Dream Counseling

by arkman575

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life
Length: 5848

After the events of "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep", it's only expected that there would be some backlash in need of therapy. However, Iron Pen didn't expect this pony stopping by his office.

After the events of "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep", it's only expected that there would be some ponies who would need help with their dreams and nightmares. Dr. Iron Pen happened to specialize in dream therapy, normally helping ponies understand their dreams. However, of all the victims he would meet after the massive dream event, Pen didn't expect this particular client.

Published 2016-01-09 10:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-15 22:00:23 UTC

Chapter 1

Placing his quill behind his relaxed ear, Dr. Iron Pen sat back in his chair, looking to his next client in need of counseling. With the recent massive collective dream, multiple ponies had decided to seek some guidance into their undiscovered desires and fears. The next mare to visit him was no exception, however one the ponyville earthpony never expected to have a visit from.

“Take a seat, your highness.” The grey stallion spoke to the lunar goddess, motioning her to a red couch across from him. With slight irritation, Luna did as she was told and stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. “I hear it was your sister that requested you to visit me. Is that true?”

“With all due respect to your field of study and the time it took to grasp it, I rather not waste either of our time with this banter. I rather just hear the facts and leave.” She spoke, her tone unamused and cold.

“Is that so?” Pen asked, looking to the mare with slight interest. “What is it you want to hear? I half expected you to want me to help you cope with the dream event. That is, at least, what your sister mentioned.”

“Ha... That is beyond my thoughts now. A loyal group of friends made sure of that. I should really have thanked them more for their willingness to help, all things considered.”

“Care to elaborate?” the doctor asked, beginning to take a few notes. “That is, if I may inquire of the dreams of the mare who guards over them.” He gave a little smile to her for reassurance.

With a light sigh, she nodded and began. “As you might know from other ponies coming to you for help with the recent... event, I had created a monster capable of altering dreams into nightmares. It was defeated, of course. And again I thank Princess Twilight and her friends for their aid in the actions. The origin of this monster, the Tantabus, was of my own, formed from guilt of what I was forced to do as Nightmare Moon. Every night -minus a few I would aid other dreamers- I would relive the night of my transformation. It was as if I were recreating my past once again. Each time, I would... slay elements of harmony.... It was the perfect nightmare each and every night.” A tear had formed in the Lunar goddesses eye, making it’s way down her cheek.

Handing her a cleanex, Pen finished his notes and nodded. “And now, with it slain, you are at rest?” He then asked, looking to the mare’s reaction.

Giving it a second of thought, Luna gave a nod. “Well, of course. With my guilt finally at rest, I have had only pleasant dreams. Some range from seeing my friends, to going so far as to just dreaming about a peaceful sleep. I guess when you haven't seen a sane dream in years, one can consider anything a good dream.” She said, a light laugh accompanying her words.

The psychologist gave returned her attempt at happiness with a smile of his own. “You seem to have changed your mind quite quickly about wanting to stay.”

“I have found it quite comforting talking to somepony who can listen and not give judgment.” She replied, sitting up some, expanding her smile.

Pen was smiling, but he was regretting his next words. “And what of your sister, Princess Celestia?” This earned an uncomfortable silence, the mare’s eyes darting away from the stallion, her smile vanishing in a second.

“What is there to say? She wanted to help me, so she sent me to your services.” She replied, her tone slightly lower than before. “As I said, you are doing quite well at your job... so this is good for me.”

“Not regarding now... but when all this was going on. With your self-induced nightmares, she didn’t want to aid?” Pen then asked, scratching out an earlier note he took.

“You act as if she knew.” Luna scoffed, rolling her eyes. “But no, she didn’t.”

“She didn’t know you had this issue?”

Luna looked over to the stallion, seeing him give her a look of concern. Shaking her head some, she then closed her eyes and went on. “As I said, it was self-induced. I didn’t tell her. Why would I?”

