Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying

by l0x0r

Part 2e

Be careful when using /bin/rm. Always use the -rf flags.

---

Luna wasn’t really sure where she was flying to. Nor did she really care so long as it was away. Away from the troubles and fears that refused to leave her no matter how fast or high she flew. Though that didn’t stop her from trying to out-fly them, for a little while at least.

There were a few other ponies sharing the evening sky, but Luna gave them a wide berth, not feeling up to holding a conversation with somepony else and having to pretend that everything was alright, even for a moment. She sped through the night, quickly passing the environs of Ponyville, the carefully kept parks and gardens, until she’d entered the wilder, fallow fields and pastures that separated Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. Her over-exerted wings began to ache terribly, and as she neared the end of the pastures, she alighted on a small hill in the shadow of the dreaded forest. So close that the tall grass rolling away toward Ponyville was shorter and patchier, choked off by the wild growing plants nearby.

As the sun sank behind her, she gingerly sat down, modestly folding her wings back. The evening’s shadows lengthened, and Luna turned her face up to the waning moon. In the fading blue sky, trapped between two horizons, one vibrant red, the other dank blue, the dull moon seemed worn out and nearly transparent as the day’s twilight chased after the still brilliant sun. Luna could sympathize.

An errant breeze sighed out of the Everfree Forest and Luna closed her eyes in appreciation, imagining that it might be able to cool her heated emotions as it did her skin. However, her thoughts refused to settle from the disarray her dream had scattered them into. Though she couldn’t remember any specific detail from it, the swirl of emotions it had left in its wake caused her to feel even more fatigued than before she’d slept. As she tried to remember what had been so disquieting about her nightmare, brief flashes of directionless anger and jealously assailed her, but their intensity was smothered by an even heavier emotion dredged up by her subconscious, an overpowering fear that had suffocatingly wrapped itself around her.

It was an old and achingly familiar fear that she’d thought she’d banished time and time again, the fear of being alone, of being an outcast, of being unlovable.

With one eye on the waning moon and the other on the fading sun, Luna shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard hilltop. Of course she and Celestia were different from their subjects, and that created an unavoidable gulf between them, isolating the royal sisters. But while nopony else, other than Celestia, could know the loneliness of being an alicorn, Luna had almost always felt that there was a further, subtler difference between how she and Celestia were treated by their little ponies. For some reason, whether due to her more introspective nature, or simply because she was younger and thus constantly overshadowed by her elder sister, Luna had never been as popular as Celestia. In fact she’d never really been popular by anypony’s standards.

When Equestria had been much younger, Luna had believed that she’d come to terms with the fact that everypony preferred Celestia to her. She’d believed that while nopony ever expressed their thanks for the night sky, some ponies somewhere were sure to admire the moon and stars, if not the amount of effort she’d put into them. For many years she’d ushered in the night, and each evening her certainty that there were other ponies enjoying it lessened just a little, until one night her solitude and isolation had driven her to engage in … unsound methods.

Following Nightmare Moon’s imprisonment in the moon, Luna had again contended with loneliness. While she hadn’t been aware for most of her banishment, and the brief flashes she did remember were filtered through the murky eyes of Nightmare Moon, Luna could easily recall the bleak solitude, and the longing for the companionship of another pony. Of course Nightmare Moon had been focused on having somepony else to subjugate and bend to her will until they did nothing but compliment her and stroke her already grandiose ego, but still, even Nightmare Moon had felt the pangs of being the only living thing on the moon for a thousand years.

Both Luna and Nightmare Moon had thought their loneliness had been conquered upon their return to Equestria, when for the first time in a millennium they’d been able to see, speak to, and even touch other ponies. Following her second encounter with the elements of harmony, Luna had rejoiced in reuniting with her sister, and with the rest of Equestria as well.

However, all too soon the familiar loneliness that stalked Luna overtook her once again. Ponies no longer ignored her, but now they kept their distance out of fear for her power and uncertain temperament. Luna knew that their actions were justified, after all she hadn’t been the most emotionally stable of ponies in the past, so she certainly couldn’t fault them for being wary of her now. Even though her isolation was self-inflicted this time, Luna found that it was just as distasteful as it had been a thousand years earlier. But this time she was determined to earn her subjects’ forgiveness and with a penitent resignation she endured their fearful glances, the crossing of hallways to get out of her path, and the harsh silences that heralded her entrance into every room.

And then Twilight Sparkle had stumbled into her life, and everything had changed. It no longer mattered what the other ponies said or thought, only how Twilight felt about her. For the first time in centuries, Luna knew once more the overwhelming joy of no longer being alone. For the first time since she’d turned her back on Celestia, Luna had a friend, a real friend who genuinely cared about her.

She couldn’t help but smile as her thoughts turned toward her favorite unicorn. But as another, harsher wind ripped out of the nearby forest, Luna’s expression became pensive and her bright eyes became dull as her head bent under the weight of her guilty thoughts. Now she was afraid once more because she knew that her time with Twilight was nearly over. Already it was past time for her to tell the truth, that their relationship was predicated upon a lie. And then, she’d be alone again.

The sun finally sank below the edge of the world, and the red glow it left behind began to cool into tepid darkness. Luna was the princess of the night, and as the night settled once more over Equestria, she knew her time in the sun was destined to be short-lived, no matter how afraid she became, it was her duty, her obligation, to both Celestia and Twilight to go gently into that good night, to be alone.

She sighed and hung her head in defeat, closing her eyes wearily for a few minutes. The moon had been made a little brighter by the sun’s absence, but its pale light did little to dispel the gathering shadows. The vibrant daytime Equestria faded into a world of black and grey. In the distance the darkness was held at bay by the cheerful lights of Ponyville, and far beyond that, the twinkling lights of Canterlot outlined the steep side of the mountain it nestled against. The small hill that Luna sat upon had become merely another swell in the sea of shadows that rolled out of the plumbless depths of the Everfree Forest.

Most ponies, normal ponies at any rate, likely would be a bit apprehensive being alone on such a dark night, especially so close to where the wild things were. After all, ponies were originally prey for the many nocturnal predators known to prowl through the Everfree.

But Luna felt safe. In fact she welcomed the night and the darkness it brought, no matter where in Equestria she was when it fell. Often, during the few times she was awake during the day, Luna found the sun too bright, burning away the shadows that made the world comfortable. It was only in darkness that Luna had come to feel free. In the dark nopony could see her try to live up to her potential, and fail.

Luna’s ruminations were scattered as a disquieting feeling slithered down her spine. She was no longer alone.

The still and silent night hadn’t changed from a few moments ago, but instinctively Luna knew that somehow, somepony or something had penetrated the veil of darkness around her and was silently watching her, weighing her.

She suddenly felt quite exposed on the hilltop, the shadows that had comforted her only moments before now proved their insubstantial nature as they were easily pierced by an intensely focused gaze.

Slowly, surreptitiously, Luna opened her eyes and turned her head to and fro, scanning her surroundings. The darkness only slightly hindered her vision. Even with the wane glow of the moon and stars as the only illumination, Luna quickly assured herself that there was nopony in sight; both the fields and the sky were empty.

Beneath the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest though, the gloom had deepened to the point of featureless black. Even Luna’s excellent eyesight could barely penetrate the absolute darkness. But now that she was focusing her attention on it, she felt certain that the gaze which pierced through her was coming from the wild forest, and that it was decidedly unfriendly.

Luna’s skin crawled as the naked hostility and hatred of the unseen eyes washed over her, and her breath was loud in her ears as she tensed for a possible confrontation. She was Luna, Princess of Equestria, Ruler of the Night. No matter the threat, she was more than equal to it.

She called forth her magic, causing her horn to glow brightly, and turned a determined face to the forest. She warily stood, her muscles taunt and prepared for anything. The light given off by her horn was inadequate to penetrate the depths of the forest’s gloom, but Luna thought that she was able to see a patch of shapeless shadows shift against the darkness of the forest.

“Who’s there? Reveal yourself!” Luna called out commandingly. She waited a few heartbeats, but nopony stepped forward. Determined to not back down, Luna stepped toward the forest, and she thought that she saw the light from her magic reflect off something metallic. She channeled even more magic into her horn, increasing the light, and called out once again, “I am Princess Luna, identify yourself at once, or face the consequences!”

Just as she was on the cusp of releasing her magic in a blast powerful enough to destroy a large swath of the forest, eliminating whatever was causing the unpleasant sensation, a great swarm of chittering darkness leapt up into the sky a few hundred meters away. The cloud of bats, screeching and swirling around, grabbed Luna’s attention and broke her fierce concentration.

Caught by surprise, Luna stared dumbfounded at the swarm of bats while the feeling of being watched slipped away. Abruptly, Luna realized just how silly she was being, quite literally jumping at shadows. The shadows of the Everfree Forest where just that, shadows, nothing more. With a rueful and humorless attempt at a chuckle, Luna let her magic flow back out of her and calmed her pounding heart, certain that she’d cut quite a foalish figure shouting at nothing.

The bats continued to cry out and dive in circles over the part of the forest where they’d erupted into the air, and Luna frowned at the odd behavior. Years of nightly solitude had made her quite familiar with the creatures of the night and their habits, and normal bats did not continue to swoop and dive in one location for very long. Her curiosity piqued, she silently leapt into the night despite her still sore wings and quickly covered the distance to the bats, intent on finding out what horror they’d encountered to get them to behave so strangely.

As Luna drew closer, she found that the target of the bats’ ire was a pony huddling on the ground. Even in the dim moonlight, the pony’s yellow coat and pink mane were vibrant and easily stood out from the muted shadows. Finding one of her ponies in danger caused Luna’s adrenaline to surge, a fierce determination settling over her features as her wings shot her forward with a sharp snap.

In a burst of speed, Luna shot across the remaining distance in an instant and landed like a bolt of lightning. “Desist this attack at once!” Luna thundered. Her shout struck the cloud of bats like a physical blow. They wheeled about in confusion for a moment or two longer, but they all hastily found perches in the nearby trees. They eyed Luna with respect and fear from their upside-down perspectives, a few of the bolder or less intelligent ones darting from tree to tree in agitation.

Satisfied that the bats had been sufficiently cowed, Luna turned her attention to the pony who was still huddled on the ground, her legs, wings, and head tucked down close to her body, and her eyes squeezed tightly shut. The trees of the Everfree were only a few steps away and the darkness of the still young night had given them a sinister aspect, causing them to appear to loom over the cowering pony like great claws or teeth waiting to devour the helpless mare.

Without the screen of bats swirling around her, Luna could better make out the long pink mane and gracefully delicate features of Twilight’s timid friend, Fluttershy. Remembering the other pony’s reaction to her presence at the welcoming party, and not wanting to frighten her any further; Luna carefully approached “Fluttershy,” she quietly reassured the still shaking pony, “it’s all right. The bats have halted their attack, so there is nothing to be afraid of.”

Fluttershy cracked open an eye. Finding Luna looming over her, she let out a small squeak and slammed it shut again, so tightly that a few drops of moisture were squeezed out and rolled down her cheek. She somehow managed to tuck herself into an even tighter ball.

Concerned and a bit hurt by Fluttershy’s reaction, Luna backed up, giving the pegasus some space. Fluttershy continued to try and fold herself into a smaller ball until Luna heard a squeak of protest from under the hooves of the yellow pony. Fluttershy’s eyes shot open and she hastily sprang up from the ground, her wings fluttering rapidly like a hummingbird’s. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Bat,” she said apologetically to a furry shadow on the ground. “I hope I wasn’t hurting you.” The bat, still lying on the ground, let out a series of short squeaks and Fluttershy appeared relieved. “I’m glad that you’re okay. Now wait right there and I’ll fix your wing.”

Luna had been forgotten for the moment, and as she watched on, Fluttershy used her teeth to pluck out several strands of her hair and combined them with a few sticks from the ground to fashion a tiny splint for the injured bat. Luna marveled at Fluttershy’s oral adroitness as she delicately crafted the makeshift splint. The bat was still and silent for the most part as Fluttershy worked, but it let out an involuntarily pained screech when Fluttershy straightened out its wing to properly strap it to her impromptu creation. The mass of its batty brethren in the nearby trees began to chirp angrily and flutter their wings in preparation for takeoff, but they were silenced by another stern glare from Luna.

“There we go, all better,” Fluttershy cooed with a bright smile for the injured bat. She leaned down and gently picked it up with her mouth and turned to set it above her shoulder, where it happily snuggled into her mane, obviously pleased with its new perch. “We’ll get you home in no time at all and get you all rested up and feeling better.”

She smiled as the bat nodded in agreement, but her face fell as she looked up and noticed Luna again. She lowered her head and the long strands of her mane curled around her face, protecting her behind a curtain of hair. Her one visible eye turned to towards the ground and she slouched down, attempting to appear as small and non-threatening as possible.

Feeling the need to break the awkward ice between them, Luna ventured, “Fluttershy? You are unharmed, I hope.”

Timidly Fluttershy glanced up at Luna and just as quickly looked away. “Yes.” If the night hadn’t been so silent, Luna likely wouldn’t have been able to hear her reply.

“That’s good. That you’re unharmed,” Luna wasn’t comfortable with being the one to initiate small talk. She shifted her weight from hoof to hoof, unsure of what the appropriate social protocol was for this situation, and what would best put Fluttershy at ease. A few of the bats flew from one tree to the next, and Luna seized upon the convenient topic. “It’s unusual that bats would swarm you in such a manner, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy replied, slightly louder than before, her eye firmly planted on the ground as she lightly kicked her hoof back and forth, pretending it was the most interesting thing in the world, seemingly unwilling to be pulled into a conversation. Another long, awkward silence stretched out between them before Fluttershy mustered up the courage to explain, “I was gathering some mint when I found this poor little bat on the ground. Apparently he got distracted and flew into a tree. I was trying to help him, but the other bats must have thought I was attacking him. I tried to explain that I just wanted to help, but they wouldn’t listen … and well, thank you, Princess Luna.”

Luna raised a demurring hoof and waved away Fluttershy’s thanks as she replied, “It was nothing at all, and please, call me Luna.”

“Oh, um, a-alright, Luna.”

Another lengthy silence descended and Luna began to wonder if their conversation had come to a close and she’d simply missed the cue that it was time for her to walk away. The many luminous eyes staring back at them from the forest were beginning to become a bit unnerving, so she raised her voice and called out to the multitude of bats, “As you can see, your companion is being well treated. Fly free, knowing he is in the most capable of hooves.”

Twilight had mentioned Fluttershy’s affinity for animals, and Luna herself had seen how expertly the pegasus had dressed the injured bat’s wing, so she had no doubt that what she’d said was true. The bats were in turn convinced by Luna’s declaration and as they filled the night with screeches, they cart-wheeled up into the sky.

“Oh my, I didn’t know anypony else could talk to animals like I can,” Fluttershy commented, forgetting her fears for a moment as she watched the horde of bats wheeling out of sight, her upturned face fully exposed in the soft moonlight.

“My sister and I have a special connection with the lower order animals,” Luna explained, managing for a moment to catch the other pony’s moon-filled and limpid eyes. “Though admittedly she is more closely tied with the diurnal animals, while I more easily communicate with those that are nocturnal.”

“I-I see.” Fluttershy once more became a wilting flower, hiding behind her mane, and Luna was tired of forcing herself on somepony who obviously didn’t enjoy her company.

“Well, if you’re certain that you’re alright, Fluttershy, I shall leave you to enjoy the evening, though I would suggest being careful while being so close to the Everfree Forest at night.” Fluttershy didn’t respond, and Luna sighed deeply. She looked down at her hooves for a moment as if somehow they held the answer to an unasked question. Then she turned her head towards Ponyville and contemplated its lights and the ponies who made them.

Perhaps an echo of her confusion and sadness over the situation with Twilight made itself known on Luna’s face, and for the first time Fluttershy’s quiet voice broke the silence without being prompted. “Um, Princess, um, I mean, Luna, is … is everything okay?”

Luna attempted to banish the sorrow from her eyes as she turned back to Fluttershy with a shaky smile that she quickly gave up on. “Okay? Yes, everything is fine. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Fluttershy had come out of hiding and intently searched Luna’s face for something. Under such intensity, it was Luna’s turn to feel a bit shy and withdrawn. “Oh,” replied Fluttershy thoughtfully, as if she had just found out something new and interesting. She cut her eyes away in thought for a few moments, then seemed to come to a decision and stood up straighter. “Well, w-would you like to come to my house and have some tea?”

To say that Luna was surprised by Fluttershy’s offer would have been a vast understatement. It had been painfully obvious that until that moment, Fluttershy hadn’t enjoyed her company, and seemed nearly terrified of the princess’ presence. Luna’s wide eyes and shocked, questioning eyebrows caused Fluttershy to bow her head a bit once again and nervously add, “Um, that is, if you want to of course.”

Realizing that her opportunity to get the skittish pony to open up to her was quickly slipping by, Luna hastily answered, “Of course I want to. I’d love to have tea with you, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, good,” Fluttershy’s head shot back up and she graced Luna with a wide and honestly delighted smile. “Well then, my cottage is right this way.” Fluttershy began to gracefully walk away from the Everfree Forest, careful to not jostle the bat she was carrying, and Luna was quick to catch up with her.

Despite Fluttershy’s generous invitation and Luna’s ready acceptance, they spent the next few minutes in a tense silence, each pony retreating into her own thoughts. However, Fluttershy must have begun growing used to Luna’s presence, because she was the first to speak. “It’s, um, a nice night.”

Luna spared a glance upward to where the partial moon hung amongst the twinkling stars. “It is, thank you.” In reality though, the compliment was a bit generous. Luna had been preoccupied that evening and hadn’t expended any energy to make the night sky truly spectacular. Faced with her bland work, Luna sighed and concentrated on the ground, looking for safe places to put her hooves. They had passed into a pasture with taller grass, and they weren’t following a path, so every once in a while a gopher hole or some other depression lurched out of the darkness, threatening to twist an unwary pony’s hoof.

“Are … are you sure you're all right, Luna?” Fluttershy hesitantly asked again, following the princess’ deep sigh.

Luna turned her head to regard Fluttershy, braving a small smile that died a quick death. She was careful to keep her tone calm and pleasant. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Oh, I just thought that you seemed to have something on your mind, but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay,” Fluttershy kindly replied. Luna noticed that while avoiding obstacles on the ground, they’d begun to walk closer to one another.

Luna did have a lot on her mind, but she didn’t want to burden Fluttershy with her self-inflicted problems. She was silent as she thought of what best to say to put Fluttershy at ease without revealing her innermost thoughts.

Fluttershy silently watched Luna for a while as they walked, before she tilted her head back to look up at the stars. Conversationally, almost as if she were speaking to them and not to Luna, she said, “You know, when I was younger, I was much less outgoing.”

Luna’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she looked up to regard Fluttershy incredulously. It was difficult to imagine her even more reserved than she was now.

Luna’s surprise went unnoticed by Fluttershy as the pegasus continued to look up with resolute cheerfulness. “In fact, I hardly talked to anypony, so it was hard for me to make many friends. When something happened to make me feel sad, well, sadder than normal, or angry, or upset, I’d just keep my thoughts to myself, no matter how badly they hurt, and I’d tell myself that if I just waited long enough, the pain would go away. But sometimes … sometimes, it never did.”

Fluttershy’s mouth turned downward in remembrance, and her eyes became distant and misty for a little while. But she quickly collected herself with a small shake of her head and a friendly smile in Luna’s direction. “But when I started making friends, first with all the wonderful animals around Ponyville, and then with other ponies, I found out that just by talking about my feelings and the things that made me feel bad with others, I felt better. And usually, when I talk with my friends about my problems, they can help me see them from a different perspective and can help fix them since they’re so much smarter and more outgoing than me.”

Luna steps faltered for a few heartbeats from the shock she felt at the sincerity in Fluttershy’s voice as she nonchalantly put herself down. She hastily interrupted, leaning closer to the yellow pony to emphasize her point. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You seem like quite an intelligent and loving young pony.”

Fluttershy blushed under Luna’s praise and looked away as she bashfully replied, “Oh, thank you.” Her easy acceptance of Luna’s compliment convinced the princess that Fluttershy hadn’t really believed her. Likely she’d brushed aside Luna’s words as mere banal pleasantry. Luna wanted to say something meaningful, something to raise Fluttershy’s sense of self-worth, but before she found the right words, they crested a low hill and arrived at a large cottage surrounded by several enclosures housing a wide variety of slumbering animals.

