When Two Are One

by Rigoo

Find Fear in Life

Luna awoke that morning with a surprising amount of energy. The memories of her time with Twilight were still fresh in her mind, and they filled her with jitters and giddiness. A smile found its way to her face and stubbornly stayed there, unfazed by any of the dark thoughts her mind tried to drudge up. Not even the foreboding promise she had made to meet Twilight's friends could dislodge it. In fact, she found that idea only made her happier.

For once since her return, things seemed to be looking up for her. She eagerly rose from her bed, excited to have breakfast with her sister. There were plenty of stories for her to tell.

On her way to the dining hall, Luna paid the busy ponies of the castle as much attention as they normally paid her; almost none. Her spirits were too high to be bogged down by such trivial things. All she cared about was breakfast.

“Hello, Luna,” Celestia greeted when she slipped through the door. “How was your day with Twilight?”

“It was... enlightening, sister.” Luna couldn't keep her joy off her face while she took her seat.

“Enlightening?” Celestia raised a curious eyebrow. “Do tell.”

“I learned of the joys of 'fast food'. It very much lives up to its name.”

Celestia laughed at that. The sound made Luna's smile grow wider.

“And the taste was incredible!” she continued. “Hay burgers, fries, shakes; they are all so delicious!”

Her sister wore a knowing look. “I hope you didn't eat too much.”

“I may have... underestimated my stomach capacity,” Luna admitted.

“Oh, dear. Are you—”

“You needn't worry, sister,” she interrupted. “I have since recovered from my stomach ache.”

Celestia looked relieved at that. “Well, it sounds like you had a lot of fun.”

“Indeed, I haven't had such fun in...” Her mind drifted back in time, to memories she wasn't quite ready to face yet. “Well, a long time indeed.”

“Well, that's good! I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves.”

“Indeed,” Luna smiled as she nervously shuffled her hooves. “I had so much fun, that I asked Twilight if I could meet the rest of her friends.”

Celestia's face lit up. “Oh, Luna! That's wonderful!” She sprung from her seat and ran next to her sister, giving her a warm hug. “When are you going to meet them?”

“We have not decided yet. I hoped to borrow your dragonfire spell to coordinate with Twilight.”

“Of course, you have but to ask.”

“Thank you, sister.” Celestia ended the hug to return to her seat, while Luna took a plateful of waffles and started drizzling sweet, sticky syrup over them. There really were all sorts of exciting foods in the world now. It was then she remembered the ending of her time with Twilight.

“Twilight also mentioned something called 'astronomy,'” Luna said. Celestia's ears perked up again. “Do... do ponies really write books about the stars?”

“They absolutely do, Luna,” Celestia answered. “I can't remember exactly when it started, but ponies have been studying your stars for hundreds of years now. I admit I haven't kept up with it as much as I'd like, but there are many ponies who have dedicated themselves to mapping and understanding the night sky.”

“I see...” So Twilight hadn't been lying. Ponies really had come to appreciate the things she had done for them. If only she had been around to see it happen.

“Would you like to meet some of them?”

“Um. Maybe some other time.” Luna knew she wasn't ready to go out in public. Not after the last time. She should take Twilight up on her offer first.

“Of course. Take all the time you need, Luna.”

---

Luna stood at the door of Twilight's library, preparing to knock. She shivered slightly, and it wasn't just because of the cool night air. She had spent several days preparing for this moment. Last time she had met with her sister's student, she had been overcome with dread and worry. This time, Luna couldn't help but be excited, even with the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

Twilight had said she was planning a 'sleepover', a party that lasted overnight. Celestia told her they were a rather intimate affair, something done between close friends. Luna hadn't known Twilight for long, but the mare was very special to her. She was honored that Twilight seemed to feel the same way.

Luna took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She didn't have to wait long for it to open.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight greeted, stepping aside so the Princess could enter. “Please, come in!”

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna replied as she walked inside. Twilight's abode was warm and bright, despite the late hour. The wooden walls practically glowed with a light pink color, and everywhere she looked there were shelves filled with books. It radiated a type of coziness that Luna couldn't last remember feeling.

“We are excited to learn more about this 'sleepover' you have planned.”