“And she didn’t notice? From what you tell me of this nightmare... and how much it pained you just to recall it. If it has been years since you first came back from the m-” Pen was silenced when Luna’s hoof came down on the cushion, the wood border splintering some from the force.

“I told you! She didn’t know. I didn’t tell her. She couldn’t pick up on it! She doesn't know! That’s why she sent me to you, right? To fix this for me?” Luna yelled, a few decibels lower than her royal yell. Realizing her outburst, Luna got up,her head low, and made for the door. “I’ll be on my way... Sorry to waste your time...”

“Easy there. We aren’t done here.” Pen said, pointing a hoof back to the couch. His expression was a smile of comfort, not the scared one Luna had expected. However, the smile itself brought a new level of judgment. Was he enjoying her so exposed? She took her seat on couch cushion and glared at him.

“So, what is there you want to know now, Mr. Pen?” She asked, her expression neutral.

“Not to seem overly curious... but when you shouted, what did you mean by ‘she doesn’t know’ rather than saying ‘she didn’t know’?” Pen asked, sitting back again.

Luna looked a bit questionative. “It’s the same thing. I mean she knows now obviously, or else I wouldn’t be here, would I?”

“But did she know up until after the event?”

“It never involved her. So why should I have then?” Now Luna seemed to getting defencive. Her tone showed it. Behind Pen’s now neutral expression, he was actually happy. He was getting deeper into the real problem he suspected.

“I find that rather odd actually. If what I have learned about the events of the nightmare moon event, it was between you and Celestia, not Princess Twilight and her co-ruler” Pen pointed out.

“Again, false. The battle between Twilight and her friends was the second battle. The most recent one when Nightmare Moon returned some few years ago.” She pointed out, looking to the window outside from her position on the couch. Even in the late afternoon time, her moon was still visible. “That battle against an innocent foe... it’s why it stuck. If I were to have... slane them, not unlike how I had in my dreams, it would have been worth my soul being forgotten in Tartarus.”

Noting the last line, he then decided to take his chance. “Luna, I’m going to make a guess here. And you can defend against it, but... I just wish to venture a bit deeper. You hint in your words that you feel that you are closer to Twilight and her friends than you are to your sister.” Luna opened her mouth, but Pen’s raised hoof silenced the mare for now. “From mentioning that Twilight was ‘innocent’ compared to your fight with Celestia, and how this fight was one to be more memorable than the first, does point my possibility in the right direction. You again keep lashing out in a passive way that you never wanted her close to you with any of this. And... you resent that she only considered the way to fix this was not to talk about this sister to sister, but... to send you off to me.”

This time, when the earthpony finished his proposal, Luna didn’t rebuttal. From the saddened eyes of the lunar mare, it was obvious there was no counter.

“If I may ask, is this all from the early moments of the first night mare mo-”

“No...” Luna interrupted, still not looking up. Her voice wasn’t harsh, but cold and hurt. “I could blame myself for it if she and I were fighting because of my actions then. I could live with that and accept I was at fault. But, it wasn’t because of that night all those years ago. It was when Twilight came to view.

“This... this was early on in my return. At the time I was still guilt-ridden with the fact I had nearly engulfed Equestria in eternal night. Still, Celestia was always warm in her words of forgiveness and willing to take me back as her sister. Yet, I could never fully understand one thing. She always seemed to keep an apprentice close to her in training. Obviously, I considered the fact that it was for simple intentions that Celestia had trained Twilight. And don’t get me wrong, I hold Twilight close to my heart as well. She is, by far, a very loving and caring equine.

“Then why did you blame her for your disliking of your sister?” Pen asked, his expression changing to close interest.

Luna’s, however, had grown a hint of anger in her saddened eyes. “Again, this was a few years ago. When bringing up the events of my return to my sister on the eve of year after the fateful night, she said that it was her student’s brilliance and magical willpower that transformed me back into myself. However, to this day, I still question this. I talked with Twilight on the subject myself not too long after and she described as Celestia trying to push her off of my darker side’s even existence.