In the darkness, the cottage seemed lonely and forlorn, especially with the distant lights of Ponyville as a backdrop. It struck Luna as odd that Fluttershy would choose to live so far from other ponies, and as a pegasus, would want to live so close to the ground. But she couldn’t think of a polite way to bring the subject up, and didn’t want to risk alienating her new friend.

“Here we are,” Fluttershy cheerfully but quietly announced, careful not to wake the sleeping animals as the two ponies made their way to a door nestled at the base of the cottage’s foliage. “Hmm, the house is still dark, Angel must still be out. I hope he gets home soon, it’s nearly his bed time.” She opened the door wide and boldly strode into the darkness beyond; dispelling it a few seconds later by lighting a lamp perched on a small table near the door.

Fluttershy moved deeper into the house, turning on lights as she went. However, Luna paused on the threshold, taking in the cottage’s rather cozy interior. The sitting room, which opened just off the entryway, was filled with an eclectic collection of quaint furniture and a wide variety of homes for small animals. From the many birdhouses along the ceiling and walls, to the holes in the baseboards for mice and other small terrestrial creatures, there were several eyes glowing in the light, blearily watching the two ponies entering the house.

A bit overwhelmed at first by just how crowded Fluttershy’s home was, Luna belatedly followed after her, closing the door and shutting out the night behind them.

“There we are, home safe and sound,” Fluttershy called out in a lilting, singsong voice as she carefully untangled the bat from her mane and set it down on a padded table. Over her shoulder she called out to Luna, “Feel free to make yourself at home, Luna. I just need to fix up Mr. Bat, and then I’ll get the tea ready. If that’s okay with you of course.”

“Oh yes, that will be fine, Fluttershy,” replied Luna as she distractedly drifted further into the house, pausing next to a well-used and comfortable sofa.

Fluttershy leaned down and gently nuzzled the injured bat. “Now you stay right there, Mr. Bat, and I’ll be right back with the things to make you feel all better.” It chirped happily as she trotted out of the room, but otherwise dutifully stayed still.

Luna made a slow circuit of the room, paying particular attention to the lower holes in the wall where one could expect a reptile to be lurking. However, no snakes or any other cold-blooded monstrosities appeared, and the few curious animals who did poke their heads out upon her arrival quickly deemed her a non-threat and retreated back into their nests and burrows. Her turn around the room complete, Luna settled down onto the well-worn sofa, and found that it was just as comfortable as it had appeared. It felt good to rest her hoofs and wings as she waited for her hostess to return.

Before too long, Fluttershy’s light steps could be heard, and she reentered the room with a large white case with a thick red cross emblazoned on the cover, hanging from her mouth. She set it down next to the bat, and hummed to herself as she opened it and began to take various bottles and rolls of gauze out. Not having anything more interesting to occupy her, Luna watched as Fluttershy gracefully worked, expertly removing her makeshift splint, then cleaning off the bat’s wound. With practiced ease, she wrapped a new, more substantial splint made of gauze and wide slats of wood around the bat’s wounded wing, after rubbing in a pungent ointment.

“All done,” Fluttershy joyfully announced as she bit off the last bit of gauze. She quickly packed her medical kit back up and nuzzled the bat once more. “Who’s my brave little bat?” The bat in question chirped excitedly and Fluttershy smiled widely as she happily replied, “That’s right, you are!” She gently picked the bat up and held it in her hoof; she then hovered across the room to where a series of perches were mounted into the wall. As she helped the bat cling to one of them, she admonished it, “Now try not to fly around for the next few days, or you’ll hurt your wing again, okay?” The bat squeaked happily in reply and Fluttershy smiled down at it before she flew to the nearest lamp and dimmed its light. “Would it be alright with you if we have tea in the kitchen, Luna?”

Luna answered Fluttershy’s question as softly as it had been asked. “That would be fine, Fluttershy. I wouldn’t want to disturb the rest of your animals.” Although she did feel a bit of reluctance as she left the sofa. Its cozying comfort had reminded her just how fatigued she was feeling, and it seemed almost as if every time she blinked, it was just a bit more difficult to open her eyes again. But she shook off her lassitude and followed Fluttershy through another doorway into a small and cozy kitchen.

“Just sit down right here, and I’ll get the tea ready,” Fluttershy said in the same tone of voice she’d been using with the bat earlier, as she gestured toward the seats surrounding the kitchen’s table. She quickly added in a much less confident tone, “I mean, if you want to that is.”

Luna quickly took a seat at the table and shot a reassuring smile at the pegasus. Fluttershy shakily returned the smile and turned her attention to the nearby stove. She soon had it lit, bringing a kettle of water to a boil. As the water was heating, she flittered around the kitchen, collecting various canister, cups, jars, and several delicate sandwiches that she placed on a tea service next to the stove. She’d just finished assembling everything when the kettle began to whistle.

With careful but deft movements, she picked up a pot holder with her mouth and filled the teapot with the boiling water from the kettle. It seemed to Luna that it would be painful to hold a heavy kettle at such an odd angle, craning her neck like that, but before she could offer her assistance, Fluttershy had replaced the kettle on the stove and had carried the tea service over to the table.

Fluttershy carefully picked up the saucer supporting one of the cups and placed it in front of herself, while Luna levitated the other cup toward her, plucking up a couple of sugar cubes from the small sugar dish nestled amongst the other tea things. She slowly stirred her cup, and watched as the dark tea swirled and the lumps of sugar melted away into the dim whirlpool.

Lost in thought, Luna was abruptly recalled to reality by Fluttershy quietly asking, “So, have you been having a good time in Ponyville so far?” Luna looked up, caught a bit off-guard. Under her bewildered stare, Fluttershy wilted a little, her half-raised wings drooped down, and she looked away. “Um, I mean, I know it’s not as big as Fillydelphia or Cloudsdale, and there’s not as much to do here, but um, I … I like it.” Her voice had steadily lowered as she spoke, until it had tapered out as a whisper, and it was her turn to stare into her teacup as if it held the answers to all of life’s questions.

Luna set her spoon down and replied, “Oh yes, I’ve enjoyed myself very much here. Perhaps it’s not the largest, or most lively of towns, but Ponyville has a unique charm to it.” Luna chuckled slightly and Fluttershy smiled timidly in shared amusement. Lost in thought, idly contemplating a nearby vase of purplish flowers, Luna wistfully continued, “Yes, Ponyville has an attraction I don’t think any other town could possibly offer.”

Fluttershy leaned forward and rested her hooves on the table as she asked, “Because this is where Nightmare Moon was defeated?”

“In part, I suppose you could say that,” Luna thoughtfully admitted as she too leaned forward and studied her hooves which she had placed on either side of her teacup. “But I was actually alluding to the fact that this is where my friends reside. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash… and you, I hope.”

“Me?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes going wide with surprise and her wings fluttering slightly in excitement. “You want me to be your friend?”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Luna’s face as she replied, “Well, yes. At least, if you think that I’m worthy of being your friend in turn. I know that I have done many reprehensible things in the past, and you’d be more than justified to hold them against me.” Her brow furrowed slightly as she somewhat bitterly added, “I know that other ponies do.”

“Oh no, I mean, yes! I mean, I’d never judge you for the things Nightmare Moon did, and I’d love to be your friend.” Fluttershy excitedly declared, leaning further over the table, nearly putting herself nose to nose with Luna. She hastily pulled back and in a calmer, more dejected tone, said, “That is, if you’re sure that it’s okay for somepony like you to be friends with somepony like me. I mean, you’re a princess, and I’m nopony special.”

Luna tilted her head in consideration of the pegasus across from her for a moment, weighing her words, before she replied, “But you are somepony special, Fluttershy. You’re one of the ponies who I’d be more than honored to call a friend. One who helped me overcome what I was and become somepony better. I can’t ever thank you enough for that, and I … well,” Luna’s face clouded as she thought of the many ponies she’d met after her release from Nightmare Moon. ”You and the other ponies of Ponyville have been the kindest and most understanding of ponies I’ve met with. You don’t treat me as some sort of monster or a threat to be locked away.” Luna’s eyes hardened as she looked into the past, at all the other ponies who hadn’t been so kind.

Across the table it seemed as if Fluttershy couldn’t decide between being concerned, anxious, or happy, but she reached her hoof across the table and took one of Luna’s in hers. “Luna, I’d love to be your friend,” she said in flustered happiness, her voice louder and more confident than Luna had ever heard it before.

A bit surprised by the contact, Luna looked down at the hoof holding hers, then up at its owner. In Fluttershy’s warm smile and unguarded eyes she found only acceptance and caring. It surprised her, how hard, and yet how easy, it was to make a new friend. Had it always been this way? Could she have perhaps reached out her hoof all those years ago and found somepony else reaching back for her? Would she have always been fated to be so lonely?

As the warmth from Fluttershy’s acceptance of her friendship mingled with the chill of her dark past, Luna’s eyes misted with the unshed tears of chances long lost and mistakes long beyond repair. Slowly she pulled her hooves from Fluttershy’s, and politely cleared her throat as she turned her attention back down to her teacup. “Thank you,” she whispered down at the table. The next few minutes were filled with a companionable silence broken as both ponies turned their thoughts inward, sipping at their tea and sampling the simple sandwiches Fluttershy had laid out.

Luna found herself relaxing in the comfortable company of a pony who seemed to appreciate quietness, and didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with inane chatter. She was reluctant to break the pleasant atmosphere, but at the same time she wanted to know her new friend better.

She took a final sip of tea before setting down her cup and observing, “So, Fluttershy, you seem to enjoy taking care of animals very much.” She gestured with a hoof toward a nearby set of birdhouses built into the wall.

Fluttershy looked up from her own cup and glanced over at the birdhouses with a smile. “Oh yes, I just love all of my animal friends. They’re just so cute and friendly; they just need somepony to look after them sometimes.”

“I would have thought that a pegasus pony wouldn’t be all that interested in the more terrestrial animals. Most of the pegasi I’ve met have little concern for what goes on at ground level,” Luna said with a small, surprised shake of her head.

