High atop the balcony outside her bedroom of Ponyville's castle, Princess Twilight Sparkle waited for her turn. The sun was taking its own sweet time creeping down towards the horizon, and soon it would be time to usher in the moonrise. Truthfully, she was content waiting for her nightly duties. For some reason, waiting, even putting them off a few minutes, seemed to help her ease the pain of actually doing them.
In her time, sitting there and waiting, she took a few moments to look around from her balcony at Ponyville. The little hamlet she had come to love so long ago was gone, but its spirit remained. One of the best words that could be used to describe its newer form was sprawling. The village had expanded well into being called a city, but it wasn't tall. Just before her resignation, Mayor Mare passed an ordinance stating that no matter how big the town should become, no building should ever exceed the height of the castle. In the hundred-some years that followed, nopony had seemed fit to change it.
The academic portion of her brain, seeking comparison, turned her head over the hills towards Canterlot, which now covered most of the mountain's south face. Being built on said mountain meant it had no need for such ordinances, as the palace sat right at the top of the grand city. Twilight breathed a long, heavy sigh. It felt like years since she had seen her Astra or little Love Beat, back in that castle. Though her dear sister's daughter (she and Cadence had long since dropped the in-law and embraced each other as real family) was likely not that little anymore, at a hundred and thirty. Still, Twilight loved to tease the filly of an alicorn, saying that she would always be "little Love Beat" to her. The younger, she believed, liked the attention much, much more that she let on. And Astra...
Twilight Sparkle could remember a lot of things, and those she didn't, she could figure out. She would remember a friend's favorite color throughout a hundred years of knowing them, and she could easily calculate the square root of irrational numbers. Yet it still came as a surprise to her that she could remember the day her dear daughter was born in perfect clarity, despite being in an excruciating labor at the time. Some things a mother never forgets, she figured. Every moment Twilight had spent with her was certainly a moment worth reliving, at least to her. Her first word, her first flight with her Aunt Rainbow Dash, her first teleportation (which, admittedly, had freaked the crap out of Twilight at the time), all warm memories for her to cling to, though she supposed that most parents would. Even her first coltfriend hung in her mind with a warm feeling. She could remember his name, but he broke her daughter's heart, and thus would never earn forgiveness. Luna had been so furious, she actually threatened to banish the poor colt.
Luna... The name echoed through Twilight's mind after the thought. For so long she had tried to steel herself, convince herself that not thinking about it would ease the pain. It never did, but a solution that didn't work was a solution nevertheless. So, she kept trying, hoping that one of these days she could think about her wife and not end up hurting herself. She never actually believed it would work, but still...
Finally, the last of the sun fell below the sky, plunging the world as she knew it into a state of not quite darkness, but certainly not daylight. Twilight, that's what it was called. In the time that had passed since receiving her celestial duties for the first time, the violet pony had taken a liking to the times in between night and day that were her namesake. For the few minutes she could make it last at dusk each day, there would be no sun to remind her of her dear teacher, nor would there be a moon to remind her of her loving wife. For just a few minutes, she could finally pull of a perfect state of non-emotion. She could be at peace.
Unfortunately, it could never last, at least not without Cadence freaking out and doing something she- and likely Twilight- would probably regret. She lit her horn in its own violet hues, then used her magic to feel her way around the distant horizon, finding the moon with relative ease, just beyond the threshold of Twilight's sight. Gripping the sphere tightly, she cocked her head slightly up, bringing the head of the moon just over the horizon, where it would set out along its voyage across the sky all by itself, no longer needing assistance. Twilight mentally reviewed her ritual, and begrudgingly admitted that she would never be able to do it with half as much grace as Luna.
Sweeping a glance over her fair city, she silently thanked the ponies who lived there for there love of light pollution- or lack thereof. It hardly bothered her that most ponies preferred to spend the nighttime indoors with family or friends, as it had bothered her predecessor those thousand years ago. That meant that public facilities no longer needed their lights on, which in turn led to minimal light pollution, which meant that those few who weren't indoors were free to enjoy the moon and stars at their own leisure. Well, except that nightclub across town, but what was she supposed to do about that?