“However, there is a few moments in which I wish to say I have doubt within my sister. If you are familiar in recent events in Equestrian history, I wish to bring up the return of Sombra and the Crystal Empire. It’s well known that it was Spike, and the six heroes along side him that claimed victory and returned the Crystal Empire and it’s power back to Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Originally, it was I who had wished to go instead. Yet, it was just another test for her soon to be princess. That day, I felt we became less and less as sisters. Later when Twilight had returned victorious and ‘passed her test’ as she put it, I had tried to show Celestia a memory of the Crystal Empire before Sombra’s rule. Us... there together as fillies. She may have smiled at my cute little gesture of good faith... but there wasn’t much will to remember the past.

“She trained her student. She trained her to become a princess. She then gave her Ponyville as her land to rule. And I... I stay at her side, under her wing. I may be her sister, but I also wished to rule. Yet, I feel it was Tia who kept me close, to keep special watch over me. That’s the only thing I can think of, to keep me suppressed. To not become a vengeful sister I have seen her dream of me.”

“She dreamt what?” Pen then exclaimed, sitting up. Seeing him startle from his place Luna then looked to him with anger in her eyes.

“We are done talking.” She spoke, standing, and leaving the room.

Chapter 2

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I’ll admit it is rather unusual of me to ask a pony to meet if they are not a client before hoof, but I feel this is justified.” Pen spoke, looking up to his goddess. Princess Celestia sat up on the couch, levitating a tea bag in and out of a small glass, a soft smile on her lips. Pen himself, while maintaining a professional composure, was rather worried about how this meeting would play out, considering the topic at hand.

“It’s of no trouble at all, Doctor Pen.” Celestia replied, sipping from her cup. “As sanity and a cleared mind is quality needed for governing a nation, I can’t help but happily agree to any advice a psychologist could offer. Now, what was the subject you wished to discuss?”

“It revolves around your request for me to aid your sister, Princess Luna, your majesty.” Pen spoke, looking to the notes he had taken of the last session.

“Ah yes, I was meaning to see you about her. How, might I ask, is she?” There was concern in the mare’s eyes.

Pen looked down to his notes, hesitating to truly tell her how the meeting with her sister went. He had client confidentiality on his side, but also owed some truth to the sister of said client. “Regarding the events of the city-wide dream event and her past dealing with it, your sister Luna is doing quite well if not past the event entirely. However, there was a few things she mentioned that I thought would be of everypony’s best interest if I were to aid.” He spoke, looking to the first note.

“It is wonderful to hear that my sister is pushing past the dark days of her past. One can only imagine the taxation of her soul those images caused.” The mare added,putting her cup of tea down before looking at Pen directly. “But if I may ask, Dr. Pen, why did you refer to my sister by her name rather than a title like you did me?”

Pen looked up, not expecting such a question. “Um... well, honestly it’s more from stature and presentation.” He spoke, thinking into the whole ranking of the princesses. “My apology, but... as I have known you are my leader and princess, it’s only natural to feel somewhat humbling to be before you, much less counseling you.”

“And with Luna?”

“As she has only returned within the half decade, and with her being more in touch with the common folk during the night mare night events we hold here in Ponyville, she is more seen as ‘one of the people’. I mean no offence princess... it’s just my observation” he replied with a slight shakiness in his voice at the last sentence.

“It’s quite all right. It’s just curiosity is all.” Celestia replied with her norma warm smile. However, she internally cringed at the new information. Her sister was more accepted than her. “I don’t wish to bother you again, however. You may begin where we left off.”

“Ah yes, about why Luna was here and why I summoned you. With her recovery over the event being rather impressive, I had to ask who or what aided her. She had mentioned that it was Princess Sparkle and her friends who were the ones to aid in her time of need.”