“I guess I’m not a very good pegasus,” Fluttershy cheerfully admitted as she sat up straighter. “Ever since my first visit to the ground, when I met all the wonderful creatures down here, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them right away. Back in Cloudsdale there were only clouds and other ponies. But here in Ponyville, there are so many animals to see and to meet. Almost every day I find a new animal friend, and they’re almost as good as my pony friends, but I usually don’t have to worry about whether they like me or not, like I do with other ponies.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows rose in surprise at what she’d let slip and she paused to take another delicate sip of her tea, her eyes probing Luna’s for a reaction. Luna was intrigued by just how much the normally reticent pony had to say, and silently implored her to continue with a gaze over the rim of her teacup.

Fluttershy blushed and cleared her throat. “Anyway, I like it a lot here in Ponyville. Back in Cloudsdale I was just another pegasus, and I didn’t have many friends because I wasn’t that great a flier. But here, I have so many friends, both pony and animal, and they rely on me for things, at least the animals do, and it feels nice to help others and to be needed.”

“If Twilight’s letters are any indication, I’m sure your pony friends depend on you just as much.”

“Oh, that’s kind of you to say,” Fluttershy had a strange smile that pulled at Luna’s heart, but the mood of the room had chilled and she could sense that they had entered into an area of conversation that Fluttershy wasn’t comfortable with, so she moved to a safer topic.

“You must encounter all manner of strange creatures by living so close to the Everfree Forest.”

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy eagerly said, her face brightening, and the mood in the room lightening as a result. “There are all sorts of animals who live around Ponyville and in the Everfree Forest. Although most of the larger predators usually stay far away from town, so we don’t see them too often. Though I have had to give a stern talking to some of them, a few grumpy lions, and tigers, and bears.”

“Oh my.” Luna was quite impressed by Fluttershy’s off-hoofed comment. Despite her reluctance to speak up for herself in front of other ponies, she seemed to possess a strength and courage that few could claim. It wasn’t everypony who could casually mention that they’d stood up to a wide variety of carnivores, all much larger than the petite pony.

Fluttershy seemed unaware of her own feats as she nonchalantly continued, “But even with all the wild animals in the Everfree Forest, there are some species in Equestria that I’ve only heard about. Animals from far away places I’ve never been, and ones that are so rare, only a few ponies have ever seen them. I’d love to meet an alicanto or a bennu, I’ve heard all about them, but there’re so few that I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to see one.”

After a moment of thought, Luna helpfully suggested, “Have you tried the Canterlot Zoo? From what I’ve heard they pride themselves on having a wide range of Equestrian fauna.”

Fluttershy’s face fell and her voice was subdued as she replied, “The zoo’s … nice. But it’s just not the same. I’d like to meet them face to face, not just watch them from behind a fence. Besides, I can’t help but feel sorry for the poor animals there, I can’t imagine that they could be happy being stuck in the same little pen day after day.”

Not wanting to see her new friend upset, Luna quickly suggested, “Then how about the Royal Gardens? I don’t believe that our collection is as extensive as the zoo’s, but from what Celestia has told me, she’s gathered a wide range of animals and plants representing all of Equestria.”

Instead of perking up at the suggestion, Fluttershy actually seemed to duck down lower in her seat. “A-actually, I uh, I’ve been there already. But the animals there didn’t seem to like me too much.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. At the last Grand Galloping Gala, I visited the Royal Gardens to meet the animals there, but I got a little frustrated and only managed to scare them away.”Fluttershy shamefully admitted. ”I was expecting them to love me right away, like my animals here in Ponyville do, but I forgot that it takes time to get to know one another and become friends.”

Fluttershy’s heartwarming admission prompted Luna to offer, “Well, if it’s only time that you need in order to befriend the animals in the Royal Gardens, feel free to come to Canterlot as often as you’d like to visit them.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked with cautious hope.

Luna thought over her offer for a moment. Truthfully the gardens were Celestia’s, not hers, but she saw no reason why her sister wouldn’t allow such a nice pony to visit them. And she couldn’t let herself disappoint the hopeful pony across from her. If Celestia did have any reservations, then Luna would just have to have a firm conversation with her.

“Of course, Fluttershy, you’re my friend, and as such you’re welcome to the Canterlot Palace as my guest whenever you care to visit. That way you’ll have all the opportunities you could wish for to become better acquainted with the palace’s animals. And if anypony takes exception to that, then I promise you, they’ll answer to me.”

“Oh, thank you!” Fluttershy cried out exuberantly as she darted around the table to warmly embrace Luna. Her soft legs gently but tightly wrapped around Luna’s neck, causing the princess to blush in embarrassment for a moment before she relaxed enough to tentatively reach up and wrap her own legs around Fluttershy, careful to not accidentally crush the pegasus’ wings.

She relaxed her neck and laid her head down on Fluttershy’s mane, breathing in her rather herbal scent.

After a few moments, Fluttershy pulled away and held Luna at leg’s length calming down from her momentary euphoria. “That would be wonderful, thank you, Luna.” Once more her bashful self, Fluttershy fluttered over to the seat next to Luna’s.

Her face still flushed from being so close to Fluttershy, Luna’s thoughts turned to the other pony she’d been so intimate with lately. A bit tremulously, Luna observed, “Fluttershy, you seem like a pony who knows about friendhip.”

Fluttershy smiled demurely and replied, “Who me? Oh no, I’ve only had friends for a little while. I’m still learning about what friendship really means.”

“I think the same could be said for us all,” Luna sighed. She turned an inquisitive glance toward the pegasus. “But, nonetheless, I’d like your opinion on a certain ... relationship.”

Fluttershy’s smile fell a little as she realized how serious Luna had become. “Well, if you think I could help…”

Luna studied the table for a moment, trying to best formulate her thoughts in order to not betray that it was her relationship that she was concerned about. “Hypothetically speaking, let us say that there are two friends, and they enjoy each other’s company a great deal. But one of the friends has a secret that she’s been keeping from the other. A secret that she knows she should tell, and one she knows will hurt her friend to hear. Now the friend with the secret wants desperately to tell the other pony because she knows the longer the secret is kept, the more it will hurt both her and her friend when the truth is revealed.” Luna grimaced as she studied her hooves, knowing if she looked up her eyes would betray her feelings. “But she’s scared that the secret’s gone untold for too long already and when she reveals the truth to her friend, her friend will be so hurt that she won’t want to be friends any longer. So, what do you think the friend with the secret should do? Hypothetically speaking of course.”

She hunched over the table, staring down into the tepid remnants of her tea, afraid to read Fluttershy’s expression during the long silence that stretched out after she ceased talking, while Fluttershy thought over the problem.

Eventually though, Fluttershy’s soft voice filled the quiet kitchen. “Well, it seems to me that this ‘friend’ has already made up their mind to tell the secret, right?” Luna nodded weakly. “Then she should tell her friend as soon as possible. Even if the truth will hurt for a little while, it will hurt worse later on.” She reached over and put a comforting hoof on Luna’s shoulder, causing the princess to look up into Fluttershy’s warm and comforting face. “Besides, if they’re really friends, and they’re both good ponies, then I know they can work through whatever this secret is. Friends always forgive each other, eventually.”

“Do you really think so?” Luna beseechingly asked.

There was a twinkle in Fluttershy’s eye as she confidently replied, “Yes. Hypothetically speaking of course.”

Luna chuckled lightly at Fluttershy’s joke, feeling relieved by her words. With a renewed resolve, she silently promised herself and Twilight to reveal the truth as soon as possible.

Their peace was brought to an end by a loud crash that reverberated through the house, causing Luna to jump and pull away from Fluttershy. The pegasus was much calmer than Luna, and merely smiled sweetly, saying, “Oh, Angel’s home.”

She swooped over to the door leading back to the parlor, and Luna reluctantly followed after her hostess, her heart still racing from the unexpected interruption, but unwilling to let the gentle Fluttershy face an unknown danger alone.

However, instead of the huge, hulking creature she imagined would have created such a loud commotion, Luna found a small white rabbit walking through the front door which had been thrown wide open, escorted by Spike.

“… So then I say, ‘Topaz, are you crazy?’” The rabbit seemed to be absently nodding at whatever Spike was saying, but upon seeing Luna, he came to an abrupt stop. He ran his eyes appraisingly over the princess, and then cocked an eyebrow at Fluttershy before questioning looking back at Luna once more.

“Welcome home, Angel,” Fluttershy greeted him warmly, flying over and gently cradling him in her forelegs. She flew back over to Luna and introduced them. “Luna, this is Angel, my pet bunny. Angel, this is Luna, my new friend.”

Supposing that Fluttershy cared for this rabbit as much as Celestia cared for her phoenix, Luna took the introduction seriously and stated, “Hello, Angel, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

The rabbit looked at her for a few long seconds, clearly unimpressed, then squirmed out of Fluttershy’s grasp and hopped away. He paused only long enough to snap in Fluttershy’s direction and jerk his head toward the kitchen before disappearing through the doorway.

“I’m sorry, Luna, Angel gets a little upset when he’s hungry. I’ll just go get his dinner ready and I’ll be right back.”

“That’s quite alright,” Luna replied though it did feel strange to be so easily brushed off by such a small creature. As Fluttershy darted back into the kitchen, Luna tried to forget the rabbit’s slight, and turned her attention to the small dragon that had paused to wipe his feet on the mat in front of the door. “But what are you doing here, Spike? It’s starting to get late. Shouldn’t you be back at the library with Twilight?”

“She kicked me out,” he grumbled. “Hey, Fluttershy, is it okay if I spend the night with you again?” he called into the other room.

Fluttershy floated into the doorway and replied, “Of course it is, Spike. I’ll go get the guest basket ready.” She gracefully swooped up the nearby stairs, and the soft click of a door latch being opened echoed back down to them.

Luna’s eyebrows raised in surprise at Spike’s news. “She kicked you out?”

“Yeah, it’s happened a couple of times before, when she gets real moody and upset and ‘wants to be alone,’” Spike nonchalantly replied, doing air-quotes with his claws. “She doesn’t really kick me out; I just usually try to find someplace else to sleep for a day or two. Have you ever been around a moping unicorn? It’s kind of a pain.”

