Chapter One.View OnlineHurt between sisters.Chapter One."I hope you're enjoying your super-relaxing picnic, sister." Said Celestia, condescendingly. "I would be if you hadn't made us hike through a million prickle bushes!" "Well, they hurt less than that horrible howling you dragged us to." In response, Luna levitated a picture in Celestia's face. "That was Ponygliacci, and it's an opera!" Celestia promptly shoved the picture down with her hoof. "And you made us leave early, even though it was still my turn." Luna walked over and began fiddling with her sandwich, picking out what she didn't like. "Oh, just face it, Luna. You are never happy!" Luna's eyes widened at this. Seriously. "Because you don't want me to be happy. I always have to do things your way. I bet you wish I'd never come back so you could still rule day and night!" "You think I like that kind of pressure?! Being responsible for every little thing in Equestria and you?!" Then she said it. With a loud booming voice right in Luna's face. "What I'd like is a sister I can depend on!" Luna opened her mouth to speak, but after a moment, nothing came. Using her magic, she stuffed the picnic blanket into the basket and shoved it towards her sister. She then turned around and flew away. "Where do you think you're going?" Demanded Celestia. "Back to Canterlot." "Aah! Luna! You're being childish! Come on. Let's get going while we still have sunlight." "Yeah, no. I'm going home. Do what you like. I'll spend the rest of my vacation in the castle." "You're being ridiculous, as always. Must you be so inconsiderate? I mean, really Luna." Celestia scoffed and waved a dismissive hoof. Luna paused, mid flight. "You know, it's this exact thing that caused your banishment to the moon! Throwing a tantrum because you didn't get your way." Luna continue to hover during her sister's rant. Celestia didn't see the look of growing pain on her sister's face. "Maybe if you quit being so mopey and immature, you'd be a Princess worth loving." Wait a minute. Luna turned around slowly. Celestia could see the tears streaming down her face. The look of hurt was as plain as day. What did I just?... Celestia knew almost instantly that she had messed up royally. The look of anger on her face quickly turn to one of horror and she reached out of hoof towards Luna. "Luna, I..." Luna vanished, having teleported herself. Though one could probably guess where she was headed, Celestia couldn't even think straight. Her mind clouded by the scenario that just took place repeating in her head. Tears began to stream down her own face. "I'm so sorry, Luna. Back in Canterlot, Twilight and her friends were preparing for the Swanifying. "Good news, everypony. We're going to DELEGATE!" Twilight declared. Just then, there was a burst of magic. Luna appeared, still wearing her Hawaiian shirt. "Princess Luna!" Twilight yelped. "Back a mit early, ain't ya?" Asked Applejack. "Hey, where's Celestia?" Asked Pinkie Pie. "Nevermind any of that... I'm sure my... Sister will be along shortly." Luna spat the last part out with venom. The others noticed, looking at one another with concern. They also noticed her disheveled appearance and bloodshot eyes. "More importantly, how goes the Swanifying?" Luna asked "Oh, umm... Great! Just great! No problem at all!" Twilight said as she wore the biggest, fakest smile ever. "Very well, then. If you need me, I'll be in my chambers." The others watched her walk out of the room before looking at each other agian. "Is it just me, or do y'all think something happened on their vacation?" The others visibly cringed at the thought. "Well, somepony should probably go talk to her." Twilight suggested. "Why don't you go, Fluttershy?" Asked Rarity. "Wait, What? I..." Fluttershy was cut off. "Hey, yeah! She's the one who taught Luna how to be 'not scary'." Said Rainbow Dash as she hovered. "But I..." "Aaaaand she's super easy to talk to, really sweet, always listens, AND can boogie like nobody's business!" Said Pinkie as she bounced into place. "... But... What?" Fluttershy asked, more confused than ever. "Everyone loves Fluttershy!" Said Pinkie as she bounced agian. The others nodded, a chorus of 'mmhms' going around. "Good luck, sugarcube." Applejack said, patting Fluttershy on the back. "But I... *sigh*... Okay." Fluttershy resigned herself and walked out of the room. A few minutes later she found herself outside of Luna's room. She heard what sounded like a soft sobbing. Hesitant at first, she knocked on the door. The sobbing stopped, and after a couple of minutes the door opened. "I thought I made it clear I wasn't to be... Oh, Fluttershy. I wasn't expecting you. Do you require assistance?" "Ummm... I, no... But I think you might..." Fluttershy said timidly. Luna's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I don't know what you mean. I'm fine." "Well, to be honest, I don't think you are. That much is obvious." Fluttershy said with more bravery than she thought she had. Luna's eyes narrowed even more as Fluttershy let out a small, scared 'Eeep!', but regained her composure. "Princess, you're a dear friend. I only want to help and it's obvious you need it. Please let me." Luna's gaze softened almost immediately. She looked around for a moment before beckoning Fluttershy inside. She closed the door and they both sat on her bed. Both of them looked at each other, then looked away awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Fluttershy decided to brake the ice. "Sooo... What happened?" Luna looked at her, then at the floor. "It's alright. You can tell me." Fluttershy said. Luna looked back at her. She stared at Fluttershy for a good fifteen seconds with tears in her eyes before she broke down sobbing. She took ahold of Fluttershy, crying into her shoulder. Fluttershy was surprised at first, but she hugged Luna back. "There, there. Whatever it is, it's okay." "No it's not! It'll never be okay!" Luna wailed. "It can't be that bad. What happened?" Fluttershy asked, now genuinely concerned. "My sister doesn't love me anymore!" Author's Note My first story. Tell me what you think. Also, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic doesn't belong to me.
Chapter Two.View OnlineHurt between sisters.Chapter Two.Celestia trotted slowly toward Canterlot, still thinking about the day's earlier events. She'd never meant to lose her temper like that, she was just so frustrated with the whole situation. "I didn't mean it, Luna. I promise I didn't." She saw the capital city in the distance has it got larger and larger. All the while, she was thinking of all the ways that she could possibly fix the mess she made. Meanwhile, back at the castle, Fluttershy was trying to console a very inconsolable Luna. Her sobbing had calmed down quite a bit. Eventually, she stopped and was able to speak clearly. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I... I don't know what came over me." "It's okay, Princess. Sometimes we just need to let it out. Now, why don't you tell me what happened? Start from the beginning." "It started at a play that I had really wanted to see. Apparently it was too long and boring for Celestia, so she dragged us away. It was still MY TURN!" Luna yelled. "Oh my. That doesn't sound very fair." "It doesn't end there. You know what my sister dragged us away for? Hiking... through a whole bunch... Of prickle bushes." Luna spat. "That doesn't sound fun at all." "It wasn't..." Luna said flatly. "What else happened?" "We got into an argument that got out of control. I admit... I said some things I shouldn't have said. I don't know, I was just so angry." "What did you say?" Fluttershy asked with concern. "That she probably wishes I never came back." Luna visibly cringed remembering her statement. "Oh my." Fluttershy was surprised at this. "Yeah I know. But I didn't mean it, it just seems like... She always wants things done her way. I can't help but feel that way sometimes, you know? It's like... she said she didn't like the pressure of ruling day and night when I said that. But then..." Luna's ears flattened. "You won't let me take charge for once. It feels like I have to play second fiddle... sometimes I ask myself 'What am I even doing here?' You want me to step up but don't trust me to do so... I'm a princess, not a puppet. If you want it otherwise..." Luna levitated her crown over to her hooves. "I might as well just take this thing and throw it into the sea." Luna looked at the crown, sadness evident on her face. "Now princess, I certainly don't think that's necessary. You're a wonderful..." "She said she wanted a sister she could depend on." Luna said, still at the crown. "Huh?.." "She said she wanted a sister she could depend on." Luna said again, but a little louder. "... Oh." Fluttershy was a little shocked at this. "Yeah." Said Luna, finally turning to look at her. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. You know how ponies get sometimes." Fluttershy said reassuringly. "As I left to come back to Canterlot, she decided to put me down some more. Told me how 'childish' an 'inconsiderate' I was." "... Oh, well that's certainly uncalled for. But it's like I said, I think if we all just talk this out, it can all be fixed. After all, I know Celestia still loves you." Truth be told, Fluttershy was having more and more doubts, but still kept trying to look on the bright side. "She said I wasn't worth loving." "But that's... Are you sure she said that?" Fluttershy's eyes were wide in disbelief. "If you weren't so mopey and immature, you'd be a Princess worth loving." Luna repeated the phrase all staring straight ahead. Fluttershy was at a loss for words. For one thing, she had known Celestia to be very, very kind. But on the other hand, she knew Luna wouldn't lie about something like this. Maybe Luna had exaggerated, but the fact that she was able to recall that statement word for word suggested otherwise. Then again, it didn't really matter if she exaggerated or not. In the heat of the moment, she obviously heard something and believed she heard it. That made her pain very real. Plus, according to Starlight, arguments like this between the two weren't impossible. What do I do? This is so... I can't even begin to figure out how to make her feel better. Not even a Pinkie party could fix this. But maybe... Luna continue to stare off into space until she felt something warm wrap around her. She looked down and found Fluttershy hugging her. It was Luna's turn to be surprised. "Fluttershy?" "I'm so sorry this all happened to you. I honestly don't know what to say or how to fix it. But... I think I know how to make you feel better." "Oh, how's that?" Luna asked. "The same way Rarity's able to cheer herself up." Half an hour later, Fluttershy and Luna could be found at an ice cream parlor down the road from the castle, laughing and having a wonderful time. "So you mean to tell me that Discord, Lord of Chaos, tried to pass himself off has a normal schmuck?" Luna couldn't believe her ears. "Yeah. He had a sweater vest on and everything! Poor dear, he was trying to impress me." "This is most humorous." "That's not even a half of it. I had to start acting like Discord in order to get him back to normal." Luna paused, a look of genuine surprise on her face. "You? The spirit of Chaos? Truly, that would be a sight to behold!" "I had to gather a whole bunch of mirrors and then have myself a Discord styled brainstorm." "Oh my goodness!" They both laughed until they started coughing and were red in the face. Luna couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. "You know something, Princess?" "Yes, my little pony?" "I can't believe I was ever afraid of you." Fluttershy said sadly. "Whatever do you mean? When were you ever afraid of me?" Luna asked, now puzzled. "Nightmare Night. It was the first time I'd ever met you. And looking back, I feel so bad trying to run away from you." Fluttershy said as she looked up at Luna. "Oh, Fluttershy. You know I don't hold that against you." Luna said as she put a hoof on Fluttershy's. " I know you don't. That's kind of what makes it funny, you know? I was so afraid of you, and as it turns out, you're just a... Complete sweetheart." Fluttershy said with a smile that could light a room. Luna blinked for a moment, and then started giggling like a school filly. "Fluttershy, you are too much!" Both ponies carried on late into the evening, laughing and smiling like they didn't have a care in the world. Back in the castle throne room, Twilight and her friends were having a discussion. Having delegated all roles for Royal Swanifying, the ponies had a little time to talk about Luna and Celestia. In the middle of their conversation, the large doors opened and Celestia came trotting in, the look of distress present on her face. "Princess Celestia?" Twilight called. Celestia ran up to twilight. "Twilight, where's Luna!?"
Chapter Three.View OnlineHurt between sisters.Chapter Three.Luna and Fluttershy were making their way to the castle, still smiling, but obviously exhausted from the day. The sun was setting and they were anxious to get back to the castle. Luna in particular looked like she was on the edge of unconsciousness, her eyes slowly closing before they shot open agian. It was hard for her to stay awake, even while walking. However, she and Fluttershy both perked up at what was quickly heading in their direction. Celestia quickly made her way toward Luna, the look of both distress and relief clear on her face, paradoxical as it may have been. With her was Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie. Luna visibly stiffened as they approached. However, she felt a hoof on her back. She turned and saw Fluttershy giving her a reassuring smile. Luna gave a small smile back. However, her smile disappeared when she look back toward her sister and the others. They came to a stop, Celestia and Luna mere feet from one another. Celestia open her mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out. After a long, awkward silence, Celestia finally found her voice. "I was worried about you." She said with the usual softness to her voice. Luna looked away. Another awkward silence past before Celestia spoke again. "Luna? I know I said some things..." "Sister, to be honest I don't really want to talk about this right now." "But we have to talk about it! You can't just run away from it like you did earlier today!" Celestia nearly shouted. "Excuse me!? As I recall, you were the one throwing a tantrum about not getting your way... Sound familiar?" The obvious jab by Luna did not go unnoticed by Celestia. Nor did it go unnoticed by the others, who gasped in response. "Princess Luna! Princess Celestia trying to apologize and make things right! The least you could do is hear her out!" Twilight demanded. "It sounded more like an accusation than an apology." Fluttershy said flatly with a cocked eyebrow. "Fluttershy, you..." "That's enough." Everyone looked up at Celestia when she spoke. "Fluttershy's right. I came here to make things right, not worse. Luna, you didn't run away from anything. I chased you away... I get that. To say otherwise is dishonest. Please disregard what I just said... And forgive me for saying it. Now about earlier today..." "I already have a solution for that." Said Luna. "You do?" Everypony asked in unison. Luna used her magic to summon her crown. Everyone looked in anticipation as it's simply floated there. All of a sudden, she let go of it and it dropped to the ground. Everyone gasped as it made a dinging noise on the pavement. As every pony looked in shock, Celestia looked up and over at Luna walking to a park bench. In truth, Luna didn't intend on letting go of the throne... Not really. It wasn't so much a statement as it was a cry for her sister. It was a sign to let Celestia know that she was sad and hurting, and she wanted her sister. Fortunately, Celestia was very good at picking up those hints. And when she did, she felt a combination of compassion, guilt, and love, each of which were overwhelming. "Go back to the castle, my little ponies. I need to take care of this alone." Celestia said. "But Celestia..." Twilight interjected. "I made this mess, I'll be the one to clean it up. Go Twilight. It'll be alright." "Come on, sugarcube. Let the big ponies talk their big pony talk." Said Applejack, gently nudging Twilight toward the castle. She was hesitant at first but she followed the others back. Twilight looked at Celestia before leaving. Looking away from the others, Celestia made her way over to the bench all grabbing Luna's crown with her own magic. She carried it with her and sat down, placing the crown in between them. Luna looked at the crown briefly and then looked away again. "Luna, I was wrong for what I said. And I owe you an apology. But before that, I have to tell you... I know you. I know your heart. And despite everything I said, I know you're not ready to give it up. You love our little ponies too much for that." Luna looked up at Celestia. She wore a neutral expression, not wanting to betray her emotions just yet. Celestia picked up the crown with her magic and floated it over to Luna's face. "I know what this really is. And Luna? I hear you. I really do." Luna's eyes widened. She was speechless. I guess I should have known she wouldn't ignore me anymore. I know I'm mad at you, sister. I'm not making this easy for you, either. But thank you. Thank you so much. I love you, more than anything. "Besides, I might deserve punishment for how I acted. But our little ponies don't. But you know that, don't you. That's what makes this such an empty threat." Celestia levitated the crown onto Luna's lap, now smirking. "What do you mean?" Luna asked, genuinely confused by Celestia's last statement. Celestia frowned. "Oh come on, Luna. Do you know how much Equestria loves you, depends on you, looks up to you?" Luna let out a scoff. Celestia continued. "Do you know how much I've come to depend on you?" Celestia asked. "But you said you couldn't depend on me." Luna replied. "You know I said that out of anger, right?" "It's when you're angry that you say the truth." Luna said. "Oh, you mean that emotion that clouds your judgement and makes you not think straight? Come on, Luna. You know better than that." Celestia said, smirking again. Luna remained silent. Celestia's smile became even bigger. "Ah, that's okay. Because I'm going to do more than tell you, I'm going to show you." Celestia got up from the bench. Luna watched her as she turned around and motioned to follow. Luna stood up and followed her down the street.
