A Moon and World Apart

by Evilhumour

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Just moments after Director Well Wishes and Rainbow Dash had left the room, Sunset and Moondancer were both urging Twilight back into bed, and she groaned. "Really, you two, I'm fine," she said. "I'm..." She sighed. "Okay, I'm still upset, but I'm working on it."

"We know," both mares said, and then Sunset continued. "But the doctor said you needed to rest some more."

"She's right," a familiar voice said, as Twilight Velvet walked into the room, Shining Armor and Night Light right behind her. "So get back in that bed, young lady!"

"Mo-oom..." Twilight groaned. Still, she did as she was told.

At the same time, the rest of her family came over to sit by her.

"Don't scare us like that, Twilight," her father said as calmly as he could, though Twilight could tell he was still worried. "You nearly gave us both heart attacks when we found out what happened."

"Us too," Moondancer said quietly as she looked up at the unicorn couple. "Hi, Director Velvet. Mr. Night Light."

Velvet smiled. "Hello, Moondancer," she said. "Thank you for helping watch over Twilight, and her friends."

Moondancer smiled. "Thanks..." she said, before Twilight reached out and touched her hoof.

"I appreciate it too," she said, smiling gently at her friend, before looking around the room. "All of you, for everything you've done."

Applejack smiled back. "Ah, shucks," she said. "What are friends for, if not to be there for ya, Twilight?"

"Yeah," Sunset added with a smile of her own, the others all nodding.

"And speaking of friends..." Vinyl and Octavia traded looks, before Vinyl trotted over next to the bed. "LP says he hopes you're okay too, and asked me to make sure you apologize to your big bro for worrying him so much," she said.

Twilight blushed. "I will," she said, before looking over at the stallion in question. "Shiny..."

Shining Armor nodded. "I understand why you reacted like you did," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry you had to see what you did. I'm just glad you weren't actually hurt though."

Twilight nodded. "So am I," she said quietly. "But doing all I did to help Rainbow Dash, making that new wing for her... it helped me too, more than you could understand."

Moondancer's ear flicked. "Oh, believe me, we know," she said, smiling. "We know that losing yourself in a project is a good way for you to work through your troubles when you need it. But you still need to rest some more."

Twilight looked down at her hoof, still on Moondancer's, and squeezed it. "I will, sis," she promised.

Moondancer's smile widened at those words. "Good."

Looking up, Twilight caught Shining Armor smiling at the two of them, as well as her parents and Sunset. She knew Moondancer and Sunset had taken some time to talk in private while she was working on Rainbow Dash's new wing, after she'd woken up from her brief rest when her new friends arrived to see she and Rainbow Dash. And while she wasn't sure exactly what they had talked about while they were alone, they'd both come back smiling and, by her reckoning, with a clear understanding between the two well before she'd returned.

Though she wished she knew exactly what had happened.

Little did she realize that at that very moment, Sunset was running over that same event in her mind.

---

Earlier...

Sunset looked up as the door opened, then sighed in relief as she realized it was Shining Armor, and saw a small group of ponies behind him, still waiting in the hall. "Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," Shining Armor said as he came in, then looked at Twilight, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "How's she doing?"

"Resting," Sunset said. "No physical injuries, they checked."

Shining Armor nodded. "And how are you doing?"

"A little tired, but that's it," Sunset said. "I've been more worried about Twilight, and... and Rainbow Dash too." She looked around. "Any word on Rainbow Dash? Last I heard she was still in the trauma unit, waiting her turn."

Shining Armor nodded again. "They'll be bringing her in here soon," he said. "She's mostly healed up, except for..." He sighed. "They had to amputate that wing."

Sunset cringed, and then noticed a stir of movement as Twilight sat up. "They had to what‽" she demanded.

"Twily!" Shining Armor hurried over. "Lay down, you're-"

"I'm fine," Twilight shot back, one of the few times she'd sounded angry in Sunset's hearing. "But did you just say that Rainbow Dash had to have a wing amputated?"

"Well, yes," Shining Armor said. "The internal damage on it was too severe, they couldn't save it."

For a moment, Twilight gazed steadily ahead, then she looked straight at Shining Armor and threw back her covers. "Take me to her," she said. "I need to get some measurements. Then I'm going back to my workshop."

"Twilight..." Shining Armor said, and another voice chimed in at the same time, Sunset looking over to see that Moondancer had entered the room, a look of obvious concern on her face.

Twilight shook her head. "I can do this," she said. "I can worry about the Orion later, but right now, my friend needs my help. Take me to her."

"No need," another voice said, and Sunset looked up to see another doctor, bringing a hovering bed into the room, a sleeping Rainbow Dash atop it. "She's right here," he said.

Twilight nodded, and climbed out of bed before anypony could stop her. Once Rainbow's own bed had been moved into place, Twilight lit up her horn and began scanning and studying Rainbow Dash's body, including both her healthy wing and the joint that was left. Bringing up her PCA's screen and entering notes onto it, she checked and double-checked everything, then nodded, closed the screen, looked at Shining Armor, and spoke. "Take me to my workshop, Shiny. Now."

Shining Armor looked rather dismayed, but finally nodded. "All right. But hold onto me." His own horn lit up, and the pair vanished.

"Shouldn't that have set off the alarms?" Spike asked worriedly as he peered in.

Moondancer shook her head. "As a high-ranking member of the Department of Security, his magical signature is recorded; they'll still register a teleport, but when the magical signature's for a pony on the authorized list like his or Twilight's is, it won't trigger an alarm," she said.

Spike sighed in relief, then looked up at what must have been one of the guards. "Can we go in now?" he asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo," the guard said. "Just keep your voices down."

Spike nodded, then came in and over to Sunset. "I was so worried about you," he said, and she smiled, placing an arm around him.

"I know," she said. "But I'm fine. No damage done to me, just a little tiredness, and I'm feeling better now."

Spike smiled back.

Idly, Sunset noticed the rest of their friends from Equestria entering, Fluttershy immediately taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash's bed, and Applejack looking over her too. Braeburn and Vinyl had also accompanied them, though they and Octavia were in the back corner.

"So what do we do now?" Rarity asked.