“Oh my gosh, you've never had a sleepover before?!” said a voice behind her. Luna nearly jumped out of her coat. She whipped around to find a bouncing pink pony. “This is so exciting! Are you excited? I'm excited, I think everypony's excited!”

“Pinkie, do calm down.” Another pony appeared, this one with a pure white coat and a styled purple mane. “You're unsettling our royal guest.”

Right, these were Twilight's friends, the other Elements of Harmony. The pink one was undoubtedly Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. The other must be Rarity, Element of Generosity.

“Do not worry, we were merely caught off guard,” Luna said, her voice quavering despite herself. “I take it the two of you are Pinkie Pie and Rarity?”

“Yup! That's me!” said Pinkie, her face splitting into an incredibly wide grin. “It's so exciting to meet you, Princess Luna! I just know by the end of the night, we're all gonna be super duper best friends! Yay!” She threw her forehooves into the air and tumbled end over end, cartwheeling her way into the next room. Luna stared after her in shock. To think she had thought Twilight was excitable...

“I must apologize for Pinkie's behavior, Princess,” Rarity said. “She isn't really one for proper decorum.”

“It's nothing, really,” Luna replied, though her heart was still racing. “We were told sleepovers are a more casual affair. We were not expecting a traditional royal welcoming.”

“Well, even so,” Rarity bowed her head. “We are honored to have you here with us, Princess.”

Watching Rarity bow to her felt very, very wrong. She hadn't done anything to deserve this kind of respect. Not her; worthless, cowardly Luna. She had to stop this.

“Uh, Miss Rarity, please,” she stammered. “There's no need for such formality. Like I said, this is a casual meeting.”

Rarity seemed surprised at her words. “I'm sorry, Princess. Bowing to royalty is common manners.”

“I understand, but tonight is different. I came here to get to know you all, not stand on ceremony. It wouldn't do to have everypony tripping over themselves just to be polite.”

Rarity's face turned thoughtful. “I suppose you're right. A sleepover isn't really the place for formality, is it?”

“Speaking of which,” said Twilight. “I think we're about ready to get started!”

The pair escorted Luna to the living room, where the rest of Twilight's friends were seated around a table.

“Princess, I'd like you to meet Rainbow Dash,”

“Yo!” the Element of Loyalty called to her, with a quick wave of her hoof.

“Applejack,”

“Howdy!” The Element of Honesty tipped her hat.

“Fluttershy,”

The Element of Kindness meekly ducked beneath her mane. “Um, hi.”

“And you've already met Pinkie Pie.”

“Hi again, Princess!”

Luna nodded, a smile firmly on her face. These were the ponies who saved her, the reason for her second chance at life. She was honored to meet them again. “It's a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to the fun we'll have together!”

“Speaking of which, what's the plan for tonight?” asked Rainbow Dash, an eager smirk on her face. “Truth or Dare? Ghost stories?”

“Spin the bottle?” suggested Pinkie Pie.

All eyes turned to Pinkie at that. Their looks ranged from humored to mortified. Luna hadn't a clue what spin the bottle was, but apparently its name was not evoked lightly.

“We're not playing that,” Twilight answered. “We're going to have a nice, normal sleepover with the Princess, and we're going to start it the old fashioned way.”

Twilight put a rectangular box on the table.

“With board games!”

The box was labeled 'Monopoly' in big red letters. It featured an illustration of a white pony with a top hat and a moustache who gestured at a city in the distance. Luna found it very curious. She had no idea what it meant.

“Monopoly?” Applejack said. “Lookin' to show the Princess our competitive sides?”

The word competitive drew a whimper from Fluttershy.

“Applejack, we are going to have a fun, clean game with Princess Luna,” Twilight said, her eyes making their way around the table as she spoke. “That means no trash talk, no gloating, and no egotism in general. We're all going to be on our best behavior tonight.” She looked at Rainbow Dash. “Isn't that right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash rolled her eyes. “Can we get started already?”

“Very well.” Twilight smiled as she opened the box. “I'll be the banker, as usual. Who's playing as what?”

A variety of tiny metal objects were levitated onto the table. Luna barely got a chance to look at them before they were snatched up.

“Ooh! I want the top hat!”

“I'll take the wagon.”

“I always play as the cloud, duh!”

“The thimble for me, darlings.”

“I think I'd like to be the dog, if that's okay with everyone.”

