Golden Stardust
A solitary beam of moonlight fell into the room. It shimmered across the back of a sleeping princess. Her mane no longer held the beauty of stardust that it once had. Pale blue and softer than silk, it fell across her face, hiding her closed eyes from view. The princess of the night lay curled on her bed as the first star winked into light.
“Luna! I-” Twilight Sparkle cut off when she saw the slumbering princess, and stopped in the doorway. She was rammed from behind by a peach mare with a fiery mane.
“She's sleeping, Sunset,” the pink alicorn behind Sunset Shimmer whispered.
“Then wake her,” Twilight replied. “She has to be conscious for the spell to work.”
“I don't understand why I had to come,” Sunset said.
“Luna thought it was a good idea. Two unicorns fully schooled in magic by Princess Celestia? We should be able to correct anything that goes wrong,” Twilight answered with confidence.
“Cadence, go get the guard. I think we're ready.”
Cadence nodded to Twilight and turned from the room.
Sunset walked quietly over to Princess Luna and tapped her on the shoulder. Luna stirred. Sunset shook her gently. Luna raised her head, revealing her tired, wrinkled face.
Twilight gasped. “Oh, my! I didn't know it was this bad! Is there anything we can do? Are you in any pain?”
Luna shook her head. “The best thing you can do now is follow through with the plan. It's too late now.”
“Why are you sick like this? I thought the princesses were immortal?” Sunset asked as she helped the tired mare to her hooves.
“I was. But I'm not anymore. After my time trapped in the moon, when Twilight freed me from being Nightmare Moon, the Elements took something else as well. My immortality.”
“Why? How would the Elements of Harmony do something like that?” Twilight asked.
“Because I'd changed myself. I had made my immortality into Nightmare Moon. The only way to free me from what I'd become was to take it. The Elements took what they had to take to make me Princess Luna again. I will be eternally grateful that I did not have to return to the moon. Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Sunset saw that Twilight had tears in her eyes. She put her hooves around her friend.
“I didn't know I did that to you,” Twilight sobbed. “That it was- That it was my fault- My fault you're dying.”
“But you also allowed me to be reunited with my sister. That is why I thank you, Twilight. Thank you for making friends.”
“But how can you thank me? You're dying!”
Luna dipped her head, but said nothing.
Just then, Cadence returned. Behind her was a black unicorn in Royal Guard armor, and a silver filly with a pink mane.
“This is Stardust,” Cadence said to Princess Luna. The filly hopped onto the bed beside Luna.
“Luna!” Twilight gasped. “How could you transfer your powers into this foal? She's only five! I thought you meant an adult pony when you said you chose a replacement! What do you mean by this?”
“Princess Twilight,” the guard said calmly. “Princess Luna chose Stardust because she is her daughter.”
Twilight's eyes widened.
Sunset Shimmer smiled at the filly looking around in anticipation. “I didn't know you had a child, Princess.”
“Nor does anyone but Hawthorn. And no one will learn of her,” Princess Luna stated firmly.
“Your Highness,” Hawthorn added, “We should begin. The night will get no younger.”
The ponies arranged themselves into a triangle, with Hawthorn standing off to the side, guarding the door. Cadence, Twilight, and Sunset prepared themselves to cast the transfer spell. In the center of the triangle, Princess Luna and her daughter sat, their horns touching.
“Ready? Two-” Twilight looked around, checking that everything was in order.
Hawthorn levitated a mirror into the center of the ponies, above where Luna and Stardust sat.
“Three!”
Three horns glowed. Gold, pink and lavender light spiraled together, mixing into a deep blue as they hit the mirror. In turn, each pony's eyes faded to a bright white, starting with Stardust and ending with Hawthorn. Sunset felt herself being lifted into the air, while Luna and Stardust stayed on the floor.
Sunset watched Princess Luna shut her eyes. The princess raised her head toward the sloping ceiling. A blue shock wave exploded from the center of the room, knocking the ponies from their flight and flinging them against the wall. The whole castle seemed to shake.
