Twilight Sparkle sifted through the ancient scrolls out on the balcony of her bedchambers, continuing her ever eager search for magic, having already memorized hundreds of spells that cloudy night.
The quiet rhythm of the rain overhead kept its steady beat, the tempo helping Twilight keep a focused pace on her studies. She remained completely dry, a raspberry-colored semi-transparent shield acting as a temporary canopy overhead. The rainy season would not keep the princess from enjoying the cool night air!
Twilight perked an ear, setting down a thick tome she was analyzing for the third time. A strange noise alerted her, prompting the wizard to crane her head back and look up. She channelled magic over her eyes, allowing for clearer night vision, scanning the clouds overhead, but sensing nothing strange.
“Huh,” she muttered aloud. “Maybe I should take a break,” she decided, supposing she was over-stressing her mind with information. Stepping out to the edge of the balcony, she contemplated the darkened view of the valley bellow.
Twilight stood high up along the side of the colossal crystalline tree, her palace of magical creation, grown from the seed of the Tree of Harmony, and nurtured by the unlocked potential of the Elements of Harmony. She had finally come to accept her new home, fascinated by its many magical secrets, even now researching possibilities of future growth.
Lying before her sprawled the fair town of Ponyville, a thriving community renowned for having such a strong mix of pegasi, unicorn and earth pony alike. She had arrived as a guest, and now she ruled as its Princess. It still made her feel strange and uneasy, gazing down upon her friends as subjects now, having a bird's eye view of their lives.
Far off in the distance rose Canterlot, etched into the side of a tall lone mountain, its waterfalls shimmering in the moonlight. The beautiful city was her birth home, and the ruling seat of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the ancient alicorns of Sun and Moon, now her equals in power and authority.
Stretching away on either side of her castle, she could see the edges of the great vast wild forests, the Everfree, an untamed deep green filled with danger and power. A chill rushed through Twilight's body, a deep fascination with that dark mysterious land coursing through her heart.
Perhaps she ought to go seek Zecora again, the wise medicine zebra, and see if she could reveal more of that wilderness to her mind. The mysterious healer lived in a tree herself, deep in the forest, apparently able to survive all on her own in such a dangerous land.
The rain fell in a steady pattern across the crystalline leaves of the tree, a heavy branch supporting the balcony she stood upon, reminding her once more of how strangely natural this palace was, in its own way. The soothing darkness surrounded her entirely as she leaned over the balcony, smiling into the early morning air, enjoying the serenity of the night.
“Adventure awaits the eager of heart,” intoned a soft voice from above. “An endless journey of wonder to behold. But be warned: do not let such questing overwhelm your spirit, or you may never find peace again.”
Twilight jumped in surprise, looking up once more, now observing a dark figure, standing atop of the magical energy field right above her! How did she not notice before? She spied silver shoes and a deep sea-green gaze, staring into her eyes with amusement.
“May I come in?” asked Luna, Princess of the Night, with a mild manner and a disarming smile.
Twilight mumbled in surprise, “O-of course! Just give me a moment to set aside my research and adjust the canopy.”
“There is no need,” came the reply, and so the Moon Goddess levitated down through the barrier, completely passing through Twilight's magic with ease, eyes glowing and wings spread as she does so. “Your permission was enough.”
Twilight took a step back, mildly insulted but mostly awed, reminded once more of the incredible power of her elders. “What are you doing here, Princess Luna?” Twilight asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.
“You are always seeking answers, it seems,” Luna laughed gently, to which Twilight blushed and pouted a bit, not pleased to have her question deflected and belittled all at once.
Luna's voice became more solemn, responding sincerely now. “I am lonely this night, despite the dream visitations I've made. I desired to seek sentient waking company, and you are the only pony ever awake at this hour.”
Twilight gave a sheepish grin and a little cough. “Well, sometimes there's so much that I still wish to accomplish, and well, it's more relaxing and quiet at night too, and besides, I can do magical power naps just fine,” she rambled vaguely.
Luna stared closely at Twilight, her dark face impassive, body language unknowable as ever when she wished for it, as befit a being used to shape-shifting outside her own form whenever she so pleased. Feeling awkward, Twilight turned away to lean over the balcony, gazing out upon the world.
“Which is to say,” Luna continued, “it is not simply that you are awake, but that you sincerely enjoy the night, its tranquilly and its magic. I appreciate this about you, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight's eyes were drawn once more towards the Everfree Forest, letting her fore-hooves hang over the side, “Well, the night gives me a chance to collect my wits for the next day, I suppose. An opportunity to recalibrate my awareness, as it were,” she shrugged, trying to be indifferent and casual, a difficult social feat for her.
Luna laughed with greater enthusiasm, a melodious canter. “You love the Day as well, my sister can attest to that,” to which the princess of Friendship blushed severely, turning to glare at the Moon princess.
“I suppose that is true, but the day can be so intense sometimes, so much informational input to digest all at once, for much of the hours of light,” Twilight mused, rubbing her chin in thought. What was Luna trying to tell her?