Suddenly, she noticed that seeing the moon and stars required there to actually be stars in the sky. Mentally facehoofing herself for almost forgetting it again. She lit her horn once again, this time using her magic to begin painting the skies. Orion goes there... Ursa Major here... One by one, the constellations appeared before her. All those years studying astronomy really did pay off. After all of the constellations were in place, she swept her magic over the sky, quickly adding in all the filler stars in between the more organized ones. Looking at her moon, she decided that tonight would be a good night to shake things up a bit.
She focused her magic, knowing it would take a good bit of energy to accomplish what she had planned. The moon, resting in its place low in the sky, became completely encompassed in a near-imperceptible hue of midnight blue touching the blackened sky, though it was not her intent this evening. Rather, the big white ball was simply a convenient waypoint for the two new stars placed into the sky, one on either side. One for her, and one for Luna. She knew, of course, that she wouldn't be able to place new stars in the sky every time she thought about Luna, but it was a start. Maybe, she thought, just maybe, forgetting wasn't the key to moving on. She'd been down that path before, after the death of her friends, and it hadn't served to help. Remembering them, by whatever means available, was the key to not feeling the constant burden of their deaths. Was Luna the same way?
"Those are new," a voice spoke behind her. It sounded strange, disembodied, but still present and familiar, as though the pony it belonged to was speaking directly to the confines of Twilight's mind. She didn't know why, but Twilight was comforted by the voice. It felt... home-y, she would guess. It felt right.
"Good eye," Twilight responded absentmindedly. A strange voice, in her castle? That was nothing- said voice had taken an interest in the stars she had created- and likely in the stars she controlled. It seemed like she never really found a pony to share astronomy with until Luna, and never after. All of her friends dismissed it as a pursuit all to herself, and after she wound up controlling the subject, she seemed too unapproachable for scholars to want to talk. Then it hit her. Nopony had talked with her about astronomy after Luna... She whirled her head around so fast that she heard the crack. It was uncomfortable, but that meant nothing compared to the sight now before her eyes.
Her flanks slamming to the ground, Twilight realized why the voice in her head seemed so familiar. Standing in front of her was the most beautiful mare she'd ever seen. The midnight blue alicorn, standing high above what was considered a "normal" height for a pony, stood in the doorway to her balcony, leaning up against the frame. Twilight was so shocked to be seeing Luna, a hundred years dead, she didn't even notice the lack of ethereal mane or the fact that the former princess's body was slightly translucent in the starlight, allowing Twilight to see the room behind her in a midnight-tinted haze. Nor did she notice the lack of the regalia she had almost never seen Luna without. All this was justifiable, of course- when a pony's dead wife shows up out of nowhere, one has a tendency to miss a few details.
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Rather, they died long before her throat, leaving her sitting on the balcony simply stuttering, trying to grasp onto the pretty basic concept of speech. She failed miserably, of course, but she tried. "Twilight Sparkle, at a loss for words?" the other mare asked, a wide, knowing grin spreading across her face. Twilight Sparkle was actually at a loss for words quite often, especially when Luna herself was involved. "I would have thought that all those dictionaries you read under my dear sister's tutelage would have prevented--"
The former princess never got to finish that sentence. Her lips were otherwise occupied, suddenly finding themselves pressed against those of her wife. Their kiss lasted for about a minute, with Twilight using the time as an opportunity to let her tongue intertwine with the other alicorn's, just like Luna had taught her all those years ago. She had to use her forelegs, now wrapped tightly against that midnight blue neck, to drag its owner's head down to a slightly more acceptable height for the position. Luna didn't seem to mind. Luna never minded that Twilight was shorter than her- she said it made her cute.
Finally breaking the contact, the smaller of the ponies was only apart from her love for about a half a second before closing the distance again, this time for a near-crushing hug. Softly, so as not to disturb the ambiance of the moment, Twilight whispered into Luna's ear. "You came back..." There was an obvious excitement in her voice, though plagued with hesitation- doubt, even. After all, Luna was dead... Right?
The elder stopped a small grin from appearing on her muzzle, noticing that doubt. She slowly brushed her hoof through Twilight's mane. "So I have," she replied, feigning surprise. The two broke away from each other's embrace, Luna taking the time as she leaned away to nuzzle Twilight's neck before standing straight up.
"Why?" That was the last question Luna had expected, if the sudden jolting open of her eyes was anything of the common indication of surprise Twilight had read about so long ago, back when she was still trying to learn how to be better in social situations. Maybe she should have started with "how", but she felt that that was a significantly less pressing issue at the time. "Did you want to break my heart again?"
