"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."
Luna cowered and closed her eyes as her much larger sister kneeled down to her level. To see that desperate, pleading emotion in Celestia's face caused Luna's heart to ache with guilt and worry. It had been so, so long since Luna had last seen her, and to be accepted so easily… Luna had not even considered such a possibility…
Celestia stood with a sad smile, and regarded the fallen mare with an expression of uncertainty. "Will you accept my friendship?"
Luna lowered her ears as her emotions bubbled over inside of her. She was doing her best not to cry, but found herself failing as she desperately closed her eyes again to withhold the tears. All at once, she rose and galloped to Celestia before her giving her a heartfelt nuzzle.
"I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!"
The tears flowed freely as Luna pressed her face into Celestia's warm chest, and all of the emotion that she had been unable to show for a thousand years poured forth. She pressed harder into Celestia, wanting to feel the warmth that she had longed for during her entire period trapped in the moon, but found that her sister was no longer there.
Luna opened her eyes in confusion, only to find Celestia slowly backing away with a horrified look on her face.
"T-tia?" Luna raised her ears immediately and swept her eyes back across the room to look at the Bearers, who were also backing away with looks of absolute shock and horror. "W-what is wrong? Why are you all retreating from me?"
The Moon Princess rose to her hooves and began advancing on the crowd, only for them all to walk backwards at an even more rapid pace. Celestia turned her head to the side and squinted, holding back her own tears as she spread her wings to protect the smaller ponies behind her.
"Luna, stay back! Please! You know not what you are doing!"
Luna halted her advance and began breathing hard, assuming the worst. Had she begun to revert back into her form of Nightmare Moon? Was some trace of the ancient evil still clinging to her? Why did they all look terrified, and why were they insisting on pressing up against the far wall of the room just to avoid her?
"Celestia, please! Tell me what is wrong! I-I… I do not understand!"
Luna trotted forward to the larger alicorn, but Celestia merely curled a hoof under her body and wrinkled her nose in disgust while closing her eyes. "Luna, stay back!"
The Bearers all scattered, running around the room in utter panic as they watched the smaller princess advance. As Rainbow Dash desperately tried to escape, Luna turned to her and caught the fleeing pegasus with her magic. The Bearer of Loyalty floated freely in the air as she gasped and closed her eyes, shaking with fear as Luna addressed her.
"I implore you, tell me what is wrong! I just wish to thank you all for rescuing me!"
Rainbow shook her head rapidly. "I can't! Let me go! I have to get away! Princess, please!"
Luna released the struggling girl and watched as she flew screaming from the ruins and into the night sky. The alicorn adopted a crestfallen and pouty look as she turned back to the other ponies, watching as they all covered their faces and a few of them began to cry.
"What is going on? Why will nopony answer me?"
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and Luna galloped straight for the orange earth pony leaning up against a stone pillar. Applejack's eyes widened in horror as she bowed low and removed her hat, draping it across her face to hide the blush as she did so.
Luna leaned down to the working mare's level and desperately tried to see past the obscuring headpiece, but had no success. "Bearer of Honesty, I know that you cannot lie. Please, I seek an answer. Why is everypony so afraid? A-am I… still a threat? Has something gone wrong?"
Applejack shook her head rapidly and drew her hat further into her face, causing her voice to come out slightly muffled and muted.
"It ain't that, Princess! We jus'… land sakes, ah'm beggin' ya! Please, back up! A-ah… ah can't…"
By this point, Applejack was shaking on her hooves, completely unwilling to answer the question. She turned and fled, following Rainbow's path out into the darkening night. Luna watched her go with a soft whimper, before turning to the next pony who could possibly answer her.
"Generosity! I beg of you, tell me what is amiss!"
Rarity began to choke and convulse as Luna moved closer, and with a final swoon, she fainted on the spot. Twilight Sparkle dashed over to catch the falling mare, and barely managed to cradle her body in a protective embrace before she hit the ground. Twilight kept a hoof wrapped around Rarity's body as she raised the other to her face with a grimace.
"With all due respect, Princess Luna, you need to move back! We just… we can't!"
The Moon Princess lowered her head and began to cry in earnest as Celestia stepped in front of her student and shook her head. "Little sister… please try to understand. We do want to accept you, it is just that... well…"
Luna raised her head and sniffled, waiting desperately for the answer. As Celestia spoke again, she cried out in shock and embarrassment.
Luna sputtered as another bucket of icy water cascaded down over her head while Celestia worked the rose-scented shampoo into her silky mane. She leaned upward and into Celestia's gentle hooves, loving the contact and smiling fully as her sister helped her to get clean. The larger alicorn smiled as well, and closed her eyes as she gave Luna a quick kiss on the forehead.
"There, now you smell much better."
A bottle of cleansing body wash was passed from Celestia's hoof to Luna's, and the darker mare couldn't help but grin as she closed her eyes and began to rub the frothy gel into her coat.
"Did I really smell that bad? I-I mean… I am sure that after a thousand years, it must have been awful, but… the Bearer of Generosity fainted!"
Celestia offered a light laugh as she fluffed her wings. "You did indeed. Even I found it difficult to stay standing, to be completely honest. After your bath, though, I am sure that they will all accept you as a friend."
The two exchanged another nuzzle as Luna giggled into Celestia's mane.
"Thank you, Tia. I love you!"
Celestia closed her eyes once again as she smiled down at the now-sparkling midnight mare. "And I love you, Lulu. Even when you smell a bit… gamy."
The two shared a laugh and embrace before going back to work on Luna's dark coat, scrubbing hard to make sure that it would be as clean as could be.