The thought of Twilight moping, of being upset in anyway, caused a small, dull ache in Luna’s chest. A pain which promptly led to thoughts of why Twilight would be upset, why she should feel sad, and how Twilight’s current condition was her fault. “I-I think I’d better go check on Twilight then if she’s feeling so upset,” Luna announced to the room in general, no longer really seeing Spike, her thoughts too full of Twilight to be concerned with the present.

“Hey, it’s your funeral,” Spike helpfully chimed in. "If you give her a day or two to brood, she'll probably get over whatever it is she's upset about."

Fluttershy descended the stairs and informed Spike, “Your basket’s all set up, Spike.”

Luna quickly turned to Fluttershy and hastily said, “I thank you for your hospitality, Fluttershy. Your tea was most excellent. However I feel that I must leave, there are a great many things I must discuss with Twilight.”

Fluttershy looked down at Luna from her vantage still on the stairs, and warmly said, “I think that’s a good idea, Luna. And I hope that you – I mean, your friend and her friend, work everything out.”

Luna leveled a calculating gaze at Fluttershy for a moment. She could swear that the yellow pegasus knew that the situation she’d outlined earlier wasn’t hypothetical at all. Could she have figured out that Luna had actually been speaking about her and Twilight, not some other imaginary ponies? She’d used a similar gambit many times with Celestia and her clever sister had never seen through it, or so she’d thought. But Luna put aside her dawning realization; there were more important matters at hoof.

“Thank you, so do I.” she quickly brushed past Spike and strode through the front door. Almost before she had cleared the threshold, she’d taken flight, silently beating her wings against the cooling night air, the lights of Ponyville reflecting in her eyes.

The night was still young and most of the buildings in Ponyville blazed with light. There were even several ponies out walking the streets, but Luna paid them no mind as she swiftly flew through the town and landed in front of the darkened library. She paused in front of its door and took a steadying breath. Whatever the next few minutes held for her, she knew that her life would never be the same.

A cloud of butterflies seemed to be bumbling around in her stomach, and for the briefest of moments, she flirted with the idea of leaving things as they were. Would it really be all that terrible of her to keep the truth hidden? But looking up at the unusually dark library windows, and recalling Spike’s words about Twilight’s sadness, allowed Luna to screw her courage to the sticking place and banish all unnecessary thoughts, worries, and concerns from her mind, allowing her to focus on Twilight, and the truth she deserved.

Her pre-battle jitters under control, Luna stood straight and tall. She confidently opened the library’s door, or at least she tried to. It was locked, possibly dead-bolted too. This unforeseen difficulty hadn’t been part of her plan. In her mind’s eye, she had seen herself confidently throwing the door open, striding into the library, announcing the truth to Twilight, and then donning a metaphorical blindfold in preparation for whatever punishment Twilight meted out for Luna’s transgression. She wasn’t sure what she could do to make it up to Twilight, but she was prepared to perform any task, any penance that Twilight demanded.

Thankfully for the current dilemma of getting past the door, while Celestia’s magical talents tended toward the extravagant and flashy, Luna’s were more subtle and subdued. Instead of forcing the door open as undoubtedly Celestia would have, Luna sent a tiny tendril of starry magic through the keyhole, pushing the tumblers out of the way, and continuing through to unbolt the deadbolt. And unfasten the door’s chain. And pull up the hoof bolt. Whatever Twilight was feeling, she had apparently wished to be uninterrupted.

Silently Luna eased the door open and slipped through into the solid darkness beyond. She just as quietly closed the door behind her and stood still for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkened room, illuminated only by the faint glow coming from the windows. Twilight wasn’t in the library proper, but as she waited for her eyes to adjust, Luna’s ears picked up a faint sound coming from the direction of Twilight’s bedroom. It sounded like the skid of a hoof or a hastily sucked in breath. On silent wings Luna few up the stairs.

Unlike the heavily secured front door, the door to Twilight’s room was cracked open and a dim purplish light shone through the gap. Noiselessly Luna nudged the door open a bit further, and after taking in the sight beyond, felt unbidden tears spring to her eyes.

Twilight was sitting on the floor in the middle of the lower half of her room. A single candle was trying its best to illuminate her surroundings, but its light was overpowered by the purplish glow of Twilight’s magic. She was sitting only partially facing away from the door and under normal circumstances she would have easily caught Luna’s nudging it open in her peripheral vision. But though Luna could trace the sorrowful contours of Twilight’s face and the track of each of her tears, Twilight was heedless of Luna’s presence; far too engrossed in the dozens of unrolled scrolls she had fanned out before her, held aloft by her magic.

Even from the door it was possible to make out the opening sentences of many of the letters, written in a slightly larger hoof than the rest of the tiny but elegant writing. A hoofwriting that was as familiar as Luna’s own. “To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle; To my beloved student, Twilight; To my most cherished student …” They were all from Celestia, and judging by the disarray the room was in, as if Twilight had ransacked it in search of them, as well as by the sheer number she had spread out before her, it was quite possible it was every piece of correspondence her sister had ever sent Twilight. And here Twilight was, sitting in the dark, crying over them like a love struck filly.

As Luna watched, a tear rolled off Twilight’s cheek and fell onto the letter she was reading, soaking into the paper, blotching the ink, and Luna felt as if a monumental weight settled down onto her heart. As if somehow the entire moon had been squeezed into her chest and was crushing the air out of her lungs.

Before the next tear could fall, Luna rushed into the room and tightly wrapped Twilight in her hooves, folding her wings around them, to offer her friend some semblance of safety and protection.

“Shhh, it’s alright, Twilight, it’s alright,” Luna murmured comforting nothings as she nuzzled Twilight’s mane.

“Luna, you came back?” Twilight was hastily trying to rub the tears from her eyes, hide her letters, and awkwardly return Luna’s surprise hug, all at the same time. Predictably she wasn’t able to do any of them very well.

“Of course I came back, why wouldn’t I?” Luna whispered into Twilight’s ear.

Twilight’s voice was thick with tears and Luna couldn’t help but wonder how she could still look so adorable even with her nose leaking slightly. “Well, Princess Celestia got tired of me, and then you … well, I – I thought …”

Luna shushed her again and gently said “Don’t worry, Twilight, I’ll always be by your side. As long as you want me there.” Luna could tell that Twilight was still discombobulated by her abrupt appearance, but the mention of her sister’s name had been enough to cut through the instinctive protectiveness that had obliterated all her other thoughts. In its place a now familiar dread began to settle.

Slowly, and with reluctance, Luna separated herself from Twilight. She tilted her head down and stared into Twilight’s luminescent eyes. “Twilight, you still care deeply for Celestia, don’t you?” Twilight tried to sputter a reply, but Luna held up a forewarning hoof and with a significant glance at the scattered letters sadly continued, “You don’t have to answer. I – I know.” She could feel her throat tighten and her voice rose a little in pitch as she searched for the right words. “Twilight, I know how it feels to love someone who never seems to have enough time for you, but just because they have many claims on their attention, I think … I think ...” Luna sighed, knowing what she had to say, but unsure of just how to get there. “Well, I think too much sometimes to be honest. And I … Twilight…” This was harder than she had thought it was going to be, but as she gazed into Twilight’s steadfast but tearstained eyes, Luna knew she couldn’t ever let Twilight feel bad enough to cry again. So she took a calming breath and said, “Twilight, Celestia loves you very much. She always has, and always will, no matter what. I think the best thing for you to do is to write her a letter and tell her everything. Explain to her your fears, your hopes, and most importantly your feelings. Tell her about your last visit to Canterlot and what you saw there. Tell her about how you feel about being replaced, and how you feel for her. Hold nothing back. Tell her the complete and absolute truth, no matter how silly or unimportant or painful you think it is. Just tell her … tell her everything.”

“But Luna, are you sure? I mean you said –“

Luna cut her off angrily, angry at herself, not Twilight, never Twilight. “I know what I said, and at the time I thought I was right. I thought I was giving you sage advice, but I wasn’t.” Luna sighed deeply and closed her eyes, afraid to even look at her friend any longer. “Just, please, Twilight, write Celestia and tell her everything you’ve told me, and everything you haven’t as well.”

Twilight stared intently into Luna’s eyes, and seemed to find something there. She was much more composed when she simply said, “All right.”

Luna smiled a broken and desolate smile, and pulled further away from Twilight, giving the mostly recomposed unicorn the space she needed to collect her thoughts and prepare her most important letter to Celestia. Feeling she was now only in the way, Luna continued to back away, until she reached the door leading to Twilight’s balcony. With a final look at the now completely occupied Twilight, who was going about straightening papers, lighting candles, and gathering quills, Luna walked through it and back out into the lonely night. With cold resolve she turned her back to the now well-lit glass doors and tried to take what cold comfort she could from the impossibly distant stars.

Twilight would know everything soon, but she’d had enough unmitigated sadness for one night. Enough, in Luna’s opinion, for the rest of her life. She deserved at least a moment of happiness that Celestia’s reply would doubtlessly bring her, untempered for at least one precious instant by the news of Luna’s betrayal. And perhaps the sting of Luna’s actions wouldn’t be as hurtful once Twilight was buoyed by Celestia’s reavowal of her feelings for her student.

The lights of Ponyville began to fade, one by one, and the stars overhead began to twinkle, waver, and blur from the unshed tears welling up in Luna’s eyes. How could she have been so heartless, so cruel? How had she been able to sleep at night knowing that her friendship with Twilight was a lie? Luna snorted in self-derision. She had been able to sleep so easily because she’d been wrapped in Twilight’s hooves, and somehow she’d been able to delude herself that she could supplant Celestia’s place in Twilight’s life. As if a lifelong relationship such as theirs was easily cast aside when somepony new came along.

Luna bowed her head and felt her tears begin to trickle down the length of her nose. Truthfully, she hadn’t known the depth of Twilight’s feelings for Celestia until just a few short minutes ago. Could she possibly be excused for her ignorance? Was it all right to be happy so long as her eyes were closed to the suffering of her sister and her friend?

The image of a bent and defeated Twilight mournfully poring over the remembrances of her favored instructor easily came back to Luna’s mind. Indeed, it was hard to be rid of it; the painful sight had been indelibly seared into her thoughts. Luna deserved no excuses, anypony who could bring a mare as wonderful as Twilight to such a miserable state was unquestionably guilty.

