When A Kid Asks You A Question

“Why don’t you have a throne, Princess Luna?”

The Princess of the Moon stared, startled, at the small blue filly who had raised the question. Several voices whispered urgently to each other, and the schoolteacher in charge of the visiting class of colts and fillies rushed forward to set a magenta hoof on the child’s shoulder. “Ghost Giggle, now is not the time!” the mare hissed urgently. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness, she’s always asking questions—”

Princess Luna waved her hoof, gently silencing the fretting teacher. It was a bright and sunny day out on the royal Canterlot gardens, where she had chosen to join the visiting students. Such field trips were a yearly occurrence, she had discovered, for many of the towns within easy travelling distance of Canterlot, although there was better guard coverage this year, and much of the life-size pieces of statuary had been removed because, well, why tempt fate. She liked to fly down and observe these classes on occasion; the younger ponies were often less reserved and nervous around her than the adults who attended Celestia’s Day Court, and it was a nice way to get outside and interact with her subjects.

Of course, any time she approached a class and asked if they had any questions about life at the castle, she tended to get one or two odd questions. But this one was…unexpected. Luna studied the small, smokey-blue unicorn, with her bluish-white mane and wide, innocent eyes. The little one’s gaze dropped and she bit her lip. “Sorry…was that a bad thing to ask?”

“No, no, it is…alright,” Luna said carefully, intrigued by the child’s boldness. “What is your name?”

“Ghost Giggle.” The filly perked up, apparently completely not bothered by the fact that she was talking to one of the rulers of Equestria. “This is my first time to Canterlot! It’s really cool to meet you, Princess Luna.”

Luna smiled. “It is nice to meet you, as well. Why do you ask about the royal throne?” Few dared to question the Princesses’ decision to not install a new throne now that Princess Luna had returned to court. Fewer still knew the true reasons behind it, which was as Luna had wished and requested it in her first discussion with Celestia on the matter. But she knew there were whispers of why she had not joined her sister in her proper place, seated on a throne of Equestria.

Perhaps now was as good a time as any to see if the explanation she had prepared was good enough to satisfy her subjects’ curiosities.

The blue unicorn furrowed her brow. “Well, because when we went in the throne room, to see the, um, Day Court? I noticed there’s only one throne, where Princess Celestia sits. And you came in and sat next to her, but like, on the floor, sort of? You were still up on the big platform thingie—"

"The dais?"

"Yeah, the dais, but you didn’t have a throne, and I thought…” She pawed the ground, face screwed up in an effort to find the right words. “Everypony says you’re both the Princesses, and Princess Celestia is your big sister, and you both do all the big important stuff Princesses do, right?” Her large eyes were full of concern, and she suddenly trotted closer to Luna, standing out in front of the rest of her class to better look the princess in the eyes. “So I just wondered, how come you don’t have a throne, too? Don’t you deserve one?”

Princess Luna absorbed this for a moment, all the while observing those around her. The teacher looked nervous, but there was a hint of curiosity on her face. In fact, many of the ponies, from the fillies and colts of the class to her own guards, seemed to be listening with interest, watching the Princess for her response.

“’Deserve’ is an ambiguous word. But I have an answer that will satisfy you, I think.” Luna took an inward calming breath and tilted her head up, horn pointing towards the sky. “You see, Ghost Giggle, I am only newly returned to Equestria. My time away was most lengthy. Lest thou be unaware of my story due to thy youth, before my return two summers past, I had spent one thousand years upon the moon.”

Ghost Giggle chewed her lip. “Is that a really long time?”

Some of the guards chuckled. Luna cleared her throat to hide a smile. “Yes, a very, very long time. Do you understand anything about government, young pony?”

“Umm…” The blue filly drew a hoof through the dirt, thinking hard. “It’s the people who, um…tell everyone what to do, right?”

“A simple explanation, but accurate to a greater or lesser extent. Long ago, before my terrible fall, I ruled equally with my sister, and we dictated much of what was law and custom in our fair land of Equestria.” Memories of ages past swept in, filling Luna with a mix of longing and sadness. The unity of the ponies clearing away the destruction of Discord’s reign, the smiling faces of her subjects…the bitter tang of jealousy as her night went unrecognized… Luna blinked away the feeling, reminding herself that she had promised to set aside her guilt. “But you see, young one, even a country ruled by the same government for centuries will change and shift with the times. Much is different than when I was last a diarch of this land, and so I have much to relearn – commerce, social norms, trade, currency, international affairs, even simply new terminology for old things once familiar! It is a great deal for anypony, even an alicorn princess, to take in. The court proceedings alone are a headache to follow, you can’t even imagine…”

A glance at the filly made Luna realize with a blush that she was losing the young mind; the little unicorn and her classmates clearly only understood parts of what she was saying. Luna smiled and bent down to be face-to-face with Ghost Giggle. “When I returned to the side of light, I found I had much to study before I would feel suitable to retake my position. Such studies take time, but I am willing to do what I must.” One of her wings wrapped around Ghost Giggle’s shoulder, and she pointed a silver-shoed hoof up to the sun overhead. “And besides, my dear sister has done a wonderful job leading you all for a thousand years! Surely my taking a few more years will not change matters greatly.” Ghost Giggle nodded, clearly believing this made perfect sense.

