Garden of Shadows

by Dreams of Ponies

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna
Length: 2529

Atop the astronomy tower, on a chilled winter night, Luna and Twilight speak of the stars. It's time Twilight learned the truth.

During a quiet evening of stargazing, Princess Luna and a young Twilight observe the night with mutual contentment. A small flicker of light catches Twilight's attention, a strange anomaly in the sky. When she questions Princess Luna, Twilight is rewarded with a story — one both terrible and beautiful.

Edits by Level Dasher
Prereaders: JackRipper
Chaospaladin

Set before season three.
This story was written for Nightmare Moon 2017 Summer Contest.

Published 2017-08-24 23:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-24 23:40:06 UTC

The Mirth of Foals

"Princess?"

Twilight tilted her telescope slightly, adjusting a knob with her magic.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle?"

Princess Luna turned to face her, having been gazing over the railing at the slumbering Canterlot below them. Twilight struggled to suppress an eye-roll.

"Just Twilight is fine, Princess," Twilight said, then gestured to her telescope with a hoof.

"Alright, Just Twilight," Luna said as she stepped towards Twilight, her head tilted up regally. "What is it that has piqued thine interests?"

"You're doing that on purpose!" Twilight huffed, her cheeks puffing in irritation.

"We have no idea to that which thou art referring."

Shaking her head slowly, Twilight pointed up to the night sky. The cloudless expanse allowed for the perfect viewing of the innumerable amount of planets and constellations.

"Did you know that your stars move?" Princess Luna raised an eyebrow at Twilight. "I mean after you've arranged them," Twilight finished, blushing slightly. "And I've seen them change color, too."

A small smile crossed Princess Luna's face, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" asked Twilight, blinking confusedly up at Princess Luna.

"Oh, they can be quite playful at times."

"The stars?"

Princess Luna nodded, smiling wistfully as she gazed into the twinkling sky.

"Dost thou want to hear their story?"

Twilight's eyes lit up as she nodded.

"I would love to, Princess." Twilight levitated a pair of plump cushions over. After both mares were situated comfortably, Princess Luna cleared her throat.

"Equestria went through quite a struggle after Nightmare Moon was banished. Forcing the Elements to oblige her might have been Our sister's only choice, but it drained her magic heavily."

"Do you mean..." Twilight started, faltering as Princess Luna raised a hoof.

The princess's gaze shifted upwards, lingering for a long while on the pale full moon above them.

"We are afraid so." Princess Luna lowered her eyes, her elegant wings dropping towards the ground. "The sun and moon hung in the sky for nearly a week, and the chaos that ensued was almost enough to awaken Discord."

"It sounds like somepony needs to apologize to the Crusaders," Twilight said, her gaze drifting towards the Canterlot Gardens.

"Hush now, Just Twilight." Luna booped Twilight's nose gently with her magic. "Now, as We were saying, Equestria was not unlike a living Tartarus. The land was seared by a once-loving sun, and along with the accompanying pandemonium, many ponies, as well as other species, suffered greatly."

Twilight raised a hoof, and after a moment's hesitation, placed it on Princess Luna's withers. Then her eyes widened as realization hit her.

"You mean you could see—"

A tear trickled down Princess Luna's muzzle as she stepped away from Twilight, biting her lower lip as she peered upwards once more.

"Everything, Twilight Sparkle. We watched as Our nation, Our home faltered. Ponies We knew, desperate and dying, and nopony to help them." Princess Luna turned back, gazing sadly at Twilight. "And dost thou knoweth the worst part?"

Twilight shied away, unable to meet her eyes.

"We didn't even care."

A long silence floated between them before Princess Luna finally spoke again, her voice touched with sorrow.

"It was so... quiet. There is no sound in space, no air for it to carry on." Princess Luna closed her eyes, perhaps reliving the past as she spoke. "We have never been so alone in Our life, and as We were cut off from Our own realm of dreams, We were truly separated from Equestria."

Twilight looked up at Princess Luna, her ears drooping as she tried to imagine such complete isolation.

"Were you... you?" Twilight asked, the words dancing on eggshells.

"We are uncertain, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna rubbed her hoof idly across her pillow. "How would one determine if they are not themselves?"

Twilight blinked, her eyes drifting upwards as she pondered the question. Eventually, she shrugged and Princess Luna gave a small chuckle. Looking back towards the sky, Luna continued, her voice falling back into a somber melody.

"Weeks passed, and eventually Our sister righted the celestial bodies. It was odd, really, to feel her touch from afar. Rage burned inside Us like a deep-seeded hatred, and yet, every time the moon was raised, something inside Us cracked."