That hit a nerve. Twilight watched as Luna took a step back and flinched away from her, as though in physical pain. She had meant what she said, of course- there would have been no use saying it otherwise. Maybe she hadn't meant for it to come across like that, but she had meant it. In what world did Luna think that seeing her again would help? Didn't you think that before? her mind asked her. It was right, of course. Twilight looked back over at her wife, who now seemed on the verge of tears. They'd been here, once before, when they were dating. Once a week, like clockwork, for four years, Luna would come to Ponyville just to see her. And once a week, like clockwork, Luna would have to leave, breaking Twilight's heart every single time she did. More than once, Twilight had considered just ending it- if Luna had to leave, why should she come in the first place?
Because, Twilight, she remembered. Until daylight comes in the morn, I am yours to love, and nopony else's. Twilight almost smiled as she remembered that night, when she finally asked why Luna kept coming back. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
"I wouldn't trade it for the world," Twilight echoed her thoughts, drawing a glance from the depressed alicorn now laying in the doorway that had for so many years remained empty. Luna was here, and that was more than enough. It mattered not why, nor how, but it was true. With a burst on energy to rival Pinkie's, and a speed to match Rainbow Dash's, she burst forward, grabbing Luna under her forearms and forcefully but gently flipped her onto her back, no doubt messing with more than a few feathers. Luna still in shock from the suddenness of the maneuver, Twilight began assaulting her lips with small kisses, adding the words "I'm so sorry!" in between each of them.
Luna allowed about ten of these kisses to happen before finally placing her hooves firmly on her attacker's chest and pushing up, discontinuing Twilight's assault and allowing herself some room to breath. The smaller pony on top of her took the hint and climbed off, a fierce blush spreading across her cheeks. Slowly, Luna got to her own hooves and looked straight into Twilight's eyes, getting lost in the time between night and day the color reminded her of. She, too, had always enjoyed twilight.
"I came back, Twilight," Luna began to answer, not having the chance to do so before. "Because we still have memories to make."
Twilight put on her best suggestive face and slowly walked towards Luna. "That's good," she began. When she reached the waiting alicorn, she took the other's neck in her hooves and added, "Because there are a million and one memories I want to make with you right now."
She almost got another kiss right on Luna's lips before she was interrupted by a hoof she had suddenly found in her mouth. It didn't taste much better than the silver crystal horseshoe she had become accustomed to whenever Luna needed her to be quite, but it was certainly an improvement.
Leaving the hoof in her lover's mouth, Luna spoke with a great conviction in her voice. "Twilight Sparkle, we have but one night together." Her look was near downcast, though hope sparkled in her eyes. As much as she would have enjoyed that, there were still others to make- the other million memories Twilight had mentioned. "I think we can do better than that."
Fear found its way onto Twilight's face as her hooves fell to the ground. "Oh, right. See, that's the thing. We were married for eighty-four years, right? We did pretty much everything together. I can't think of a single thing..." Her rant was interrupted by a small giggle from Luna. She quickly shot the other a glance, a sort a faux anger in her eyes. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?" Luna was hard to forget, and Twilight never did- nor did she forget how much her wife loved it when she tried to talk like her. "I don't even-" She stopped. She saw what was happening, and was suddenly ashamed she hadn't recognized it earlier. "I don't know why I'm freaking out- you already have something in mind, don't you?
The ex-princess held a hoof to her own mouth, obviously trying to stifle her laughter. "Forgive me, my love. I have always so enjoyed watching what happens when you don't have a plan." She regained her composure, sitting straight up on the balcony floor. "And yes, I did have something in mind."
Twilight sighed. Luna was right, she didn't enjoy not having a plan. Worse still, she hated it when there was a plan that she didn't know. "And what did you have in mind?"
Luna paused for moment, taking in the questioning look her wife was giving her, reveling in it. "You were right, of course, as you always are. We were married for eighty-four years. And in that time, we went dancing twice." She shot Twilight a hinting look, hoping she would catch on.
And she did. "There was a damn good reason for that. You know I can't dance."
Luna stood, and turned back towards Twilight's bedroom. she began walking, her light blue tail swishing back and forth with the beat of her step. She turned her head around and spoke to the pony behind her. "Then let us come. I know your castle has a ballroom- I shall finally teach you."
