Her first thought was guilt.
It was likely pointless, given her intentions, but Luna couldn’t help feeling that tinge of shame for jumping into her dream. If Luna had asked, Celestia likely would have been perfectly alright with it—but Luna also may not have gotten the answers she sought.
Privacy was no concern in a dream; inhibitions were lowered and thoughts rang more clearly, making it an ideal place for Luna to pose her questions… or, at the very least, have a candid conversation with her sister.
Scanning her surroundings, Luna found herself at the edge of a thick forest. Lying in front of her was a massive, hilly plain, long green blades of grass swaying back and forth in waves, giving wind a form it so rarely had. Her mane and tail remained undisturbed, however, just like the princess herself.
She looked up to the sky, observing the cracks of sunlight breaking through the thick canopy above, and tugged at her moon. Just as she expected, it did not respond; it never did in dreams. Luna worked a kink from her neck before stepping forward into the field, searching the area for the dreamer. While she never found her, she did find Celestia, who at the moment looked like little more than a white ball atop a hill in the distance.
Before taking off to join her, Luna adjusted her face, removing the grim expression she often settled on.
“Luna, dear,” Celestia would tell her, “you should not always look so severe. Ponies will come to fear you and, more importantly, I enjoy your smile.”
Luna didn’t see the point in smiling for the sake of it; it reduced the meaning of the genuine ones. Still, this was Celestia’s world, and she wanted to see smiles, so a smile is what Luna would give her. The flight to her sister was a brief one. As she approached Celestia, Luna noticed something different about her. While the alicorn in the grass was certainly Celestia, it was not the Celestia she often saw.
Her sister lay on her back, swiping at the air with her hooves, jewelry discarded on the ground next to her and a giddy smile plastered on her face. Landing next to her, Luna paused a moment, wondering whether to frown or laugh. She settled for a confused pout.
“Greetings, sister. I see you are enjoying yourself.”
“Aww, come now, Luna,” said Celestia, waving at her sister, “loosen up, you sound as tight as a drum! Lie down and roll around in the grass, it’s silky soft. No one’s here to see you.”
“Hmph,” said Luna, but lay next to her sister anyways. From past experience, she knew it was impossible to talk with her without at least some indulgence. To Celestia’s credit, however, the grass was quite comfortable.
The alabaster alicorn rolled over to Luna and nuzzled her, growing a blush on the dark one’s cheeks. Even for a dream, Celestia was acting incredibly frank. ‘She must not realize I’m not just another part of her dream,’ thought Luna. This was what she had hoped for and while it worked to her advantage, it did not alleviate the familiar sting of guilt.
The frown fought to come back.
Luna’s eyes widened when she felt a weight on her back and she turned to find Celestia using her as a pillow. “You’re so stern, Luna. Where did that come from? As I remember, you were just as playful as I. A bucket of water in the doorway, a banana peel left in the hall…”
“You simply got better at detecting my traps.”
Celestia poked Luna’s snout. “And you would always get better at hiding them! Please, tell me Luna the prankmaster has not truly accepted defeat!”
Sighing, Luna rolled her eyes. This conversation was going nowhere fast. “Would it kill you to be serious for one moment?”
“Hmmm….” Celestia rubbed her chin. “Yes!”
With that, she leapt into action, entangling herself with Luna and rolling the both of them down the hill. The grass rustled beneath the two as they tumbled downward, world spinning faster and faster. Luna squawked in protest, though it was soon drowned out by her sister’s laughter, her sweet voice drifting across the wind like flower petals.
Luna vaguely remembered hearing that same voice in days long past. She wondered why it came to mind only now.
Once at the bottom of the hill, Luna fought to pin Celestia, but the elder sister had come out on top. She also had the advantage of longer legs, making all of Luna’s attempts at squirming away fruitless. It wasn’t long before she growled and went limp.
“Giving up at this, too, sis? What’s gotten into you?” Celestia’s tone was not mocking, but playful.
That didn’t stop it from annoying Luna, however. Her eyes narrowed.