The doctor still watching over Rainbow Dash looked at her. "Just sit back, and let her rest," she said. "At this point all we can do is wait for her to wake up on her own."

Everypony nodded.

That was when Moondancer cleared her throat. "Actually..." She looked at Sunset. "You and I need to talk. In private."

Applejack frowned. "You sure that's such a good idea, sugarcube?" she asked.

Sunset looked between them, then back at Twilight's bed. "Twilight trusts her," she said. "I'll be fine."

Moondancer's face twisted into an expression Sunset couldn't quite read, but then she pulled an unfamiliar item out of her sweater's front pocket, almost the shape and size of a business card, and took it over to one of the guards, who scanned it and then Moondancer with his own PCA before nodding. "She's clear," he said, hoofing the card-like item back. "I'll escort the two of you to an office."

Applejack quirked her head.

"My credentials," Moondancer said. "Like I told you all earlier, I work part-time in the State Department, and that wouldn't be the case if I hadn't passed some very in-depth background checks first." She then beckoned to Sunset, who stood and followed after she and the guard.

As she headed down the hall, she heard one last snippet of talk from the room: Applejack sighing and saying, "Ah know Twilight trusts her... but Ah still think she's holdin' back a little."

Then they were out of range.

The pair were soon ensconced in a small, private office, where they sat down and the door was shut, leaving Sunset to look at Moondancer. The other mare hadn't said much to her in Twilight's apartment, though she'd talked to the others and seemed to be studying Sunset as she and Twilight were happily chatting back and forth. Sunset could admit to being a little disappointed at Moondancer's distance at the time, after all Twilight had said about her friend, but now that they were alone, it looked like she was finally about to get the conversation she wanted.

"So," she said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

For a moment, Moondancer said nothing. Then, she looked straight at Sunset. "Twilight," she said. "It's clear how you both feel about one another."

Sunset blushed. "I... yeah," she said. "She's a great person. I like her, a lot."

"More than like," Moondancer said. "You're drawn to her, attracted to her."

Sunset blushed. "You saw that, huh?"

Moondancer nodded. "And I can tell that she likes you back," she said. "But Sunset, I like Twilight too. She's been my best friend for a long time, and I was trying to get up the courage to ask her out before you came along."

Sunset blinked. "I-"

"Twilight's made it clear that she doesn't see me like that though," Moondancer continued. "Like she told all of you, she sees me as a big sister. And in hindsight, it makes sense - I've always been there for her, to help her stay on track and take care of herself."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah... she talked to me about you, how wonderful you are and how you help her take care of herself," she said. "You mean a lot to her, just like Spike and Cadance do to me." She smiled. "And I think that's great, that she has a friend like you," she said. "I just hope... I hope I can get to know you better, that you and I can be friends too, since we both care about Twilight so much."

For a moment, Moondancer was silent. Then she smiled. "You really mean that," she said.

Sunset nodded. "I do. I wasn't always like this, but I learned better. I don't want to see the two of you grow apart just because I came into the picture and started falling for her. You will always have a special place in her heart... just like I'll have a different place." She smiled. "Like our new friends have been finding theirs, in both her heart and mine."

Moondancer smiled back. "I can see why she's falling for you then," she said. "You're a good pony. And Sunset, I admit that I can be a little selfish and self-centered. But I can share too. Twilight clearly means the world to both of us, and if you make her happy, that makes me happy. So..." She rose, walked over, and stuck a hoof out. "Friends?"

"Friends," Sunset said, rising and returning the hoofshake. "And one day maybe, family."

Moondancer chuckled at that, but then looked more serious again. "Just remember," she said. "You break her heart, I break you."

"Moondancer, if I break Twilight's heart, you'll have to get in line behind me, Director Luna and Shining Armor," Sunset said honestly. "And for the record, Shining's already warned me what he'll do if that happens."

Moondancer nodded. "Not surprised," she said. "He's always been just as protective of her as I am." Then she smiled. "So now that we've got that all settled, you want to go back to the others?"

"Sure thing," Sunset said. Then she tilted her head. "By the way, seeing as you're a big sister figure to Twilight, you should probably meet my big sister figure, if you can either go down to Equestria or she can come up here. I bet Princess Cadance would love to meet you, and the rest of Shining Armor's family."

"I look forward to it," Moondancer said with a smile.

The two kept chatting amicably as they went back to Twilight and Rainbow Dash's room, their guard following after them quietly, and when they got there, they found the others still sitting around. Rainbow Dash was still asleep, and Twilight hadn't returned yet.

"You two get things settled?" Shining Armor asked when they'd come in, having evidently returned in their absence.

Moondancer nodded, and so did Sunset, smiling. "We did," she said.

"Good," Shining Armor said. "I've called Mom and Dad; they'll be coming by soon."

Sunset suddenly looked at him. "Wait. If you're here, is Twilight..."

"One of my men is with her," Shining Armor said. "She's still in her workshop, and on a conference call with somepony else here, but she promised to give me a call as soon as she's ready with her project."

"What is it?" Applejack asked.

"A surprise," Shining Armor said. "Something that should make Rainbow Dash very happy."

He wouldn't say anything more than that before he ducked outside, leaving the group to themselves.

For a little while, all was quiet, and then Applejack cleared her throat and walked over to Moondancer. "Howdy," she said. "Ah don't think we've had the chance to properly introduce ourselves."

Moondancer nodded. "No, we haven't," she said. "But Twilight's told me about you."

Applejack nodded back. "Well, Ah'm Applejack," she said. "An' you're Moondancer. An'..." She sighed. "An' you're more than you seem, Ah can tell."

To Sunset's surprise, Moondancer nodded. "You're right, I am more than just a normal unicorn," she said. "But Director Luna herself knows what it is, and she trusts me. And you can trust her. I promise, I'll explain everything to all of you when the time is right."

Applejack nodded back. "All right then," she said. "Ah'll hold you to that."

Then she smiled. "So, how'd you and Twilight meet?"

Moondancer smiled back. "Well, we went to the same school together when we were little," she said. "Our teacher paired us up, we discovered our mutual love of learning, and things went from there. She's been my best friend and then some ever since."

