The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars

***The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars***

***Present Day***

Twilight Sparkle stormed into the Crystal Palace with dry tears staining her cheeks. She didn't say a word as she passed by Spike.

"Hey, Twilight!" The dragon said excitedly as he chased after her. "Wow, you're early. I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow. How was your trip to Canterlot? Did you get to spend a lot of time with Princess Celestia?"

Spike is met by a closed door and without an answer to his questions. On the other side of the door, Twilight tossed her saddlebag into the corner. Then, she quickly removed the golden ring that had been residing on her horn. She looked at the shimmering band with disgust and hatred.

"You..." Twilight snarled at the ring. "You did this to me... You made me feel this way..."

With a frustrated yell, Twilight threw the ring across the room. She watched as it fell behind her bed and out of sight. She snorted defiantly before crawling into her bed. The warm sheets welcomed her like an old friend. Twilight was exhausted, and she had little energy and no interest in fighting against the sleep that was overtaking her. The sound of Spike's gentle knocking on her door faded away. Within a matter of seconds, Twilight Sparkle was fast asleep.

***Three Days Ago***

Twilight listened carefully to the sweet sound of Princess Celestia's gentle humming. Though she was unable to see through the blind fold Celestia had given her, Twilight could still hazard a guess on where in the room the princess was.

"Just a moment longer, Twilight." Celestia said in her soft, mother-like tone.

Twilight gave her a silly grin as she sat upright in her chair.

"Really, Princess Celestia, you don't have to do this for me..." Twilight said as she rubbed her hoof against the irritating blond fold.

The princess let out a warm chuckle. The sound of Celestia's laughter washed over Twilight, soothing her in more ways than one.

"Oh, don't be silly, my dearest, Twilight. With the help of your friends, you have managed to do what my sister and myself could not. You took Lord Tirek on in combat, and you won, saving us all. You deserve a lot more than a congratulations and a few glasses of apple cider." Celestia said sternly.

After Celestia's last words hit her ears, the blind fold was torn away, and Twilight was stunned by the sudden presence of light. When her vision cleared, Celestia was standing before her with a small, red pillow sitting in the cloud of her magic. On the pillow is a single, golden ring. Twilight eyed the jewelry with interest and curiosity. Celestia was so excited, she could hardly stand still.

"Twilight, this ring was given to me by my mother when I was a very small filly. She always told me such great stories about it. She told me the ring was crafted by griffins, masters of the forge, and that it was infused with magical powers. She told me It could 'charm' the unicorn who wore it to have beauty beyond any measure."

Celestia paused as tried to avoid direct eye contact with Twilight.

"She also told me... to share it with the stallion I would chose to be my husband." Celestia said softly, her cheeks blushing. "But that is in the distant past. At this point, I may never find a suitable mate to share this valued treasure with, so I am entrusting it to you, my most faithful student."

Celestia presented the golden ring to Twilight. The purple mare sat there, her voice without sound and her hoof unmoving.

"Go on, Twilight." Celestia coaxed. "Take it."

Twilight looked at the ring. The piece of jewelry seemed to be looking back at her.

*What are you waiting for, dummy? Just take it!* Twilight thought to herself. *Obviously, it means a lot to the princess. If you don't take it, you'll hurt her feelings!*

Hurting Princess Celestia was the last thing Twilight wanted to do. Using the magic from her horn, Twilight lifted the ring from the pillow Celestia was holding.

"Try it on..." Celestia said as a sweet smile creeped onto her lips.

Not wanting to disappoint her mentor, Twilight did as the princess asked. Celestia's face exploded into a huge grin as the ring slid down the shaft of Twilight's horn.

"Oh, Twilight..." Celestia gasped. "It looks stunning on you. I... I hope this gift is adequate... It is the most I can give you physically."

Twilight was honored to wear such a closely valued treasure. She threw her hooves around Celestia's neck and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, princess... Thank you so much..." Twilight breathed into Celestia's neck.

Tears rolled down the princess' cheeks as she embraced Twilight.

"No, Twilight, you are the hero... I am the one who should be thanking you..."

Twilight smiled up at her, and Celestia smiled back. Then, the princess did something unexpected. Twilight remained motionless as Celestia leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. Twilight felt a cold draft on her cheek as the princess pulled away.

"Wear it proudly, Twilight." Celestia said with a warm, glowing smile. "Now, I beileve my sister has something she could like to give to you as well... You can find her in the observatory."

Twilight nodded as she began to make her way towards the door. Using her magic, she opened the door and entered the corridor. Celestia watched the purple mare's every move. More specifically, she watched Twilight's flank as it swayed from side to side.

"Oh, Twilight!" Celestia stopped her as the door began to close.

"Yes, princess?"

Celestia's grin was spreading from ear to ear.