“It was due to her fighting the six again and again within her dream. As their spiritual energy was so vivid, the creature she created must have found the actual owners. Thus, began the event.” the mare replied, thinking back to what Twilight said in her letter. Her student had even found the spell Luna used to create the beast.

“I see. She spoke of how vivid the dream was to her. From what I could tell, a small part of her enjoyed that little fact, knowing to her it was perfect mental torture to herself for her actions.” Pen added, looking back to the pad. “And, if I may ask, did you ever notice any signs of her nightmares? Sleep deprivation, perhaps?”

Celesta looked up to pen for a second, then down to the floor. “In... In a way, I’m glad this happened now. I did see signs of her abnormal sleep. We have separate towers for our own chambers of course, but when we were called off to other parts of the lands, we usually roomed together. In the day, sometimes I would walk into the room and see her twitching her her sleep. Her fearful words...” Celestia spoke, then shook her head. “Other then those occasions, no. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“And, what is ‘ordinary’ for the two sisters? You don’t have to go into detail about your more bothersome tasks, but I am curious about how you two interact on a day to day level. It could lead to some clues on the dreams.”

“Well, to be honest, our interactions are kept quite limited. We eat breakfast together. I guess for her it’s dinner. After eating, we discuss anything relevant the other should know.” She explained, a bit deep in thought. “Usually our time is not together, as we tend to sleep and work without the other. When we do work together... there’s not much to be said.”

“Are there any arguments?”

“Well, occasionally. All sisters argue. Of all ponies, you should know that.” Pen silently nodded when Celestia paused. “One of the more recent arguments was actually this. Luna had insisted she was without need to come here.”

“Yet, it seemed to be a rather informative topic.” Pen added. “She mentioned Princess Twilight was her aid in the recovery. Her and her friends were involved, and they were the true help. Not I.”

“True. Twilight truly has become the princess of magic.”

“If I may ask, you were the teacher to Princess Twilight, correct?” Pen asked, eyeing his notes for a second.

“Why yes. My most gifted student...” She trailed off, smiling back.

“And, you sent her into fight your sister that night, a few years ago?”

Celestia returned her look to Pen, opening her eyes some. The doctor had kept his eyes on the mare since bringing up the subject, his expression blocked by the notepad. “I did, yes.” She spoke, a tad dryly.

“For what reason, considering the circumstances?”

Again, a moment of silence. “She was well worth the task at hand, doctor.”

“To kill her?”

“Never!” Celestia roared, then calmed. However, her new glare stayed with the earthpony. “Why are we pushing this subject in the first place? Last i recall, all this began with Luna, and her dreams. When did my choices of my former student get involved?”

“It was actually Luna who wished to know.” Pen then spoke, holding his ground from Celestia’s bark. “She wished to know why you sent Twilight that night, rather than yourself. As it was Twilight and her friends she killed over and over, she apparently began to question the choice.”

“And you think it wrong of me to send Twilight?” Celestia spoke up. “Truthfully... I was taking a risk, but it was risk worth taking.”

“Do you mind elaborating?”

“Yes, I would in this matter. Is there any other questions you would like to ask, or was that all that was brought up by my sister?” It was obvious that there was some impatience in her voice.

“Actually, a few I would like to bring up. One being a dream. A dream of you seeing Luna being a vengeful sister.” Pen spoke, holding his quill in his hoof.

Celestia looked up then, her eyes no longer holding any anger or boredom. Now, she was ashamed. “And to think my sister would have kept that dream a secret...” She muttered at first, more to herself. “The truth is, I fear what my sister is capable of. That’s why we truly never get too close. And... I secretly feared for so long that she would want revenge for all those years I left her helpless on the moon. If you were to be left in isolation... away from the ones you hold close, knowing you would never see them again... wouldn't you hate the one who did it to you?”

“I couldn’t say, considering the circumstances.” Pen replied, feeling a bit unsure if he was even supposed to answer the possible rhetorical question.

