Moon Bright, Evening's Light
Moon bright. Evening's light.
Desc- Well...obviously the Gala wasn't so great for everypony...but I always wondered why they didn't include a certain Moon Goddess in at least the last episode of the season, ya know? Well, if I had it my way (and it wasn't supposed to be a kid's show, primarily, hehe...) our favorite and little-known-of Alicorn would have come to at least bring the spirits up of miss Sparkle!...but I can't have it my way, so I resort to entertaining you with this story of mine. Enjoy.
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Moon Bright. Evening's Light.
Twilight, who had thought that the momentous reunion with her beloved mentor back in her home town, Canterlot, would have been the best night in her entire life, hooves down. She was looking forward to it for such a long time, her hopes and dreams building to a point in which that the moment she entered the main hall in her specially made star-inspired dress and saw her idol and mentor, Princess Celestia, atop the stairway, she almost exploded from the sheer joy and delight.
Then...just as Twilight started to converse with Celestia about everything she had learned in Ponyville, and all of her wonderful adventures and friends, Luna suddenly appeared and whispered something into the solar Princess' ear. Twilight was at first pondering when Luna had shown up, or where she had appeared from so suddenly, then her mind instantly switched into panic mode when Celestia's face switched into on full of dismay.
"Um, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked worriedly, "Is everything okay?" Twilight caught Luna's gaze from the corner of her eye, noticing that the younger alicorn seemed to be acting as meek as Fluttershy, bringing her wings up slightly so as to hide, 'Odd...' Twilight thought.
"I'm so sorry, Twilight, I know how much you've been looking forward to this very moment, but it would appear that I have some more..." Celestia paused, searching for the correct word to use so as not to scare her naïve pupil with the unrestful griffons, "Agreements..." Celestia muttered with uncertainty, then again with more confidence, "Uh, yes, more agreements to make with the griffons. They aren't very happy, and you know how much I care about making everyone I can as content as possible."
Twilight bowed her head, saddened that her most anticipated reunion was just shattered, "I understand..." she muttered sadly, sighing.
"If it makes you feel any better..." Celestia started, looking to Luna, who was giving Twilight a look she had never seen on her little sister's face before, "My sister, Luna, would be delighted to keep you company in my place!" Luna was starting to take steps back in surprise, shock plastered all over her face, but Celestia thought quickly and nudged the flustered alicorn closer to Twilight with her wing, "Right Lulu?"
Luna glared at her sister for calling her her childhood nickname in front of a guest, but sighed and nodded her head in defeat. Besides, Luna really did want to spend time with the purple unicorn.
Twilight was also in a similar position. While she still felt a bit apprehensive at the prospect of spending the night with the same pony who had tried to bring Eternal Darkness and overthrow Celestia, she was also curious as to who Luna really was, without all of the anger, resentment, and jealousy. Twilight looked at Luna, while Luna, in turn, stared off at nothing, seemingly in a trance. Twilight had to admit, for a pony thousands of years old, she looked pretty good...
"Well, I'm off!" Celestia announced, fluttering her wings for a moment, "Now have fun, my little ponies!" she added with a wink before suddenly disappearing in a flash of light as bright as the sun itself.
After shielding her eyes from the light, Twilight looked back to Luna to find that she was staring in the same direction as before. Twilight noticed that her eyes seemed...distant, and empty, 'She seems almost...depressed? No, not maybe...' Twilight's expression changed from curious to sympathetic, feeling like she should offer a friendly hoof or a comforting nuzzle, but before she could do anything, Luna's eyes drifted away from what she was staring at, to Twilight.
Twilight stepped back in embarrassment, realizing that she had slowly moved a bit too close than what was probably comfortable, "Eeeh...sorry..."
"About what?" Luna asked quietly, raising an eye at the now flustered unicorn.
"Uhh...hehe..." Twilight felt like her soul was being judged by the moon goddess, giving her chills. She was hopeful, though, that whatever funk Luna was in was just making her seem a bit colder than usual, "Um...for, uh, you know...thwarting your plans of eternal darkness and all..." she muttered stupidly.