"'And then some'?" Applejack asked, raising one eyebrow.

Moondancer blushed. "You weren't there when Twilight told the others, but she's basically adopted me as her slightly bigger sister," she said. "And I do mean 'slightly', I'm just a day older than her."

Applejack visibly relaxed at that. "All right then."

As they all settled back, waiting for Rainbow Dash to awaken and Twilight to return, Sunset couldn't help but notice Shining Armor peering in at them, and knew he'd heard every word that had passed.

She just hoped he wouldn't let his protective instincts get the better of him.

---

Now...

Unbeknownst to one another, Twilight and Sunset both mentally shook their heads, before Twilight looked back up at her family and friends. "How are things going?" she asked quietly.

"We're still clearing things up in the Sextus dome," Shining Armor said. "Everypony's been accounted for, and... and there were plenty of injuries that are still being treated." He sighed. "Thankfully, no casualties."

Twilight sighed in relief. "That's good," she said. Then she looked around. "Has anypony heard from Director Luna?"

"She's been back up here," Shining Armor said. "But she's also gone back down to Equestria already. She asked me to tell you that she'd be dropping in to see you as soon as she had the chance, once she's had some time to talk things over with her sister again."

Twilight nodded. "Of course," she said.

"And here's the kicker," Shining Armor said. "She figured out who was behind it, had him taken in for questioning... and they've confirmed it." He sighed. "Director Neighsay arranged for some other ponies to plant the bombs."

Velvet looked horrified and furious. "He what‽" she said as she stared at him, eyes searching for anything to make it not real or that this was some sort of horrible joke or lie but she found nothing. "How did she discover this?"

"She figured it out from his behavior," Shining Armor said. "He was a little too quick to accuse our visitors, when there was already evidence that none of them had been in that dome until after the explosions started. Plus, none of them could have done it; none of them had the materials or knowledge."

He sighed. "Apparently, he's always wanted revenge on Equestria for what the ponies of a thousand years ago did, even if most of the rest of us have long since gotten past all that, and he wanted to ruin any chance of our two nations reconnecting. So he set up the sabotage on the Orion and tried to make us believe our guests were the ones who did it so he could trigger a war. Of course, Director Luna wasn't having any of that."

"Good for her," Sunset said. "I realize Equestria isn't perfect, and there are some ponies who'd feel the same way about you guys as Neighsay did about us, but..."

Shining Armor nodded. "Anyway, he confessed, and he's proud of what he did." He sighed. "This is one case where I don't think our usual punishment methods are going to work on the guilty one. I'm sure we'll still put him to work, but we'll have to have guards on him at all times."

"There is also another matter," Director Well Wishes said as he suddenly entered the room. The pegasus looked furious as he stared Velvet in the eyes. "Check your messages, you got a call from that bastard right?" Velvet blinked before looking at her PCA, with Well Wishes pacing back and forth as he continued. "I got a call from him, asking me to meet him. I turned it down as I was more concerned with saving lives than dealing with whatever he wanted."

Velvet nodded in agreement. "I was so worried when I heard about Twilight, I didn't bother to answer the last call I got," she said as she deactivated her PCA's screen. "It was from him though."

"If you had, you'd have been at the meeting he called to try and have the rest of us agree to declare war on Equestria," Director Well Wishes snorted angrily. "Fortunately, Director Luna got wind of it and figured out what he was up to and stopped it in the nick of time."

Applejack looked disgusted. "An' this guy's one of your Directors?" she said. "How'd he get the job if he was that bad?"

"He was very good at what he did, despite his personality," Velvet said with a sigh. "It looks like we'll have to hold an election for a new Director of Education soon though. His Deputy Director will probably get it; Ms. Porcelain is very competent at her own job."

"I doubt it, Velvet," Well Wishes said. "She's tainted. She worked with Neighsay for so long; I doubt anypony would trust her. I don't trust her."

Velvet nodded, clearly not happy. "Maybe. But we'll see how it goes. We should give her the benefit of the doubt, at the very least."

Well Wishes looked like he was going to say more, but Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Is... is Rainbow Dash all right?" she asked.

Well Wishes smiled gently at her. "She'll be just fine, miss," he said. "She's in recovery, and we'll have her here very soon. The attachment surgery itself went just fine, no complications that we can tell. Once she wakes up again though, we'll double-check with her to make sure she can feel and move everything, and then she'll have to go through therapy to get used to it, just like anypony who's had a prosthetic attached."

Fluttershy looked very relieved. "Thank you," she said. She then blinked and looked at him. "Will she need to stay here for her therapy?"

"Since she can move around on her own four hooves, most likely not," Well Wishes said. "We do have specialized centers for ponies who need that kind of help, but your friend will most likely be able to return to whichever residence she is spending her nights in for the duration of her visit to our moon, miss Sparkle's I would expect, within a few days and come back in for therapy every day afterward while she adjusts to her new wing." He then let out a small sigh and shook his head. "Though we will wish to keep her here for a few days at least so we can monitor her initial adjustments to it; we will also be able to introduce her to other ponies with prosthetics so she can discuss issues with others in a similar situation. She is not the first pony to have had a wing replaced out of necessity, after all."

"Like a support group?" Pinkie asked with Wishes nodding his head and giving her a smile.

"Exactly; your friend might have said she was fine with how she lost her wing but it is still a traumatic experience for any pegasus," he said before looking at Sunset who had a determined look on her face.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said. "I don't have any authority, but I know there are a number of ponies in Equestria who could greatly benefit from your work. Would you be willing to make your prosthetics for them, if we can arrange for it?"

Well Wishes smiled. "Your friend's already asked us to check out one little filly who's having trouble with flying," he said. "I've got no problem whatsoever with helping more ponies who need it, regardless of where they come from, provided that we can start moving patients up here or bring our equipment down to Equestria."

Sunset smiled gratefully.

"And I'd be glad to help with making those prosthetics," Twilight said. She sighed. "Until we can get things cleaned up over at the Orion's construction site, it looks like I won't have much I can do there." Then, gazing around, she looked firm. "But I am going to go back to working on it and rebuilding what I made before as soon as we can," she said. "I am not going to let one bigoted jerk ruin all the hard work we've done."