Luna stood again, her flowing mane of night and stars swirling around her dark frame as she looked away. For all her lesser stature than her taller, more powerful sister, the Princess of the Moon cut an imposing figure – regal, powerful, and just now, a bit sad. “That is why I do not possess a throne, my young subject. I will not until I feel I am ready to rule you justly once again.”

Ghost Giggle beamed up at Luna, and a glance around revealed that many of the other ponies were nodding and smiling. Luna smiled herself, pleased that her explanation – the explanation she had long been preparing in case of just such a question, of which she had only spoken to her sister until now – had satisfied these ponies.

It was true, of course; she had spent many a day, when she was not guiding the moon or patrolling the dreams of ponies, pouring through books and speaking with advisors in her continual toil to understand her transformed homeland. At times it was difficult and confusing, and yet the satisfaction of finding and seeking to learn so much new knowledge was exhilarating! Math and science, magic and court functions – visits to Equestrian universities, libraries, state houses, and museums. While she did not possess the same magical genius as Celestia, her own favored interests were more than amply challenged. And it had given her something to focus on besides her own self-limited duties…and the other trial she had been forcing herself to endure.

Yes, Luna knew that her reasoning was most satisfactory for why she had not retaken her throne. And nopony had to know the other, more painful reason that had dogged her these last two—

“That’s great! I was kinda worried it was because you still felt bad about being Nightmare Moon,” Ghost Giggle said happily.

Luna froze, staring in even greater shock down at the little unicorn. “Wh-what do you mean?” she stammered, feeling as if some secret part of herself had just been rudely exposed for all to see.

Ghost Giggle was oblivious to her dismay, continuing right along in a cheerful state while Ms. Cheerilee waved her hooves desperately and futilely for the filly’s attention. “Well I know sometimes, if you feel bad about something, it makes you not want to do things because you think you don’t deserve them anymore? My sister did that one time; she was co-leader of a club, but then she told one of the other club member’s special secrets to somepony, and it got told all over town. So she wouldn’t come back to the club because she felt so bad, even though the others forgave her and wanted her back. Took her a long time to believe them and get over it.” The blue filly grinned up at Luna, patting the princess on the leg. “I kinda thought that’s how you might feel, from being Nightmare Moon and stuff. But I know that can’t be the reason anymore!”

Now Princess Luna was truly intrigued. She bent her head down close to the filly, blue eyes studying her with curiosity. “And why is that, young one?”

Ghost Giggle laughed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “’Cause you forgave yourself and beat the big smoke pony in our dreams!”

Luna snapped upright, suddenly really looking at the ponies in this particular field trip. Of course, the teacher had looked familiar - Ms. Cherilee, that was her name - and a couple of the foals, but… These are residents of Ponyville? That night a month past, when she had drawn together the dreams of that entire town in an effort to find and vanquish her own nightmarish invention, came rushing back. She gulped. “You witnessed that?” Luna bowed her head in embarrassed chagrin. “My subjects, please accept my apologies for any pain the Tantabus put you through—”

“Are you kiddin'?” This voice came from the back of the crowd, and a filly Luna truly recognized shoved forward: it was Apple Bloom, the younger sister of the Element of Honesty, Applejack. “That was the funnest thing ever! I got to give maself super strength an’ throw big houses at a sparkly cloud critter!”

“And I got GIANT wings!” Scootaloo threw in. Other fillies and colts began throwing in their excited contributions.

"It was so cool fighting with the Elements of Harmony!"

“Snips and me turned ourselves into Ursa Minors!”

“Well MY dad became a super-rich superhero who beat up that disgusting smoke monster with the power of bits!”

“My mom was a giant!”

“Can you come back and do that again for my birthday sleepover, Princess?”