In the wake of the mad dash, only three items remained. A cat, a wheelbarrow, and a horseshoe.

“We shall choose the cat.” she said.

“Oh, good choice Princess,” Fluttershy said.

Luna smiled. “Thank you, Fluttershy. We are fond of cats.”

Twilight starting passing out strange paper circles to everypony. They were the size of bits, but came in all sorts of colors. Some were yellow, some pink, some green. All had the same cartoonish picture of Celestia on them.

“Since this is your first time playing, Princess, let me explain the rules to you,” Twilight said. “We all take turns rolling the dice and moving around the board. When you land on a square, you're allowed to buy it with the paper bits I've handed out. The goal is to own every square on the board.”

Luna looked at the board, and noticed the squares had names like Canterlot, Hoofington and Trottingham. The game was about buying all the land in Equestria? What a bizarre idea. It struck Luna as the goal of some insane villain, not a casual game for fun.

Oh, come now, it's just a game. Surely you can appreciate that?

Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of the voice. She hadn't expected it to appear now of all times.

I was going to leave you to your own devices tonight, but I can't help myself. This game just looks like so much fun!

Luna took a few deep breaths to calm herself. It was just a voice, it couldn't do anything if she didn't let it. She just had to focus on herself and her friends and everything would go fine.

Applejack was selected as the first to roll. She took the dice in her hooves and cast them across the board with a clatter. Then she counted the squares with her wagon.

“Would you like to buy Cloudsdale, Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“I sure would,” Applejack answered, pushing over a pile of bits.

“Hey, no fair!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I'm supposed to own Cloudsdale, it makes too much sense!”

“Sorry, Dash,” Applejack smugly took the Cloudsdale deed from Twilight, tucking it under her remaining bits. “Them's the breaks.”

Dash crossed her hooves and pouted, scowling at Applejack.

Oh my. This game seems even more fun than I thought!

“Be quiet,” Luna whispered under her breath. “We are here to make new friends, not old enemies.”

Oh please, I wouldn't dream of ruining this quaint little party, it laughed. But making Rainbow Dash into a sore loser?

Luna looked to Rainbow Dash, who was clearly scheming her revenge on Applejack.

Now that sounds like a good time!

“You aren't even listening to me, are you?” she grumbled.

“Did you say something, Princess?” Twilight's voice pulled Luna from her thoughts.

“Nothing,” she answered, making her best attempt at one of Celestia's serene smiles. It felt too strained to be believable, but nopony seemed to notice. “Please, carry on.”

The dice were passed around the circle, and each pony took a turn rolling them. Luna found it hard to pay attention to what was happening. She couldn't stop thinking about the look Dash had been giving Applejack, and kept imagining it directed at her instead. She still remembered how it felt to be the target of that angry glare. That life was supposed to be behind her now.

Eventually, her turn came. She cautiously lifted the dice in her magic.

“Hey!” Dash shouted, shocking Luna into dropping the dice. By the time she looked over, Applejack had a hoof over Dash's mouth.

“Sorry!” Luna squeaked. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Well,” Twilight scowled at Dash, before giving Luna a sympathetic look. “It's considered polite to roll with your hooves, rather than your magic, Princess. You know,” she gestured to the rest of her friends. “For fairness.”

“Oh, I see. That does make sense. My apologies.” Luna shakily picked up the dice in her hooves instead, before awkwardly tossing them onto the board. The other ponies had made it look much easier than it was.

Her roll totaled at five. She gently pushed her cat along the board with her hoof, too afraid to consider using her magic again. Five spaces left her on a picture of a train, something she felt lucky to even recognize. She had only ever seen The Friendship Express from her window, never in person. It was one of many strange new things she had yet to come to terms with. Like board games.

“Do you want to buy the Appleoosa station, Luna?” Twilight asked her.

Luna glanced at the faces of the ponies around her. Most seemed politely interested, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked particularly invested in her decision.

“No, thank you,” she answered. She was suddenly surrounded by looks of confusion. Even Twilight and Fluttershy seemed concerned, though nopony said anything.

What are you doing? the voice asked. Did you not listen to the rules? You are supposed to be buying property.

“Like I said, I'm here to make friends, not enemies,” Luna whispered.

The point of the game is to compete, you know? That's what makes it fun. They don't expect you to just let them win.

