Princess Celestia feels the need to face judgement for her past mistakes, but there is one who takes the judgement upon herself.
Princess Celestia has never been happier to have her sister back home, ruling at her side. But when some of the ponies learn about her past banishment of Luna, they feel she must atone for her injustice. All of Equestria is in an uproar, but there is one who will be there for her until the end.
It had been only a few short years since Celestia had been rejoined with her beloved sister. The time she had recently spent with her younger sister had been joyous and plentiful. She lay upon the highest balcony of the Canterlot Castle royal tower pondering her great bliss. But there was something else that was gripping her thoughts which she could not let go. The thought had been there for just over a thousand years now. Just then, her train of thought was interupted by an enchanting, but familiar voice.
"May I join you, my sister?" The speaker emerged from the staircase. It was Princess Luna herself. The sunlight reflected off of her mane with a majestic elegance that could outshine the stars. Celestia was one of the few ponies to ever see her sister during the daytime, and even for her the occurences were rare. "Forgive me little sister. You startled me a bit. It is very unusual for you to be out here with me during the day." Luna slightly chuckled and approached her sister's side. Her brief smile was swiftly swept away as she began to speak. "I think we have been sisters long enough for me to know that something is troubling you Tia. The way you've kept the sun in the same place for about an hour now also tells me that your focus has been elswhere." Celestia made a sharp gasp as she corrected the sun's position in the sky.
"I'm sorry for troubling you during your resting time little sister. It's just. . . well. . . nevermind." Luna felt a little drawn back at her sister's reluctance to speak her mind. "It's okay Tia. Nevermind my sleep, just tell me what the problem is." Celestia hesitated for a moment. "Do you know how badly I feel for sending you away sister?" Luna smirked and almost chuckled at her sister's statment. Celestia had already apologized several times and they had discussed the matter on several occasions already, but it had not come up for about a year or two. "Yes, my sister and I have already-" she was interrupted by Celestia's crying voice. "It isn't fair Luna! It just isn't fair!" Luna was about to speak until she noticed the tears coming from the eyes of the sun princess. Princess Luna was quite shocked, considering that the only time that she had ever witnessed tears within Celestia's eyes was when she was looking down from the moon, and after she was reverted back from being Nightmare Moon. But it was different this time. It was the very same look that Celestia made when singing lullabys to Luna during the last thousand years.
"Do not cry sister. Wha-" Before Princess Luna could utter another word, Princess Celestia took to the skies with a powerful wingbeat that shook the balcony and cleared away some nearby clouds. Princess Luna was just about to chase after her, but stopped herself out of compassion. "She just needs some time alone for now", Luna whispered to herself. Luna knew that Celestia would tell her the troubles of her heart when she was ready. She still couldn't help but be bothered at the tears in her sister's eyes. It troubled her. It made her cry also. . . Something was wrong. And she would find out very soon why.
"Twilight! What in tarnation is goin' on 'round here?" Applejack asked as Twilight paced back and forth. There was nothing but the sound of screams and cries coming from outside Twilight's library, as well as the rest of Ponyville. "Your guess is about as good as mine right now! I honestly have no idea why everypony is losing their minds!" The rioting in Ponyville had started a little while after noon time while Twilight and her friends were enjoying lunch in the library while telling funny stories.
"I haven't seen anything this crazy since Trixie was last here!" Rainbowdash yelled loudly, trying to speak over the hoards of angry ponies. Rarity was sitting calmly while sipping her lemonade. "I simply cannot imagine why everypony would just simply decide to form a tacky mob for what seems to be no reason at all." She took another sip of lemonade. "Yeah! especially when ponies aren't forming a giant mob to PAAAAAAR-TAY!!!" Pinkie Pie replied. " I just hope nopony gets hurt." Fluttershy said while burying her face into a nearby blanket.
"I cant take this anymore!" Twilight finally screamed. "I am going to go out there and find out why everypony is going crazy!" Rainbowdash quickly flew in front of Twilight with her front hooves out in front of her to block Twilight's path. "You can't go out there Twilght! You might get eaten alive!" Pinkie interrupted Rainbowdash's crazy assumption. "Or they might ransack your refrigerator and steal all of your ice cream!" Everypony in the room stared blankly at Pinke Pie and then shook their heads. "Oh please!" Twilight continued, "It's probably just some prank that Discord pulled or something like that. There's no way that this can be that serious. Now I'm going out there and asking what's going on."