“The day is more stable than the night, however. It is more orderly, comprehensible, secure. The night can bring up chaos, confusion, and horrors of darkness,” Luna declared, her twinkling mane of stars dimming, as the rain poured heavily down upon Twilight's magic canopy, the Night princess' eyes glowing balefully. “The fears of the wild woods beyond, and the fears of the aching mind: both can bring despair and destruction!”
Twilight shook her head uneasily at this change of mood, trying to avoid her tendency towards anxiety, “I don't want to go back inside, but,” she gave Luna a stern look and a scolding tone, “This is beginning to feel less like a visit, and more like a confrontation. I thought you had already accepted my apologies, for my behavior during your first visit here with our sisters.”
Luna blinked, apparently surprised, her pupils coming back into focus, the night mane becoming more coherent, turning aside to look away, releasing a heavy sigh. “Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle, for I can be exceedingly dramatic at times. Such is the nature of the night.”
Twilight nodded softly. “Perhaps so, but I must admit I can tend towards dramatics too. However, you can be, well... you can be a bit too intimidating,” she trailed off, biting her lip and becoming nervous again, trying to keep her social tactics arranged neatly in her mind.
Luna clenched her eyes, struggling within, giving a heavy shake of her mane. Her eyes were filled with doubt as she looked down at her feet, before the rumble of thunder echoed across the sky, snapping her out of the moment of reluctance. She turned to face Twilight, stepping towards her peer, looming overhead, not quite so tall as her sun sister, but still quite clearly larger in form than the princess of Magic. "This may be so, Twilight Sparkle, but I am sorry: for I cannot quell my intensity this night!"
Twilight couldn't help but flinch and back away, keeping to the curved balcony edge, soft purple wings unfurling as her eyes dart out towards the forest, where the Moon goddess' old home lay in ruins, decimated in a rage from centuries ago.
Luna growled softly, her own wings spreading, greater in span than those of the Magic goddess she confronted. “Do you know why I was so determined to destroy you when we first met?” she questioned sharply, receiving a nervous head-shake from Twilight. “Because you intimidated me! You were the first pony to recognize who I was, and you were the only pony who knew how to defeat me, and end the reign of my cruel alter-ego, Nightmare Moon!”
Twilight stared at Luna's glowing eyes, bits of fear creeping into her heart. Why was Princess Luna telling her all this? Was this some kind of test, or a game? Or was she deadly serious now?
Luna circled around towards Twilight slowly, forcing the purple pony to back away counter-clockwise, never letting her pale glowing eyes off her. “Once, you had cast me down with the Elements of Harmony! Once, you had destroyed my ambitions, and my madness, sealing away my powers!”
Luna suddenly lunged out, faster than even Twilight could perceive, sweeping a wing across her shoulder. Twilight gave a frantic yelp of shock, squirming as she struggled, not wanting to fight back!
“You took it upon yourself to be my guide,” Luna accused, drawing the smaller pony deeper into her embrace, “to be the one to teach me the new ways of this land, to fit in to a new world I didn't know.”
Luna tilted Twilight's chin upwards, forcing her to look her in the eyes, staring at one another with tense apprehension. “And now I find that you are awake so many nights, focusing on your research and books, yet still stopping to gaze into the darkness, and to bask in the glowing source of my power.”
Twilight cringed in Luna's embrace, calculating her options, trying her best to remain calm in such awkward and potentially hostile circumstances, still multi-tasking with control of the rain canopy over their heads, her horn glowing faintly.
“How is it that I find so much common ground with my sister's apprentice? How is it that you are the key to my maturation of the past few years?” Luna demanded sternly, wearing a heavy frown.
Twilight wriggled in discomfort, flexing her legs and wings, trying to pull away. “If you are suspecting me of anything, then you are jumping to conclusions! I cannot help the way I am! So let me go!” she growled, her irritation starting to outweigh her fear, gritting teeth.
Luna laughed softly, her intense seriousness suddenly melting away, as she cuddled Twilight more gently amongst her deep blue feathers. “I shall not! For you see, the only thing I am suspecting, is that I adore you, Twilight Sparkle!” she concluded, leaning over to give her fellow night alicorn a gentle lick on the nose.
Gasping in shock, Twilight's focus fizzled, the rain canopy spell suddenly evaporating in her mind, causing the rain to splash down into her mane and fur, getting both of the night princesses wet in the cold air. She pulled away from under the wing, trying to regain her composure, but failing completely.
Luna betrayed no further motion, sitting compactly with her forelegs together as she watched Twilight very closely now, the rain coursing along her backside and down her legs, drenching her in the cold night, focused on the princess of Magic.
Twilight bared her teeth and shouted indignantly, eyes wild with outrage as she stomped her fore-hooves heavily down upon the balcony. “My research! My scrolls and tomes! How could you allow-” she began, suddenly halting mid-rant, blinking as she took a closer look at her materials.
A dark obsidian orb now covered all her research, shiny with moonlight, a night spell of absolute security. “Oh, thank Celestia,” Twilight exclaimed, suddenly sprawling in a heap, releasing the built up tension. “Thank you for saving my research!”
“Indeed,” Luna smiled, quite amused whenever her sister's name was evoked in such a manner. “I am not foolish enough to endanger your studies. I suspected that I may break your concentration for once, so I was prepared.”