Luna rolled her eyes, "Wasn't exactly darkness that I wanted...more like...the beauty that is night and moon." Luna turned her head back to whatever she was staring at before. Twilight, feeling like that was a hint to look at whatever it was, did the same, only to find it was a window opening to the stars she saw every night.
"Um, sooo...anything at the party you want to do...?" Twilight asked, hoping to clear the awkward that was currently drenching her.
"I really don't like parties." Luna said with a sigh, "I mean, yes, many ponies will stay up later than normal, but that's not really for the purpose I want them to."
"Um, and what would that purpose be, exactly?" Twilight asked curiously, scooting a bit closer.
"Why does it matter to you?" Luna snapped back with a bit more severity than she intended. All the solitude made her understanding of social encounters a bit...skewed. She was even worse than Twilight used to be.
Twilight backed up, lowering her head and shrinking down, "I-I'm sorry, Princess...but, if you don't mind me saying, you seem a bit sad and I...well..." Luna gave the young unicorn a curious stare, causing Twilight to blush in embarrassment. You'd think she would be used to dealing with royalty by now, being a long time student of one. But for some reason, Luna just...had that effect on her. Whether it was the fact that she used to be one of her greatest enemies, or something else, she couldn't tell.
"Well...? Go on?" Luna urged. She was truly curious about Twilight, but...she didn't quite know how to express it properly. The fact that she had caused the poor mare to start cowering in fear was indication enough of that. Seeing that Twilight wouldn't be comfortable enough to speak properly for a while, Luna sighed, rolling her eyes. Looks like she'd have to show her just how gentle she could be. Luna began to walk towards another set of stairs to their right, "Twilight...could you follow me, please?"
Twilight saw and heard that Luna wanted her to follow, but wasn't quite sure if she wanted to. She was at first curious about her, but now, she just felt uncomfortable around the quiet alicorn. Maybe she should just go find one of her friends to hang out with?...then she saw Luna's eyes. Upon noticing Twilight's internal debate, Luna lowered her head, both wings drooping sadly. She knew Twilight was practically scared of her.
"I'm sorry for wasting your time..." Luna muttered, turning to leave again, except this time without Twilight.
Twilight bit her lip, beating herself up mentally for being so rude and insensitive to the saddened Princess. Making-up her mind, Twilight dashed after Luna, nearly tripping over her own dress on the way, "W-wait! I'll follow...I was just...wondering what all my friends were doing..." she lied, catching up to her.
Luna gave Twilight a small, barely noticeable smile, her depressed mood fading slightly as she raised an eye at her mischievously, "You don't need to lie for me, young magician."
Twilight blushed, averting her gaze from Luna's knowing stare, "S-sorry..."
Luna giggled (which Twilight didn't think she would be capable of doing), "And here I thought I wasn't good with ponies..." she mocked, her mood perking-up a bit more as she raised her head. She was slowly drifting out of her depressed state, just by being around Twilight!
Twilight didn't know if the princess had just made a joke or not, but decided to laugh with Luna anyway (albeit, half-heartedly), "Haha...Uh, yeah..."
Luna nudged Twilight with a wing playfully, "Hey, listen, I have a sense of humor, you can laugh." Luna perked-up even more at the thought of getting to know this purple foal better, "Don't let my mood bring you down with me. That's the last thing I want to happen!"
Twilight couldn't help but smile back at Luna. The Princess' now vibrant eyes radiating nothing but peace...well, almost. Twilight could detect a hint of something else...compassion? That doesn't make sense, though...does it?
"You know, Luna..." Twilight started, turning away from her captivating eyes, "I've always wondered...did you or Celestia ever, you know...fall in love?"
Luna, for once, was surprised by this question. She had been used to many questions revolving around her plans and schemes, or her Dark Side, Nightmare Moon, but never about her or her sister's love life! And to be the first one asked, above all...
"Uhm...I...wow, that's a...uh, interesting one." Luna stated with nervous laughter, "But I can sadly say no...well...not until recently, anyway."
Twilight was taken aback. A pony as old as her and no love? Celestia too!? How is that even possible?
"My sister vowed that she would remain forever vigilant in her duty as Pricess and ruler of Equestria." Luna continued, "And I...just never found someone who understands me enough..." Luna looked down, a sad smile across her lips, "Especially now..."