Twilight hesitantly pressed her hoof on the wood of her front door and began to slowly push it open. It seemed as though everypony sensed what she was doing and immediately bagan to rush toward her with anger burning in their eyes. Unicorns levitated pitchforks and all other manner of weaponry, while pegasai and earth ponies shook their hooves in rage. Twilight pulled her door in closer but did not fully close it. She was mostly trying to protect herself and her friends. "What in the wide world of Equestria is going on here?!" shouted Twilight at the top of her lungs. Several voices came from the angry mob that was inching toward her tree home.
"You're sick Twilight! How could you have been a student to that monster?!" Twilight was extremely shocked and terrified to hear this. She wondered why anypony would ever have any kind of hate toward her kind and loving mentor. Another voice emerged. "I can't believe that we all just sat here and believed her lies for so long after what she did!" The mob started to get too close for comfort, so Twilight used her magic to slam the door and lock it before they attacked or something. "What was that about Twilight?!" asked Applejack as she stood up. "I don't know" Twilight whispered. She bagan to shed tears and fell upon the floor weeping heavily. Her friends immediately got up and trotted over to comfort their sorrowful friend.
Twilight was absolutely shocked at what she had just seen and heard. She couldn't help but to feel a glint of joy as she felt the warming embrace of her pony friends. "Please don't cry Twilight." Fluttershy said while rubbing her head against Twilight's. "All of us are here for you." Twilight steadily rose to her hooves once more. "I can't believe that anypony would ever think this way of the Princess." She wiped a few tears from her still crying eyes. "And if they are this mad at me, I worry for what they might try to do to the princess." There were no more words as they all shared a big hug, but it didn't look like any of them were going anywhere for the time being.
Twilight hoped that whatever Equestria was planning to do, Princess Celestia would be able to take care of herself.
The night came, and still the protests were ringing throughout Equestria. Princess Celestia had found a remote hill in which to find solice and gather her thoughts. "Why did i do such a thing?" she asked herself as if arguing within her own concious mind. Her other half replied. "Because they all deserved to know!" She looked slowly at the moon. "And now they hate me for it." The thoughts kept racing in her mind. She felt a constant state of unrest within her own being. Her memory flashed back to about a few days before the protest. She had told one of her personal guards the story that many did not know the complex details to.
She had told him about what had happened the night that she banished her younger sister to the moon. Unfortunately, the guard could not see the logic or reason behind her decision, and as a result, he told everypony he knew. The fire spread into a massive engulfing blaze that caused an uproar. The ponies of Equestria wondered what else their beloved princess might be keeping from them. They also wanted justice for the imagined slights done to Princess Luna. There was talk amongst ponies that they were planning to imprison her and banish her beyond the Everfree Forest forever. Princess Celestia looked upon the moonlit landscape and thought of her dear sister once more. Tears began to fall to her cheeks as they had done before she had fled the castle. "I deserve it." she thought to herself. "What i did to Luna was inexcusable."
The princess finally cried herself to sleep and began to dream. Out of the foggy nothingness of her mind appeared Princess Luna. "Where have you gone my sister? What troubles you so?" Celestia could see that Luna's eyes too, were flooding with tears. "Come home sister! These ponies know not what they say! Come home and we will explain this to them. Please my sister. I have been separated from you once. It shall not happen again!" Princess Celestia was struck to her very core by the words that her sister had spoken. She lifted her head and smiled a somber smile. "They are right Luna. I was wrong for doing what i did to you. There could have been another way! I-" Luna raised her hoof to silence her elder sister. "I have told you so many times Celestia. So many times that I forgive you. That I love you." Tears were now gushing from Princess Luna's eyes. Her voice was trembling, and she fell upon the floor before her sister. "Please! I am begging you my sister! I don't know what they will do to you! Please stay with me!"
Princess Celestia truly saw the beauty and majesty of her sister in this one moment. The compassion that Luna had shown her and the love that she was willing to share with her elder sister made Celestia burst into tears. "I am not worthy of a sister like you Luna! I deserve whatever punishment they will give to me, and i will willingly accept it." Princess Celestia saw her sister about to reach out to her through tear ridden eyes, but it was too late. Celestia had decided to wake from her dream. In the last moment of her dream, three very faint and gentle words left her lips. "I love you." she said. "I love you."
The princess awoke and began to raise the sun to start the dawn. She knew what she was going to do. Her magnificent wings spanned and cast a large, beautiful shadow behind her. With a mighty beat of her royal wings, she took to the skies once more. She only had one thought in her mind and one thought only. "I am ready."
I heavy pang overwhelmed Princess Celestia as she rode upon the wind back toward the castle. She knew what she was about to do would cause her sister pain, but her duty was to her subjects, and if they saw her actions as wrong, she could not deny them their justice. "My fate is now ahead of me." shie whispered to herself. "Eternal banishment, or some other kind of punishment." She was not sure how far the ponies of Equestria were willing to go to achieve retribution. For some reason, the reality of what she was about to atone for, heightened her senses greatly. The wind felt like a thousand rose petals caressing her soft coat. The rising sun's warmth filled ever fiber of her nerves, like being inbraced by another.