Both Moondancer and Sunset laid a hoof on her. "Once the doctor says it's okay," they said in unison, before trading looks, blinking and giggling.

Twilight smiled at the sight, and she could see she wasn't the only one with an amused look at their actions. She was glad they were getting along.

Now, she thought to herself. We just need Rainbow Dash and Director Luna in here for everything to be perfect.

---

In her office in Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia sighed heavily. "This day is going to go down in history, and not in a good way," she muttered.

Cadance, standing close by, nodded. "We'll work through it," she said. "Flash-, I mean, Captain Sentry is doing a very good job in establishing order in the city so far."

Captain Sentry had surprised everypony, herself included. She had been wrong about him; he was clearly suited for his position and she was disappointed in herself for doubting him and not giving him a proper chance to prove himself. She had already drafted the proper papers to send him to the officer schools so he could further himself, though he had already surrounded himself with those that had more training to guide and instruct him.

Including that mare from the Lunar Republic. She didn't need to be the Lady of Love to see that those two were already on a path together.

"That he is," Celestia said, musing at the reports from the interrogations that had come in so far. There were a number of camps to put the insurrectionists in. First were the avengers, of course, though they were the smallest group collected so far. They were the true troublemakers and she had dispatched Cadance's agents to collect all known members of their terrorist organization with more agents interviewing their families and friends to learn more about their structure. She was sure that Meadow had been one of the more senior members of the group, and if she had been alive, Celestia was certain they could have gained more information. Though she was not sad that the mare was now dead; the traitor had tried to attack her and paid the price.

Then there were the general troublemakers; they had seen a chance for mischief and taken it gleefully. She wasn't planning to be as harsh with them as she was to the avengers, but they would still be severely punished for their crimes.

And lastly, the group that bothered her the most and was the largest of them. They had heard the call of the avengers and truly believed that she had been subverted by Luna. They had been the most zealous and determined fighters of the entire battle and even now, they still weren't convinced that she was acting under her own agency. She was honestly not sure just how to charge them when the time came to take them to trial; they had meant well but broken the laws in their actions. At the very least, she intended to include mandatory counseling sessions in their sentences.

By the Creators, how hard could it be for somepony to understand that for all their differences, she was willing to hear Luna out because she and Luna were still family?

Then there was that chain. Just thinking about it made her fur crawl. It was cold iron of the purest percentage she had seen in a very long time. It had proven effective enough that even the basic hoof telekinesis was disrupted by it. She had divided the pieces up among several containers; the chain's inherent anti-magic properties had initially prevented her from lifting the first several boxes until she'd split it up more to reduce its effect, which also allowed her to add an alarm ward around each of them (the initial attempts had also failed due to the magic-disruptive nature of the iron until it was divided up enough).

As much as she'd admitted to herself that she'd rather dispose of it entirely, there were two reasons she kept it around still. One was for the upcoming legal battle; it would be needed as evidence of Blueblood's wrongdoing. It was going to be a very tough legal battle; the evidence against him was incredibly circumstantial and he did have a great alibi that she herself had unintentionally provided for him by having him arrested before.

The other reason she kept the chain was in case of emergencies, a last-ditch failsafe for a few magical foes whom it would prove useful against (Tirek, for one, came to mind - if restrained with it, he would be unable to drain magic like he did in the past).

She was not looking forward to some of these instances.

Suddenly, there was a chiming from her closet room, and Celestia's eyes widened. Rushing to it, she threw open the door, whispered the spells, and for the first time since she'd received it, saw her sister's face in the glass.

Luna looked very tired and frustrated. "Hello, sister," she said, then peered past Celestia with surprise. "And Cadance." Her expression turned to a smile at the sight of the youngest alicorn.

"What's happened?" Celestia asked. "Do you need any help up there? Is it... something on our level?"

Luna shook her head. "No, thankfully," she said. "It would seem the opposition to our two nations reconnecting was stronger than I expected; one of our own performed an act of sabotage and tried to frame our guests from Equestria for it. Fortunately, we were able to confine the damage and confirm that neither your student nor any of her friends had even been in the dome where the event took place since they arrived. The bad news is that this is going to set us back several months, if not years." She sighed. "Also, it seems we're going to have to hold emergency elections for a new Director of Education, since the old one was behind all this." She then blinked and stared harder at her. "Celestia, what happened to you; you look like you were in a fight."

"I was," Celestia said rather bluntly. "The good news is, we now have a legal reason to round up every last one of those so-called 'avengers' and send them to jail for the rest of their lives... even if I have to build another jail to hold all of our new prisoners once they've been locked up so long that the first one rots on top of them."

"They used a cold iron chain on her," Cadance said, causing Luna and Celestia to jump at her sudden entrance to the conversation. "It took us some time to get it off her and to properly corral the traitors. Thankfully, they didn't manage to breach the castle and presumably set Discord free; I checked on him after everypony outside was actually rounded up and he's still secure."

Luna sighed in obvious relief. "That is good to hear, especially as we do not have the Elements activated yet," she said. Then she turned more serious. "Celestia, there is a problem up here that may not be so easily fixed, and I feel your ponies are going to react poorly to."

Celestia froze. "What is it?" she asked.

"When the attack happened," Luna began. "Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer both joined the rescue efforts; Rainbow Dash took off to do so before anypony could stop her, and Sunset followed after Twilight and Shining Armor when they went to join in. Sunset is unharmed, but Rainbow Dash... she threw herself between some ponies and one of the explosions, and she was badly hurt."

"How badly?" Celestia asked, fear in the pit of her stomach.

Luna sighed. "She has lost one wing," she said. "We have offered her a fully functioning prosthetic in its place, which she has accepted, but it won't be the same as the original. It will require our medical professionals to help her acclimatize and adjust, both to the sudden shift in balance and the phantom limb pain that is sure to happen, along with maintaining it as well as any possible future tweaks she can think of."

Celestia went wide-eyed at that. "Your medical technology is that advanced?" she asked.

Cadance nodded, catching her attention. "I probably should have told you this before," she said. "But you've already seen an example of what they can do."

Celestia looked at her in surprise. "When?" she asked.

