would come by to give them updates on both the war and the court, which would spark a different type of conversation between the lovers. But, most of their time together was about learning about the other, and, for the first time since they met, the two could relax together and simply be.
And when they didn’t talk, they explored each other’s lips instead. Perhaps to some, they moved quickly, but for the long-deprived pair, their speed was a natural conclusion of their circumstances. No pony could tell them for how long they would be free from the prying eyes of the court, so they had to move when they had their chance. So much for courting. Then again, compared to the students froclicking in their dorms, the Queen and her Student were practically chaste. They mainly stuck to kissing, although more out of necessity than lack of desire; Luna still couldn’t participate in anything more rigorous than moderate petting.
Outside their little heaven, however, live continued. The war raged on; the different noble parties were in constant turmoil; rumors of Luna’s condition caused pockets of both panic and jubilation; families were given news of fallen soldiers; and the Lower Districts continued to barely scrape through their new wartime reality. But in that room, the couple was guarded from those harsh realities. Luna’s soft embraces protected her Student, and Twilight’s devotion carried her Queen through the worse of her condition. The walls around them kept them safe, sound, and free to simply be them, something neither of them had done in a very long time.
And Twilight was happy.
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I'm still wondering when that little detail about Twilights sword being silent from the last chapter or two is going to become important.
So the Gryphons have created some kind of cannon? Oh dear....
8059487
I am thinking it is a red herring now... Unless Twilight can go through her training and not notice any issues with said sword.
Also, the way this chapter ended? Shit is about to go down. This feels like the calm before the storm.
the ending of this chapter gives me the feel that something is about to go horribly, horribly wrong
still good, thanks for an update
8059487
8059965
There's a reason for it, just not much on her mind right now.
8063186
Eclipse is an interesting case. Interestingly, everyone is assuming it has something evil in intentions.
8065871
Such is life!
8068933
A sword is a weapon, meant to kill right? It is neither good nor evil. It just wants to do what it was made to do.
At least, that is my thought.
8090464
To be honest, I just really really love clothes.
8103940
Oh hey, comments! You know, I really appreciate comments, so seriously thanks for this! And that mystery is still not revealed so far! It's coming...
8104072
I have to be honest, I love just thinking of magic systems and toying around with that kind of stuff. I'm really happy that someone else appreciates the effort into that sort of thing and its super great that someone else can appreciate it ^^
8104341
Magic :D Plenty more magic coming up!
First off I used to be and still kind of am shy so like a 2 months ago you would not have seen any comments from me. D: I'm trying to get over that shyness. I feel I'm doing pretty good. :)
I love to read the many different ways different authors think magic works and the rules behind those systems. Trying to explain something that cannot be explained is a lot of fun to just theorize how it works and what all of the rules are for it. I haven't really done much thinking on how magic works.... Which is a shame because I may have some great idea's in my little head. That could be a story or idea or at least a start to one...
Yay more magic scenes like that one are coming up!
8106242
I definitely tone down the over-description as the story goes on. There was a ton of it early and I kind of realized this as I went. I hope it's better now!
8106430
Shh, don't spoil my totally secret ship! It's totally not obvious!
Haha, I just love the two together so much.
8107576
Glad you pointed out the bit about the plague. I should re-word that, and Shining should definitely have a few memories. The plague was running for years before isolation too, so it only makes that more viable.
8108480
Twilight certainly learns from that lesson. I do hope that you see some development in her as the story goes on, I think she's got a lot going on and is pretty flawed a lot of the time.
8108714
I've actually been writing it about you the entire time!
Kidding, kidding.
8116875
Honestly, I really should change the Celestia tag to an OC one. She's important but she comes in late and isn't very important until near the end. Sets up expectations that I haven't followed through.
Its interesting that everyone assumes Eclipse to be evil.
8117148
So the actual formal apprenticeship lasts about a year barring exceptional circumstances but Luna doesn't stop taking an active part in the Student's life after it ends. Mostly moves to an advisorial role instead. I phrased some of this early stuff poorly - I should go back and edit. Appreciate you pointing it out cause it'll remind me to fix it!
8117352
"That should be changed to the sword's new name also known as Vaunted."
This is actually intentional! Its part of a bit of a plan.
Griffins don't want the war - very unprepared. More to it than that, however!
Gonna have to remember to fix those typos when home ;.;
Uh, what about Charlemane? Wasn't she going to talk to him after Fleur? As far as we know she's only talked to 2 out of 3 of the major powers, but it seems like she HAS talked to him, since she is not trying to hunt him down like she did with Cadence and Fleur.
And Twilight should REALLY tell Cadence on what happened that night and why she has been avoiding them. It will only hurt her in the long run the longer she waits to tell her. As far as Cadence knows she just, switched sides on a war without telling anyone and betrayed the side she WAS fighting on. Really not a good imagine to have.
The day of, however, both Fleur and Twilight were surprise at the turnout.
*"surprise", should be changed to "surprised".
So the Griffions have a cannon then. Neat.
Man this Twilight has angry problems. Moody just like Luna. Their a perfect fit for each other. And they can be moody together.
Luna needed her to strong right now.
"Luna needed her to be strong right now."
Twilight could feel herself tear up. Luna love her.
"Luna loved her."
With a sigh, Luna’s hoof feel back to the bed.
*"Luna's hoof fell back to the bed."
Outside their little heaven, however, live continued.
"live", should be changed to "life"
And that was a moment of fluff, for the next chapter will be bring back the stress and the complicated life Twilight is in. Hopefully you have some more moments like the ending of this chapter planned???
Also ever thought of adding this to the Twiluna Group?
Sorry, this is the chapter where I'm going to have to bow out. I don't generally mind the Twilight/Luna ship, but Twilight's a little too young for my comfort here.
Aight I’m going to drop this here. This turned into a fluff story with clingy romance between a 1000 year old god and a teenager, not exactly what it looked like it would be.
I loved this story up until a few chapters ago, the romance was to sudden, and the theme kinda just switched.
Sorry.
10851959
Tbh it's canceled anyways so uhh there really wasn't much left to look forward to.