For several long minutes nopony moved. The whole room was silent, empty even of heartbeats and breathing.
Shuddering suddenly to life, Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes. Raising her head, looking around, and getting slowly to her feet, she noticed an aging Stardust lying where Princess Luna once had. Stardust wasn't breathing.
“LUNA!” Sunset screamed, running to the princess. “LUNA!” Putting her hooves on the princess' chest, she rocked the mare violently back and forth. Shuddering with sobs, Sunset let her head fall onto the mare's chest. She felt her eyes start to close and her breathing start to slow. Sunset didn't care if she was dying. This was what she deserved. Luna couldn't have handled that spell. They never should have tried it.
Sunset opened her eyes on a surprising scene. The real Princess Luna and the real Stardust stood side by side. Their horns glowed with the same blue shine. Together, Sunset realized, they were raising the moon.
“It's not about learning, young one. It's about feeling.”
“But I don't feel the moon. I can' t feel the moon in me.”
“You don't feel it in you. You feel that it is you. Become the moon. Raise yourself across the sky.”
Stardust closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn glowed and her eyes was squinted in concentration. With gentle encouragement from her mother, the moon began to move across the sky.
“I'm doing it mommy! I'm raising the moon!” The filly leaped in excitement and flung her arms around her mother. Her happiness only lasted a second before it became tears.
“What if I can't do it? You won't ever be here to help me again! I love you, Mommy. Don't go. Please don't go!”
Princess Luna laid her head on her daughter's.
“I love you too, Stardust. And no matter how many years you take my name,” Luna paused to give Stardust a sad smile, “You'll always be little Stardust to me. Always.”
Sunset felt herself start to choke. Tears filled here eyes as she witnessed the heartbreaking moment.
“You'll always be little Stardust to me. Always.”
The words echoed in Sunset Shimmer's head. She realized that the heartbroken filly in front of her was not simply receiving her mother's title. There would be no “Princess Stardust of the Night”. Only “Princess Luna of the Night.” Stardust was not following her mother. She was becoming her.
Sunset started to realize how hard it must be for the Princess. She also understood why Princess Celestia had not been present.
“Why wasn't Auntie Celestia here, Mommy?”
“Because my sister would not allow you to raise the moon. She would say that you are too young, too weak, to receive my power. She would take it for herself. There would be no Princess of the Night.”
Stardust looked up at her mother with bewildered eyes. “Can you let me try again? One more time?”
“If I had but time, I would let you try forever.”
“OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHSUNSET!”
Sunset felt her head being banged against the floor.
“Oh my gosh you're alive!” shouted Twilight breathlessly. “We couldn't wake you up and then we tried all kinds of different spells and all we could figure is that you were in some kind of magical trance but then we couldn't remove it and then we realized you weren't breathing and we thought you were dead and so I shook you really hard and then you were breathing and then I was all like-”
“Twilight,” Sunset interrupted, “She's teaching Stardust to raise the moon.”
Twilight fell silent.
Stardust and Luna sat up. Luna was crying. Cadence pulled the young princess into a tight embrace and started crying as well.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the dying Stardust whispered, “You must teach Young Luna how to be a princess. The title is one thing, but the love of your kingdom is another. Remember all your lessons. Friendship. Magic. Everything you've ever been taught by my sister.” She looked up hopefully.
“I will,” Twilight promised, “About everything.”
“And make sure,” Stardust lowered her voice even more, “That you love her as much as you would love Shining Armor or your own daughter, if ever you were to have one. She is both a sister and a daughter to you now.”
Twilight nodded. At the window, Princess Luna was preparing to lower the moon, with Cadence and Sunset at her side.
“And tell Tia everything. All of it.” Stardust was almost in tears now.
Again, Twilight could only nod.
“And tell Stardust I love her.”
Princess Luna died with a smile on her face, watching her daughter lower the moon to make way for the dawn.