The only chapter (pre-rewrite)
It was another morning at Canterlot castle and the royal sisters after some casual conversation were having their meals before retiring to have court for Celestia and to sleep for Luna.
When Celestia was halfway through her food she stopped so she could speak to Luna. “Sister, I have something to tell you.”
Luna tiredly look up at Celestia. “What is it?”
Celestia took a breath and with a serious expression said. “I believe is time for us to retire” Luna suddenly seem to lose all tiredness as her eyes widened and screamed “What?!”
“Like I said, I believe it’s time to retire so we could pass the crown of Equestria to Twilight, our time as rulers has pass.” Celestia said.
Luna couldn’t believe it. “But sister It’s only a couple of years since I came back from the moon and I barely had time to rule again! Also Twilight has been an alicorn for even less time than that! How we can we trust her to be the sole ruler in so little time?”
“Twilight has been consistently showing that she can overcome any obstacle and she’s going to have the support of her friends so she won’t really be ruling alone.” Celestia replied.
“Her friends are still mortal ponies it’s sad but they are eventually going to leave her and with them being so close don’t you think Twilight is going to handle it bad? Luna asked.
“I’m sure she is going to make new friends in the future, after all she is the princess of friendship so even if her friends pass away she’ll have plenty others included us to alleviate her pain.” Celestia replied.
“But what about me? Liked I said before It’s not that long since my return and I still feel like I could contribute to Equestria, even if I have forgiven my mistakes I can’t just abandon my duty now! It’s like I’m just giving up on being a good ruler!” Luna said.
Celestia’s expression softens. “Oh, Luna you’ll always be a good ruler I’m sorry if you feel otherwise but if Equestria is going to prosper we need to step down, it’s Twilight’s destiny to lead this nation into a new era, there is no other path for us.
“As rulers our we need to sacrifice personal happiness for the happiness of our subjects even if that means giving the crown to another since that no matter what happens it is our obligation to think first of their well being before anything else.”
“B-but…” Luna stammered as all the energy she had at the start of the conversation was gone and now her tiredness coming back strong enough to disrupt her thought process.
Celestia took notice of this as she spoke. “Sister, you look very tired why don’t you go to sleep and think about what I said after you recover some energy? I have to start court now, I know you’ll make the right choice, sweet dreams my sister.” Celestia moved towards the door.
Luna could only watch as Celestia disappeared from the room as she stood there a couple minutes more before looking down and starting to walk to her room.
When she reached the door to her room one of the guards at the door spoke “Your Highness, are you okay?”
Luna turn her head to look at the guard “Yes my guard, don’t worry about me, I’m just tired.”
“Oh… okay your Highness, may you rest well” said the guard unsure but trusting that Luna wouldn’t hide it if she felt really unwell as he and his partner opened the door.
“Thank you” said Luna before entering her room and going straight to bed. As she let sleep overtake her thought “Just what I’m supposed to do…”
The next day:
After Luna woke up and finished getting ready to go out and start the night she saw that she still had time before night rise so her thoughts drifter to what Celestia said yesterday.
“Why do we have to retire now? Do we really need to retire? My sister had been ruling alone for a thousand years alone plus the time of us ruling together before that so I guess it makes sense for her to retire after so long.
“But what about me? Sister said I will be a good ruler but the fact is that I betrayed this both this country and her, while I have forgiven myself for those mistakes I still feel that retiring just after a few years of coming back is giving up on being a good ruler.
“If I do would that make a coward? It’s like accepting that the best I could do was what I did before my banishment which is a different era that this one, like I can’t adapt to this new era of friendship there is nothing I could do for my subjects.
“Is that why my sister said that our time has passed? That neither could contribute more to our ponies? No, I’m sure It’s not that we can’t contribute to them but that Twilight can give them more than us.
“I remember before my banishment I was the more progressive out of the two, always looking for new ways to facilitate the lives of our ponies while sister said that as long our subjects were happy there was no need for much change.
“All in all looking at the advances in technology it hasn’t as much as I thought for a thousand years, there has been miscellaneous advances in a lot of fields sure but breakthrough technologies have been very rare with either 1 or 2 per field like the train in transportation.
“Despite being around 500 years old the train is still the most advance transportation in the world and it wasn’t even invented by ponies! It was invented by a group of griffons that immigrated to Equestria!
“Now with much a lot more species coming here there has been some talk of researching a new type of vehicle that runs on wheels to completely replace carriages but it’s still in early stages for now.