As her tears for what was, and for what could have been flowed more freely, they coursed down her face and fell to the balcony floor, disappearing into the night’s darkness. If there was one tiny thing to be grateful for, it was that her heart hadn’t been broken under the sun’s watchful rays. The shadowy night seemed made for hiding the tears of the lost and the lonely. Sorrow, especially the bittersweet pain Luna was feeling, was a private and personal experience. Under the harsh glare of the sun everything a pony said or did was shared with the world, but under the comforting and obscuring blanket of night, when a pony was alone with their thoughts, misery could be best experienced alone. After all, when you laughed, the world laughed with you, and when you wept, you wept alone.

The door behind her clicked open and a few hesitant hoofsteps ventured out onto the balcony.

“Luna,” Twilight called out to her with uncertainty, “I wrote the letter, but Spike’s not here, so there’s no way to send it.”

With a tiny brush of magic Luna dried her eyes and composed her face, then turned to Twilight with a painted on smile. “You’re finished already? Wasn’t that rather quick, Twilight?”

Even with almost the only source of light spilling from the doorway behind her, throwing her face into shadow, it was easy for Luna to see Twilight’s demure blush as she embarrassedly replied, “Well, I guess I had a lot to say, and when I began to write, I just kept writing and writing as fast as my quill could go.”

“I see. Well, don’t worry, my sister and I have a special connection to one another which allows us to send objects back and forth. I’d be more than happy to send your letter to her.”

Twilight turned her head and floated a rather thick packet of papers out of her room, and Luna cocked an eyebrow at just how much Twilight had written in such a short amount of time. “You have been busy it seems.”

Twilight blushed again and ducked her head a bit. “Well, you told me to write what I felt, and when I started to write about that, I just couldn’t stop until I’d written everything.”

“I … know how that feels,” Luna quietly admitted. For a moment she simply contemplated the massive letter, still being held up by Twilight’s magic. A mocking laughter reverberated through her mind as she realized that in the end, she would be the instrument that would help bring Celestia and Twilight back together after all. It would have hurt so much less if she’d simply done it a few days earlier. Almost angrily, she sent out a wave of magic, vaporizing the papers into a thick cloud of smoke that churned for a moment before it slinked off the side of the balcony, moving toward Canterlot. Brusquely Luna turned around, away from Twilight, ostensibly to watch the message’s progress.

“So,” Twilight’s voice was taut with concern poorly hidden beneath forced cheerfulness. “Do you really think this is a good idea, Luna? I mean, I know that Princess Celestia’s a busy pony and I’d hate to interrupt her with the petty problems of a single pony.”

Was this a good idea? From the perspective of Luna’s personal happiness, no it wasn’t. But this wasn’t about Luna, it was about Twilight. Refusing to look back at the other pony, Luna quietly but earnestly said, “Celestia will always have time for her ponies, especially you, Twilight. Don’t be so quick to discard your feelings, or your pain, as meaningless. After a time, the affairs of state and the insipid personalities that drive them become boorish. But when it comes to our friends, to the ones we love and care for, their thoughts and feelings take on an importance beyond measure.”

“But still, what if it’s like you said?” Twilight could no longer hide the anxiety from her voice as she walked around Luna to catch her eyes. “What if Princess Celestia’s been pushing me away because she thinks I’m capable of being on my own? What if this is a test to prove that I’m good enough to be her student? What if I just failed by telling her how much I missed her and how I’m jealous of her new student, and how sometimes I wish she’d never sent me to Ponyville and it was still just the two of us?”

Luna was surprised by just how much it hurt to hear Twilight admitting her preference for her older sister. It felt as if some malevolent creature had reached into her chest and mercilessly squeezed down on what it had found there.

Twilight must have noticed something in Luna’s silence and quickly added, “Though I only felt that way when I first came here, before I got to know my friends as well as I have. I mean it would be great to live in Canterlot with you and Princess Celestia and study magic every day, but I don’t think that I could leave my friends behind.” Her voice rose a few octaves and regained its anxious tone. “But that’s not the issue here. What if I’ve failed, what if I’ve disappointed Princess Celestia by admitting that I’m not as strong or as independent as she thinks I should be?”

Luna sadly watched Twilight as she began to burn off her nervous energy by pacing back and forth across the balcony as she spoke. Had anypony ever been so concerned with Luna’s thoughts or acceptance? Celestia was lucky to have such a devoted student.

“Twilight,” she continued to pace and Luna sighed before raising her voice enough to intrude upon Twilight’s thoughts. “Twilight, you aren’t in school anymore. There aren’t any more tests, other than the ones we set for ourselves. The letter you sent Celestia wasn’t an admission of failure, and Celestia won’t think any less of you for sending it. If anything, she would have been disappointed if you hadn’t sent it. Feelings are something nopony should be ashamed of, only of hiding them.” Luna noticed that Twilight had stopped pacing and was avidly hanging onto her words with a naked hopefulness. Luna cut her eyes away, uncomfortable with the role of Twilight’s trusted advisor. “Just remember, you’re a grown pony now, just like the rest of us. The fears and doubts you have are the ones we all share. We all think and feel, love and hate, but none of us know everything with absolute certainty, and all of us are fallible. So we must rely upon the kindness, the understanding, and the strength of others.” Especially me, she silently added.

Twilight considered her word for a little while, but further conversation was prevented by the appearance of a tiny but impossibly bright dot of light that flamed into existence in front of Luna. It rapidly grew larger and larger until it exploded in a blinding flash accompanied by a deceptively quiet popping sound. In the space it had occupied, there was a bound scroll still shedding a bit of sundust. Before it could fall to the ground, it was snatched up by Twilight’s magic. She stared at it fearfully, but her momentary pause was more than made up for by how quickly she broke the seal and unrolled the scroll, holding it up to read.

Luna could tell it was significantly shorter than the letter Twilight had sent to Celestia, but it was longer than the majority of Celestia’s correspondence. She watched Twilight’s face as she quickly read the letter, and could feel an oppressive weight settling on her as Twilight transitioned from anxious fear, to astonished hope, to disbelieving joy, and finally to tearful happiness as she reached the final line.

“Good news, I hope?” Luna asked in a voice scarcely more than a whisper. Any louder and she wouldn’t trust her voice to not betray her pain at having Celestia not only win once again, but at something so precious.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Twilight gleefully exclaimed as she hopped around Luna with unbridled excitement. “This is the best news ever!” She calmed herself and stayed still long enough to once more read the letter, her face so close to it that Luna was certain that her nose would be stained by the ink.

“Listen to this, Luna, ’My dearest and most beloved student, Twilight Sparkle,’ You were right, Luna, she does still care! ‘I’ve just read your letter, and I must admit that it has left me with a sense of relief that I’ve not felt in some time. To be honest, I had believed that it was you who was pulling away from our relationship, Twilight. That you had simply outgrown your boring old teacher. But I’m glad, so very glad, that I was wrong. Know this Twilight, no matter what happens or how much time passes; you will always be somepony special to me.’”

Twilight gave out a high pitched squeal and her dancing eyes turned toward Luna long enough for her to ask, “Isn’t that great, Luna? We were wrong about Princess Celestia, she wasn’t trying to push me away or give me space.”

“That’s … wonderful.”

Luna’s less than enthused tone was lost on Twilight as she quickly turned back to the letter and pointed out, “And here she says that Bay Breeze isn’t her new apprentice, merely a student at her school, and down here she explains how she was distant because of the tough negotiations between the griffons and the dragons. Oh, this is so wonderful, Luna, everything is alright again, Princess Celestia still loves me!”

Suffused with happiness, true unadulterated happiness, Twilight was radiant. Her eyes danced and glowed with an inner fire, a spark of life that only now in its presence, could Luna appreciate its absence for the past few weeks. It was like seeing a favorite painting in a new light and realizing you’d never truly seen its beauty before. The soft light emanating from the bedroom seemed to grow brighter as it haloed Twilight, perfectly accentuating her joyous smile and soft curves.

Luna tore her gaze away and mournfully stared into the depthless shadows of the night. With a whisper, unable to trust her voice to remain firm under the monumental weight she felt pressing down on her, Luna asked, “Twilight, could you forgive me if I did something horrible?”

For a moment Luna thought that Twilight hadn’t heard her softly spoken words, but she didn’t dare to face her friend to see.

“Haven’t we already gone over that?” Twilight asked with slight exasperation blunted by the cheerfulness she couldn’t seem to contain. “Everypony’s already forgiven you for becoming Nightmare Moon. That’s all in the past, and I think it’s time that you moved on, Luna.”

An involuntary bark of laughter escaped Luna, as harsh as it was brief. Nightmare Moon and her promise of eternal night had been swept from her mind. For some reason, her attempt to overthrow her sister and doom all of Equestria to never ending darkness paled in importance to her having lied to a single pony, and how that pony would feel once she learned the truth.

Still peering into the darkness, Luna replied in a defeated, yet somewhat conversational tone, “I wasn’t referring to Nightmare Moon actually. But then again maybe I was. Perhaps my past reveals my future. I don’t think I’ll ever be a good pony.” A lump rose in Luna’s throat and she found it impossible to go on. Dimly she heard Twilight’s hoofsteps coming closer.

The joy in Twilight’s voice was gone, replaced by concern as she asked, “What do you mean, Luna? Whatever it is you did can’t be all that bad. I know you, and I know that you’re not a bad pony. I’m sure that if we talk about it and work together, we can fix whatever it is.”

Twilight’s simple trust, her faith in Luna, felt like a knife twisting in the alicorn’s chest. She brusquely ducked her head further away from Twilight, facing back toward her wing, as she almost savagely cried out, “I lied to you!” Her voice fell into a chocked, sobbing whisper. “I … lied.” It was cathartic to finally reveal the truth in its terrible glory, to expose just how ugly she was. The emotions she’d locked away tumbled over one another as they rushed out in a torrent of words.

“I knew the truth, of how Celestia felt about you, of how you hadn’t been replaced in her heart by anypony else. Though not when we first met in the library. Then I was as ignorant as you of her true thoughts and feelings. But later, I learned the truth. How she didn’t mean to be distant, but was merely overworked. The entire time I’ve spent in Ponyville I’ve known the truth. But for my own selfish reasons I hid it from you. I … I’m sorry, Twilight. I know that’s not enough, but it’s all I can think of saying. I’m sorry, so sorry for not telling you sooner and for causing you to feel so much pain. I hope … I hope that you two will be happy together. And, I can understand if you never wish to speak with me again.”