“It’s rather what’s gotten ON to me, which at this moment happens to be a cake-laden beast of an alicorn.”
Gaping in mock offense, Celestia gasped. “Oh, my! I never knew you could be so cruel, Luna!”
“And I had thought the same about YOU!”
Silence fell upon the meadow like an iron curtain. Even the wind stopped. Celestia had frozen, her eyes now wide with alarm as they locked with Luna’s. The moon princess attempted to cover her mouth with a hoof, but realized she was still pinned beneath her sister. She instead looked away, mumbling an apology.
“I-I did not mean it in that fashion. I apologize for the statement.”
“Luna…”
“Sister, I came here to talk to you about something very specific. I do not think—“ She was interrupted by a sudden lick on her cheek, the sensation sending chills up and down her spine. Celestia giggled at her juvenile action and bounced off, breaking into a gallop across the field. Still stunned by the abrupt lick, Luna blinked a few times before registering what happened.
She stood up scowling.
“Celestia Do Solaris, you will come back here THIS INSTANT!” she yelled, now in full gallop.
“You’ll have to catch me, Luna Se Constella!” Celestia shot Luna’s formal name back at her like a quip, teasing the irked princess with a smirk.
Luna roared, driving her legs as fast as they would move, scowl growing on her face as she tried to close the distance. Her sister’s legs were longer, though, giving her the edge in their race.
Celestia threw her head back and laughed, putting a bounce in her gallop, darting back and forth, foregoing any sort of coherent path. Lowering her head, Luna charged forward, now gaining on her sister.
Celestia didn’t seem to care.
With a cry of victory, Luna caught up and dove for a tackle. Just before she connected, Celestia flared her wings and leapt into the air, sticking her tongue out at the defeated Luna as she hit the ground. Grumbling, Luna got to her hooves and took to the air in pursuit, wings pumping just as quickly as her legs had. Her heart thumped in her chest and her breathing came out labored—but she didn’t really feel all that tired. As she and her sister twirled through the sky, diving and weaving like the wind, a familiar feeling arose within her: the very same she remembered from Nightmare Night.
She was having fun.
The realization tugged at her, slowing her flight a moment, disrupting the rhythm of her wings. Cracking a smile, she dove at Celestia and with one swift motion not only caught up to her, but successfully wrapped her forelegs around Celestia, pinning her wings to her back and effectively ending the chase.
The sun princess let out an exaggerated pout as Luna brought them both to the ground slowly, but struggled no further. It seemed that she was finally ready to be serious.
Once on the ground, Celestia took a few steps away then turned to her sister, the reckless smile fading. The two of them panted a few moments, regaining their breath as their faces shifted and hardened. Luna could tell from the look in her eyes that the princess had come out again. She frowned.
“No, not Princess Celestia. I want to talk to my sister Celestia.”
“Both are very much a part of me.”
“But only one will tell me the truth.”
Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but reconsidered whatever it was she was about to say. Instead, all she gave was a nod.
“Then let us walk,” said Celestia
The two began to walk side-by-side, no destination in particular, letting the wind howl across the plain. Their manes still defied it.
“I said I came here to talk about something specific. I have never been the expert of tact you are, so I shall simply state it: I wonder if you still respect my abilities as princess since my return. You insist on handling the nobles yourself, night court is often empty—of your own request, I believe—you give me what I consider busy work just to keep me inside the castle and finally, as well as most alarming, I was not called upon during the changeling invasion.” Luna grinded her teeth to prevent herself from raising her voice at that last item. “You were so concerned about setting the burden on your own shoulders that you prevented me the opportunity to help! That was reckless not only with your life but the lives of OUR subjects!”
Celestia kept her iron gaze forward, acknowledging Luna’s temper with nothing more than a twitch of her eyelids. “You know I only took those actions out of concern for you.”
“I AM OVER SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS OLD, SISTER!” Luna roared, now taking full advantage of her Royal Canterlot Voice. “SPENDING ANOTHER THOUSAND ON THE MOON WOULD NOT AND DID NOT CRIPPLE ME!”