"Vinyl," Cadance said. "She has an artificial voice box to make up for being born without vocal cords."

Celestia's eyes widened even more, but before she could say anything, Luna was speaking again. "It is one of many things that I wish to bring to the table, but I would like to do this face to face, if that is okay with you, Celestia," she said.

Celestia nodded. "Of course."

"I will gather my ponies whom I need to bring with me, and be down in just a short while. Until then, sister," Luna said, before disappearing from the mirror.

Celestia deactivated her own end and then backed away from it, gesturing for Cadance to do the same. When they were both fully in her office, she closed the doors and sealed them.

That done, she turned to Cadance. "Ask," she said, reading the expression on her niece's face and guessing what was about to come.

Cadance nodded. "How long has that been in there?" she asked.

"Centuries, ever since one of our own somehow placed it here without my being aware of them," Celestia admitted. "I have used it to call Luna several times over the years, to try and get her to speak with me, but though I know she has answered every time, she has never once responded to me through it or even shown her face. I was also the same way when she called me; this is the first time we have properly used the mirrors." She sighed. "Cadance... I am going to my room for a while, I am very tired and I need some space. If you would greet Luna and our other guests when they arrive, and be so kind as to ask them to give me some time?"

Cadance nodded. "Of course," she said.

"Thank you." With that, Celestia trotted out and headed to her room.

---

It was a good hour later when there was a knock on her door and she rose, drowsily, to answer it.

When she saw Luna's face on the other side, she slowly backed away, opening the door to let her sister in, and then sat down on her bed. "Hello, Luna," she said.

"Hello, Celestia," Luna said, in a voice that suggested she was just as drained as Celestia herself, shutting the door behind herself. "We need to talk."

"We have both had bitter experiences in the last few hours, and I am exhausted, as Cadance was supposed to have told you," Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "There will be another time for us to talk when we are both well rested."

"She did tell me, and no, there won't be," Luna said as she climbed onto the bed. "Best we let out the rest of the poison now so we can heal and move on before we become too bitter again and need another disaster to clear our heads." She sighed. "I know my faults; I was harsh and cruel to you, I did not think properly that night and I let my emotions get the best of me."

"You were right Luna," Celestia said in the same drained tone. "For the sake of the Creators, you were among the attacked; of course I wanted vengeance against those who dared to hurt you and your followers, just as much as you did if not more, but I needed to do things legally. Otherwise, they would have used your well justified demands to hang those traitors to forever paint you as a bloody tyrant and monster and those you held dear just as bad. But I did not say that, and instead I fought with you and I am sorry for that Luna."

"We both acted poorly that night," Luna nodded her head in agreement before shaking her head. "And the many nights and days afterwards; both of us too slighted and angered at the other to try and make peace."

"All those years apart, wasted time for us to be together because of our infuriating, towering egos," Celestia spat before sighing again. It was painful to say this but it was helping.

"...I know that this might cause a new rift between us, Celestia," Luna said slowly and hesitantly, turning to face her. "I know why I did not reach out to you, but sister, I need to know why-"

Celestia flinched, biting her lip. "Please, can we try to move on," she begged her sister, knowing the question already with tears starting to flow from her eyes.

"Tia," Luna's personal nickname for her caused Celestia to jolt. It had been over a thousand years since she had heard that name used and it drove directly into her heart. "Please tell me so we can heal."

"Because you left me," Celestia said with tears running down her face. She nuzzled her sister, who did not pull away from her. "We promised we would be better than all of our other selves, that we wouldn't let each other fall and be corrupted and lose each other for a millennium. We promised each other on our friends' and families', our parents, graves that we dug ourselves and you still ended up leaving me all alone. I was so hurt and angry; I let that farce of a trial go ahead with only one side defending itself and you become forgotten because of my pettiness and desire to hurt you as badly as I was hurting."

Memories of that dark time, of that terrible war of alicorns and draconequui, of Order and Chaos, caused Luna to begin to shed tears of her own. They were young fillies that had learned of the truth of their place in Reality and the total scope of what was occurring and unlike the vast majority of their Others, they had gone to join in the fighting during the dying days of the war. They hadn't done much actual fighting; they were so young and the magic and technology being thrown around had been terrifying and almost beyond their comprehension, but they were there when Chaos and Order had personally put an end to Their war, and they had seen Chaos seal Their most powerful weapon away in Their vault before the Two had together stepped back from Their shared Creation, vowing never to let Themselves cause such destruction again and allowing the other Creators to take charge.

The sisters had grown so much in such a short, chaotic time but it seemed they still had growing to do.

Shaking her head, Luna did her best to clear her thoughts before answering. "It wasn't those that attacked me or my long dead followers that upset me so greatly; it was you taking their side over mine." She raised a hoof to halt her sister's words. "We promised each other that we would take care of each other, that we would look after each other so neither of us would fall and be left alone for a thousand years. Be supportive and kind, listen to each other and always be there to take each other's side." Luna paused, rocking her head softly. "Though we failed in that as time went on and Equestria grew larger. We saw less and less of each other, though I had thought you would always be there to defend me, no matter what. And then that night happened, and I realized what was really going on."

"And what do you think was going on?" Celestia asked, trying to remain calm.

"You were taking me for granted," Luna replied, not trying to hide how upset she was getting. "You'd grown complacent, thought everything would be fine until the Elements chose their replacements and there was nothing to worry about. You'd been delighted to know I had ponies by my side so I wouldn't be alone, so you stepped back from being there for me, the very thing you'd sworn you'd never do." She gazed at Celestia fiercely. "They may have been my friends, but you're my sister, and nopony, no matter how close we became, could ever take your place in my heart."

"Luna..." Celestia began, before she was cut off as Luna continued.

"And then you refused to see the rising issues between the day ponies and the night ponies as anything serious. Even when the fight broke out that night..." Luna shook her head. "Maybe I hurt you by leaving, but it was you hurting me just as badly before that led to it."

"We both hurt each other," Celestia said, shaking her head. "We both thought we were so smart by taking the precautions to prevent the worst from happening and yet we still failed each other," she said with sad realization. "By the Creators Luna, I have been the biggest fool of all time. I have let my bitterness blind me to my own failings and I allowed my damn hubris to deny me to see what was in front of me. I drove you away because of it, just like all of the other Celestias had done."