The chatter was rising, and Ms. Cheerilee could only rub a hoof over her face in resigned exasperation. But Ghost Giggle waved them all down, determined to finish what she’d been trying to say. “Yeah, it was really cool! But, I mean, my point is,” she said as her classmates tuned back in, “you forgave yourself, and the big guilt monster thing went away. Which means you must not be feeling bad about being Nightmare Moon anymore! So it was silly of me to think that that was why you don't have a throne.” Ghost Giggle giggled and then dipped her head in a bow. “I bet you’ll be ready to be our full Princess like Princess Celestia in no time! I think you’re super duper smart already.”

Luna felt oddly pleased by the compliment, and dipped her head to the filly in return. “Thank you, Ghost Giggle. I will try to not let you down,” she said with a laugh, although she could tell as the words left her mouth that she meant it.

“You won’t!” Ghost Giggle sang. “Thanks for answering my question, Princess!” Then, clearly satisfied, the little filly skipped back to the rest of her friends.

Ms. Cheerilee gave Princess Luna a tentative smile. “I hope she hasn’t bothered you too much, Your Highness. If, um, it’s alright with you, we really ought to get back to our tour so I can get these kids home on time…”

“Of course.” Luna smiled at the small gathering of ponies, feeling oddly light. “In fact, it was a most enjoyable conversation. You are all most welcome here at the palace, and I hope you will enjoy the rest of your visit.”

“Please come visit us in our dreams again soon, Princess Luna!” somepony called, and several echoed the idea with cheers. Apparently her interventions in the dreams of the young ponies of Equestria was more appreciated than she had realized.

The small crowd of students moved away with their teacher and designated guards, chattering excitedly to each other about their own experiences in the shared dream during Luna’s defeat of Tantabus. She watched them go, mulling over the conversation. A flick of her wing signaled the well-trained palace guards that she wished to be alone, and they moved off, leaving the Princess of the Moon in the garden to think.

“She was very spot-on, wasn’t she?” a warm, laughing voice said from behind.

Luna turned, a wry smile on her face. “Do you still participate in your most ungracious habit of eavesdropping, Tia?”

Princess Celestia stepped around the corner of one of the hedges, a knowing smile on her face as her pastel-hued mane flowed around her. She came to stand next to her sister, looking across the garden at the same patch of beautifully-arranged flowers in the shape of the sun and moon. “Maybe, but that one was an accident, I promise. I just happened to pass by and didn’t want to interrupt.” The smile curved higher up her cheeks. “It’s amazing the wisdom that comes from the mouths of children, isn’t it?”

“One must suppose so,” Luna said, huffing her flowing bangs out of her face. Her mouth straightened into a solemn line, and she glanced sidelong up at her sister. “I was not lying to them. I have much to learn, and I did not return equipped to properly govern our nation in its current state.”

“Of course, Luna,” Celestia agreed softly. Her white wing settled over her younger sister’s dark back. “But I believe the reason that you did not share is not so much of a reason now as it once was. As the little filly said – you no longer bear the guilt that has guided some of your choices lately,” she noted. “And you have learned a lot since you’ve returned.”

“’Tis true.” Luna allowed herself a small smile. “A great weight has been lifted now that I have let Tantabus go.” The smile faded again, this time into a thoughtful, faraway look. “Perhaps there are certain decisions I must reevaluate in the coming days.”

Celestia closed her eyes, feelings of joyful relief flowing through her. “I agree.”

Luna extended her wing, and the two sisters stood for a while in the garden in an alicorn hug, looking out over the beautiful Canterlot gardens and enjoying each other’s company and the pleasant day.

Weeks Later

“Come on, Princess Luna!” Pinkie Pie was practically dragging the blue alicorn along by the hoof, and yet still managing to skip across the marble floor like a hyperactive deer. Luna followed hesitantly, mystified by the procession of Princess Twilight and her friends who were guiding her through her own castle. “This is going to be super great, I’m so excited, and then we can start the party—”

“Pinkie!” several exasperated voices shouted. Pinkie made a small, “Eep!" and covered her mouth with her other hoof.

“What is the meaning of this?” Luna insisted, trying to sound imperious but knowing she came across as more confused. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, this is most unbecoming!”

The purple alicorn Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, gave an embarrassed laugh as she headed the group of ponies (and one dragon) herding Princess Luna along. “I’m sorry, Princess Luna, but I’m not allowed to tell you. Princess Celestia just told us to make sure you arrived right on time!”

As they travelled further, Luna began to notice odd formations in the servants and guards. Many were rushing about, as if preparing for some great event – but no event had been scheduled to her knowledge, had it? Luna began to feel the suspicions of one of her older sister’s famous grand-scale pranks, but she was in a pleasant mood this afternoon. Perhaps such a joke would be entertaining. And she could always get back at Celestia by teasing her the next time she set a hoof near a slice of cake.

