Little Keys

by Skijarama

Moonlit Assurances

“I’ve seen this before…”

Twilight’s breath came in heaving gasps as she galloped down the road toward the gates of Canterlot. The world was shrouded in darkness, and a sickening, twisted perversion of her voice was following her wherever she went. She could just make out the shadowy lumps that, after a glance, she discovered were pony bodies scattered by the roadside, the face of each one flashing through her mind. Their screams of pain and terror as she tore their memories of her out of their minds echoed in her ears, eliciting a terrified whimper.

“Help me!” she cried out as she reached the gates, throwing herself against them with everything she had. Pain exploded across her shoulder from the impact, and she went falling back to the ground with a grunt of pain. Scrambling, she rose back to her hooves and began to hysterically beat on the gates. “Celestia! Luna! Cadance, somepony! Anypony! Please, let me in! Help me!”

“Oh, how easily you forget…” her voice cackled ominously from behind her, sending a chill down her spine. “Will this little scene start repeating itself, I wonder?”

“Mom! Dad! Somepony open the door! PLEASE!” Twilight went on, trying and failing to tune out the sadistic malice in her counterpart’s voice.

“Nopony is coming, Twilight,” the voice cooed, right into her ear. Twilight went rigid, her heart turning to ice as she felt its breath tickling her ear. “Not from here. You’re alone.”

Twilight growled as anger and rage swelled inside of her, like a swirling bonfire. She turned and spun on her hooves, her horn flaring to life with a burst of magic. “SHUT UP!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

To her surprise, the scene before her was different. In the moment she had taken to turn around, the world had completely changed. No longer did she stand in front of the sealed gates of Canterlot. Instead, she was in the cave that housed the Tree of Harmony. She could see the ancient growth standing on the far side of the cavern, glowing softly with divine light.

Twilight took a few seconds to collect herself. How had she gotten here? She knew she had been outside of Canterlot just a moment ago. Had she been teleported? She hadn’t felt the familiar sensations, though. Maybe a portal?

Whatever the case, she was here, now. The air had fallen completely still; even the sound of wind outside was inaudible. The only things making any noise were her trembling breathing and the furious thumps of her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. She swallowed heavily and slowly began to approach the tree, the scrape of her hooves on the stone floor sending a chill down her spine with each step.

The air before her shimmered as she drew near. Slowly, but surely, a mirror wall manifested into existence in front of her, barring her passage. Her reflection stared back from inside of it, looking exhausted and tired. Her reflection’s mane was frazzled and messy, her eyes were drooping and bloodshot, and her fur had darkened considerably.

“What… is this?” she asked softly while raising a hoof out to the mirror. Her heartbeat sped up in her chest, and it felt as if her ribs were constricting her lungs. Some primal part of her began to cry out and scream, demanding that she turn and leave the mirror behind right now, but she just couldn’t stop herself.

Her hoof made contact with the mirror. It was like ice to the touch.

Her reflection then grinned at her.

Twilight gasped as the image suddenly burst into cyan flames, and when they parted, the ghostly, haunting visage of Midnight Sparkle stood before her, eyes narrowed with sadistic delight.

“Embrace me!” the reflection called, stepping through the mirror and reaching out for Twilight.

Twilight staggered back, a frightened scream tearing past her lips. “No, NO! Go away! You’re not real! I got rid of you!”

Midnight lunged after her, faster than she could respond. Before she knew it, she was completely enveloped in a strangling embrace of hooves and blade-like feathers. The world was soaked in darkness and wisps of ghostly magic. She struggled and squirmed, but to no avail. She was held tight.

“You can never be rid of me…” Midnight cooed into her ear almost as if a mother to her child. “Never. Now, embrace me.”

“Go away…” Twilight whimpered, her struggles starting to weaken. Something was pulling the strength from her body. “Just leave me alone… please…”

Midnight giggled softly but otherwise did not deign to answer Twilight’s pathetic plea. The embrace grew tighter and tighter. Twilight screwed her eyes shut, biting back the urge to scream as the tendrils of ghostly magic began to probe at her head as if to burrow inside. She jerked and thrashed a few more times with the last vestiges of her strength, but to no avail.