"Thank you..." She said softly.

Then, the door closed, and Twilight was alone.

***

Luna had her eyes closed. She had to in order to concentrate. Raising the moon was no easy task. Twilight watched from the stairs that lead up to the observatory. She looked on with awe as the princess of the night performed her daily ritual. As the moon set into place, Twilight continued her way up the stairs. Luna sighed with content.

"Hey, Luna!" Twilight greeted cheerfully.

Princess Luna shrieked with fear as her heart leaped into her throat. Twilight watched with horror as the princess collapsed to the floor.

"Luna, are you alright? I didn't mean to startle you..." Twilight said as she helped the princess back onto her hooves.

"Twilight... You were so quiet..." Luna muttered as she tried to catch her breath." W-What brings thou up here? Thou hast never visited me up here before."

"Oh, Celestia said you had something for me." Twilight said sheepishly.

Luna smacked her hoof against her forehead.

"Of course... How foolish of me to forget. I doth have a special gift, Twilight Sparkle. It is down stairs, in my personal bed chambers. Come, let us away."

Luna marched past Twilight and began climbing down the tower. Twilight chased after her. The princess could really move it on those long, alicorn legs. It quickly became a workout for Twilight to keep up. Luckily, the lunar wing wasn't far from the observatory. In a matter of minutes, Twilight and Luna had reached their destination, a very dimly lit corridor. Luna's room was at the very end of the hall.

"Your gift is just inside, Twilight." Luna said with an eager smile.

As the door slowly opened, Twilight saw that the room was completly dark. She could only make out a manikin that stood in the moon light shining though the window. The manikin was completly nude except for a single trinket around its neck. It was a black amulet with a ghostly pale orb in the center. Luna circled the manikin, eyeing the amulet.

"This... gift for you is one of my own creation." Luna explained. "The black chain and shell are made of pure obsidian. The orb in the center is a rare element found not in Equestria. It is not even found on this planet. It is a 'moon tear'."

"What is that?" Twilight asked, very intrigued.

"The moon tear is powerful stone conceived by... by Nightmare Moon. It is what gave me... I mean, gave her the power to melt into darkness and travel wherever she pleased. It is the greatest gift I can give you for all you have done for myself, my sister, and this land. Without you and your friends, Equestria would be shrouded in darkness for all eternity. Thou hast saved us. Thou hast saved me..."

Twilight was speechless. Luna was giving her a rare gift that meant a lot to her. Where did she hear that before?

"This... is for me?" Twilight asked.

Luna rolled her eyes as she takes the amulet from the manikin.

"No, Twilight. This is for the other hero of Equestria. The other skilled mare who saved our world from destruction and chaos time and time again."

Twilight's cheeks blushed bright red. She turned her head to hide the hue in her cheeks.

"Of course, this is for you..." Luna whispered into Twilight's ear as she slid the amulet over her head. "How does it feel?"

Twilight looked down and observed the dark trinket around her neck. She could feel its power flowing though her.

"I... It feels..."

"Oh, don't worry, Twilight." Luna reassured her. "You will become accustomed to the great powers within. Soon, traveling by shadow and darkness will be a second nature to you."

The princess was grinning wildly. Twilight couldn't help smiling back. She was happy the princesses had given her such kind and thoughtful gifts. Luna's smile melted away when she noticed the golden ring that occupied the shaft of Twilight's horn.

"What is that?" She asked. "I wasn't aware thou wore trinkets of this nature, Twilight."

"This?" Twilight asked as she looked up at the shining band around her horn. "This is a gift from Celestia. I have never worn rings before this one. Doesn't it look amazing?"

Luna scowled as she eyed the golden ring.

"Yes..." She said through her teeth. "It doth look... amazing..."

The drastic change in Princess Luna's tone did not go unnoticed. Twilight placed a soft hoof on the princess'.

"Are you alright, Luna?" She asked.

Luna's scowl melted instantly, and it was replaced by the friendly grin she had been wearing earlier.

"I am better than ever, Twilight. Thou must run along, now. I expect you to practice using that amulet. Of your skills improve enough, we could visit the moon together, some day."

Twilight laughed at the princess' words. Then, the thought of actually visiting the moon intrigued her. Before she could ask Luna more about going to the moon, the princess ushered her towards the door.

"Go now, Twilight, and enjoy my night."

Twilight nodded her head and hugged Luna tightly.

"I will, princess... Thank you..."

The princess couldn't help smiling as she returned Twilight's warm embrace. Without another word, Twilight turned around and entered the corridor. Luna eyed Twilight through the crack of the ajar door.

"Good night, Twilight Sparkle. May thou have the sweetest of dreams..." Luna muttered to herself before she softly closed the door.

***TO BE CONTINUED***