Luna could feel her tears finally break free, and with a silent sob she tucked her face into her wing to hide her sorrow and despair from the world. She expected Twilight to explode on her at anytime, to vent her rage and anger in a justified tirade, Luna waited for it as if she were expecting a physical blow. But aside from Luna’s restrained and muffled sobs, the night was silent.

Full of dread, but compelled by curiosity, Luna controlled her emotions and attempted to school her features long enough to fearfully turn her head back in Twilight’s direction. The unicorn was obviously shocked and didn’t seem to be staring at Luna so much as through her. With a loud thump she sat down heavily and in an emotionless voice she beseeched Luna with a simple, “Why? Why would you …”

Twilight couldn’t complete her thought, and now that their gazes were locked, Luna couldn’t pull her eyes away as she watched Twilight’s fill with questioning betrayal.

“I was selfish, and-and I was afraid. I didn’t want to hurt you or Celestia, but for the first time I knew what having a best friend was like, and it was wonderful. I knew that once you and Celestia realized each other’s feelings, you’d go back to her and wouldn’t want to be with me anymore.” Luna sighed deeply, feeling both lighter and heavier somehow as she confessed. “I always was going to tell you the truth, but I wanted to be friends with you just a little longer. If I had known the extent of the misery my silence was causing you, I would have spoken up much sooner.” Again a lump rose in Luna’s throat and she thickly said, “I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle, and I hope … I hope that one day you’ll be able to forgive me.”

Twilight still seemed stunned by Luna’s revelation, but she was obviously attempting to gather her thoughts as she disjointedly responded, “But why would … I mean you … friendship doesn’t work that way! Did you really think I’d abandon you for your sister, Luna?”

With some surprise that the question needed to be asked, Luna answered, “Yes, it would be the most sensible thing to do after all. You’ve known Celestia far longer than you’ve known me, she’s wiser, kinder, nicer, and more beautiful than me, and you didn’t seek my friendship until after you thought that Celestia had abandoned you. So it would only make sense that when given the choice between us, you would naturally choose my sister over myself. Like everypony else.”

Confused, Luna watched as Twilight’s expression changed from hurt anger to … pity? Under Twilight’s searching gaze, Luna could feel her tears begin to fade.

“Is that what you really think, Luna?”

Another painful lump had formed in Luna’s throat and she could only manage a broken nod as she squeezed her lips and eyes tightly shut.

Twilight stood up and stomped her hoof before she began to pace again, this time her attention never wavering from Luna, her voice angry, though Luna wasn’t entirely sure that the anger was fully directed at her. “That’s terrible. I mean, I know that I’m still learning about friendship, but even I know that isn’t really a choice. You don’t just brush off a friend when a new one comes along. Not if you were really friends in the first place. I’ve heard of vain and shallow ponies doing things like that, but do you really think that I only became your friend because Princess Celestia ignored me, and once she paid attention to me again I’d forget you and go back to her?”

When Twilight put it that way, it did cast Luna’s fears into an unpleasant light. “No,” squeaked out past the lump in her throat. As she cleared her throat and sniffed back her tears, she changed her mind. “Well, yes. But I don’t think you’re petty or shallow or a bad friend. I simply assumed that when you have the opportunity to give your love to a better pony, it would make sense to give them as much of your love as possible.”

Twilight leveled an assessing gaze at Luna, as if to ascertain whether she was being wholly truthful, if she truly believed her own words. Under the intense scrutiny Luna could feel herself begin to perspire.

After several long seconds, Twilight sighed deeply and her anger seemed to evaporate. “Luna, is that how you really see relationships? Like they’re some sort of mathematical equation where in order to increase one side you have to decrease the other?”

Luna was quite confused; this line of questioning wasn’t at all what she’d expected. “Well, aren’t they? After all, when it was just Celestia and I, we loved each other very much. But as we turned our attention to other things, our friendship dwindled as we poured our love into other areas. For me it was the night sky, and for Celestia, it was our subjects.” For some reason pity returned to Twilight’s countenance, and Luna was quick to add, “Neither of us were truly at fault, we simply grew apart, as you and I will now that you know how much Celestia cares for you again.”

Wordlessly Twilight had stopped pacing, and now she quickly closed the distance between them, leaning forward and wrapping her hooves around an astonished Luna, resting her head on the surprised princess’ neck. Sadly she murmured, “You’ve been left alone for far too long, haven’t you?”

Luna was stiff with shock at first, but gradually she relaxed into Twilight’s warm embrace and went so far as to rest her head atop Twilight’s. The hug lasted for quite some time as Luna lost herself in the feeling of Twilight’s warmth pressed against her, taking the news of her betrayal much better than she had ever hoped.

Eventually though, Twilight pulled away from the embrace and held Luna at hoof’s length. “All right,” she announced with a determined voice. “I’m going to have to show you just what friendship is all about, and how wrong you’ve been about it. To start off, I forgive you.”

“Y-you do?” Luna asked incredulously.

“Yep, because that’s what friends do.”

“But Celestia-“

Twilight quickly cut off Luna, “Celestia doesn’t have anything to do with us, the way I feel about you, or the way you feel about me. A pony’s heart isn’t a set size with only so much love to go around. Friendship isn’t a zero-sum game, Luna. When you make a new friend your heart grows a bit bigger to make room for them, and it can keep getting bigger as you become better friends, or it can become smaller if you move away from each other, but once that part of your heart is there, it won’t ever go away. I do have feelings for Princess Celestia, she’s been my teacher, my mentor, the one who’s always pushed me and driven me to new heights, and was there in case I fell from them. I’d do almost anything to gain her approval, but you’re my friend too, Luna. You make me feel … happy, whenever we’re together. I love to hear your voice and I love the sound of your laughter. I look forward to seeing you when we’re apart, and I hate to see you frown. Just because I have other friends doesn’t make us any less friends, and friends forgive each other. Besides, I can forgive you anything. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, and you did tell me eventually. Better late than never, right?”

Luna was astonished. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that Twilight could forgive her so unconditionally. She searched Twilight’s face for any sign, any hint of resentment or duplicity. But all she found was open warmth, a fierce resolve, and a questioning hope.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t a good friend to you before, Twilight, but I promise you that I’ll be a better one from now on.” Luna cried with sincerity as she wrapped her best friend in a tight embrace.

Twilight leaned into the hug and murmured into Luna’s ear, “You’ve been a great friend, Luna. You’re just a bit out of practice. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean I don’t want to be your friend anymore. I know everypony makes mistakes, I’m not perfect either. If it hadn’t been for my mistake about Princess Celestia, this whole mess wouldn’t have happened. So what do you say, friend, let’s help one another learn what friendship is all about.”

Luna laughed in relief into Twilight’s mane, and the lump in her throat dissolved into a hiccup. “If I’m going to help you through your mistakes, and you’re going to help me through mine, I don’t think we can ever be separated. We both seem to make some rather monumental messes. Though to be honest, I’m glad that you did misunderstand Celestia. If you hadn’t, we might not have met the way we did, and I might not have become your friend.”

She could feel the heat rolling off Twilight and with her heart aching, but in a good way this time, Luna leaned into Twilight, pouring as much feeling and appreciation into the embrace as she could. Wrapped tightly in Twilight’s hooves, their bodies pressed close together, and with her nose buried in the unicorn’s mane filling her head with her friend’s calming scent, Luna felt her cares simply vanish. The dread and anxiety she had been carrying for so long evaporated in the face of Twilight’s unconditional friendship, and in its place a crushing exhaustion settled upon Luna. The many hours of missed sleep made themselves felt now that her mind was no longer trapped in agonizing circles. With a sigh she closed her eyes and leaned even more heavily into Twilight.

“Whoa, Luna, are you okay?”

“Just fine,” She softly replied. “Everything’s fine so long as you’re here with me. But I am quite tired. I was so worried about how you would react to the truth, I haven’t been able to sleep for days.”

“Then we need to get you to bed,” Twilight stated with kind intensity. She twisted around and Luna found herself leaning heavily on the other mare as they slowly made their way off the balcony and back into Twilight’s room. Luna barely remembered the journey up the stairs, but she regained her senses for a short while when Twilight pulled back the comforter, and helped Luna climb up onto the now familiar mattress. She tucked the princess in, but instead of following after her to bed, she walked over to her writing desk, dimming the lights in the room as she went, save for a single lamp perched on her desk.

Luna was horrendously tired; her exhaustion had crashed down on her all at once, and seemed to be increasing exponentially somehow. It felt as if she hadn’t slept in weeks, and had run all the way to Ponyville from Canterlot. But despite her fatigue and the inviting warmth of the bed, she was uncomfortable, and through half-lidded eyes she watched Twilight across the room. Almost plaintively she mewed out, “Twilight, what are you doing? Please come to bed, I can’t sleep without you.”

The single dim light and Luna’s drooping eyelids made it difficult to properly examine Twilight, but the unicorn’s voice had an odd lilt to it as she answered, “I’ll be there in a second, Luna. I need to write a quick note to Princess Celestia.”

Luna groaned, hopefully quietly enough that Twilight didn’t hear her. It had been less than an hour since Twilight’s last missive to Celestia. Certainly they had much to catch up on, but couldn’t it wait for morning?

Whatever Twilight wrote, it was very short. After only a few minutes of listening to her pen scratches cutting through the room’s silence, Luna heard Twilight’s hoofsteps approaching the bed again, and she lifted up the leg she’d thrown over her face to watch Twilight’s approach. Apologetically Twilight asked, “Spike still isn’t back yet, so would you mind sending this for me?”

Twilight had stood by Luna when few other ponies would have; she had forgiven her for her mistakes, and had promised to always be her friend. So even though she could hardly gather the strength to lift her head from the pillow, Luna easily answered, “of course.” It was difficult to gather her thoughts, it felt as if her mind were swimming in wooly molasses, but Luna concentrated and was able to gather her magic for just long enough to transform Twilight’s scroll into a swiftly moving puff of smoke drifting towards Canterlot.