“But while I have catch up with most advances by now it will be still be a lot of time before any changes come to function not to mention by now most of our population is completely adverse to a lot of changes thanks to the 1000 years of stability.
“It may be best for Twilight to bring forth this changes, she’s definitely got the intelligence and research drive for that but she was also my sister student, knowing her she will most likely rule as closest to my sister way as possible.
“There is also destiny, if Twilight’s destiny is to be the sole ruler of Equestria, what does it mean that my destiny it to threaten the world with eternal night only to be redeem and fade into the background a couple of years later?”
Luna sighed as she felt it was time to bring the night and she started making way to the balcony where she and Celestia bring forth day and night.
On the way she thought. “If Twilight takes power what about the sun and the moon? Does it mean we give our control of them to her or we’ll still move them while in retirement? Guess It’s something I’m going to have to ask sister about.”
After Luna reached the balcony, greeted Celestia and night started before going to the dining room Luna asked “Sister, it’s okay if I asked a question about what you said yesterday?”
Celestia turned to look at her sister and responded. “Of course, sister I’ll respond as best I can.”
Luna was nervous but pushed through it. “Sister, what’s going to happen to the sun and the moon if we retire? It’s something that we have done for a lot of time and it’s not easy, do we just give control of them to Twilight just like that?”
Celestia laughed and responded. “Oh Luna I’m sure that Twilight will master control of the sun and moon in no time and it’s something that our subjects connect to the throne so they expect whoever is in control of the throne to take care of them.
“It will also be seen as sign that the new ruler is just as powerful if not more than us, she certainly has the magic for it and it will only keep growing through out he centuries as she gets used to be an alicorn, eventually her magic is going to be much more powerful than even ours.”
Luna was still conflicted. “Sister, I’m still not sure about this, can I have more time to think?”
“Of course, sister just remember that we can’t lose much time, I feel like something is going to happen soon and we Twilight in the throne by then” Celestia replied.
“You and your ‘felling’s’ sister, sometime you are going to have to tell me why you seem to always get ‘felling’s’ before something happens.” Luna said she starting departing.
“Don’t worry sister I’m sure I will tell you sometime…” Celestia said with a smile as she followed Luna.
The next week:
Once again the sisters were in the dining room before the start of the day and Luna knew it was time for her to make a decision, she knew it, she had a week now to think about it but still had some small doubts about what to do.
She remember when she asked Celestia about if Twilight could adapt to the burden of leadership considering her worrying tendencies but Celestia responded with the fact that it always seem to work out in the end no matter how bad it is.
Luna also asked her if conflict would ever come to Equestria that the princess of friendship would not be exact the kind of leader the country needed in such a situation.
Celestia responded citing the times Twilight and her friends stop situations that could have ended very badly like with the yaks, the buffalo and changelings to tell her that time have change and war was something of the past.
Luna believed that war and evil was something that will eventually come to happen no matter how much time has past and one needs to be at least some plan on what to do if it ever happens but Celestia was would not budge on that war was impossible and whatever evil that could happen could be take care by Twilight and her friends.
“I just can’t believe that,” Luna thought, “is this really the way of the future or I’m just dooming this country? I guess that’s something only the future will say but does my sister is right with what she says is destiny?
“I always believed that destiny could be change if I worked hard enough but in the end it was my sister the one who has run this country for a millennia so I guess that she was right? Either way I just have one more thing to ask my sister.”
Luna looked at her sister close her eyes for a second, took a deep breath and she said. “Sister before I come to a decision I have one more thing to ask you.”
Celestia tilted her head looking at her sister. “Of course sister you can ask anything”
Luna opened her eyes and asked. “What is going to happen to us after retiring do you have any idea what we are going to do?”
Celestia smiled and spoke kindly. “Luna I’m sure that will have a great time in retiring, just think of the places you’ll always wanted to see but couldn’t because of our duties; think of all time we will have together to finally be just sisters again, please Luna can you retire with me?”
Luna look into the deep into eyes of her sister and after a couple of seconds and it was then that she knew. “Sister I have decided.”
Author's Note
Decided to give it an open ending so it opens the chance of something different to happen than canon, but still you can still guess what the canon respone is.
I'm not a native speaker so I'm sure there are grammar mistakes and if you could point them out to me I'll appreciate it.
Author's Note
Here the rewrite, probably not the only one since I still feel like the story misses something, but that will come later, for now have this and hopefully it's better than the first version.