As if for no reason, though, the dark was lifted. Twilight’s eyes flew wide open as a wave of cool, refreshing air washed over her. The apparition of Midnight faded, and the rest of the scene was rapidly joining her in doing so. Everything lost its shape and form, dissolving into little more than faint wisps of smoke that soon bled away to reveal an open night sky. A million stars shown down on her, each one a brilliant lantern against a curtain of obsidian. An ocean of clouds spread out before her, and she felt herself resting in them as if they were pillows.

She blinked a few times, confused. “Wha… what? What’s going on…?” she asked, looking around.

After a few moments, her eyes found a disturbance in the surface of the clouds, and the sound of hooves trotting slowly and gently across a hard surface reached her ears. Twilight sprang to her hooves and assumed a defensive stance, her wings spreading out. Whatever was coming for her this time, she would not afford it the same luxury of catching her off-guard as she had with Midnight.

To her shock, however, no threat emerged from the smoke. Instead, trotting up, as if from an invisible staircase, the full moon rising into the night sky behind her, grand and majestic, was none other than Princess Luna.

Twilight’s wings sagged, her eyes flying wide open. “Wha… Princess Luna?” she breathed, shocked by the display.

Luna nodded, a small smile on her face. “None other, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight blinked, taking a few steps back. She folded her wings up at her sides and assumed a defensive, withdrawn tone. “You… what are you doing here?” she asked. She then looked around again before gesturing vaguely. “And where is here?!”

Luna gave off something between a sigh and a laugh before turning to face the moon in the distance. “I had forgotten how long it has been since I spoke to you like this… This is a dream, Twilight Sparkle. Your dream. and I am here because you need me to be.”

Twilight paused, looking around. “A… a dream?”

It made sense now. The world changing so rapidly around her, the mirror just appearing out of nowhere, Midnight’s impossible emergence, and then the sea of clouds. None of this would be possible in the waking world. Where else could she have been?

“Indeed. You were having a rather disturbing nightmare,” Luna explained, trotting forward a few paces. “And so, here I am, to chase it away and offer you guidance on how to avoid it in the future.”

As the realization dawned on Twilight, so too did a cold irritation. She turned to face Luna directly, a bitter scowl replacing her initial shock. “I don’t buy it.”

Luna blinked. “I… pardon me?”

Twilight stalked forward, the back of her skull starting to burn with frustration. “I’ve been having nightmares like this for weeks, Luna, and you’ve never once shown up before! You’ve always left me to my own devices! Yet suddenly now you decide to show up and help me out?! What’s the catch?”

Luna flinched away from Twilight’s outburst, her ears drooping, and immediately Twilight’s heart withered with guilt in her chest. She quickly lifted a hoof to her mouth, her ears drooping. “I… I’m so sorry, I… that wasn’t-”

“No, Twilight. You need not apologize,” Luna comforted her softly. She looked away and slowly fell to her haunches with a tired sigh. “Your hostility is understandable. You are right. I have been neglecting your dreams. But please understand, it was not out of a desire to see you suffer, nor was it out of laziness.”

Twilight lowered her hoof from her lips. “Then why was it?” she asked slowly, careful not to let herself lash out again. “Why did you ignore me? I really could have used your help a few days ago, Luna, but you weren’t there. What changed?”

Luna took a deep breath before facing Twilight again. “...I… was not aware of the severity of your condition, I am afraid. I was made aware when I spoke with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in their dreams this night. Fluttershy expressed an unsettling amount of worry and concern for you and your mental health. She replayed for me the moment she and the others found you slumped against a pillar in the old castle, gasping for breath after scaring away Spiracle. Rainbow regaled me with her recollections of your shortened temper and sudden, seemingly unprompted outbursts of violent anger…”

Luna rose to her hooves, her wings ruffling against her sides. “They both bade me come to you and offer you my aid, and so here I am. I am sorry that I have neglected you for as long as I have, Twilight Sparkle, and I mean to earn your forgiveness by making amends for that neglect.”

Twilight stared at Luna for several seconds, her jaw agape. Fluttershy and Rainbow had both asked for Luna to help her? It made sense, of course, as Fluttershy was one of the more vocal voices in asserting that she needed help of some kind.

She took a deep breath and looked away. “I… I’m not sure I want your help, Luna… and I’m not sure you even want to help me. Looking back on our history, all of that animosity…”

“I was unfair to you,” Luna acknowledged regretfully. “I was so blinded by a desire to defend my niece that I harmed you. I was a hypocrite, I was a fool, and I accept full responsibility for my part in the events that transpired in Canterlot… but if you do not desire my help, then I cannot force you to accept it.”