Twilight decided quickly she'd like that. She stood up herself and took off after her lover, catching up to her in just a few seconds.
When they reached the door, Luna held out a hoof towards it. "It is your castle, my love." She smiled, the brilliance of the action warming Twilight's heart. "After you."
Twilight opened the door to be met with the single Noctus- she'd long since learned to never actually call them bat ponies- stationed outside the door. "Ma'am?" he started. "I expected you to be asleep."
The princess looked back towards her company. "We're going down to the ballroom, Lieutenant. Why don't you take the night off- go grab a drink." She never took her eyes off Luna as she spoke, not needing to face the guard for him to know it was her.
The sergeant caught himself with the questioning look on his face before his boss did, for which he was grateful. After ten years in the Noctus Guard, he knew better than to question it. "Of course, ma'am. Have fun." The last sentence almost came out a question, the guard unable to control his own voice. Silently, he turned and left, happy to be out of nervous company.
Luna looked down at Twilight. "They never went and 'grabbed a drink' when I was in charge." Before Twilight could respond, she decided to continue. "It matters not. Come, my love. Let us dance."
The two danced for several hours, with Twilight getting much better but still admittedly not confident enough to be stepping onto the floor of her own free will anytime soon. They hadn't gone as spectacularly horrible as Twilight was expecting them to- after all, both ponies had emerged with all limbs attached and unbroken- but there was, in fact, a damn good reason the couple never went dancing. Not to say it wasn't enjoyable, of course, but nobleponies tend to frown on royalty tripping over their hooves.
They did eventually find their way back to Twilight's chambers, less out of desire and more out of necessity- the night was short in the summer months, and the moon's time in Equestria's sky was fleeting. So too, as it had been revealed earlier, was Luna's, and both of the alicorns intended to make the fullest of it. Cuddled together on the bed reading sappy love poems in the candlelight wasn't exactly what Twilight had willed for said bed in the wee hours of the pre-sunrise morning, but she was more than content to allow it to happen. Luna's translucent form, highlighted and outlined in the dim light from the candles and the moonlight seeping in from the windows, her voice, softer than normal, bending the atmosphere around them to her will as she read aloud- no, Twilight wouldn't have minded if that night lasted forever.
The universe, in its infinite wisdom, disagreed on that point. Where Twilight saw it as paradise, the universe saw it as just another night, whereupon its end, the world would continue turning; the sun and moon would rise and set each day, and everyday life would continue in harmony for Equestria, if not in harmony for Twilight Sparkle. It should have known, of course, that a depressed one of the most powerful beings on Equus was slightly less controllable, slightly less predictable, than a normal one of the most powerful beings on Equus, but depressed was better than downright mournful, as the princess had been for the past hundred years. All would be set right in time.
Finally, Twilight's moon- "our moon", as Luna had called it- found its way across the great wheel of the sky, now half-covered by the horizon. To the east, the faintest hint of sunrise could be seen, the reds, oranges, and yellows wrapping an ever-so-small portion of the sky in their embrace, the sun itself not quite ready to show. The moon fell quickly, and soon it was ready for the final push. Cadence wouldn't raise the sun until the moon was out of the way; it wouldn't let her. And so the world watched and waited for Twilight to do her duty, assisting to usher in the new day, and with it, new struggles and promises.
Yet, sitting on her balcony, Luna's wing draped over her like a blanket, Twilight wasn't quite ready for that. When daylight came, Luna would have to go- something that could be easily prevented by just... postponing the sunrise. It was that simple.
For her part, however, Luna would have none of it. "All good things must come to an end" was something she never really hoped for, but accepted nevertheless. She stole one last glance at the moon before looking at the smaller pony now held tightly against her by way of wing. The fur of her neck seemed to stand straight up at the soft touch of Twilight's muzzle, excited from the gentle yet intimate stimulation. She would be saddened to see it end, but life had to go on.
She slowly removed her wing from Twilight's side, drawing a disappointed moan from the younger alicorn. She used the same wing to turn Twilight's head towards the setting moon. "I'm sorry, my love," she began, sadness dripping into her voice. "But the sun must rise this morn. Our time is at an end."
Twilight looked down at the ground. True, they had spent hours together, but never did she expect them to end so soon. Then she looked up, her frown having gone nowhere but hope glistening in her eyes. "What if it didn't?" Luna shot her a confused look, which Twilight promptly ignored as she continued. "You told me that you'll have to leave again at dawn. What if dawn didn't come?"