“My only concerns are that if she does exact her revenge... I don’t want others harmed...” Celestia spoke on. “She may or may not have given up her hatred for the past, but it is still too much of a risk for me to let slip by.”

“You... would accept her revenge?”

“Of course. I was the one to take a thousand years from her. If there were any angered aggression she wished to take out on me, I would rather it be just me.”

“And, I assume it’s why you try to keep her within your watch?”

“Admittedly yes... we aren’t close, but I at least want to keep an eye on her. And, for another reason. With Nightmare Moon’s return, there is belief that Luna is still her. Obviously, citizens in Canterlot and Ponyville have separated the two, due to the exposure of my sister. But, I have been told that some areas still hold the rumor of Luna being her nightmarish self still. I personally find it intolerable that some would still consider her to be a threat to the people, however Luna seems to worry less about it. Whenever I brought up my anger over the subject, she barely spoke of it, only trying to calm me or dismiss the subject all together.”

“Have you ever considered that you are smothering your sister?” Pen asked, offering a slight frown.

The goddess looked at the stallion with some curiosity. “How so?”

“She is your sister, yes. However, she still is a mare and does need to branch out. Considering two princesses have moved away from your watching eye with ease and have now governed their own lands with relative success, I wouldn’t say she feels thrilled to be under your hold is all.” The stallion added, looking to what he had written down. “You are her caring sister, but she still needs to be free some time. You let your student go free after all.”

Celestia nodded some to the advice,, thinking it over for a bit. “If I might ask a favor... can I schedule one final session? I would like Luna here for it. I want to tell her about Twilight.”

Chapter 3

“Well, I am glad I could see you two here as quickly as I could.” Pen spoke, his voice having the slight trace of panic. Considering the fact he usually contained himself well with even the most disturbed and psychologically tortured ponies, it would only show his desire to be any place but this very room. In fact, he personally rescheduled the next two day’s appointments in order to leave town and relieve himself of his own stress. However, this one appointment could not be moved, as the two mares he was addressing were none other that his two immortal goddesses and ruler.

Luna, being hesitant to even return, was looking to Pen, a soft but ever-present fire behind her stoic eyes. Her expression showed his ever-growing desire to either leave, or to lash out at one of the other two occupants of the room. With all the flared emotions the last time the two had talked, Pen wouldn’t blame her for either option. However, he only hoped the ‘lashing out’ would not go so far as a physical confrontation.

Celestia, again accompanied by a cup of tea by her side, was even more melancholy than when she had left last session. Judging by the occasional yawn and slight bags under her eye, Pen doubted the elder sister had slept well, or at all. With the revelation of the dream and how impacting it was, it made sound sense.

However, even with both goddesses before him, what was pushing the doctor over his comfort zone so much was the fact that nopony dared to break the uncomfortable silence he had placed the three in. Judging by the two’s lack of reaction to his opening words, he doubted they would ever speak. Truth be told, Pen was hoping to build off of something one of the two would say. With that seeming like less and less of a possibility, he reluctantly cleared his throat, his nervousness again obvious.

“Well, as to your sister’s request, Luna, I have called you back here so that your sister and myself can try to mend everything the two previous sessions have exposed.” The earth pony began, looking to his rather filled notepad. “Now, Celestia, I feel we should bring up what we ended on in our last session; regarding your dream and Luna’s feelings of containment.”

Luna muttered something under her breath, looking away from Pen to Celestia. Apparently she heard, as the mare looked up to Luna for a brief moment, then returned to looking to the floor. Her expression now was even more deflated than before. Taking in a breath and sighing, Celestia finally spoke.

“Yes, about the dream. Luna, you know I did dream it. No, I’m not mad you did. I... I just wish I could have talked to you before this. What it meant. That dream was not what it looked like.” Luna’s eyes narrowed to this.