Twilight turned to Luna again, her ears perking up, just slightly. “But… how can I be sure that those old habits are dead?”

Luna’s lips curled up into a tiny, gentle smile. “...Because neither my sister nor my niece would ever let me live it down if I hurt you again. But more than that…” her smile faded, and a more solemn expression came over her. “...I know what it is like to struggle with your dark side, and so I know full well the psychological torment you are suffering. It is an agony I would wish on nopony… So if I am presented with an opportunity to lift that agony, then I shall do all in my power to do so. There has been enough pain.”

Twilight stared at Luna for several moments, considering her and her words with great care. It didn’t sound like the Alicorn of the Night was lying. However, at the same time, she made it sound far easier than it probably was to bury their old animosity and carry on unobstructed. Part of her wanted to deny the offer, if only out of spite.

Before that train of thought could continue any further, though, her mind wandered to Rainbow and Fluttershy: two of her oldest friends and one of them was actively her girlfriend. They had been watching her crumple in on herself for a while now, and if Luna was being honest, they had asked Luna to set aside their differences and help her. If she denied Luna, didn’t that mean she would be denying them?

Besides, who else could she really turn to for aid in this scenario? Standing before her was the first alicorn known to have undergone a Fall, and from all accounts, she had stayed in that state for far longer than any of the others. Celestia had fallen for mere moments in the Crystal Empire in a desperate bid to defeat Chrysalis, and Twilight had only been that way for a single night…

Given the nature of dreams, as well, Luna was uniquely positioned to be an incredible help. She had accomplished wonders with Rainbow in their dream therapy if Rainbow’s outward behavior was any indication.

There really wasn’t a choice here.

Twilight sighed and met Luna’s gaze. “...Okay. Fine… How can you help me?”

Luna visibly relaxed, as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. She gave Twilight a grateful smile before turning to look out at the sea of clouds again. “First, I must know the severity of your condition. I presume, judging by the testimony of your loved ones, that Midnight has spoken frequently?”

Twilight grimaced. “Er, yeah, you could say that. She was really talkative up until we brought Spiracle back to the castle. She’s been kind of quiet since then, only piping up here and there.”

“As is to be expected,” Luna said thoughtfully. “As you know, becoming a Fallen Alicorn requires an influx of immense emotional stress to surpass the pony’s capacity to cope with it. Now that you have imbibed in that part of yourself, it has a voice. As such, as your stress and emotional turmoil rise, so too shall Midnight become ever more vocal and eager to pull you back into the darkness.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Oh… so, there’s a predictable pattern to it?”

“Predictable, no. But it can be moderated,” Luna clarified, turning to face Twilight directly. “So, for the duration of this struggle, my most prominent source of advice would be to do your best to avoid stressful situations. Find your peace wherever you can and hold onto it for whatever it is worth. Breathing exercises, personal meditation, enjoying hobbies. Make use of whatever you have at your disposal to dispel your stress and to soothe your heart and mind. The more at peace you are with yourself, the quieter Midnight shall become.”

Twilight hummed at that, her brow furrowing in thought. “Find my peace, huh…? Well, that would be a lot easier if I didn’t have an exile from my home city and the most cryptic task Celestia has ever given me looming over my head all the time!”

“Do not dwell upon those.”

Twilight stared at Luna in shock. “...What? But you’re the one who banished me from Canterlot!”

Luna sighed and came forward. “Please understand. You did cause great harm to the population of that city. Though you returned their memories, their minds are yet scarred by the experience. The nightmares they have suffered have been numerous and severe, and as one’s dreams are haunted, so too shall their neighbors’ be. It is my duty to dispel such fears, and it is my fear that allowing you back into the city so soon after that night would only invite pain and tension on ponies who are yet still reeling from the night of the Plundervines.”

Twilight gave off a quiet grunt of frustration. While Luna’s argument made a bit of sense, it was still upsetting. “I mean… I understand that, but that’s my home, Luna.”

“I know, and I am sorry,” Luna said softly. “But if it is any consolation, the city isn’t going anywhere. There is no time limit on opening the chest, either. You must not force yourself to open it when doing so has evidently done naught more than cause you stress and anger. Take your time… relax. Worry less about your future and instead focus on the present.”