She was very much enjoying what could very well be her final flight as a princess. Perhaps even the final flight of her life.
Back in Canterlot, the protesting mob had reached the main castle courtyard and was inching ever closer to the main gate. "Please stop citizens. As your princess we command you to go home!" Princess Luna's cries seemed to fall upon deaf ears as they payed no attention to her. "My sister had reason! She would never do anything without proper judgement!" Still the mob was intentionally oblivious to what Luna was saying. The princess lowered her head in silence. "I suppose there is no stopping this." A tear ran down her cheek. "I suppose we will be separated again." Her crying grew heavier and heavier, as the shouts and screams of the angry mob grew louder and closer.
Suddenly, a large shadow cascaded over the Canterlot Castle. The citizens looked up to see that it was the object of their vengeance. Princess Celesta circled the courtyard and landed upon the stone walkway that lead into the front gate. Princess Luna lifted her head to see her elder sister standing there just waiting for punishment. She bolted down svereal flights of stairs to go and be with her sister. She was too late. The mob had breached the gates and was coming for her. Ponies with ropes hanging from their mouths ran toward her as wolves chasing prey. They threw two ropes around her hind legs and yanked them as hard ad they could.
The mighty princess fell to the ground with a large thud. Princess Luna was attemptimg to make her way throught the crowd of raging ponies shouting, "Sister! Sister stop them! You musn't let them do this to you!" Princess Celestia moved her head to face her sister while her cheek was pressed upon the ground. She gave a small smile which was swiftly wiped away by a blow to the face from a club. Luna gasped! Never before had she seen her sister treated so ruthlessly. The ponies began to spit at her and beat her while they secured the rest of her hooves.
"Stop!" Princess Luna cried in the Royal Canterlot Voice! "Stop it!" Tears were flooding her eyes and it felt as though her heart was breaking into pieces. She stamped her hooves on the ground wishing this would all just go away. "Leave my sister alone!" she shouted a final time, but the angry mob of ponies paid no heed. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light that caused the ponies to cover their eyes. There was a large booming sound as well as a pulsating power coming from the middle of the crowd. The ponies' past fears had been realized and was standing before them once agian. Nightmare Moon!
The ponies could not believe what they were witnessing! They fell down upon their faces and gazed in awe at their moon princess. "You will not touch my sister again!" she screamed as her horn was blazing with powerful magic. The ponies began to back away in fear. With a swing of her head, she used her magic to sent the mob flying in all directions. She was a flurry of rage and beauty. Nopony had ever seen a more horrifying or a more magnificent sight in their lives. "I would have shrouded you all in eternal darkness! I would have made you all suffer! In my jealousy I could have brought ruin to all of you! But my beloved sister_ the very pony that you intend to hurt this day saved the lot of you!" Tears of rage now filled Nightmare Moon's eyes as she continued speaking.
"She loves and cares for us all, and this is how you repay her?! By stealing her away from me?! The ponies felt a deep pang of sadness and disappointment within themselves. Some even began to cry at what they had just done. They untied Princess Celestia and bowed their heads in reverence to both of their beloved princesses. Nightmare moon collapsed upon the ground and slowly changed back to Princess Luna. Her and her sister were now at eye level with one another. They each reached out their hooves towards one another and caressed the others cheek. "I love you big sister. So please don't do this to yourself. You think badly of yourself but all you need to know is that I love you with all my heart." Princess Celestia looked into her sisters eyes as tears began to run down her cheeks.
"I love you so much little sister. More than you can imagine. And i am so sorry for doing this to you. I just felt as though I didn't deserve to have a sister like you. I love you with all my heart too." Both princesses stood up and gazed upon the dissapointed faces of their subjects. They began to speak the same words at the same time, as if their minds were in sync with one another. "It is over. This is finished. There is no need to seek revenge against anypony! We are your princesses, and we decree that harmony has been restored to all of Equestria and shall never be questioned again!" Everypony bowed their heads once more in agreement. Just then, through the crowd came six multicolored ponies rushing toward the princesses.
The ponies were Twilight sparkle and her friends. They were now able to leave the library because nopony was no longer occupying it. The mane 6 ran and give Princess Celestia and Princess Luna a warm embrace. The sun began to set upon the day, as well as all hatred and pain. The power of love and friendship between these godly sisters conquered even the greatest of hate, proving that love is the most powerful of all.