With a flare of her magic, Twilight turned off the last light, and smiled down at Luna before she climbed into her side of the bed. She squirmed just a little trying to find a comfortable spot, and when she’d settled down, Luna reached out with a hoof and a wing, wrapping them around Twilight. At the touch, Twilight sighed softly and leaned back into Luna’s chest. The close physical contact, close enough for Luna to feel Twilight’s heart beat, as well as the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, reassured the princess. Luna buried her face in Twilight’s silky mane, breathing in her essence, before she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

---

Amor caecus est

---

Celestia hummed unconsciously to herself as she read once more through Twilight’s letter. She couldn’t have hidden her smile even if she’d wanted to as she lingered over the artfully artless sentences. Twilight certainly had a way with words, somehow going into great detail without falling into the trap of tedium. Through her writing, it was easy for anypony familiar with Twilight to not only glean her thoughts and feelings, but to also clearly hear her speech patterns, the voice of a pony who took herself a bit too seriously at times, yet was still uncertain of herself outside the realm of her magical studies.

The letters and reports Twilight had sent Celestia over the past few weeks had lacked the spirit, the spark of life that she knew her pony had in such abundance. Through the obviously hastily written but still precise and neat words on the page, Celestia felt as if she finally had her Twilight returned to her.

Celestia was a bit surprised by the section of the letter explaining how Twilight had mistakenly believed that Celestia had replaced her. Obviously Celestia needed to do a better job of conveying her feelings to Twilight in the future. Nopony could ever take the little lavender unicorn’s place in her heart. The raw emotion betrayed by Twilight’s somewhat choppy sentences near the beginning of the letter, where she was describing her last visit to Canterlot had choked Celestia up the first time she’d read through it. But now she could smile fondly at the amount of affection Twilight betrayed by being so brokenhearted over having been ignored. Celestia mentally promised to make up for her negligence to Twilight the next time they were together.

Luna’s advice to Twilight when she’d been consoling the distraught pony in the library had been sound, and Celestia could easily see how Luna had drawn such logical conclusions from the facts presented to her. To be honest, Luna’s words hadn’t been too far from the truth. Celestia had originally sent Twilight to Ponyville in order to awaken the Elements of Harmony, but after seeing just how happy her protégé had become, and just how much she’d blossomed after so short a time, Celestia had decided to give Twilight the freedom to expand her horizons beyond the library walls and experience life for herself.

However, in the months following Twilight’s departure, the castle had seemed a bit darker and more echoing. It had felt as if there was a vacuum waiting to be filled by somepony. Of course Luna’s return had gladdened Celestia’s heart for quite some time, and still did, even though they had begun to see less of each other. But even with the return of her sister, Celestia felt that there was something missing, as if the victory over Nightmare Moon was somehow incomplete.

When the letter had first appeared, Celestia had believed it to be an unexpected but not unwelcome missive from Luna. However, when she’d seen just how thick it had been, as well as Twilight’s seal on the outer layer, her heart had quickened with hopeful anticipation. The first time she’d read it, she’d felt saddened, flattered, and warmed in turn by Twilight’s words. Now in the midst of the seventh or eighth reading, Celestia found a warm, excited hope filling her, matching the eager and naked hope revealed in the final section of Twilight’s letter where she plainly spelled out her feelings and fears. Clearly stating that she hoped her mentor hadn’t cast her aside, and was still as full of love and affection as she ever had been. Surely with such a longing sentiment, Twilight wouldn’t be content to merely exchange letters. She would want to return to Canterlot, at least for a short time, to discuss with Celestia all she’d learned and seen.

Celestia’s reply to Twilight’s letter had been written almost as soon as she’d finished the first reading, while her blood and imagination had been fired from the incontrovertible affirmation that Twilight still deeply cared for her, perhaps more than anypony else. Celestia hadn’t attempted to reign in her emotions as she wrote and in no uncertain terms she’d explained the truth behind her actions, as well as her true feelings toward her student. Celestia hoped that their letters would mark the start of a new period of friendship between herself and Twilight, an open and honest friendship where they would be able to more freely share their feelings and concerns with one another.

The second letter from Twilight had been as unexpected as it had been brief. It had simply stated that Luna had been under an exhausting emotional strain for the past few days and would be too tired to lower the moon, so Twilight was hoping that Celestia could take over for Luna just this once in order to allow her sister to rest.

Celestia could well imagine the cause of Luna’s emotional exhaustion, and though it felt a bit unpleasant to share Twilight’s affection with anypony, she couldn’t begrudge her sister what comfort she could find after her return from the moon. So, needing to awaken just a few hours earlier to take care of both the moon and the sun, Celestia read through the heartwarming letter only once more before she folded up its reassuring pages and tucked it under her wing to take it back to her bedroom with her. Such a touching and personal document didn’t fit in with the rest of the paperwork in her study.

As she began to turn out the lights of her study, a wonderful thought came to Celestia, and she detoured to the study’s door. She reached out with her magic and shook one of the near silent summoning bells. By the time she’d opened the door, a servant was already standing there attentively.

“Your Majesty?”

“Please fetch the captain of the guard, I’d like to have a word with him about an upcoming trip,” requested Celestia.

“Right away, Princess Celestia.” The attendant hurried away, and lacking anything better to do with her time while waiting for Blue Blazer, Celestia perused a few of the more unimportant letters littering her desk. By the time the sound of hoofsteps reached her ears, signaling the captain’s arrival, Celestia had actually accomplished more paperwork than she had in nearly the past month.

Her study’s door was still open, so as Celestia magically organized her papers for a final time that night, she called out, “Captain Blazer, my sister is scheduled to return from her vacation in two days. I’d like to surprise her by going to Ponyville, along with the Royal Entourage in order to pick her up. I’m quite anxious to see her again and …” Celestia had finished shuffling her papers and finally had turned to face the door where she found a mature and well built unicorn guard paying her professional, rapt attention. “You’re not Captain Blue Blazer,” Celestia stated questioningly. She quickly racked her brain and was able to dredge up the unicorn’s name. “You’re Quicksilver, I believe.”

The muscular unicorn respectfully bowed and Celestia noticed his ceremonial armor had a newly minted captain’s badge soldered onto it. “”Yes, Your Majesty. As the highest-ranking officer in the Royal Guard, I’ve become the acting captain until you appoint a replacement. Unless, of course, you’d prefer somepony else to be in the position until you make your decision, Your Majesty.”

Celestia was rather confused, but hid it behind her public mask. Quicksilver heard only her customarily kind, regal tone as she replied, “You may rise, Quicksilver. I’m sure that you’ll perform your duties as acting captain quite well. I don’t think that there’s any need to replace you until my sister and I’ve had the time to select the new permanent captain. But tell me, what happened to Blue Blazer? It was my understanding that he was going to remain in his position until a replacement had been found.”

Captain Quicksilver stood straight, but shifted his weight from hoof to hoof, perhaps still ill at ease with and perhaps a bit overawed by his new rank and importance in Celestia’s presence. Or maybe he just wasn’t looking forward to informing Celestia about Blue Blazer’s whereabouts. He cleared his throat slightly before replying, “Well, Your Majesty, after your, uh, dismissal of Captain Blazer, he returned to the barracks a bit … upset.”

Despite her best efforts, Celestia could feel her mouth fall into a slight frown of worry. “Was he angry with my decision?” Even though she knew her orders had been correct, being right never softened the hurt and guilt of causing somepony pain. She never enjoyed making hard decisions like Captain Blazer’s dismissal, and often feared that the reason she had to make such difficult choices that so drastically impacted somepony’s life was because she’d failed them in some way. Perhaps if she’d grasped the situation earlier, she could have somehow changed things without causing such binding and life-altering results. Every time she did make such a tough decision, she experienced a pang of guilt. Even now she felt that Luna’s banishment was her fault, and now Captain Blazer’s forced retirement was also somehow her fault, even though she had acted properly and had made the right choice.

“No, he wasn’t mad. At least not at first. When he came in, he looked…” Quicksilver looked away from Celestia, searching for the right words. “… well, he looked like his best friend had just bucked him right in the gut, if you’ll pardon the expression, Your Majesty. He just sat down and was real quiet for almost an hour. Me and the other stallions gave him his privacy, and when he stood back up, I guess he’d figured out what he needed to figure out. That was when he seemed a bit angry, though not at you, Your Majesty, and he was pretty determined about something. He told us all that he was retiring, and we tried to cheer him up, but he just kind of brushed us off. He appointed me acting captain, then got his personal belongings from the armory and left.”

“I see,” Celestia said thoughtfully, mostly to herself. She wasn’t sure what to think of Blue Blazer’s abrupt departure, something about his actions seemed a bit off to her, but it was understandable for him to act strangely under an emotional strain. Perhaps the old soldier had decided to treat retirement like removing a bandage, best ripped away quickly in order to avoid a lingering pain. But thoughts of Luna and Twilight quickly crowded out the concern she had for Blue Blazer and she hoped that the former captain would have a pleasant and stress-free retirement.

“Thank you, Captain Quicksilver, for being so candid,” she said. “I hope that Blue Blazer will find joy and happiness in his new life.”

“As do I, Your Majesty.”

Celestia’s thoughts turned back to Ponyville and she turned the topic of conversation back to Luna’s upcoming return. “As I was saying before, Captain, my sister is coming home soon and …”

As Celestia and Captain Quicksilver made their best-laid plans, overhead the stars silently twinkled, and miles away, Luna and Twilight blissfully slept on, dreaming the dreams of the innocent.

---

A/N
As usual, thanks Pyrite for your perusal.

I'm completely sane. My psychiatrist said so. Well, his exact words were, "There's nothing more I can do for you." But that's essentially the same thing.

Comments

[PonyJesus]

It's here! It's here! Finally it's here!

[VanuLegend]

“You’ve been left alone for far too long, haven’t you?” , I think i got something in my eye when i read that. This is an amazing fic and a instant fav .

[Selenelion]

My goal in life is now to have a psychiatrist say that to me.

[totallynotaunicorn]

Huh. I could have sworn that you owned the MLP:FIM franchise. Must have been a PR mix up

[Altair4]

"...lions, and tigers, and bears.”

“Oh my.”

Yay, I see what you did there...

[justwannaread]

“You’ve been left alone for far too long, haven’t you?” This line every time I must have read the story atleast half-dozen times and reading it again because of the new chapter.

The line every time brings me close to tears. So many beautiful emotions.

[The Real McCoy]

“You’ve been left alone for far too long, haven’t you?”