That time, Celestia actually reacted, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head toward Luna. “That is your opinion of things. Mine differs.”
‘How could she be so cool at a time like this?’ thought Luna, huffing.
“Then why don’t you explain the basis of your opinion, sister?” The last word oozed with anger.
“I am of the belief that if you cannot arrange and manage your personal life without poise, then you will be unable to deal with the public or make weighty decisions with haste in times of crisis. Emotions are useful and necessary for us as rulers, but they can injure as much as they aid.” She paused a moment, considering her next words. “You have first-hoof experience with that as I recall.”
Letting out a deep breath, Luna faced forward and attempted to put on the iron mask her sister did so easily. Every time they spoke on such things it seemed Celestia always had the better arguments, as if somehow by merely the virtue of being older she was correct. And while she did have a point, her words were too… heartless.
“You are not entirely incorrect. I have let my emotions lead my judgement in the past. But to hold me back, to… pity me,” the word was putrid on her tongue, “you do both of us a disservice. You take on a burden you need not, and dismiss my own abilities. I am capable of learning and growth, Celestia. Do not forget the years before the Nightmare.”
“Rest assured, I have not. It is—“
“Let me finish.”
They stopped walking atop a hill, Luna watching Canterlot in the distance and Celestia looking intently at her sister. This was a good place, Luna decided. There was peace here. Honesty.
“Even though I believe you should respect my abilities for those reasons, I think there is another. More important than my past experience or any burden you have taken on yourself.” Luna met Celestia’s gaze with her own. “You are benevolent, sister. Not just more than me, or more than the average pony, but more than anypony. Our country could not last as long as it has without your benevolence. I find it the single most important attribute of your standards, and the side of you I respect most. It is what, I suspect, made my banishment so hard, what turned the Elements to stone after you used them, and why you abandoned our old home in the Everfree. Even after all I had done to deserve—“
“Luna, please—“ Her visage was cracking, now.
“—no, sister, I must say this—my banishment, you still took that blame, that weight and slung it across your back to bear all these years. I know you, princess of the sun. That load was so heavy you needed another pony to aid you in removing it, didn’t you? Twilight Sparkle. A good choice, I might add. But even after my return, your back longed for that weight, so you tried replacing it with duty, with pain, with stoicism. I am here, Celestia, to ask you to stop fooling yourself. To finally, after this long millennium, release that burden.”
She walked up to her sister, displaying the rigid will in her eyes as plain as the moon on a clear night. Celestia flinched when Luna laid a hoof on her withers, shoulders tense with both a tremendous fear and paralyzing anticipation.
“I am here to forgive you.”
It was Celestia’s turn to show her heart, and it bled like a fountain in front of Luna’s forgiveness. She stood there, and she felt. Every modicum of emotion that passed through her was laid out for the world to see. And when one lets emotion run so rampant, the body often does something very predictable to show it.
In dreams, it rains.
~~~
Yawning, Celestia went about her stroll through the last of the garden, ready to finally head to bed. She typically saw Luna around this time, but her sister had been oddly absent. It was not a major concern, though, so she went about her routine, a lap around the gardens, before settling in for the night.
As she approached the castle, she found her sister, though she didn’t seem up for talking. Walking over, Celestia smiled down at the little moon princess, wondering what now went through her head. She briefly considered prodding her and asking her to raise her moon, but Celestia found her posture quite adorable. With any luck, a guard would come by and wake her, allowing Celestia to tease Luna about it later.
Turning to the horizon, Celestia finished lowering the sun and sent the moon about its nightly path. She hoped Luna wouldn’t hold it against her. Her sister used to be one to get upset over such things, but recently, Luna had taken them in stride with a kinder mood.
A glint reflected off of Luna’s face and Celestia squinted, wondering what might be causing it. Leaning in, she found a tear had fallen down her sister’s cheek, slowly making its way to her chin before falling to the ground. Celestia found herself warming up at the sight, guessing at the world her sleep had built for her. Such things were for Luna, and Luna alone, so Celestia only kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear.
“Sweet dreams, Luna.”
And they were.