“And what was it then?” She spoke, her words like daggers to her sister. “Has Pen been told exactly what your drempt? Me, taking your throne, torturing your subjects? And what did you do in that dream? You simply cowered. You didn’t even fight!”

“Luna, stop.” Celestia spoke in a soft tone.

“I personally watched as you ran. You ran to your Twilight and begged her to help you now like you always do.”

“Luna!” Celestia said, tenseness growing.

“One question to you, doctor. In all your years of practice, have you ever seen a mare so scared of her younger sister she won’t even fight her?” Luna questioned, now standing, wings flared. “Because this is all I have seen of you, Celestia! You can’t fight me!”

“Luna, you have no idea what I could do to you! You would have wished I-”

“Both of you!” Pen shouted, slamming a powerful hoof down on the ground, both mares turning to the doctor. “We’ve only just begun and you two are already yelling. I have been in this profession for longer than I can remember, and I haven’t seen siblings so in need of counseling. Now sit!”

Both mares did as they were told, albeit hesitantly. Luna’s wings were still flared, and Celestia had lost her saddened expression to one of suppressed rage. However, Pen’s looked rather content. It were these little outbursts that often revealed what one hides most.

“Now that we can talk reasonably again, let’s take apart that little... episode.” Pen began, sitting back, sipping at his own cup of tea he had, until now, neglected. He had all the pieces he wanted. It was up to the mares to piece them together. “Celestia, Luna mentioned her taking the throne with force. Is this true?” After a second, Celestia nodded. “And, you ran?”

“Yes, however, it was not for why my sister thinks.” The elder spoke, Luna almost instantly standing to rebuttal. A swift hoof rase from Pen subdued her, for now.

“Ok, Luna, why is it that it troubles you so much that she runs?”

The mare gave a second’s smile to Pen, then glared to her sister. “Considering the fact that she left her people, for me to take over, I just don’t see how you could do it sister.” She growled the last words.

“Luna, there is a reason I left. I couldn’t tell you back then, and I am having trouble telling you now. Luna...” Celestia faded off for a second, deep in thought, her eyes breaking from her rage to sadness, maybe even regret” sister, I couldn’t face you in my dream for the same reason I couldn’t face you when you returned a few years ago.”

“That’s just it. Why didn’t you go after me then? If your student had failed, I would have taken over Equestria. You cannot say you didn’t have the power. I have seen you take on nations, power past gods. For goodness sake, Tia, you and I fought Discord and Sombra.” Luna lashed out, her expression now begging for an answer. “You... you should have at least tried.”

“Luna, that wasn’t you. And it’s not because I was powerless to stop you. I just wasn’t strong enough to do it again. I could have sent you to the moon. I could have imprisoned you in the sun. But... I couldn’t save you, Luna. I didn’t know how... I couldn’t save anyone. When I did what I did that night with you, I truly saw what I had become.”

“Sister...”

“Like you said... I had taken on Discord, Sombra, and the others. But at what cost, sister? Like you, all I did was banish them to isolation. That’s all I could ever do, Luna. I was powerful enough to condemn any living being away for eternity if I dare wish, but what soul deserves that form of loneliness. To be tortured day in and day out without knowledge of how long they have been alone. Sombra... Sombra came back more twisted and distorted than before. Discord’s pure intent was revenge for what I did. And you... When Nightmare moon returned, I saw in her only hatred for me. “

“Tia... I... I didn’t know.” She began, recalling to the fateful day she herself was banished. The fight was monumental. However, Luna also knew that her punishment was correct. “But, you did the right thing. I couldn’t have been let to exact my revenge. I would have devastated our land.”

“Luna, it wasn’t you. It was... something else. But what I saw that night, what I saw was not my loving sister that I had neglected. You have no blame, Luna... I have never blamed you...”

“Sister, you are too forgiving... but, I do thank you for your honesty... However, why then... when you weren’t able to change the course of your power, did you choose a young mare to take me on?” Luna asked. She held no malice in her voice, more true curiosity.