Twilight blinked. Celestia and Luna’s old journal wandered into her mind, and before she knew it, she and Luna were suddenly seated in the secret room in the Castle of The Two Sisters. The journal sat in front of her, open to the page about the Organ to the Outside.

Luna peered down at the page, seemingly undeterred by the shift in scenery. Her expression flattened. “Ah. I see you found our old journal…” she mumbled dryly. “Tia’s old writings fill the majority of the pages, I assume you noticed.”

“Yeah, you didn’t write much in it,” Twilight observed, lifting the book to her face. The words were blurry and muddled, impossible to make out. Probably because she had only read the thing once, and so didn’t have it all memorized yet.

“For I had my own,” Luna elaborated with a distant smile. “I cherished the privacy of my own thoughts and ideas. As much as I love my sister, she was perhaps a bit… too nosy in our youth. Especially since I am the little sister. She abused that authority far, far too often.”

Twilight hummed quietly, tracing a hoof over the page. “...Celestia didn’t worry much about the future, back then.”

Luna was quiet for a few seconds. “...No, she did not. She was a very energetic and carefree filly. Easily the more reckless between us in those early years.”

Twilight smiled at that before gently closing the book. “...Maybe you’re right… Maybe I should focus more on the now…” she mused quietly. A thought occurred to her, and she looked curiously up to Luna. “What did you do, out of curiosity? To find your peace when dealing with Nightmare, I mean.”

Luna’s smile faltered. She looked away for a moment, her brow furrowed and her lips drawing into a thoughtful line. Suddenly, the world twitched and blurred, and the secret room was replaced by a majestic forest scene. The moon hung directly overhead, shining its light down upon a small island in the center of a serene pond. A gracefully curving tree rose from that island, its leaves a vibrant pink in color and its trunk a rich, midnight blue. A bed was positioned by the base of the trunk while a great harp sat off to one side. Surrounding the pond were more trees of varying gentle colors, each swaying softly in a subtle breeze. Dragonflies and fireflies danced across the surface of the water, while the air was filled with the distant calls of owls and crickets.

“...I came here,” Luna said quietly, rising to her hooves. Twilight watched as she walked down to the water, and then across it as if it were solid. “I spent much of my time after you and your friends turned me back to normal in a coma-like sleep while my adult body restored itself. In that time, my struggle with Nightmare Moon was… far more real. Far more tangible. To escape her cloying voice, I would come here…”

She sat by the harp and placed a hoof on the frame. A calm smile came over her. “...And I would play the most wonderous melodies I could imagine. I basked in the quiet and the shade; in the light of the moon and the stars I so love. I gave myself to thought, and song, and story. I weaved a world of peace, and it was mine. My world… just me. Me and all the dreams I could imagine.”

Twilight blinked several times, her eyes wide. Slowly, afraid to disturb the serenity of this sanctuary, she unfurled her wings and gently flew across the pond to join Luna on the island. “Wow… I had no idea…” she whispered. Her eyes fell on the harp, her ears perking up. “And… you taught yourself how to play the harp?”

Luna laughed, idly plucking a few of the strings, giving off the most heavenly notes Twilight had heard from such an instrument. “To say I taught myself would, perhaps, be an exaggeration. Were you to present me with one in the waking world, whatever melody I played would be… less than impressive. But in a dream, anything is possible.”

The Princess of the Night plucked the strings a few more times, teasing Twilight’s ears with the promise of a wonderful song, before cruelly turning away from the divine instrument to face Twilight again. “But what of you, Twilight? What makes you happy? What brings you your peace?”

Twilight paused, but only for a moment, for that was all it took to find her answer. “My friends. Especially Rainbow Dash.”

Luna hummed at that. “Ah, yes. And with your memories thus restored, your relationship with my niece is, at least, devoid of obstructions,” she observed quietly. She then rose to her hooves and stepped forward until she was directly in front of Twilight. “Then for you, Twilight Sparkle, I suggest you simply take this time, and this opportunity, to be with her. Forget your obligations to the chest. Forget your obligations to the Tree or my sister, at least for now. Pursue the love you and her so fervently share. You have waited long enough, I feel.”

Twilight blushed at that, not quite sure how to respond to Luna’s poetic way of putting it. She coughed awkwardly into her hoof. “Ahem! W-well, I, uh… I’m not sure, uh… how.”

Luna’s expression flattened. “...I beg your pardon?”