Twilight found herself moving closer to the princess, not touching her, but giving the comfort of her proximity.

"The first star appeared after two weeks." Princess Luna's voice was tinted with a touch of melancholy as her eyes fell upon a particular star. "Her name is Wispy Winds."

"That's an interesting name for a star." Twilight smiled as Princess Luna turned her head.

"She's an interesting filly."

"What?" Twilight asked, her eyes wide.

Twilight watched as Princess Luna nodded, the first real smile Twilight had seen spreading across her face.

"It was the first thing We remember hearing. The smallest whisper into the night, like the rush of a wave from a distant shore." Princess Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She called out to Us, a twinkling star in Our ocean of darkness. The first new star since We were banished."

"I'm still confused, Princess. It sounds like she was a real pony..."

"She is a real pony, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna smiled and put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "She loves ice cream and reading under the moonlight. She had dreamed of becoming a famous singer one day—" Princess Luna stopped for a moment, sniffling slightly as she composed herself. "Instead... she fell terribly sick."

Twilight bit into her lip as Princess Luna sighed, her gaze following along into the night sky.

"Wispy told Us how her parents brought her to the Castle of the Two Sisters, which had already been abandoned by that point. They carried her into the royal throne room, sick and terribly worn as they were, and called upon Our name." Princess Luna frowned slightly, but then continued, "They called upon Our name, the name of Princess Luna—not Nightmare Moon. They prayed so desperately, Twilight Sparkle, that We save their poor filly, that We end her suffering."

"What... what happened?" Twilight asked.

"Nightmare Moon descended upon them," Princess Luna stood up and walked back to the stone railing before continuing, "and took the child into the sky."

"I didn't know you could do that," Twilight gaped in awe.

Princess Luna shook her head. "We didn't, Twilight. We learned this from the filly herself. Long had Our eyes been averted from Equestria, as it pained Us greatly to take even the smallest glimpse. It was only after little Wispy that We started watching the shadows again."

Princess Luna pointed upward at a small blue star, just north of the moon. "That's Wispy Winds." Then her hoof moved south, before it rested upon a silver light. "And that one is Swift Shear." She took a deep breath, her mouth curving upwards into a small smile. "We watched the old castle together as ponies brought their sick young and pleaded for Our blessing. They called upon the name of the lunar princess, to heal their children, and indeed she came."

The stars above seemed to flicker, flashes of tiny color that drew both mares' attention. Twilight watched in awe as dozens of stars twirled into a spiral, dancing across the night sky in perfect sync.

"A shadow of Nightmare Moon brought the faithful up, the foals flying forth to join Us in Our confinement. Their voices called out to Us in Our prison, and while We could not reach out and embrace them, it made a world of difference."

Princess Luna stomped a hoof down, damaging the stone floor with a harsh crack.

"We... We were actually glad they had died, Twilight Sparkle, for at least then, We did not have to suffer alone." Princess Luna turned away once more, a small teardrop falling from her muzzle.

"Princess... I... " Twilight started, getting up and walking towards the tense mare. "I don't think they'd want you to blame yourself."

Princess Luna looked away, closing her eyes as she recounted painful memories.

"For nearly a thousand years, We watched Equestria grow without Us. Prosperous, peaceful, and without the need of the Lunar Princess to guide their dreams. We hated Our sister, regardless of how petty the reason. We hated the ponies of Equestria, who shunned Our night and worshipped the sun. We cursed the Elements of Harmony, for having trapped Us here to begin with."

Princess Luna wiped away a lingering moisture beneath her eyes before turning to meet Twilight's gaze once more.

"But more than anything else, We hated Ourselves for not being able to protect the fillies and colts brought before Us. Thou cannot imagine, Twilight Sparkle, the twisted feelings of guilt that We felt every time a foal joined the night sky: Joy, at having a new friend; anger, at youth having lost their chance at life; foals trying to cheer Us up even as Our hatred grew far beyond imagining."

The tortured face of Princess Luna nearly snarling down at Twilight gave the young mare pause, but rather than back down, she gave the smallest smile.

"Can you tell me about them, Princess?"

And just like that, the tension oozed out of her, the nightmarish anger filtering away as playful lights danced above them.

"We would like that very much, Twilight Sparkle."

The pair sat beneath the stars as the moon passed above them, their light shining on the smiling face of the Lunar princess. She recounted their stories, her smile growing with each uttered name. Twilight sat next to her, staring up with compassionate understanding.