"You are not alone in your faults, dearest sister," Luna said, leaning over and nuzzling her face. "Pride is a family trait and I am guilty of it as well. I trusted those near me because they chose to follow me over you, so I didn't bother to look for fault. I know I didn't want to see anything to rob me of those ponies. I let my anger that night make my decisions for me instead of reason and logic. And I let those bitter feelings drive my actions here. You were right; I did just come to rub it in your face and try and force you to dance to someone else's tune for once, just to see your reactions."

Celestia nodded silently, then sighed. "And on that note... about what you said earlier. About stepping down. I can't."

"Explain," Luna said, her tone sharp and to the point, cutting through any flowery subtly. By the Creators, she had missed this direct honesty.

"As I said, I literally can't step down." Celestia looked most dismayed. "And neither can any other alicorn. After you left, the members of our Parliamentary Houses unanimously passed a bill, overriding my veto, that prevented me from ever abdicating. And they have always struck down any attempt I made to have it repealed, which I have done more times than I can bother to count. I am stuck with my throne, whether I want it or not. And so are you and Cadance, even though you have taken active leadership over another location and Cadance is one day meant to do the same." She sighed. "I was recently reminded of this and how you had never abdicated your throne when you moved to the moon, meaning you are still a Princess of Equestria whether you like it or not. Though it seems Blueblood either missed the law forbidding us from abdicating or simply chose not to mention it at the time, knowing my opinion thereof and not wishing to anger me further."

Luna scowled even more fiercely now, though this time it was not directed at Celestia. "They dare try to essentially hold you a captive to the throne?" she said angrily. "It's bad enough that I can't just step down from my position in the State Department, but they'd do the same to you as well?"

Celestia looked at her in surprise. "You've tried to quit before?" she asked.

Luna nodded. "Only those who are qualified are even permitted to run for a Director's seat," she said. "In all these centuries, when I felt we had made sufficient progress that it was time for me to step back from direct leadership and focus myself on other tasks, I've made many attempts to give up my job as Head Director, by putting in the minimal amount of work for a reelection campaign or even not running at all. But every single time, nopony would ever run against me and I always got a unanimous vote reelecting me to the job or was just told that since nopony had run in my place and it couldn't be left empty, I'd gotten it back by default." She sighed. "Thankfully, there are no such rules prohibiting me from passing on my other two Roles once I've found a suitable successor for each of them."

Celestia looked down. "So you meant it," she said. "You want to give up your Mantles. Give up your immortality."

Luna shook her head. "My Mantles, yes - or at least, most of them. Trojan and I have made a deal for when the time comes, when I give my Mantles over to a chosen successor who will continue bringing on and ending the Night as needed, and keep watch over our ponies in their slumber. But while I will be giving up the Night entirely, I will not be doing the same for my other Duties."

"Meaning...?" Celestia asked, genuinely unsure of what Luna was saying.

"Meaning that I will only be giving most of Dreams over to my successor," Luna said. "And once I have, Trojan will be giving me enough of his Mantle so that I will still have access to my full dream powers. I will be an Adjunct of Dreams and Nightmares, answering to both Trojan and my chosen successor, with a lower rank yet still enough power to retain my immortality. After all, my ponies will still need somepony with those Powers to watch over them when they have left our star system." She regarded her sister. "And... I was hoping that when that happened, you would accept the same position," she said with a vulnerability in her voice. "I want you to come with me and my ponies on our great journey, and join me in my Duties. To watch over them and the Dream Realm with me, together."

Celestia looked at her in stunned shock. "You would have me in that Role?" she asked. "After everything I did to you, all the pain I've caused?"

Luna nodded. "You're my sister, the only blood family I have left," she said. "Did you really think I'd just make you give up your immortality like that, doom you to a slow death by yourself? I've been planning on offering you this new path for centuries, Celestia. I just never knew how to get past my anger to tell you."

For a moment Celestia found it hard to breathe. Finally, she managed again, and then looked at her sister with new eyes. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Say that you'll at least consider it," Luna said. "There is so much out there that I have wanted to share with you for a very long time, sister. It is so wonderful, so freeing." She smirked. "And so creative."

Celestia nodded slowly, but still hesitantly. "I still have some reservations," she admitted. "I... I don't want to leave Cadance, or Sunset. But knowing what it means, if all I had to give up was my role as Equestria's ruler so I could come with you, I'd do it in a heartbeat," she said honestly. It had been so stifling to remain in Equestria for so long; she longed to roam the world as a citizen once more, and experience new things again.

Luna smiled. "I can understand that," she said. "I don't want to lose touch with Twilight either. But we have Milky Way's mirrors."

Celestia's eyes widened a little. "Milky Way?" she asked. "She's the one responsible for creating these mirrors, and giving them to us?"

Luna nodded. "And I believe she would be willing to give us more of them, if you agree to my request and come with me. We can use them to keep in touch with our loved ones here. Twilight, Sunset, Cadance... anypony else in Equestria or the Lunar Republic that you want."

Celestia took a moment to consider. It made sense now, that the Lady of Space - one of the oldest Powers in their universe - would be responsible for this, and it fit with her powers too. "I would... appreciate that," she said.

Then she tilted her head. "Speaking of the other Powers, does Trojan have any role in the society you run?"

Luna sighed, sounding a little exasperated. "You are not the first of our fellows to ask that," she said. "And I will tell you what I told them. The fact of the matter is that long ago, after we founded our Republic, I came to see Trojan a second time, and he and I made an agreement. In short, we don't bother him, and so far, he doesn't bother us, outside of his usual Duties of inflicting nightmares on any civilians whom he feels are in need of it. And he's promised me that once we've made the changeover, he and my successor will hold to the same agreement unless they specifically invite him to serve as an advisor."

Celestia smiled. "He truly is a horse of a different color, compared to all the other Lords and Ladies of Nightmares out there, isn't he?" she said.