“Hey, give me a break!” Twilight whined, her blush dialing up to eleven. “I’ve never been in a romantic relationship before, okay?! The way Rainbow and I found out we loved each other was in the middle of a massive, world-shattering crisis! We already live together, too, so have we just skipped the dating stage?! How can I gauge where I am at with her? I’ve never done this before and I have no idea how to do it!”

“Have you considered contacting your sister-in-law?”

“I… have not!” Twilight squeaked, her eye twitching.

Luna laughed at that before stepping back. “Well, far be it from me to encroach upon her domain. But if I may offer at least one small piece of advice…”

Luna then lifted from the ground, as gravity had just stopped pulling on her, allowing her to drift up into the air. “Your relationship with Rainbow Dash is one of a kind… but much like there is no time limit upon your quest to open the chest, there is similarly no rush to figure out all of the tiny details about your relationship. Just do what feels right and natural, and your heart will lead the way.”

Twilight stepped after Luna, her eyes widening. “I… I guess so, but… where are you going?”

“Alas, I am afraid there are yet more dreams for me to tend to this night,” Luna said apologetically. “Though you are a priority, yours is but one mind in a sea of literally countless… I cannot always be here for you.”

Luna’s expression softened considerably at that, her wings slowly spreading out. “However, you need not rely upon me alone. You are a fortunate mare indeed to have such a wonderful group of friends at your side…”

As she said this, spectral depictions of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all faded into reality under her wings.

“Where I cannot, they may help ease your burdens. All you need do, Twilight Sparkle, is call on them to do so.”

Twilight’s lips slowly curved up into a tiny smile. “Right… I will. Thank you, Luna.”

Luna nodded. “You are welcome, Twilight. Now, I bid you sleep well. I shall speak with you again when next your dreams require it.”

And with that, the princess disappeared, fading away into the full moon behind her. Glowing now with its pale glow, the sky swallowed Twilight’s vision whole, soothing her mind and her muscles.

And then she woke up.

Comments

[Comickook]

Excellent job on this latest chapter. Love the work that went into the characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Yeah, I can understand where Luna might have underestimated the severity of Twilight's nightmares, but I DID really appreciate the explanation AND Luna's advice on dealing with nightmares. And, yeah, Luna also had a really good point about going to Cadance for advice concerning Rainbow AND Luna's point on keeping her own separate journal. The reassurances that there are no time limits on either the key quest or the relationship issues was also a good point.

Definitely looking forward to more of this.

[JMP]

About time Luna showed up. Honestly, I don't really like "I didn't know how bad it was" as an excuse, but at least she's trying to make up for it. Still...everyone's advice has been "don't worry about the chest" but I don't know how much Twilight can really...avoid worrying about it. I think focusing on her friends and relationship with Rainbow is a good idea but like...it's still Twilight we're talking about.

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

Is Luna or Rainbow going to mention the Tantabus to Twilight?

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

10314618
Yeah I call bs on that. Luna KNOWS what it us like to fall so she should have been ontop of this.

This is the one part of the story I just can't buy. It makes Luna stupid and drops my opinion of her

[Corax Morn]

Luna sighed and came forward. “Please understand. You did cause great harm to the population of that city. Though you returned their memories, their minds are yet scarred by the experience.

Do I need to go into the details of how you would have killed them, alongside every other creature on the planet, Luna?

Now I have not experienced anything truly traumatic in my life. But I would prefer to be traumatised than to die in one of the many ways brought on by the absence of the sun

[Unintelligent]

Just started reading little glimpses last week and now I'm caught up. Looking forward to reading more!

I really like the characterization of rainbow and twilight throughout the whole series. Their interactions have been so adorable and sweet. I had put off reading this for quite a while and I'm glad I finally took the plunge.

[Xanderfox]

As I catch up on this story it's nice to see Twilight making steady progress on her journey of personal healing. A reminder that it's a process you need to handle at your own pace, like Twilight is told. Also well pretty clear Twi is going to have to collect all the keys here, which does make sense her element has aspects of all the others, and my head Cannon is still the Tree would try to get things "back on track" as close to official Cannon as possible and Twilight's fall was a major divergence causing damage vital to repair.

[Amos Anon]

Twilight’s wings sagged, her eyes flying wide open. “Wha… Princess Luna?” she breathed, shocked by the display.

It's about freaking time, woona!