Sunset leaned contentedly against Canterlot High’s iconic horse statue. This was her favorite place to write friendship letters to Twilight. Sitting here, at the bridge between two realities, seemed the appropriate spot to pen her letters to a pony princess. It reminded her of the connection she shared with her friend, so that Twilight seemed less than a world away.
This time, though, it was Twilight who had written first. She had told Sunset the fascinating story of a dark creature known as the Tantabus. Twilight recounted how she and her friends had sought to help Princess Luna capture this entity in the realm of dreams, and how it had almost escaped into the physical world to bring darkness upon Equestria. But in the end, Luna had finally forgiven herself for what she had done as Nightmare Moon, enabling her to end the Tantabus for good.
What Twilight wrote next, though, caught Sunset completely off guard.
I have a favor to ask of you. As you can imagine, this experience has been very hard on Princess Luna. I was wondering if you could talk to her—via our books—and help her process everything she’s been through. Celestia and I have done what we can to encourage her and to keep her from slipping back into her old patterns of guilt and blame, but I think that you can connect to her in a way that we cannot. Your stories are similar in many ways, and you are the only two ponies I know of who have been reformed by the Elements of Harmony.
Would you please consider taking the time to talk to Princess Luna? I know you are still learning about friendship, and may not feel confident helping somepony else, but I think this could be really beneficial for Luna, as well as a wonderful opportunity for you.
Sunset sat there for several minutes before responding. She had no idea what to make of this. On the one hand, she felt honored that Twilight thought she could help someone else who was struggling through a difficult time. The mere fact that Twilight trusted her enough to do this nearly brought tears to Sunset’s eyes. But on the other hand, what could Sunset possibly say to a princess of Equestria? What advice could she give to one with the power to raise the moon?
Still, Twilight’s faith in her had to mean something. And after all Twilight had done for Sunset, she wanted to return the favor in any way she could. Eager, but also a bit uneasy at what was about to happen (Pinkie, of course, would refer to her state as “nervicited”), Sunset wrote her reply to Twilight.
I would be happy to talk to Princess Luna. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to help her all that much, but I am willing to give it a try.
And that was that. It seemed that soon she would be conversing with the Princess of the Night.
Dear Princess Luna,
It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Sunset Shimmer. I have heard much about you from Twilight, and I am glad to have an opportunity to talk to you.
There. Sunset didn’t want to delve too deep into Princess Luna’s troubles immediately at the start, but she wanted to leave it open for the princess to set the pace of the conversation. The Princess might have trouble opening up to a stranger.
As she waited for Princess Luna’s response, Sunset glanced around nervously. She huddled in a corner booth of Sugar Cube Corner, where she could keep this peculiar conversation private without completely disappearing. Her friends chatted happily at a booth on the other side of the store, though they occasionally glanced over to where Sunset sat. All of them had expressed total confidence in Sunset when she had told them what Twilight had asked her to do, and they were eager to hear how the conversation would go. Sunset knew that without their encouragement, she would have stalled for several more hours before finding the courage to write to Princess Luna.
Sunset quickly turned back to her journal when she heard its familiar buzz. Princess Luna had responded quite promptly.
Greetings, Sunset Shimmer. I am honored to make your acquaintance. Though I wonder if you had not known of me before Twilight Sparkle spoke to you. Did you never hear the legend of Nightmare Moon during your time as Celestia’s apprentice?
She certainly had. Everyone knew of the mythical villain that came to terrorize the land every Nightmare Night. Of course, those who knew the history behind the legend were few. Sunset had pieced together the fate of the mysterious Princess Luna during her studies, but that hardly seemed appropriate to tell that to the princess. What would she say? Yes, I once did a research project on your corruption and subsequent defeat. I got a good perfect grade on the assignment, but honestly, I scoffed at the naivety of somebody stupid enough to attack the wielder of the Elements of Harmony. That was most assuredly not a good way to start a conversation.
Yes, I knew the myth of a creature long gone. But I’m afraid I know very little of the real Princess Luna. Your return was not until after I left Equestria, so I never had the opportunity to meet the sister Celestia often spoke of.
And what did my dear sister tell you, Sunset Shimmer? Did she speak of a monster that rejected her love and sought to plunge all of Equestria into darkness? Or did she simply express disappointment that even her own sister could fall so far?
Perhaps it would be easier than she thought to get Princess Luna to open up. At the same time, the princess’ words disturbed Sunset. She would need to tread carefully to avoid opening old wounds and driving Princess Luna into her old self-loathing.
Please, call me Sunset. Princess Luna, know that your sister felt nothing but sorrow that she had lost the pony closest to her. Many times, when I came to her in the middle of the night in my excitement over mastering a new spell, I found her gazing at the moon with the most awful expression of regret and sorrow. At the time, I thought she was just too weak to push past her emotions and see that banishing Nightmare Moon was necessary and just. But now I understand the pain she felt every night as she gazed upon an image of the sister that she could not reach.
The next response did not come as quickly as before. Sunset had time to worry if she had said the right thing, or if she was just making this worse for Princess Luna, before the alicorn’s response appeared on the page in front of her.
Thank you for your words, Sunset. And you may call me Luna. Celestia has spoken many times of how she missed me while I was gone, but to hear from another the depth of her concern is a great comfort. I only wish that my own actions had not caused such agony to so great a pony as my sister.
You’re not the only one who feels that way. During my time as her student, I only wanted to be great like Celestia was. A desire to please her turned into envy and unrestrained ambition, and I ended up failing her in the most important way.
After all these years, it still pained her to write those words. Sunset still hated how badly she had disappointed Celestia. But Sunset took comfort from the fact that Celestia had never stopped caring for her, and from the knowledge that her old ways were now behind her.
As did I. I grew jealous of my sister’s splendor and sought to take her glory for my own. In the end, I only brought darkness to Equestria.
Sunset thought back to her own efforts to obtain greatness, both in Equestria and at Canterlot High. She had ruined many friendships and made many lives miserable as she had risen to the top of the school. She understood the dark power ambition could hold.
My ambition drove me to try to kill Twilight Sparkle. It was then, when the Element of Magic gave me all the power I ever wanted, did I see the futility of it. There was a moment, as I first put on the crown, that I felt the horror of all the pain I caused. The anguish nearly destroyed me. How could I have done such things? Then the moment passed, and I became the demon I had always wanted to be.
Sunset’s hand trembled. For an instant, she felt that she couldn’t keep writing. She wanted to throw down her pen and run crying into the night. But a quick glance over at her friends laughing together gave her the strength to continue.
I don’t know; perhaps you experienced something similar when you became Nightmare Moon. But I do know that you, like me, were later changed back by the Elements of Harmony. I remember the terror of being hit by their power, but that lasted only for a moment. Immediately, I felt the magic of the Elements restore me, change me. They removed the taint of evil and transformed me back into what I was. Or maybe into what I should have been, but had refused to acknowledge before then.
Luna’s response came more quickly this time. It seemed that she, too, was eager to discuss this common ground they shared.
You have spoken truly, Sunset. We share an experience that nopony else can understand, for they have not felt the Elements remake them, as we have. In an instant, Nightmare Moon was gone, and I was Princess Luna again. My sister welcomed me back, and all was right once more.
Twilight and her friends did the same for me. They could have left me a ruined mess in the pit I made, but they instead invited me to be their friend.
Yes.
For a brief second, Luna paused before continuing.
Though looking back, such acceptance made me all the more ashamed of what I had done. It was that shame that led me to create the Tantabus.
Here it was. At last they had arrived at the issue that had plagued Luna for so long. Sunset wondered how best to approach this topic. Should she start by reassuring Luna, telling her that all was well? No, Twilight or Celestia could do that, and had probably already said as much to Luna. But the reason she was the one writing to Luna was because of their similar stories. Sunset should simply offer her own tale.
I, too, struggled with guilt long after I was “reformed.” Everywhere I went, people stared at me with blatant disgust. As I walked down the halls of Canterlot High, students would whisper behind me about the horrible Sunset Shimmer and all the grief she had caused. They hated me for what I did, and they wouldn’t let me forget it. I can honestly say this was the hardest time of my life. I wanted to believe I was a new person, and I wanted to show everyone I had changed, but for the longest time I never had the chance.
Whereas I was the one to remind myself of what I had done as Nightmare Moon. Though everypony else had forgiven and accepted me, I could not forgive myself. I wanted to make sure I never again threatened Equestria. I could not move on, when everypony else already had.
Sunset looked up for a moment, lost in thought. Then she quickly bent down to resume the conversation.
You know, this reminds me of a conversation I once had with Twilight. Both of us struggled beneath the expectations of others. Everyone looked to Twilight as a savior who could fix any problem with her magic, while people expected me to revert to my old ways. We both realized we were afraid of letting everybody down. And it seems you had a similar difficulty. Everyone expected you to be able to move on and be Princess Luna again, but you were still worrying about Nightmare Moon.
A small smile formed at the memory of her midnight chat with Twilight. Little had Sunset realized then how much pressure Twilight was under. It wasn’t until the Battle of the Bands the next day that Sunset had really seen how stressed Twilight was. Everyone, including Sunset, was counting on Twilight to write the perfect counter-spell. But sometimes, as was the case with the Battle of the Bands, those expectations just blinded a person to the help available to them in their friends.
You are very wise, Sunset. I see you have learned much from Twilight. But I must ask, how did overcome your uncertainties? How were you able to look past both what others thought of you and what you feared was true about yourself?
Sunset paused for a moment to ponder this. Certainly, she wouldn’t have overcome her fears and insecurities if the Dazzlings hadn’t showing up at Canterlot High. It had taken the threat of three mystical creatures trying to kill her friends and magically enslave the entire world for her to finally come to terms with her past. And Luna’s experience had been no less dramatic; she had almost plunged Equestria into an eternal nightmare before forgiving herself. However, as spectacular as these events were, Sunset knew that they were only catalysts for even more profound changes inside.
You know, for a while things just got worse. When I tried to hide the secret of my friends’ magic during the band competition, everyone accused me of just being jealous. My attempts to help backfired, the school hated me, and even my friends had reservations about trusting me. In a way, it felt like nothing had changed from when I was the old Sunset Shimmer.
Though her hand was beginning to tremble, Sunset kept writing. Her emotions kept pouring out on the page in front of her.
Then came that one crucial moment, when the Dazzlings had overpowered the Rainbooms and everything seemed lost. Twilight called to me for help, but I was afraid. How could I, the worst failure in the history of friendship, possibly make a difference when the others had already fallen before the might of Sirens? I nearly despaired, until I recognized the truth. Despite my uncertainties, despite my failures, I was a new person. That part of me could never be broken, not because of my own strength or certainty, but because I had friends there supporting me.
They believed I had changed. They saw my desire to make amends. Even if they sometimes still had doubts or worries, they strove to help me become all that I could be. All that I already was, if I could just believe it. And in that moment, I saw my friends had done for me what I could never have done for myself: they had shown me that my past is no longer who I am. Today I am new, and my friends will do all to help me realize that truth. It was that truth that gave me the strength to stand against the Dazzlings.
At this, Sunset paused. It felt good to finally put into writing all that had been going through her mind since the Battle of the Bands. As the memories of that night filled her, Sunset was almost positive she felt a pony ear briefly flicker into existence on the top of her head.
Thank you, Sunset. You cannot imagine how it encourages us to hear you write these things, things I still almost afraid to admit to myself because they sound too wonderful to be true. Yet when I finally accepted for the first time that I was no longer Nightmare Moon, but Princess Luna, I was able to overcome the Tantabus. I could finally forgive myself, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world.
I know what you mean, Luna. The joy of realizing that your past does not define you is incredible. It makes me want to sing. How strange: neither of us realized this on her own. We both needed the help of our friends to see this.
And now we have each other to remind us. I begin to see why Twilight requested that we write to one another.
Yes, she knew how similar our stories were, and how much we could encourage each other by talking about them. She really does deserve to be the Princess of Friendship.
I must remember to thank Celestia for making her an alicorn. Also, I thank you, Sunset, for our conversation. Perhaps we can arrange to talk again in the future.
I’m look forward to it, Luna. I’ll talk to you later.
Farewell, dearest Sunset.
Sunset closed the book slowly, still thinking about all she had written. She really was fortunate to have such great friends. Without them, she wouldn’t be where she was today. With a smile, she got up and walked toward the booth where her friends waited eagerly to hear how her conversation had gone with the Princess of the Night.
She couldn’t wait to share it with them.