Guards lined the hallway leading to the main throne room, where Celestia would normally be holding Day Court at this hour. But today, the great doors were closed. Princess Twilight made a few hoof gestures to her friends, who quickly spread out, forming an even v-line that flanked the moon princess. The guards took their stations. Princess Luna was mystified, but stayed silent, waiting.

“Announcin’ her royal highness, Princess Luna!” Applejack shouted in a decent estimation of a herald’s call. Then she ruined it by adding, “Now get them doors open quick-like!” Rainbow Dash and Rarity were giggling to each other with very poorly suppressed excitement as the doors slowly swung inward, revealing the grand hall and the throne room of the castle of Equestria. Celestia stood before the dais at the far end of the hall, with Cadence and Shining armor; but aside from these friends and the guard ponies, nopony else was present. This appeared to be an affair strictly for the Royals and their closest friends. Perhaps because Celestia wished to be sure that Luna would accept what she saw before it was announced to the kingdom.

Upon the dais, behind the Princess of the Sun, was not one throne…but two.

Luna walked towards her sister, whose face was shining like the Sun she moved across the sky. When her sister came near, Celestia turned so that they were facing the same way. “What do you think, Luna? Is it close enough?”

Luna stared, mute. The thrones had been positioned much like their old thrones in their old castle, which Luna had thought far beyond restoration. But these were newer, Luna’s designed to match the golden throne that Celestia had been occupying for centuries. Hers bore the sigil of the moon, and suspended above each were beautiful tapestries displaying the celestial bodies that were the signs of their offices. Tapestries much like those from a throne room long ago.

Such a reminder of the past could easily have brought feelings of sadness and guilt…but instead, remarkably, Luna found herself remembering the more pleasant times. A particular thought came to mind, and she stifled a chuckle. Celestia gave her a concerned look.

“Is there a secret passage to the kitchen behind this one, too?” Luna asked, and a titter burst from her lips before she could get it under control. Celestia’s grin told its own story, and she mouthed the words and a slide, too. That set them both to trying desperately to control their laughter while the guard ponies nearest them pretended not to notice.

As the chuckles died down, Luna glanced behind them warily, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends were standing back at a respectful distance. The Moon Princess turned an uncertain gaze on her taller sister. “I do not know, Tia. The guilt is done, but I fear I am not yet ready…”

Celestia placed a golden-shod hoof upon her shoulder, her smile warm and reassuring. “If you decide not to accept, I will have the throne removed to wait for when you’re ready, and only our little ponies here will know about this. But I have seen how you have been working to relearn what it takes to run our kingdom. You’ve taken the reins of leadership, both in the Night Court and here in the Day when I was gone. And I have heard the testimonies of those ponies whom you have helped through their dreams. You are a wise and caring leader, just as I always knew you to be.” The hoof moved to touch gently on Luna’s chest, right over the moon insignia on her chestpiece. “I believe in you, Luna. It is time.”

With a turn that set her rainbow mane and tail swirling, Celestia walked gracefully up to her Sun Throne and sat. Everypony held their breath, watching Princess Luna, waiting.

As the Luna, Princess of the Moon and Diarch of Equestria, ascended the dais to sit upon her throne, cheers rolled through the hall. The big doors pushed open again, and crowds of ponies came pouring in, gasping with excitement and surprise at the sight of both of their Princesses seated on their thrones. Among them were many of the friends Princess Luna had made – Cranky Doodle and his wife, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, even Ghost Giggle. Fresh cheers rocked the room until it seemed as though the stained glass itself was pounding – which it soon was, actually, when the musicians started playing on a particularly loud amplifier. Princess Luna shot Celestia a pointed look.

“What?” the white alicorn said with a sly wink. “A little furniture rearrangement, and I would have simply told them the banquet was for your birthday. Which it still is, you know!” She made a most un-Princess-ly cackle at the stunned look on Luna’s face. “You always manage to forget the date!” As Twilight, Pinkie Pie, In a voice lowered for Luna alone, Celestia added, “But I knew you’d make the right choice.”

They have forgiven me. And I have forgiven myself. This is right. Luna looked up over her friends' heads at a particular tapestry from the days of the old Castle of the Two Sisters that had been renewed and installed with the new decor, and saw a familiar image of a golden crown upon it. The warmth it sent through her made her smile. Thank you, great King, for a second chance.

“It’s time to paaar-tay!” Pinkie howled, yanking a lever on a small, conical cannon she had pulled from nowhere. An extremely loud BOOM shook the castle to its foundations as confetti showered the celebrating ponies like paper rain, and Luna laughed long and loud over the sounds of Pinkie Pie’s friends yelling in unison.

“PINKIE!!!”