Luna nodded. "As long as you give him his space when he wants it, which is most of the time, he is surprisingly peaceful," she said. "And practical. When we first talked and I told him about what all the other Nightmares we saw had tried, he said they must have all been out of their minds - patrolling the dream plane was enough for him, he wouldn't inflict any more work on himself unless there was no other choice." Then she scowled. "I'm surprised that he didn't notice that Neighsay needed a heavier hoof sooner though, and I do intend to go talk to him about it at some point."

"So you ended up getting him," Celestia said with a huff, rolling her eyes. "I thought I'd heard you mentioned him before. My deepest apologies; she warned me about him and I was worried about when he would appear."

"As was I," Luna said, remembering what the Celestia from the dimension attached to the Valley of the Alicorns had told them. She had truly been the wisest of all her sister's Others that they had met during their youth and she did, in a manner of speaking, still look up to her. "And regrettably, I was unable to give a proper reason to block his rise to directorship beyond saying that I had heard bad stories about himself in other dimensions from other versions of you and I." She snorted. "Which, as you well know, was not an option."

"Of course, beyond the Laws, it would just invite more questions that could only bring up disharmony and lack of faith from your directors, Luna," Celestia said.

Luna nodded. "I wish I'd done more about him sooner," she said. "I found out he was the one behind the attack today."

Celestia's eyes shot wide open. "He what‽" she hissed. "That... why?"

"Because he is a bigot of the worst kind who does not trust anypony outside his own nation, and thinks everypony else should feel the same way," Luna said. "He thought he could make everypony agree with him by framing our guests and triggering a war between our two nations." She looked disgusted. "He didn't realize that I would never allow such a thing to happen. Not even when you and I were most at odds."

Celestia nodded. "I know," she admitted. "Luna... despite what I said before, I never honestly thought that you would ever turn your weapons against Equestria. No matter how badly we quarreled and how angry I was with you, not once did I think you would try to seek to settle matters with violence." She let out a soft sigh. "It was wrong of me to even suggest for you to disarm yourselves."

Then she eyed Luna curiously. "But I have to know, why do you have them? Were you afraid of the Gateway being reopened?"

Luna shuddered. "Perish the thought," she said. "But... you do deserve an honest answer, and the truth is that even though the Gateway on the moon is sealed, I felt it best to be prepared. When we leave on our voyage, delayed as it will be now, we will be traveling into a great unknown. For all we know, there are other lifeforms out there, beings who may be more advanced and just as hostile as some of the ones we witnessed in the past. Beings like that Cosmos, for instance." Both mares shuddered at the name that being had tainted, before Luna continued. "Or even additional Gateways that we did not know about, which could be a source of dangers from other universes. From the start, our weapons program has always been intended for the sake of defending ourselves against such potential threats, should we encounter them."

Celestia nodded slowly. "That explains a lot," she said. "Thank you for telling me."

"It is my pleasure Tia," Luna said, shifting closer to her. "I have already talked to Director Well Wishes and he has agreed to send several of our best doctors to lend their assistance to your injured as well as provide some more of our medical knowledge." She looked at Celestia. "Also to examine one of your own civilians, at Rainbow Dash's specific request. Apparently there is a pegasus filly in Ponyville whom she is close to, and before she underwent the surgery to have her prosthetic wing attached, she asked if there was a way to help her."

"What's the problem?" Celestia asked.

"Apparently the filly in question is, for some unknown reason, unable to convert thrust into lift," Luna said. "Rainbow Dash is most concerned about her."

Celestia nodded understandingly. "I see," she said. "Well, as long as her parents or guardians are fine with it, I see no reason to object. Though I suppose it will be incredibly taxing for you to teleport everypony back and forth."

"The shield I have on the moon is down," Luna said, causing Celestia to blink owlishly. "You and Cadance are both able to help me transport them to Equuis and back now."

"That is one idea, though how about a team of unicorns to do so until you are able to craft a shuttle that can ferry Equestrians and Lunarians to and fro?" Celestia suggested.

"It could work and be far easier on us, though we will require aid in building those," Luna said. "A joint effort between our ponies could expedite the entire process Tia, and open up new venues and methods, and bring our ponies together in a better form of harmony. It would please most parties, including a certain niece who isn't as good at hiding as she thinks she is."

Blushing awkwardly, Cadance emerged from her hiding spot and sat near the sisters. "Sorry for spying on you two but I was worried," she said, giving them a light smile.

"A fair concern and it was a near passible attempt at hiding," Luna said with a sly smirk. "She has taught you well; going for sweets undetected I presume."

All three of them chuckled at that, including Celestia. "I see you haven't forgotten my passion for cake," she said.

"Oh, believe me," Luna said. "It is a very hard thing to forget. Especially as you were once seen diving into and devouring an entire Olympic-size swimming pool full."

Celestia couldn't see the expression that was appearing on her face at her sister's comment now, but somehow, she just knew that Luna was wishing she had a camera on hoof to immortalize it so she could share it with others, and that all of them would be laughing about it for ages to come.

And for the first time in a thousand years, the sister princesses were finally back together.

Comments

[Loganic]

They should check every single rule Neighsay ever passed. Immediately. Cause if you indoctrinate the youth, you get a generation that agrees with your beliefs.

Also the city is under your direct control get rid of the “alicorns can’t abdicate” rule. Like seriously they can’t do shit.

[Silver Starlight]

10881598
Heh, yeah.

"Or what, you'll fire me?"

[ARandomLonelyDude]

Good. What if Moon Dancer is a changeling? (Plz don't get angry I'm kinda stupid)

[AnoneMouseJr]

10881616
Mm... no, not a changeling. She's already said what she is, in her thoughts in chapter 26.

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[ARandomLonelyDude]

10881619
okay. Im the god of stupid. Almost every human should worship me.

[AnoneMouseJr]

10881622
It's not a problem - you're not the first person to have missed it.

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[Loganic]

Huh this is the end huh. Didn’t realize that till now but ok. Great story,

[Evilhumour]

10881628
we do have a sequel in the works but yeah, the first story in this series is finished.

And thanks for enjoying it!

[Loganic]

10881635
Good a sequel. It felt abit abrupt. Also good job on this.

[AnoneMouseJr]

10881628
Wait'll we get the sequel up.

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

(Edit: Okay, so Evil beat me to it.)