“I know better than to trust your foul advice.”

Luna could feel the indignation pressing against her mind. She did her best to ignore it. She had made the mistake of listening to it for the last time. Now, she was going carve her own path.

The dice continued around the circle, as everypony took another turn playing. Fake money exchanged hooves, cards were passed out, and sometimes little houses were placed on the board. When the dice came to Luna, she rolled them and moved her cat once again.

"Would you like to buy Fillydelphia, Luna?" Twilight asked her.

"No, thank you," she replied. Again, confused looks appeared all around her.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Dash asked.

"There's nothing in the rules that says you have to buy everything you land on," Twilight answered. "It's perfectly legal as far as I can tell."

"Sorry," Luna said. "Am I causing trouble?"

"Nope! You're perfectly fine, Princess," Twilight told her. "You're allowed to play however you like." She gave Luna a bright smile. It didn't do much to quiet her fears.

"I've never played a game like this before," Luna said, rubbing her hooves together. "It doesn't seem to be coming to me very naturally."

"Don't worry, Princess," Fluttershy said. "I'm not very good at these games either. Some ponies just aren't as competitive as others."

That made Luna smile. "Thank you, Fluttershy. We appreciate your insight."

Out of the corner of her eye, Luna noticed Rainbow Dash sizing her up from across the table. She found herself trapped in Dash's gaze, terrified of what might come out of her mouth. Then, Dash closed her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatever. I'll take an easy win."

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted. "Don't be rude!"

Twilight and Rainbow started to argue, but Luna couldn't hear their words. There was a sense of dread forming in her gut, and it seemed to grow every minute. She had been trying to stay out of other ponies' ways, but somehow she was just attracting more attention to herself.

You know, I could help you, the voice cut in. I know what they're looking for in a player. If you would let me take the lead, all this stress could go away in no time. You wouldn't have to worry about Rainbow Dash anymore.

The false sympathy in its tone was all it took to bring Luna back to her senses.

"Nice try," she whispered to herself. "But you'll have to do better than that to trick me again."

You imbecile, the voice groaned. Fine then. Let's see how long you can keep up this charade.

She was here to make friends. Nothing had actually gone wrong yet. Everything was fine.

The game continued. In time, ponies began finding themselves the targets of poor fortune. One by one, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity went bankrupt.

Luna wondered if ponies really found this game fun. It seemed awfully scary to her. Who would want to live in a world where everypony was constantly fighting over money and land? The thought was unsettling, to say the least.

Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were the only remaining players now. Her two opponents occasionally whispered to each other, too quiet for Luna to hear. She wondered what they were saying. Were they scheming against her, or merely gossiping about her strange playstyle?

Luna found both options equally disturbing. This sleepover wasn't turning out like anything she had expected. Her last outing with Twilight had felt warm and welcoming, like the two of them were truly friends. Here, Fluttershy seemed to be the only other pony who didn't view Luna as competition or royalty. This strange game was causing her no shortage of stress, and she was starting wonder why she had even shown up.

Worse still was the fact she could still feel the the demon lurking in her thoughts. It was biding its time, waiting for something. She was determined not to give in to its manipulation, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out for. Her composure became harder to maintain after every turn, and harder still after every look from Rainbow Dash.

The dice came around to her again. Luna carefully threw them onto the board, becoming more comfortable with the act over the last half hour. A total of seven this time. She counted the squares on the board with her cat.

You're really going to keep this up until the end, aren't you? the voice said, reemerging from its silent wait.

“Yes, I will!” Luna answered, quickly shooting it back down. She suddenly found herself the focus of everypony in the room. Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity looked at her in surprise, while Rainbow Dash wore a cocky grin. Her heart started hammering in her chest.

“Okay then. White Tail Woods now belongs to Luna,” Twilight said.

“Aha! I get it!” Dash exclaimed. “You've just been biding your time the whole game, saving all your money for the end! Now we can really get started!”

“We... um...” Luna stammered.

“Well, you've certainly got your work cut out for you,” Applejack cut in. “You've got a long road to travel to come back in this match.”

No! She hadn't meant to buy a property! This wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't right!