If you can let me know your thoughts on this and how does it compare to the first version.
The rewrite
It was another morning at Canterlot castle and the royal sisters after some casual conversation were having their meals before retiring to have court for Celestia and to sleep for Luna.
On their earlier conversation Luna informed Celestia that she had a really bad day on the dreamworld as nightmares seem particularly prominent today.
"Now it's my chance, I feel bad that I have to say this when my sister is this tired but if a bigger fight is to be avoided, then it has to be done" Celestia thought.
Celestia was halfway through her food and stopped so she could speak to Luna, “Sister, I have something to tell you.”
Luna tiredly look up at Celestia. “What is it?”
Celestia took a breath and with a serious expression said. “I believe is time for us to retire.” Luna suddenly seemed to lose all tiredness as her eyes widened and screamed. “What?!”
“Like I said, I believe it’s time to retire so we could pass the crown of Equestria to Twilight, our time as rulers has passed,” Celestia said.
Luna couldn’t believe it as she got up from her seat. “But sister, It’s only a couple of years since I came back from the moon and I barely had time to rule again! Also Twilight has been an alicorn for even less time than that! How can we trust her to be the sole ruler in so little time?!”
“Twilight has been consistently showing that she can overcome any obstacle and she’s going to have the support of her friends so she won’t really be ruling alone,” Celestia replied keeping calm even as Luna was getting more frantic.
“Do you know that her friends are still mortal ponies right? It’s sad but they are eventually going to leave her and especially with her and the other element beares being so close don’t you think she's going to handle it bad? Luna asked. "I don't think she realizeds yet that she's immortal!"
“I’m sure she is going to make new friends in the future, after all she is the princess of friendship so even if her friends pass away she’ll have plenty others to alleviate her pain. Even if she doesn't make friends with the same bond like the beares there's still us who she can lean on,” Celestia replied.
“But what about ME?! Luna said punching throught the table shrugging off the splinters from the
wood like they were nothing. "I don't like this! I said before It’s not that long since my return and I still feel like I could contribute to Equestria, even if I have forgiven my mistakes I can’t just abandon my duty now! It’s like I’m just giving up on being a good ruler!” Luna said as she tried taking deep breaths to calm herself down.
Celestia’s face is still serious but her eyes soften. “Oh, Luna you’ll always be a good ruler, I remember when I had to do your duties almost a year ago, it definetly showed me that what you do is a key part of the nation".
Luna tried to rebute but Celestia beat her to it. "Remember that prophecy I told you about Twilight becoming an alicorn and princess? Well on it Twilight’s also destined to be the one leading this nation into a new era, an era where even the last 1000 years of peace will seem small compared to it. The prophecy has never been wrong since It started on your banishment, I don't believe it will be wrong now in the end,"
"I definetly didn't like keeping that final part from her until now but she would had most likely tried to stop the prophecy if I told her earlier, she always was skeptic of destiny. It pains me but this the best outcome for Equestria," Celestia thought.
Luna once again tried to speak but she saw her sister put a hoof up and decided to let her speak if only so she had more time to calm down and avoid making a bigger scene, she didn't want one after the one that had their cutie marks switch even if Starlight wasn't there she knew she would only regret their fighting later.
Seeing Luna staying silent, Celestia spoke, “I'm sure you know this but as rulers we need to sacrifice personal happiness for the happiness of our subjects even if that means giving the crown to another since that no matter what happens it is our obligation to think first of their well being before anything else.”
“Will you let me talk now?” Luna said, more calmed but still anoyed from the earlier interreputions. Seeing Celestia give a nod she countinued. "I don't totally agreed with you on that we need to sacrifice everything personal for the nation, eventually we need to stand for what we loved or eventually we stop being ourselfs" Luna gave a sad look to Celestia as she said the last part.
Celestia also looked sad for a moment after seeing the expression given to her but recovered quickly and just shook her head showing the different opinions they had on the matter.
Luna started talking again. "Sister, while I appreciate that you think my duties are important I still believe I can do more, my court is still mostly empty aside from the first couple of hours sometimes less and while definetly more than before my banishment I still believed I haven't reached my full potential in this new era," Luna yawned.
Celestia took notice of this but she spoke, “Sister, I do believe that you have a mentality more
suited for this era than mine but you have to admit this last few years there have many changes that make this country different that before, Twilight has been always at the center of this things wicht gives her an advantage over us and not only that she pretty much has an appetite for learning that will make her more suited for whatever changes are yet to ocurred."
Just then the clock sounded it's alarm to let them know that it was time for Celestia to go to court.
Luna was not over yet but hearing the alarm also reminded her of how tired she was so she let it go. "We'll talk about this later sister, I also need to go to sleep, if I was very tired before this then now I'm exausted, besides it's better if we keep talking about this with clear heads."
Celestia nodded and turned around to exit the room but before that she nedded to leave such a conversation on a positive note, not her strong suit but smiled and said, "That's fine, I didn't expect for this to be solved in just a single conversation, you can take your time to think about this just remember not stay awake, remember what happened the last time with the coffee! have sweet dreams!"
Luna snorted at Celestia's attempt to light the mood that would have failed horribly had she said it to anypony else but still, she also smiled. "I'm the one that's supposed to say the funny stuff! You clearly don't know how to do it even after all this time! What I'm going to do with you?"
Celestia departed happy that she managed to leave with her sister no longer mad but she knew this was only the beggining, she still needed to convice her to follow her plan. Still, before closing the door she said. "You know that's one of the reasons you love me!"
Luna just shook her head and started departing to her room. "Honestly I don't know if she's just that bad or that good that she managed to take away most of my anger with such a stupid thing to say," Luna spoke to herself.
After reaching her room Luna went straight to bed and as she let sleep overtake her she thought. “I'm really going to have a lot to think about for the next few days aren't I?”
The next day:
After Luna woke up and finished getting ready to go out and start the night she saw that she still had time before night rise so her thoughts drifter to what Celestia said yesterday.
“Why do we have to retire now? Do we really need to retire?" She thought. Luna knew Celestia had been ruling alone for a thousand years alone plus the time of us ruling together before that so it would guess make sense for her to retire after so long.
Yet what about Luna? Celestia said she will always be a good ruler but the fact is that Luna had
betrayed both this country and her, while she had forgiven herself for those mistakes Luna still feel that retiring just after a few years of coming back is giving up on being a good ruler.
Would that make Luna a coward? It’s like accepting that the best she could do was what she did before her banishment which is a different era that this one, like Luna can’t adapt to this new era of friendship so there is nothing she could do for her subjects.
Was that why my Celestia said that their time had passed? That neither could contribute more to their ponies? No, Luna was sure It’s not that they can’t contribute to them but that Twilight can give them more than them.
Luna remembered that before her banishment she was more progressive than Celestia, always looking for new ways to facilitate the lives of their ponies while Celestia said that as long their subjects were happy there was no need for much change.
Looking at the advances in technology it hasn’t as much as Luna thought would happen in a thousand years, there had been miscellaneous advances in a lot of fields sure but breakthrough technologies have been very rare with either 1 or 2 per field like the train in transportation.
Despite being around 500 years old the train is still the most advance transportation in the world and it wasn’t even invented by ponies. It was invented by a group of griffons that immigrated to Equestria. Not to mention it's rare with plenty of places still using carraiges as their main source of transport.
While Luna had catch up with most advances by now it will be still be a lot of time before any changes come to function, not to mention by now most of the population is completely adverse to a lot of changes thanks to the 1000 years of stability. Why change something that's worked for so long? Luna could say that because eventually something will happen that'll make better transport needed but knew that she will be responded with that if wasn't needed until now, it will never be needed. It will a lot of time change their mind.
It may be best for Twilight to bring forth this changes, she’s definitely got the intelligence and research drive for that but she was also Celestia's student but knowing Twilight she will most likely rule as closest to Celestia's way as possible.
“There is also destiny, if Twilight’s destiny is to be the sole ruler of Equestria, what does it mean that my destiny it to threaten the world with eternal night only to be redeem and fade into the background a couple of years later?” Luna pushed the pessimist thought out of her mind.
Luna sighed as she felt it was time to bring the night and she started making way to the balcony where she and Celestia bring forth day and night.
On the way she thought that If Twilight takes power what would happen to the sun and the moon? Does it mean they give up their control of them to her or they’ll still move them while she rules? On the first case it will time time for her to get used to it, even with her magical prowess it's unknow how long it will take considering she isn't naturally attuned to them by her cutie-mark like Celestia and Luna (along with the fact that it will not be as detailed as they can do since that is also tied to their talent). On the second case it will seem weird for a ruler of Equestria to not move them since it was like that for so long, it will require work on that end too to get the ponies used to that.
