Afraid of the Light

by BiniBean

Happy

Chapter Eight: Happy

It worked. It worked. It worked.

Her sister, her wonderful sister was back. Her student freed her. She freed her from Nightmare Moon. She freed her from that prison.

They stood on her balcony. Luna had a gigantic smile as she raised her beautiful moon into the sky, not a single scratch on its surface from the banishment. The stars lit up brighter than they had in a thousand years.

Celestia was happy.

She certainly wasn't in distress because of her sun. Her sun disappeared behind the horizon, it was not content. She knew it was angry. As angry as it was in her dreams. It scared her how many things reminded her of that dream...Of all the dreams, of all the nightmares.

That...Horrific dream.

A dream she knew she had many times before, yet that last one...the last one was the worst of them all.

"We missed this." Luna said. Her use of the royal "we" was something Celestia needed to work with her about and definitely the use of the Royal Canterlot voice when she addressed the public and even staff was another problem but she only just came home. Has to adjust to a whole world that kept moving forward for generations as she was alone. They could worry about that later. All that mattered was... she was home.

"I did too, Luna. Your nights are the most beautiful."

Luna's chest swelled with pride and she looked over to Celestia with tearful eyes.

"We are eternally sorry for what we did, sister." Luna's happiness fell as tears began going down her face and she looked to the marble floor in shame. "We read about the Battle of the Nightmare. About us. About the ponies who...who perished."

"I know, Luna. I forgive you. I am sorry for my part in what took place as well. That was ten generations ago. One can not dwell on that past but must look forward to the future. We can only learn from what happened. To ensure it doesn't happen again." Celestia replied with a smile, and a grown pit in her stomach as she had a feeling of dread about her own words. Frankly, as she spoke them, she found herself feeling like a hypocrite.

Luna nodded and wiped her tears away with her wing before looking up to her moon.

"Celestia, I..." Luna's words died on her lips. She was scared to talk about something.

"Luna, we are sisters. You can tell me anything. Ask me anything. It's important we share." Celestia urged, hoping more openness would allow them to be closer. For them to be sisters again. But, Luna looked scared. She looked at Celestia with fearful eyes.

"Tia, the sun scares us."

Celestia's blood went cold and she took a sharp breath as fear and adrenaline pumped through her in moments. She gave a nervous smile. She was trying to seem calm for Luna but internally she felt scared. Luna's ears fell back.

"Not you, sister. We are not scared of you. But...your sun..." Luna glanced up to the Moon again as she struggled to explain. "When we were on the moon, sister. The N-Nightmare and I were the same being. Sometimes I would have control. Sometimes the Nightmare would."

Luna paused as she took deep breaths and didn't dare look at Celestia as she cringed at her own words. Celestia almost didn't notice she switched the "we" to "I".

"We hated each other. We fought with each other with words since we shared the same...form. When I had control I tried to help dreams still. I-it was my only connection outside of that place. It was a weak connection but sometimes I managed to help a pony along to escape the darkness from outside their dream. I am not sure how to explain it exactly, sister. When the Nightmare was in control, she tried to move the sun away from Equestria. Especially during sunrise and sunset."

Luna stood up abruptly and began to pace beside Celestia on the large balcony. Celestia sat silently. She watched her younger sister shift through painful memories as she looked for the one she needed to continue.

"She was scared of you never raising the moon again. She tried nearly every morning and every night to keep the sun from moving but it caused her pain. I felt it. It was like a burning fire. Fueled by anger and hate. Not from the Nightmare...Somehow...The Sun hated us. Hated the both of us. It hated everything. It hated everything it couldn't touch. The Nightmare and I couldn't agree on most things but the one thing we could agree on was, that your sun is dangerous. Have you sensed the anger, sister? Do you know why your sun is in such pain?"

That is strange. It's strange the elements could banish them but not lock away their magic completely. It explained part of the reason the moon was so difficult to control. Why it hurt to raise.

Celestia had several ideas as to why her sun was such a way. It could have been many factors. Many reasons. But, the voice. That voice that scared her to her core, that she listened to after burying it deep down in that nightmare sprang up in a memory in her mind.

"I don't know why, Luna." Celestia replied softly as she got up to unfurl a wing and place it on her sister's back for a sign of comfort. "My sun as I raise it every morning and lower it every night has sensed calm to me."

Liar. She just flat-out lied.

Her sister had just come back and she was already keeping secrets? Why? What harm would it do for Luna to know the truth? She knew her sun was angry. She knew something was absolutely wrong with the sun.

Yet, she was lying.

Logically, she should tell her sister.

No. No, she just came back. She doesn't need to concern herself with such matters. She needs to be reintegrated into society before she deals with any crisis with the sun or moon or...she was just making excuses. Its not like she was wrong exactly, maybe just delaying the issue.

"Calm?" Luna did not look convinced. "we are not sure if huge solar storms and the screams of rage that radiated off of it, into the Nightmare and I's magic were calm."

There it was. As the hours passed, Luna's fighting spirit came back. She missed it. Luna always knew the right words to say but in this moment it was wrong. She needed her to stop questioning the sun. Just...for now.

"Celestia, we are not sure of thee's history. We haven't yet gotten the chance to read the history during the time we have been absent. May we spend time in the Library before we resume our duties?"

"Oh, yes, Luna. Of course. We don't need to jump right into you having enormous weight and responsibilities of rulership. We will take it slow of course. Since you only just came back, there is much for you to learn and do." Celestia pressed with a sad smile. "I...I missed you a lot, Luna."

Luna returned the sad smile.

"We missed you as well, sister." Her eyes welled up with tears. "We wish...we wish to see you smile again. A real smile. The brightest smile in all of Equestria."

Comments

[Ralanost]

Small nitpick, a generation is roughly 25 years. Enough for a pony to reach maturity and have a child of their own.

Now that Celestia's precious sister is back and is also afraid of the sun, I wonder how this will go.

[GeneralSarcasm]

oooo~ I like where this is going! The building anticipation has me on the edge of my seat.

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

In popular concensus Celestia is the teacher, the mother, the scholar. Luna on the other appendage is the Warrior, the guard, Equestria's sword.

Celestia has become so used to her role that to do anything other than the soft protective touch feels wrong for lack of better words. Even if that means lying, behind the scenes manipulation, etc.

Take Sunset for example, she struck me as the student who needed to be challenged and driven, Celestia likely played vague lessons and soft gentle nudges which just frustrated her.