"That one calls herself Cherry Blossom. The sweetest little unicorn filly, who dreamed of owning her own candy shop. She would go on for hours about what kind of sweets she made with her mother, until that nightmarish day." Princess Luna sniffled as she looked up at one particularly bright red star. "She never blamed Us for it, though, not once."

"I... I never knew, Princess."

"Not many ponies do, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Stories are still told, in the moments before a child drifts off to sleep, but most have long forgotten."

"There's one thing I still don't understand." Twilight glanced over, her gaze met by Princess Luna's own.

"Yes?" Princess Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Who sent the children up to the stars if it wasn't you?"

"We... We never did find out." Princess Luna frowned slightly, her eyes looking over the twilit Canterlot.

"Oh."

As the moon edged closer to the horizon, the soft beat of wings made both mares turn around. Pale moonlight reflected off the regal form of Princess Celestia as she touched down upon the Lunar Tower. Princess Luna tensed slightly, watching her sister warily.

"Good evening, Princess," Twilight called out, though she remained seated next to Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia smiled as she stepped towards them, opening her mouth to reply, but stopped as Princess Luna spoke first.

"You are up early, Sister." Princess Luna fought to keep a scowl off of her face. "Worried that We couldn't handle watching over thy student?"

Twilight's eyes widened at Princess Luna's words, before watching Princess Celestia for any reaction.

"Not in the slightest, Luna." Princess Celestia stepped past them, looking over the balcony at the moon-touched horizon. "I merely had trouble sleeping. Perhaps I had a few too many sweets after dinner." She let out a small chuckle, her wings stretching out and giving a small flap. "So I took a little fly around the castle before coming out to enjoy my sister's beautiful night."

Princess Luna's frown softened, and after Twilight gave her a small nudge of her hoof, she spoke up.

"You need not worry for Our sake, dearest Sister. But... We appreciate it all the same."

"Thank you, Lulu," Princess Celestia said, her voice barely carrying on the wind. "I overheard your story of the stars, and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am."

"We... " Princess Luna started, but then shook her head before smiling at Princess Celestia. "Thank you, Sister."

"I just wanted you to know," Princess Celestia took a step towards her sister, placing a hoof on her shoulder, "that I was the one who that sent the children to you."

"What?" Princess Luna and Twilight said, their faces traced with multiple emotions. Princess Luna recovered first, a mixture of anger and confusion. "Why wouldst thou pose as Nightmare Moon? Why..."

Princess Celestia gave the softest of smiles, closing her eyes as if to hide her shame.

"They showed their love for you far more than I had, Luna." She pulled her hoof back and turned away to face Canterlot below. "The smallest of us always seem to remember the most important things..."

A long moment passed before somepony spoke up.

"What would that be, Sister?" Princess Luna asked, standing beside Twilight, who seemed unable to speak.

Princess Celestia turned back, a small stream of tears running down her muzzle.

"Love, Lulu. They gave you all the love and devotion I was too blind to give you myself, all those years ago." Princess Celestia wiped the tears away with a wingtip. "I sent them to you because they deserved to be by your side, not to suffer by my folly."

Princess Luna started forward, but stopped as her sister held up a hoof.

"The Princess of the Night should be by those who celebrate her wondrous gift to Equestria. Each time they came into the halls of the old castle, I appeared before them as Nightmare Moon. And each time, they feared me not, but asked me to spare their youth the pain that had been inflicted upon them."

"Sister..." Princess Luna watched as Princess Celestia struggled with a renewed bout of tears. "I'm sorry that..."

"Please don't apologize, Luna." She stepped forward and wrapped her wings around her sister. "I wasn't there for you a thousand years ago, but now..." Princess Celestia pulled away slightly to look her sister in the eye."...Now I have a chance to start anew, to show you how much you matter to me."

"You have already shown Us," Princess Luna said, her lips curling up into a smile even as she began to cry as well. She pulled the white alicorn into a firm hug, both of them closing their eyes as their coats were soaked with tears.

Twilight felt tears of her own cascading down her face, her soaked cheeks glowing red with adoration.

...and her lips curved into a small smile.

Author's Note

I've got to give another shout out to my editors and proofreaders. I really got some quality help refining this piece, and it wouldn't be the same without them.

This story was conceived on the Greyhound as I was riding to Bronycon, written in a physical notebook, and then passed around the table at Quills and Sofas. Got a ton of input along the way, from strangers and friends alike.

Hope you all enjoyed it, and as always, comments and critiques are appreciated.

With love and dedication, Dreams of Ponies :twilightsmile: