From out of the dark expanses of the night sky, the silver glow of the waning crescent moon defined itself against the depths of its surrounding midnight ocean. The moon, together with its company of rogue stars, cast a muted radiance that stretched through the roiling waves of clouds that churned across the skies above the regal city of Canterlot, washing the capital in a serene ambiance. The towering spires of the mountainside cityscape grew upward from the many residences and storefronts, their walls painted by starlight, their glistening features whetted by shadow.
Among the tallest of all these grand towers was the royal observatory, perched above the great castle that crowned the surrounding city. On the balcony that extended out from the observatory sat the princess of the night, her mane a nebula with the likeness of the stars that presently held her skyward gaze.
Just as the night sky was shrouded by the swirling pools of clouds that drifted above, so too was Princess Luna’s mind clouded by thought. Her typically stoic countenance was relaxed in contemplation, her brow slightly knit. Luna maintained her watch of the night sky even as her ears twitched at the clack of hooves against marble that signaled the approach of the lavender unicorn that she had been expecting.
Twilight Sparkle stepped out onto the balcony with several books and star charts held in her telekinetic grip as she trotted over to join Luna in her stargazing. As Twilight took a seat on the blanket beside Luna, she deposited the various texts and scrolls in front of them before leaning into the familiar warmth of the night princess.
One of Luna’s navy blue wings extended out to welcome Twilight, wrapping around her, offering a feathery embrace that shielded her against the light wind. Twilight smiled as she shifted her gaze to join Luna’s in regarding the sky above, but her smile was lost to a slight frown upon noticing the extensiveness of the clouds, the moon slowly drifting out of sight behind them. “Oh, I had thought that this would have cleared up by now,” Twilight thought aloud, her eyes moving between the patches of sky that remained visible through the swirling veil.
Luna hummed a response as she gently let her vision fall to take account of the city below. Twilight offered Luna a glance, taking in the contemplative expression she wore, before joining her in gazing out upon the sprawling cityscape. “Have the nobles been acting up again?”
“They always are, Twilight,” Luna mused, blinking at the question. “But it is nothing of importance. It rarely ever is.”
Twilight let out an amused snort as she looked back to Luna. “What, are you bored?” She teased, raising her eyebrows, “Are ponies so well behaved that you need a new monster to fight?”
Luna continued to look out into the distance, her expression unchanging. As the clouds above continued to stir, a roll of thunder sounded out in the distance. Moments passed, Luna’s wing still draped around Twilight, who continued to watch her.
“Yes.”
Twilight tilted her head as she tried to parse Luna’s unspoken thoughts. Feeling her stare, Luna blinked and glanced back to Twilight, meeting her eyes before shifting uncomfortably on the blanket. Breathing in the cool night air, Luna opened and closed her mouth, her eyes squinting in thought.
“What am I supposed to do?” Luna whispered, almost to herself.
Twilight flicked her tail, taking a moment to think before offering her own question. “What do you mean, Luna?” Twilight asked, reaching a hoof up and across to brush the alicorn’s cheek.
Slowly nuzzling into the touch, a sigh escaped Luna before she closed her eyes and frowned. “I may be a princess of Equestria, Twilight, but now that…” Luna paused to marshal her thoughts before attempting to start again.
“There was a time, now long ago, in which this land was malformed by uncertainty and despair. Fear cruelly dominated the dreams of ponies, and their lives were subject to the ever changing turbulence of chaos, upon which they could not hope to build their futures.
“Together, my sister and I were able to subdue the chaos and provide our ponies with the opportunity to thrive in a new world, one built with confidence and prospect.” Luna licked her lips in concentration as her mind recalled the events of the past.
Looking back to Twilight, she continued, “We introduced again the peace and stability necessary for pony society to grow, for culture to flourish. And I helped fight the battles that were necessary to win that.”
Luna swallowed, taking Twilight’s hoof and cupping it between both of her own, gazing down at it. “Now a thousand years later, my sister’s guidance has fostered that stability to an independence that can sustain itself; largely without anything more than some customary participation in the occasional social ritual on her part.
“While there will always be minor conflicts within the populace, ponies have developed a collective responsibility to, for the most part, regulate themselves. They learn to solve their own problems, the strong help the sick, and they fight their own monsters. They forge their own heroes.”
Luna allowed herself a smile, her wing tightening its hug around Twilight who listened on as Luna continued, rapt in her narrative. “Even the dreaded foes of the past have again fell to the courage of our latest champion.”
“And my friends,” Twilight huffed, matching her smile.
“Mmm, and your friends,” Luna blinked, stroking the hoof that remained in her grasp and letting out a quick breath. She smirked, “Even me.”
Letting go of Twilight, Luna lay down on the blanket and rolled over to return her gaze to the cloudy night above, her expression lost again in contemplation. Twilight shifted herself over to again press against Luna, her ears forward in attention. As she continued to piece together where Luna was going with her story, she looked down at the graceful figure of the princess that lay beside her, giving her a gentle prod with her hoof in an unspoken request to continue.
Biting her lip, Luna echoed her previous question, “What am I supposed to do, Twilight?” Luna gave a gentle shake of her head, her astral mane a nebulous halo that swirled around it. “This is no longer the world I knew. No longer the world that needed me. The battles I fought are long past, and the knowledge and power that we were able to win are now well-guarded by the ponies themselves.