Yes, yes, I know, the voice cut in, its voice rich with arrogance. I've gone and played a dirty trick on you. But trust me, if you just listen to what I say, we'll turn this game around in no time. They won't know what hit them, and everypony will love it!

That damned voice had tricked her! It wasn't allowed to do this! This was her meeting, her chance!

“Applejack, I think it's your turn next,” Twilight said.

“Actually,” Luna interrupted. “We are not sure if we want to keep playing.“

The eyes of every Element bore into her. Worry, concern, and yet more confusion surrounded her. Luna felt herself overheating, her breath coming in shorter and shorter bursts.

“Aww, what?” Dash complained. “It was just getting good!”

“What's wrong, Princess?” Twilight asked.

She couldn't be here, it was all too much. Her chest felt like it was carrying a stone that was slowly sinking deeper into her gut. Her thoughts ran at a mile a minute, threatening to drive her to madness.

Luna stood up from the table, quickly making her way to the door. “We think some fresh air is needed,” she blurted out. “Please, excuse us.”

She slipped outside before anypony else could speak. As soon as she closed the door, the cold night air caught in her throat. She sat down, making herself take slow, deep breaths, trying to regain control.

You're such a buzzkill, the voice sneered in her mind. I can't believe you.

“Why must you do these things to us?” Luna shouted, finding it much easier to breath all of a sudden. “You sabotage our efforts and torment our mind at every turn! Leave us in peace, demon!”

I did nothing to sabotage you, you insolent whelp! I was helping you play the game correctly! Did you not see how their interest peaked when you began to compete?

“You wanted revenge on the Elements!” Luna insisted. “You made it clear you wished to see Rainbow Dash laying defeated before you! You are fooling no-one!”

It is you who is failing to fool anyone! the voice roared back. You let your fears and insecurities best you time and time again. Do you really think you will accomplish anything just being timid and polite? If you want the respect of other ponies, you have to assert yourself!

Why did she have to be cursed with this horrible demon? How was she ever meant to live with its sneering voice dragging her down at every turn? She couldn't, it was impossible! Tears welled up in her eyes and she choked on her suddenly dry throat.

Luna had no desire to go back inside. All the excitement she had when she arrived here at Twilight's library had long since dissipated. She had thought for sure meeting Twilight's friends would be fun, but she couldn't have been more wrong. This sleepover had turned out to be a nightmare.

“I hate you,” was all she managed to say. She unfurled her wings and took to the sky.

---

Around the table, tension was high. Everypony's gaze promptly turned to Rainbow Dash.

“What? What did I do?”

“Now, I'm not saying Dash is blameless,” Applejack said. “But Luna seemed troubled from the moment the game started. Didn't you hear her whispering to herself?”

“Honestly, she seemed troubled from the moment she showed up,” Rarity added. “I've never heard of a royal being so bothered by a simple bow.”

Twilight sighed, her body slowly relaxing. “You girls are right. Sorry, Rainbow.”

Dash at least had the sense not to look smug, instead wearing the same worried look as all her friends.

“Does she usually whisper like that, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“I've certainly never heard her do it," Twilight said, bringing a hoof up to her chin. "I don't remember anything like it from our trip to The Hay Burger. I wonder what's wrong?”

“Maybe she's just shy?” offered Fluttershy. “I'm sure I would be if I were meeting five new ponies at once.”

“That's a good point!” Pinkie Pie said. “Maybe we should have met her one at a time, instead of all at once!”

“I'm surprised to hear that coming from you, Pinkie,” said Applejack.

“What? Just because I think big parties full of new ponies are fun, doesn't mean everypony does. Right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Right.”

“Well, I'm going to go outside and talk her,” Twilight said, rising from the table. “You girls wait in here.”

Twilight stepped out her door into the cool night air. She looked around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. None of the silhouettes she could make out were pony shaped. Even as her sight became clear, the Princess remained nowhere to be seen.

“Princess Luna?” she called out into the night. But she received no answer. Luna was long gone.

Comments

[Supernova08]

This is a very interesting story, in my opinion. It’s probably wishful thinking but I’d love to read more if you ever decide to continue this story.

[Rigoo]

11543942
The story is continuing! I've just stopped updating until I finish it. I'm nearing the end, so hopefully it won't be too much longer.

[Supernova08]

11544159
Oh nice! I am excited to read the rest of this story whenever you finished.