After Luna reached the balcony, greeted Celestia and night started before going to the dining room she asked “Sister, if i choose to retire when will the swap tale place? Does the prophecy places a time it must happen?
Celestia turned to look at her sister and responded. "Well, I believe it will need to place before a year passes, I have a feeling that something is going to happen at that time.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Something that only Twilight and her friends will take care of? I'll let you have put her throught those "tests" of yours to see if another alicorn could ascend but now that she did, even if I choose to retire, I will not sit idle next time, if there is something I can do to help I'll do it, no matter what you say.
Celestia shaked her head. "Doing that could stop the prophecy, you would be putting the future of Equestria at risk just because you want to be part of the 'action'? That's not something a ruler should do.
Luna was offended but kept calm, she was used this topic. "You know very well that's not the only reason why I want to help, we been having this discussion since my return, we clearly see different on this topic, we can only hope things play out in the end".
Celestia was not sure why Luna was so stubborn about this theme, Celestia believed that with 1000 years of succesfull sole rule even if it hurt to think about and while not perfect, it would have been enough to convice Luna that her way was usually correct in these matter but decided to let it go, she had to trust Luna not to do anything too drastic.
"Very well Sister," Celestia said.
Luna still had one more thing to say, “On another theme, since you said we have some time before anything happens I liked to think about this more before deciding on retiring”
“Of course sister, just remember that we can’t lose much time,” Celestia replied.
“One time you are going to have to tell me how you got this prophecy,” Luna said as she started departing.
“Don’t worry sister I’m sure I will tell you sometime…” Celestia said with a smile as she followed Luna.
The next week:
Once again the sisters were in the dining room before the start of the day and Luna knew it was time for her to make a decision, she knew it, she had a week now to think about it but still had some small doubts about what to do.
She remember when she asked Celestia about if Twilight could adapt to the burden of leadership considering her worrying tendencies but Celestia responded with the fact that it always seem to work out in the end no matter how bad it is.
Luna also asked her if conflict would ever come to Equestria that the princess of friendship would not be exact the kind of leader the country needed in such a situation. Celestia responded citing the times Twilight and her friends stop situations that could have ended very badly like with the yaks, the buffalo and changelings to tell her that time have change and war was something of the past.
Luna believed that war and evil was something that will eventually come to happen no matter how much time has past and one needs to be at least some plan on what to do if it ever happens but Celestia was would not budge on that war was impossible and whatever evil that could happen could be take care by Twilight and her friends.
This particular case led to multiple shouting matches for Luna against Celestia as she refused to accept those arguments, they both knew that it was a very sensitive theme considering all the fighting in their lives.
It ended with Celestia conceding that if Luna steps down as ruler she will get the military rank of Field marshal (highest rank in the army) and considering that the military hasn't been used in Equestria in hundreds of years it's actually job without duties, unless something drastic happens, it won't interfere with her 'retirement' and will make Luna use her experience when it's need it.
Even with that, was Luna dooming the country with her retirement or she simply was incapable of accepting that the future of the country didn't have her as ruler? In the end Luna knew that the answer would only be given with time, and hope that it was the correct one.
“I always believed that destiny could be changed if I worked hard enough but in the end it was my sister the one who has run this country for a millennia so I guess that her way works," Luna thought as she finished her meal. "I've trusted her so far with the prophecy but can I do so one final time?"
Luna knew that to answer that she needed to know one more thing, something that hasn't come about until now, probably thanks to Celestia knowing that it will help her if it was brought at the last minute since it was the least worrying and even the most happy, but Luna knew that she was also at fault for not bringing it earlier, she had preferred to take care of what she believed were more pressing matters.
Taking a deep breath, Luna looked at her sister close her eyes for a second and said, “Sister, before I come to a decision, I have one more thing to ask you.”
Celestia tilted her head looking at her sister. “Of course sister, you can ask anything.”
Luna opened her eyes and asked. “What is going to happen to us after retiring? Do you have any idea what we are going to do?”
Celestia smiled and spoke kindly. “Oh I’m sure that we will have a great time in retiring, just think of the places you’ll always wanted to see but couldn’t because of our duties; think of all time we will have together to finally be just sisters again," Celestia's gaze turned pleading, "please, can you retire with me?”
Luna wanted to argue a bit but looking into into eyes of Celestia, she knew the decision had to be now, closing her eyes and going once again over all the pros and cons of each decision, she opened them and said, “Sister I have decided.”