Celestia fell silent this time, her eyes shifting to her teacup. However, both Luna and Penn knew her gaze extended much farther than a simple piece of china. After a moment, he spoke, not dropping her expression of melancholy. “It’s the same reason I went to Twilight in the dream. It’s why she has led the battles. It’s why I let her go to the empire rather than you. Luna, like I said, I had the power, but not the strength to save you. Well, Twilight was the solution.

“After your banishment, I truly saw all I had done. I had never won a true battle. I just postponed the inevitable. For the millennium you were away, I governed equestria as best as I could, while also looking for any solution I could find to save you. Every night, I would look up to you, pulling your moon across the sea of the stars. Every night, I would remember how dire it was I needed to free you from your prison. As the centuries turned to decades until your return, I knew I needed a way.

“That’s when the solution came. I was never going to free you... I was the one to imprison you. So, I needed somepony who was innocent. Somepony pure. That’s when Twilight came. She was a student to the school of magic, and when I saw what she was capable of, I took her under my wing. Every day I trained her and motivated her to do her best, I knew I could be sending her to her death. Was it cruel? Yes. Was it inhumane? Yes... But, was it needed? Luna, I was desperate. I needed an answer. I was running out of time. If she hadn’t gained the friends she has now, I... I don’t know what would have happened that night.” There were tears flowing from the mare’s reddened eyes.

“You and Twilight were close... to the point she could have been your daughter.” Luna spoke, looking into her sister’s eyes. “You... and you would have sacrificed her... for me?”

“Luna, I needed her to do what I could not. I had taken so much from this world. I just hope I could give one thing to it. And that one thing was Twilight, and she did it. Again and again she had proven she is what Equestria needed. Even I had lost my touch with the elements.” she replied, her tears gone and now more looking to the ground with an empty stair. Pen could tell even Celestia didn’t know how to feel. She had raised a child for a near-suicide goal.

“Did it hurt?”

Celestia turned to look to Luna.

“Did it hurt sending her to fight me?” She asked again, studying her sister with much concern.

“Of course it did... I couldn’t bring you back, Luna. I couldn’t. But she did. I don’t mean any ill thoughts, but your return was a bitter sweet. You now understand why. You were by my side, but it was I who sent you. And it was only because I wasn’t powerful enough to actually bring you back that I chose a mere child...”

“Have you told Twilight?”

“How could I? How can one be told they were used as a wea-”

“Celestia... you didn’t use her as a weapon. She, on her own, did what she did. And she brought me back. That’s what truly matters now. She has become a true savior yes, but she is still your student, and you should be proud of her. She brought back your smile, and brought me back to my home. Truly, she is the princess of friendship.” Luna spoke softly, lifting a hoof and rested it on her sister’s shoulder. Looking into each other’s eyes, they exchanged soft smiles.

“Thank you, Luna. Thank you. I needed to hear that.” Celestia said, confidence returning to her voice once again. “You know... With the exapion in Manehatten lately... The city could use a princess to guild them...” she then added, a slight twinkle in her eye.

“Sister, you don’t think you can get rid of me that quickly. Somepony needs to keep an eye on you. Gods forbid I leave and you get on another cake obsession.” Luna teased, then came to her sister’s side and hugged her tightly. As the two laughed within their embrace, Pen closed his notebook and sighed contently. Whether it was the reassurance that Equestria was back in stable hooves, or the simple but emotional sight of two siblings finally breaking the walls of their pent up sadness and anger, Pen closed his eyes and smiled, letting a single tear of joy fall from his right eye. A family had been reunited; one that had been apart for over a millennium, all because of a single dream.

Author's Note

Thanks for the patience and thank you for the read! This idea came to me when watching the episode and thought "I wonder how much consoling ponies are going to need after this one". A while later, this! Thanks for the support, and comments are appreciated.