The More They Stay The Same
Luna sat excitedly at the rather large table, currently filled with all different kinds of breakfasts, including bowls of fruit, baskets of bread, and tons of flowers in all of their fantastic colors. Her plate sat empty as she tried to decide what to eat first.
Luna knew what had happened, and was still wary of making those same mistakes. What if eating the bread would lead her down another path of darkness, corrupting her until she tried once more to destroy the land she loved? Or what if choosing roses over violets would make her hurt the ponies she cared about?
“Sister? Are you alright?” Celestia called from the other side of the table, having to almost yell across it. “You haven’t even touched the food. Are you not hungry?”
In all honesty, she was starving. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in days. Luna shook her head. “Y-yes, sister. I am well.” She lit up her horn and levitated over a few plump-looking apples. Or, at least, she tried to. After a second of being airborne, the levitation spell fizzled out, and the apples fell, hitting the table and rolling to the floor.
“Gah! My apologies, dear sister. I will pick those up at—” Celestia held up a hoof, stopping Luna before she got too far. Then she lit up her own horn, simply levitating the apples herself and setting them on a nearby small table, then quickly fixed what little mess was made at the table.
“It is alright. Your abilities will return to you in time. For now, do try not to worry yourself over the little things.”
Luna sighed. She chose the apples, and the apples were trouble. What would happen if she had instead chosen oranges? The same thing, or something different?
And there she was, worrying about the little things. She closed her eyes, pressed a hoof to her chest, and took a deep breath in. Then, after holding for a moment, she let it out, moving her hoof away as well. A technique that had never failed to calm her, and thankfully continued its record as she immediately felt better. Luna opened her eyes, reached out, and grabbed a hooffull of dandelions, putting most on her plate but choosing to chew on a few while looking over what the rest of the table had to offer.
Celestia smiled. Luna was back, and she looked exactly as she remembered all those years ago. Maybe a bit smaller, but that may have just been her mind playing tricks. Celestia herself had grown some during that time, so her perspective was already off.
And not only was she back, but she was back to normal. No rage nor hatred lasted the friendship blast from young Twilight and her friends. Luna was seemingly no different from before the fiasco with Sombra and Tirek had corrupted her mind. Before Celestia was a horrible sister. Before she had cast her to the moon…
“Tia,” Luna said between a mouthful of orange slices and dandelion petals, forgetting her manners after realizing just how hungry she actually was. Celestia looked up from her own plate, signaling that she was listening. “What do you think we should do first? I have not been to Canterlot in many years, and based on this elegant castle, I might have missed a bit more time while I was… on the moon.”
Celestia winced, but it went unnoticed by the younger sister. She broached the topic lightly. “Yes, you have been up there for some time, but I do not think now is the time to talk about all that you have missed or has changed.”
Luna scoffed. “I do not think much could have changed in my absence, at least nothing of importance. I remember a delectable candied apple shop somewhere in town. Surely they could not have gone out of business in that time. I would be most ashamed of Canterlot’s citizens to have done such a disservice to such a fine establishment.”
Celestia couldn’t quite remember what her sister was referring to, and tried to let her down easy. “I do not think such an idea is advisable quite yet, dearest Luna. We may not have any candy apples at this table, but—”
“Then let us go and get some!” Luna rose from her seat cushion and was already trotting for the door that led directly outside. “I think I still remember the way, though I will need to get my bearings first.”
Celestia’s eyes went wide as she hurried out of her own seat and towards the already-closing door. Once she exited, she saw Luna had somehow made it a fair ways away from the castle.
“Sister, wait!”
Luna paid no attention to Celestia, continuing to trot merrily on down the steps from the castle gate. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Sure, things had changed, but lots could change in a small amount of time. None of the buildings looked familiar to her, but the streets before her and the hills in the distance were just the same as they had always been.
“Luna, please, you must understand!”
“Not now, sister. I must find Dandy Candy’s parlour. I believe it was down Tchaitrotsky Avenue.” She looked up at a road sign and, satisfied she had remembered correctly, carried on down the road. “It has been some time since I’ve had a candied apple, and I believe a treat is in order.”
“You’re right Luna, it has been some time, and we need to talk about this, but not in public-”
“I grow tired of your insistence on this ridiculous notion. I am here to have a nice day and get settled back in to Equestria before beginning my royal duties again.” She trotted happily along, her excitement about the delicious caramel and crunchy apple shielding her from Celestia’s worry.
Celestia stopped and sighed, glancing around at the curious onlookers in the street. It was early, thankfully, and few ponies were about.
“Ah, well,” she muttered to no one in particular, “I suppose she will realize soon enough. I’ll be at the Castle if you need me, sister!” she shouted, watching Luna’s glowing tail slide around another street corner.
Luna hummed to herself, content in the now quiet morning air. Dandy Candy’s didn’t open until a couple hours after sunrise, and so realized she might arrive a few minutes early, and slowed down her pace. She took her time now to read some of the signs on the business doors and windows. The language was the same, but it felt off. Grammar differences and misspellings and unfamiliar words meshed with the Equestrian that she was used to, and she felt a tinge of concern form in the back of her head.
“Nevermind that,” she said to herself, straightening up. “I am just craving sugar is all. Perhaps this is an elaborate prank, a bit of foalishness to welcome me back. A hazing, of sorts.”
She turned one final cramped street corner and came to a slow stop, staring at the road ahead in much confusion. She checked the street sign again, confirming she was where she wanted to be, but in front of her was no small, pink confectionary with dozens of treats and pies in the window. There was a tall, boring building, with a dozen balconies and a large sign stating “Canterlot Meadows Retirement Home” on its face.