Twilight gave an awkward cough, sitting up again, blushing heavily in confusion and embarrassment. “Um, well... thanks?” Twilight fumbled, a bit perplexed at this confounding behavior. Luna was so fiercely focused on her!
“Do you still fear me?” Luna demanded suddenly, putting a hoof on her own chest, eyes widening, as the rain washed through the stars in her mane, only enhancing her intensity. “You who have successfully conquered my darkness, you who have influenced my present form, even my very outlook on life?”
“Do you not realize, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna pressed on, “Your influence upon me is far greater than that of my sister the Sun, ever since my return from centuries upon the Moon. You have shaped who I am.”
Twilight stared, slack-jawed, as the rain drips down her soaking mane, stunned. “But... I always thought you were judging me, with your harsh glares and frowning silence!” she pointed out, raising an accusing hoof towards Luna. “Your body language always spoke of doubt about me, every time Celestia sent me on a mission!”
“Indeed,” Luna acknowledged shamefully. “I have tried denying these truths to myself, out of pride, perhaps even out of jealousy.” Luna folded up her wings, closing her eyes, water collecting around her body, a flash of lightning flickering in the distance.
“I have gradually warmed up, but still kept up my barriers, until,” she sighed, shuddering at a memory, “that first night here, when I saw your indignation and outrage, down bellow, in the Hall of Friendship.”
Luna stared sidelong at Twilight, unable to face her directly, the water trickling down her cheek different from the rain. “You outright terrified me, Twilight Sparkle," she confessed, as the thunder rumbled across the clouds once more. "I was looking into the mirror of the past, a past I forever regret.”
Luna sat up on her haunches, placing both hooves onto her own heart. “Your hate and confusion, it was perfectly alike to mine back then, moments before I changed inside, forever....” she whispered quietly, almost unheard.
The Night goddess trembled, sitting back down on all fours, looking down at the rain puddle bellow her. “I do not wish for you to suffer as I have. You are truly deserving of my loyalty and respect, because if not for you, I may have never recovered from my own inner torment.”
Twilight felt her heart seize up, gritting her teeth, anxiety tensing through her body. Her purple eyes darted to and fro, mind rapidly processing all the Moon Goddess told her, never realizing how much sway she held over this ancient creature, until now.
“That night of my outrage, when I confronted you and our sisters,” Twilight responded softly, gently, “After I had calmed down, I said we are more alike than I realized, you and I.” Twilight stared at the obsidian sphere protecting her research, contemplating the rain spilling down its dark surface.
“But even then, I didn't consider how our shadows are so alike, too, Luna,” Twilight confessed.
The princess of magic reached out with a wing to embrace her sister of the night, who responded in kind, as they wrap their soft feathers around each other, nestled in their shared warmth and understanding, while the rain continued its relentless downpour.
“Still,” Twilight suggested slyly, even as she nuzzled Luna's cheek, “I am more analytical than you, and much less wise!”
Luna laughed merrily once again, her mood lightening. “Indeed! I am the poetic romantic, in stark contrast,” she boasted, giving Twilight a sharp nip on her ear, causing the smaller pony to wince. “But don't disrespect yourself in regards to wisdom. You are wiser than your years, by far.”
Twilight pulled away again, all this sudden praise and adoration overwhelming her, still easily awed by the Night goddess' sinister power, and the passion of her darkness.
“Please,” Luna pleaded, blushing, reaching out a hoof. “Do not fear me any longer!” she begged, biting her lip, hoping for the security only Twilight seemed able to provide.
They both averted their eyes from one another regardless, suddenly feeling a heavy awkwardness between them. “Or perhaps we can fear each other still, but mutually,” Luna added with a smirk.
Their eyes meet together once more, in quiet wonder and awe of each other's dark power and energy, a truce of sorts building between their dangerous spirits.
Twilight gave a wry little grin. “Well, perhaps we could also try to respect and care for one another in the meantime?” she suggested shyly, reaching out with a wing once more.
Luna nodded, brushing up against Twilight, a wild smile on her face, eagerness bubbling up once more. “Do not forget your musings of this night, though,” she reminded excitably, “Your heart desires to go on exciting journeys through the night, to explore the subtle forces that lurk within the catacombs of the mind and the undergrowth of the forest!”
Luna gestured with an outstretched wing towards the Everfree Forest, the sparkle of adventure in her eye. “There are many lands of wonder and wizardry that may be found, and I will gladly guide you to them, when you are ready.”
Twilight pondered this offer of mysterious quests and adventure. She considered the possibility of bringing Luna to Zecora, to enhance the potential knowledge of the forest's deep dark secrets for them both.
“Hmm!” Twilight mumbled aloud, sidling alongside Luna again, leaning over and nuzzling softly at her throat. “That does sound fascinating! Maybe we do understand each other after all,” she decided.
Luna closed her eyes as she felt a pleased blush wash over her, wings enshrouding the younger alicorn, shielding Twilight from the rain.
Each enjoyed the quiet moment of empathy, as they held dearly to one who guided her and whom they guided in return, each a deadly powerful force of darkness and compassion, each of them a princess of the night.
