Only shadows of the past...

by Phoenix Quill

Epologue

Princess Luna looked herself over in the mirror and frowned slightly. It has been just a little over a year since she had returned to a much changed Equestria, and was still unsure of how to deal with things.

During the course of the year, Celestia had the finest teachers from her school tutor her in the ways of modern culture, to try and get her caught up on what she had missed over the years. Most important in her lessons, was the way that the laws had changed over time.

Thus, her manners still were archaic at best. Grounded in tradition that she feared to let go of, feared that if she were to slip out of the way she was assured in her mind was the proper way to speak, and act, that the Nightmare may take her body away once again.

Luna continued to frown as she looked herself over, her ethereal mane had just come in the night before, and now constantly flowed in a nonexistent wind. As she sat, she heard the door creak open slightly, but refused to turn and face her. "My dearest sister, is everything alright?" It was Celestia, as she suspected it to be.

She still did not turn, but instead looked over the black crown and matching necklace that lay on the dresser before her, then at the silver shoes with a slight frown. "Do we look so pitiable to thine eyes sister?"

Celestia walked slowly to sit by her sister, and lay a wing across her back. "Luna, you know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you, and you know I will do anything for you."

Luna couldn't help it, but cry. "We doth not deserve to wear such vestiges! We sent you to the sun! We tried to murder you, all of our subjects were targets for us to destroy on the whim of greed, and jealousy! Thee should have kept us locked away forever. Not a mere millennium."

Celestia listened, and let her sister lean against her for support, her head resting gently upon Luna's in a comforting manner. "Luna, you have as much right to a crown as I do. You only turned to such a demon because I failed you. All of this, I brought upon us. If anything, I should be the one to step down, but I don't and neither will you. Do you know why?"

Luna sobbed for a few more moments before looking up at her sister and shaking her head slightly.

"It's because we need them, just as much as they need us. The ponies look up to us for inspiration, and we look back to them for hope. Hope of a better world, hope for ways to better ourselves, hope for a way to grow. We may need each other, but you also need them, and they may not realize it yet, but they need you too."

Luna wiped her eyes slightly and hung her head low, her breath shaky with sadness. "Sister, you lead an era of peace and prosperity in the wake of destruction we hath wrought upon you. You alone could raise our moon and thine own sun. Surely we are not needed."

Celestia grabbed Luna by the shoulders and shook her slightly. "LUNA! I need you! We need each other, and the ponies out there know it! Without you, I am a shell of a pony, dead on the inside. Peace and prosperity, you speak about my own cowardice in the face of aversion. The Everfree Forest still looms over the center of Equestria, untamed and dark as ever because I fear losing a single pony in the name of reclaiming the land. The minotaurs and gryphons had taken entire colonies away from us in negotiations, because I was too afraid to raise an army. Without you, I am nothing."

Luna and Celestia sat there for a few moments looking at each other. Finally after a few moments, Luna steadied herself and looked up at her sister. "Then we, I.. Should go meet our subjects. When can we do so in a small setting?"

Celestia smiled slightly as she made a small calender book appear. "Well, it's now October, Nightmare Night is the next holiday. Perhaps you may wish to attend the one in Ponyville?"

Luna frowned deeply at the thought, then asked a very simple question. "What is Nightmare Night?"

It only took a few moments to explain what the holiday was, and what the supposed, and real origins of the holiday was. Afterwards, Luna decided then and there to attend, if only to see if she could convince the public to end a holiday based on such dreadful origins, and instead hold a new, glorious feast in the name of both her, and her sister's fondness of each other.

Author's Note:

This is the close of the story.
I hope you enjoyed it as it is, for in the space of a month or so, this story shall be closed and deleted for a sever rewriting.

Comments

[The Demon of Sloth]

Amazing work! I enjoyed this, no joke!

[Cawfee]

Thee should have kept us locked away forever

Thou

Well I await this to-be-re-written version, should be fun

[Phoenix Quill]

2940451
yeah, I envisioned that they would be around the same age as the CMC are now. I did not want to use a specific age number, because I'm not sure how old the ponies themselves actually are.

I probably will correct these, but then again, I don't know for sure since I'm going to archive this story and start from scratch.

[Phoenix Quill]

5062279
It's her ancestor.