“Where…” she drifted off, checking the sign one more time. She turned and found an elderly stallion snoozing on a rocking bench outside a similar looking building to the one at the end of the road. “You there!” she began, speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “We are looking for Dandy Candy’s Confectionaterium. Where hath it gone?”
“Eeh, wassat? Speak up, missy,” the stallion groaned, turning an ear to the Princess.
“We are looking for Dandy Candy’s Conf-”
“Oh well why didn’t you say so? Back down the avenue there, muhdear, round to the Senior’s Park. You’ll find it right in the center.”
“Thank you, citizen!” Luna replied, ignoring the fact that the stallion had already fallen back asleep. She galloped down the road now, eager to finally get her desired candy. After a brisk run she came up to a large opening in the road, where it spread around a small grassy cul de sac. There were no buildings that she could see here, but she pressed on, walking up to the center of the park as directed.
There, set in a patinated bronze indicative of long being forgotten, was a bust of Dandy Candy. Luna moved closer, confused, and found a rusted plaque set underneath it. She read it carefully.
“Senior’s Park, dedicated to Mr. Candy, who left his estate to its foundation for the betterment of others.”
There was a date of commemoration under the plaque that gave Luna a headache to read.
This cannot be right, she thought, her head spinning. What sort of sick pony would go to this length to prank me? To remove a candy shop?
She shook her head, indignant now. Perhaps Celestia had moved a few buildings, or perhaps Luna had been gone for a year or so and Celestia had just rusted the bronze. And changed the date by nine hundred years. She breathed in deeply, repeating the inhale and exhale technique she had done at breakfast.
She took off into the air then, wobbling slightly on wings that had long since lost their training, but steadied after a moment and soared on, thinking. Buildings may change quickly in Canterlot, but what she knew didn’t change how different the ponies were. There had been a blacksmith; or rather his daughter, an apprentice, that Luna had her eyes set on before her fall to Nightmare. Even if some time had passed, the smithy would still be there and, with it, Temper.
She quickly made her way to the other side of town with her flight, coming down fast in the square she had remembered held the forge. She smiled as she landed, seeing the smithy exactly as she remembered it. There were some shouts coming from inside the stone building, and clangs of metal. All of it was exquisitely familiar to Luna, and she stepped forward happily.
“Good day!” she said, briskly walking through the door. There was a clamor of gasps and dropped tools, and Luna blinked, confused. The smithy was relatively unchanged on the inside, save for the half-dozen ponies in Royal Guard gear. “...Temper?” she said, and her voice caught.
The ponies all dropped to a deep bow, save for one who was holding molten-hot metal who merely dropped his head.
“Where is Temper?” Luna asked, clarifying. In her confusion, she did not use the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Uh, Princess Luna, Your Highness,” one of the guards nearest the door stuttered, still nose down to the floor. “There are no ponies here by that name. I wonder if perhaps you are looking for a former owner?”
“...Former?”
“Your Highness, this forge was left in estate to the Royal Guard about six hundred years ago. It is used for traditional armor and preserved as a heritage site. Princess? Are you okay? Princess!”
Luna did not look up from her sister’s shoulder that she had buried her muzzle in. She sniffed, and Celestia patted her back gently one more time.
“One more time, Tia.”
Celestia grimaced, concerned for her little sister, but complied.
“A thousand years, Luna.”
“How can… it be? It felt like a restful sleep.” She sobbed again.
Celestia hugged her sister tighter, letting her coat soak in Luna’s tears.
“How can such time even pass? How can—” she choked, and then looked up at Celestia in fear. “How did you deal with it? You were here for all of it! Alone! And it was because of my actions and—”
“Shhh,” Celestia cooed, stroking Luna’s mane. “You were even more alone than I, and just as aware. Do not blame yourself, sister. I should never have banished you as I did, no matter what you did nor why.”
“I don’t remember being aware of any of it. I hardly remember the Nightmare, Tia. I remember being so hurt, and then being so angry, and then… sleep.”
Celestia allowed herself a weak smile. “Perhaps only the Nightmare had to endure the time, then. A small blessing amongst the darkness. But you are here now, and I am as well, and we are together. I love you, Luna.”
Luna replaced her head on Celestia’s shoulder. “I love you too, sister.”
There was silence for quite a long time. The sun had been put to bed by now, but neither of them had risen the moon just yet. That harsh reminder could wait for one more night, Celestia had figured. She squeezed her sister again.
“A thousand years…” Luna said again, testing the words in her mouth. “Everything is different. Everyone I knew is gone, too. What do I do, sister? How can I deal with this?”
Celestia was quiet for a moment while she considered her words, and when she spoke she did so as encouragingly as possible. “Everything is different, but much is still the same. The faces of our friends may be different, but they are friends all the same. Dandy Candy may be gone, but candied apples are still here. The sun and moon still share the sky,” she said, hoping that wasn’t a step too far. Luna didn’t react to it, and she continued. “And above all, Luna, you are still loved. You are loved so much, and though it may take time, with your strength and with our love, I know you’ll do much good.”
Luna gently pulled away from Celestia, her small smile contrasted by her bloodshot eyes.
“You are right, big sister. We will be okay. I might need… help. Maybe lots of it...”
“I’ll always be here for you.”
Luna didn’t reply in words, but opted instead to reach out and hug her sister. With their heads on each other’s shoulders, and the darkness of a moonless sky, they drifted off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow may bring.