Twilight, again, felt like she should offer some form of comfort to the poor Princess, but thought that it would be out of line to do so. Her good heart conflicting with her duties as a subject of both Princesses...
'Oh, to heck with it!' she thought, 'It looks like she hasn't had a friend in a long...oh right.' Twilight, blushing madly, nuzzled Luna's neck as they continued to walk. Her eyes were closed and her face burned, hoping that Luna wasn't offended by the treatment in some way...Twilight, though, had an off feeling that Luna appreciated, actually.
The feeling was dead on, ironically enough. Luna, though her face was shocked and surprised, much like when she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony, graciously accepted the affection. She couldn't help but laugh on the inside, either. This was the second time Twilight was "killing her with kindness." Twilight eventually stopped, stepping away from Luna while they continued to walk, of course, to see her reaction, her face still burning.
Luna's expression only gave away surprise, staring ahead in a semi-shocked state, giving Twilight a sense of fear, thinking maybe that she had overstepped her boundaries, "Twilight..."
The purple unicorn gulped at the mention of her name, quivering slightly, "Y-yes...Princess...?"
Luna stopped ahead of her as they reached their destination. She gave Twilight a few moments to take in the surroundings before continuing. They were on a balcony, the night sky in every direction above them, and the moon at it's highest and brightest of the month. Twilight felt...comforted by it all, almost letting go of her fear of Luna, "Twilight." Luna said again, staring out over the railing to the horizon, "When I initially wanted to overthrow my sister...it was not to thrust everything into darkness...far from it..." Twilight stared at the Princess curiously, unable to see her expression since she faced away, "I was sad...not angry...you see. Sad that my domain was seen as fear. Which many soon put that fear towards me." Luna raised a hoof, staring at it sadly, "I just wanted everypony to see that the night didn't bring darkness..."
Twilight was shocked as a small droplet trickled off of Luna's chin and onto her upheld hoof, sparkling like the stars above,"Oh...Luna..." she whispered quietly, beginning to approach her.
"Twilight...before I say or do something I might regret later, tell me something, please..." Twilight stopped in her tracks, confused, but obedient, "When you look up at my night sky, do you see darkness?"
Twilight, caught off guard by the sudden question, stared at Luna with wide eyes for a few moments, but then smiled, shaking her head and laughing giddily. Luna turned around, shocked, as her eyes started to water-up even more than before. She should have known that even Twilight wouldn't have understood or accepted her...
After calming down, Twilight placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder, bringing the princess' attention up to her kind, understanding, and compassionate gaze, "Luna...I think you should know that stargazing is one of my favorite passtimes." Luna, the shock being replaced by more shock, stared incredulously at Twilight, mouth agape, "And I have the cycles of the moon and constellations memorized." she added brightly, "So when I look up at the night sky, I see one of the most beautiful sights known to pony kind."
Luna's eyes started to well-up again, except this time in happiness. She bit her lip, trying fight back the tears that would inevitably flow. Twilight clearly noticed this and, deciding that Luna needed it, she pulled the crying princess into a tight and loving embrace.
Luna cried and sobbed for the next ten minutes, her tears streaming into Twilight's mane as she buried her face into it. Twilight just held Luna close, nuzzling her neck periodically. Even after Luna finally stopped sobbing, they remained like that for some time. Luna would convulse or whimper once in a while, but aside from that, there was silence between the two.
Eventually, Luna spoke again after bringing her wings up and tenderly wrapping them around Twilight, "When...when you and your friends defeated me that night...something stuck with me..." Luna started quietly while Twilight listened intently, continuing to nuzzle her neck, "Your...friend's kindness stuck with me, but something else truly prevailed over all of it...and I now realize that it was you...your strong sense of understanding and compassion..." Twilight thought back to that night, smiling at how great that night was for her, "Ever since...I have been watching you...trying to learn more about who you are..." Luna finally stepped back, but kept her wings around Twilight to make sure she remained close, "And...you finally showed me that...I'm not as alone anymore...that there's somepony out there that cares..." Luna smiled happily, tears forming yet again, "Twilight Sparkle...I..."