Luna's confusion swiftly changed from confusion to a mix of surprise and anger. "Twilight Sparkle!" Said alicorn flinched away from the volume of her wife's voice. It wasn't quite the equivalent of the magical augmentation of the Royal Canterlot voice, but it came close enough that Twilight was thankful she dismissed the guard outside her door for the night, lest he become worried and come charging in.
"I know, I know, it's stupid, but..." Twilight stopped herself. What was she thinking? She slowly looked to her lover, her expression downcast. Why would she even bring that up? "I don't even know what I was think--" Her lips stopped moving very suddenly. They were cut off by something she didn't immediately recognize, though she quickly discovered them to be Luna's own. Not a sweaty, passionate kiss, like when they'd met on that same balcony earlier in the night. This was a shorter one, certainly, but less eager. More... loving, Twilight figured. Saddened as well. But above all, it felt dream-like, slipping away. So much so that when Luna pulled away a few seconds later, she immediately felt herself losing memory of the kiss, just as one can so easily forget dreams.
"I know, I know, I know..." Slowly, the princess rose from her position and placed herself in front of the banister. She lit up her horn, reaching out to find the moon, and stopped. She turned her head to see Luna still sitting on the balcony, holding her hoof out as though to encourage Twilight's coming actions.
She figured she had about a minute or so of actual twilight before Cadence raised the sun, and Luna did say she wanted one more memory. "Would you care to join me, love?" The words seemed to elate the elder, if at least lift her spirits. Leaving her was never easy for Luna, Twilight knew that. It may help to ease the pain then.
The taller alicorn said nothing, but stood and walked to her wife's side. She nodded, and lit her horn in its own midnight blue hue. Twilight smiled and did the same. Together, they reached into the sky to the great wheel of the celestial body. Never taking their eyes off each other, they pushed the moon down below its horizon, allowing the familiar colors of the sunrise to take the sky before the sun itself showed up to take Luna away.
"Alas, daylight comes," the fleeting princess began. Already, though the sun had not peaked over the horizon as of yet, her translucent form began to lose its color. She sat down on the cold stone floor, at peace with what was to come.
Twilight soon joined her, the two facing each other as the sun reared its ugly head. Tears found their way into her eyes- her immediate reaction was to turn away, as to not let anypony see them, but she stopped herself. Finally, she thrust herself upon her unprepared wife. "Please don't go," she whimpered. "Don't leave, please..." She wasn't crying, though her voice broke quite easily. Soon, she wouldn't be able to hold it in any longer.
"Leave?" Luna seemed shocked. She was leaving, she supposed, but not like that. Cautiously, she took her own hooves and softly caressed Twilight's body. She brushed her wings, her back, eventually bringing them up and running them through Twilight's mane. "Know that I love you, Twilight Sparkle, and would never truly leave you. So long as you shall remember me, I will be with you."
Twilight said nothing, leaving the words to sink into her mind. She let them linger, even as Luna's body sank back into oblivion. Oh, most wonderful of nights, the voice spoke in her head once again. Slowly, she lost her grip on the fleeting form before her and almost fell to the ground before catching herself with her forehooves. She looked up to be met with the emptiness of her balcony. Luna was gone. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground.
Princesses didn't cry. That's what they would teach the foals in school. Princesses needed to maintain the utmost level of presentability, and as such, never did things like loose their temper. They never got angry. They never really got sad. Princesses never cried.
Princess Twilight Sparkle knew that to be a load of bullshit. Princesses cried for a number of reasons, including sadness. Those were most of the tears now running down Twilight's face. Tears of sadness for Luna's departure, of course. There was the occasional tear of mild joy as she remembered her parting words- that she would never be alone. But above all, there were tears of understanding. Twilight Sparkle knew.
Luna wasn't coming back.
Author's Note
Because I'm a cold-hearted asshole. Do you all hate me yet? Damn it, I did something wrong.
I'm messing, of course. I hope you all enjoyed "When Daylight Comes", by your's truly. Prereading done by the exceptionally talented CogWing and iisaw, you should go check them out!
Oh, and the description lied to you all. I do have future one-shots planned. Maybe you'll read those too?
Feel free to leave your two cents in the comments section. I feed off the attention. If you thumbs downed the story, could you tell me why? That'd help a lot.