“This new world of peace and order is my sister’s, and it has proven its capacity to endure a millennia, even in my absence. So now, what place is there for me?” Luna steadied her voice with another breath of the cool night air before continuing.
“I feel that the mantle I now bear is weightless. I hold but an empty title, my symbol of office a broken crown,” Luna wet her lips as she tried a smile, a protest against the tears that struggled to build. “I’m proud of them, Twilight, they’re happy. Our ponies have been able to grow into a strong society defined by compassion and respect.”
As she lay on her back, Luna watched the drifting clouds that now shrouded the night sky entirely. “We were able to give them stability, and now they own it. They own their happiness. What else can I give them?” Luna whispered, allowing her eyes to close.
Joining Luna in laying down on the blanket, Twilight rolled to her side, allowing her head to rest on Luna’s neck as she hummed in thought. Her mind worked in recollection of her past memories spent with Luna; their talks, their adventures. Twilight smiled as she recalled the many lessons that the enigmatic princess had taught her.
She hummed again, recalling the fiery drive that glinted in Luna’s eyes whenever she was faced with a challenge, and the steely look of determination to help those that she saw were in peril. Twilight recalled the gentleness of Luna’s voice and her outstretched hoof, offered to assuage those that fell prey to fear. She heard the warmth of Luna’s laughter and saw the radiance of her smile as her starry eyes took in the brilliance of one of Twilight’s many feats of magical innovation.
“Are you sure that’s what you did?” Twilight asked, rolling to get her hooves back under her. “All those years ago?”
Scooting closer, Twilight crawled up, gently placing her forelegs on Luna’s barrel. Their gaze met, Luna’s eyes questioning Twilight’s. “You didn’t give the ponies the stability of law and structure, Luna.” Twilight leaned closer, her posture straightening in confidence. “You brought them change.”
Luna’s expression softened in thought. She continued to look up at Twilight, who was leaning over her. Slowly, the swirling clouds that served as the backdrop to her lavender figure began to surrender the night sky back to patches of stars. Twilight began again, “You dared to prove that things could be different. You helped master the shadows that haunted their land and it ignited a new fire of hope. It forced ponies to contemplate their own power, and how they might be able to contribute it; how they themselves may be able to change the world that lashed out against them.
“You didn’t accept the world for what it was, because you were dreaming of what it could be. A stronger, braver, and more compassionate world. And that desire to try to do better, that indomitable will to strive against even the harshest challenges of the present… the need for that fire didn’t disappear with the development and implementation of Celestia’s societal stability,” Twilight asserted, smiling as Luna watched her, the night princess reaching her wings up to again catch Twilight in an embrace.
Like the stars that shone above her, Twilight’s eyes sparked with a sense of power, their electricity beginning to reflect in Luna’s own. They continued to hold each other’s gaze, Twilight’s front still propped up on Luna as she pressed on. “Ponies kept the fire that you gave them, even in your absence. They continued to challenge themselves, to do better, and that’s why they progressed.
“But the more that ponies accomplished, the more that fire was spent. The more they began to settle for the peace they already had. We’ve come so far, but there’s still so much to explore if we can dare to do so. Collectively, we’ve been resting, and we might be healthy for it, but it hasn’t been enough.”
As Twilight let a hoof massage the alicorn’s neck, Luna returned Twilight’s smile, its warmth cast from the fire that was being rekindled within her. Twilight leaned forward and kissed Luna at the base of her horn before drawing back and whispering, “We need to dream again, Luna.”
“Dream of what, Twilight?” The princess of the night whispered back, her eyes dancing with hope, inviting Twilight to continue.
Twilight leaned back into the gentle blanket of feathers that wrapped around her while she playfully caressed Luna’s barrel. “We need to dream again of an even more incredible future. To dare to fearlessly adventure into an even newer world of greater possibility. We’re doing well now, but the political and economic weight that the nobility holds remains grossly without merit. We can continue to dare to empower the common pony, and explore new avenues for technological industry.
“We can dare to welcome a new cultural and scientific renaissance, alive with invention and innovation. With grand exhibitions of creativity, wonder, and magic to showcase the endeavors of the brightest minds from all races, igniting the passion, genius, and ambition of all future generations. To dare to explore the deepest mysteries of this world: the treasures of the wildest jungles, the depths of the deepest oceans, and even,” Twilight raised and flourished a hoof, gesturing to the stars above, their fires dazzling across the now cloudless sky. “And even to explore the mysteries of the worlds beyond. To sail among the stars, to venture into the great unknown. Perhaps even into the fabric of time,” Twilight breathed, leaning back down to Luna.
“This is what ponies can dream. What we can strive for. A future that we can dare to win. But they need somepony to show them how,” Twilight beamed as her eyes again danced with Luna’s. The night princess slowly nodded, letting out a gentle laugh that further brightened her features.
“Thank you, Twilight,” Luna whispered as she pulled the lavender mare closer to her, running an ornamented hoof through Twilight’s mane before their lips met.
The pair remained warmly locked in each other’s embrace, their hearts beating in sync to a rhythm orchestrated by imagination and ambition. Bathed in starlight, together they dared to begin imagining a better world, wrapped in each other’s hooves, far above the grand city of Canterlot.
“Thank you.”