Twilight, the whole time, had been listening to every one of Luna's words carefully, trying to understand just why Luna had brought her out there on the balcony. After hearing everything Luna had said about her, mixed with the continuous hug, Twilight thought she knew what was coming next...
Luna, though, seemed to become uncertain. Her feelings for this young unicorn were unnatural...in more ways than one! Yet...after the events of tonight had unfolded, they felt oh so right...'Yes...this is what is right...this is what I need...' Luna took a deep breath and was about to continue, but Twilight beat her to it.
"I love you too." Twilight, feeling emboldened by Luna's near confession, thrust forward and planted her lips on Luna's, catching her by surprise.
Luna was once again shocked by Twilight's affection, rearing back in the slightest bit from surprise, but her mind quickly recalled her desires and her body fell into place. Luna closed her eyes and leaned in, pulling Twilight even closer with her wings. Not long after, the two broke off and stared into eachother's eyes for minutes. Both had reason to think of things like their friends and families' reactions, or what this meant for the future, but at that moment, neither cared. All thy cared about was the beautiful mare in front of them. Neither talked, neither had to, for they knew in their minds that whatever they felt for eachother was right, that their new and confused feelings made sense.
After what seemed like hours, Luna broke the stare-off and nuzzled Twilight, unknowingly wiping tears of joy she had been crying onto Twilight'a mane again, "You don't know how long I've been alone..."
Twilight nuzzled back, smiling contently, "I know I don't...but that doesn't matter, because you won't be alone anymore..."
Luna cried for a short while after that. Her enemy had become her love, in a cliché turn of events nonetheless, but now she would never have to sit alone and watch the moon go through its phases. She would never have to sleep alone. She would never have to cry at the thought of being hated and despised for trying to bring night to the ponies. In fact, she wouldn't even care if everypony hated her now, as long as she had Twilight. Nothing in the entire world mattered anymore, just the beautiful mare that held her that night...just like the stars in the evening sky which never allowed the moon to be alone, Twilight would always be there for her as well.
Everything was perfect. Luna was finally accepted...
"Luna...?" Twilight suddenly spoke up, rearing back, but remaining close to the princess, chest to chest.
"Yes?" she answered, putting on a soft smile.
"Can I...sleep here tonight..." Twilight asked meekly, "I mean...I know we just...uh, just now kissed for the first time, but..." Twilight was too embarrassed to ask if she could sleep WITH Luna, especially since they only just got together, "I..."
Luna lifted Twilight's chin with a hoof gently then kissed her to calm her down, closing her eyes as Twilight did the same. Once Luna felt Twilight relax, she slowly broke off with a smile, "Why don't I show you to my room?" she said, noticing that Twilight appeared to be tired. Neither had noticed that they had been out there for hours. It was past two in the morning, "I'll make sure all your friends know you're staying the night, then I'll join you, okay?" Luna finished with a reassuring smile and nuzzle, hoping to coax Twilight out of her apprehension.
It worked. Twilight yawned daintily with a nod, "Thank you...Luna..."
"Anything for my little pony."
The two lovers kissed once more before Luna led her to her royal bed chamber. The bed was big enough to fit ten ponies at least, but they had it all to them selves. Directly above the bed was a window which allowed the serene light of the moon to flood down over them. Twilight quickly fell asleep while Luna contacted all of the unicorn's friends and told them that she would be sleeping in the Castle for the night. After the festivities ended, Luna returned to her bed to find Twilight curled into a ball, her horn barely poking out of the covers. The once lonely princess smiled to herself before slipping in and cuddling up against Twilight, closing her eyes in delight when the sleeping mare instinctively wrapped her arms around her. Although Luna normally fell asleep around eight in the morning, she was too comfortable laying with Twilight to get up, so she decided it would be worth it to sleep there.
That night was the start of the most beautiful love in Equestrian History.
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End Notes- I feel like the ending could have been better...but I just couldn't find the right way to do it! So...here's what I got, and even though it's not as good as I hoped, I still like it...tell me whatcha think? :D
~Z
...maybe I'll do an epilogue...yeah, I'll do that...