[Loganic]

10881643

[Asolem2]

As she headed down the hall, she heard one last snippet of talk from the room: Applejack sighing and saying, "Ah know Twilight trusts her... but Ah still think she's holdin' back a little."

You guys haven't exactly known each other for all that long, so that's not exactly suprising

"He was very good at what he did, despite his personality," Velvet said with a sigh. "It looks like we'll have to hold an election for a new Director of Education soon though. His Deputy Director will probably get it; Ms. Porcelain is very competent at her own job."

You should look over everything he did while he was a Director to see if he did something else as well

"She did tell me, and no, there won't be," Luna said as she climbed onto the bed. "Best we let out the rest of the poison now so we can heal and move on before we become too bitter again and need another disaster to clear our heads." She sighed.

Finally

"We both thought we were so smart by taking the precautions to prevent the worst from happening and yet we still failed each other," she said with sad realization.

And you somehow managed to make it just a little bit worse on the personal level

"It's bad enough that I can't just step down from my position in the State Department, but they'd do the same to you as well?"

Of course they're not just gonna let you step down, you have both proven yourselves, through word and deed, that you are the most capable to lead them forward towards prosperity.

I mean you'll probably be able to convince them to let you both step down eventually, but that would require them to be willing to risk the future of their respective nations with someone far less experienced at the job

And for the first time in a thousand years, the sister princesses were finally back together.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

that is a rather adrupt ending

[AnoneMouseJr]

10881867
Yeah... but it made for a good stopping point in the storyline, and we've got a sequel on the way.

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[SpikeSmolder fan]

About damn time the 2 dumb Royal Sisters came together after all that has happened!

Was a bit taken aback by the abrupt ending, glad to hear there's a sequel coming!

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

10881869
oh we do. that is good. makes the ending less annoying

[PixelatedPerson]

Thats the end? Well can't wait for the sequel then.

[New Rebellion]

This feels like the end of part one. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[panteladro]

10882709
Okay, I'll bite. This is a pet peeve of mine after all.

Consider this...has a barter system ever been allowed to exist to make it work?

In theory, barter existed before money was a thing. Although there is absolutely no anthropological evidence supporting such a claim. And even if there was that raises the question of why human society abandoned it in the first place. Either way, it was definitely "allowed" to exist before modernity, whatever that means.

Now moneyless systems? That's different. In fact, I can easily give you an example of a currently existing functioning human organization that doesn't use any form of money to exchange goods: practically any normal household. There are also various historical examples of massive moneyless societies, like the Inca Empire.

Why would those with assets and money ever want a cashless society? Even ill-gotten gains (avoiding taxes and illegal activity are excused. Since money.)

What's your point? That the reason barter isn't widely used is because those in power conspire against it and that I only oppose it because I have been conditioned into it? I mean, even if, hypothetically speaking, that was the case that doesn't really confront my position in any way or form. In fact, I'd say it's kind of equivalent to just stating "you're wrong", which, okay... but why?

So...what money gets multiple chances to win at our minds? But the opposite is just a fools errand? Huh?

Rather then accepting that others do infact value other things? Potential other ways?

My problem isn't with the concept of moneyless societies, it's specifically with barter.

Does a thing have to be perfect? To before you can ever try?

Well if a group of banter enthusiasts wants to go and form their own barter commune they are free to do so and report to the rest of us the results of their experience. I greatly doubt they'd succeed, or even last long, but who knows, maybe they'll be the new Mutualists. In the meantime let's not risk the living of millions with weird economical experiments, that's my take at least.

Ps. Are you going to say we should not have universal health care either?

I think both systems can, have, and do work. Private and public I mean. Singapore and Cuba, respectively, are magnificent examples. Which one is preferable depends entirely on the specific situation of each country.

[Alitaher003]

woooo! Bravo!! *calp calp calp*

[New Rebellion]

I just had an idea for an ironic type of punishment for 'Director' Neighsay. Rather than force him to undergo hard labor or anything of the sort on the moon, have him be taken down to Equestria and made to serve his sentence as a common school teacher for the local fillies and colts.

Ironically amusing or amusingly ironic?

Just an idea.

[Evilhumour]

10885244
Ironic and fitting, yes, but also dangerous as he could escape and give out state secrets to potentially dangerous people.

[New Rebellion]

10885302
Perhaps, perhaps. Unless Luna is able to put some kind of spell on that prevents him from speaking such things, if not outright memory-wiping such sensitive info from his mind.

But, I digress, this is your story.

[Revel Montaro]

Enjoyable, well done.

[ARandomLonelyDude]

Waiting for a sequel.

[WanderingPony]

10885244

That's asking the viper to lair with the child. The child is getting bit, that's the viper's nature and Neighsay's is to poison the relationship between Lunar and Solar.

[New Rebellion]

10888458
Perhaps and that thought had come to me too. But I'm guessing he'd have a harder time if he wasn't being constantly monitored. After all, there's no way Celestia or any of the native ponies wouldn't have him under constant surveillance for such a thing.

But, I digress, we'll see what happens when it happens.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

10936538
oh yeah. just like Starlight should have been pun9ished harder in canon because she did assault and kidnap a princess.

[Necrogen Lord]

11038403
Doesn't change the fact that it's boring and overlooks the entire point of Neighsay's character. Also Blueblood was never actually evil, just a little bit of a bitch.

[AnoneMouseJr]

11038414
Different universes, different backgrounds. The real issue is that they've both got the same ego problems from canon, only ramped up - Neighsay is too stubborn to see any way of doing things other than his own, and Blueblood's just as bad.

(If you want to see them as better ponies, go read the Diplomacy-verse. Neighsay's still stubborn, but he's no traitor, and Blueblood's somewhat bitter but improves after the source of this is dealt with.)

Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.

[Pensive]

The description sounds so much like The Thousand Year Change. The description almost entirely outlines the plot of The Thousand-Year Change. Definitely going to read this for a different POV.

[Shadow Star]

finally found this again. Took it off my watch list when it hit complete, then lost the sequal.

[Evilhumour]

11210263
Glad to have you back then.