The Two Sisters

"But.. but.. I saw you fade away," Winter said, folding his ears back and standing up. Luna smiled softly.

"I was never really gone Winter, I banished myself to the moon to protect Equestria from Nightmare Moon."

The princess stepped forward and embraced the white stallion in a hug. The potion Discord had given her apparently worked extremely well. It took a second for Winter to understand what was happening and when he did, he relaxed into her and hugged back.

"I looked everywhere for you.. for centuries.." he whispered.

"I know.. but why are you doing this Winter? The war, the battles, the seizing control." Luna let go of him and looked up at him. Winter couldn't look her eyes and turned his head, hiding his shame.

"I turned over every nook and cranny on this planet trying to find you. When I realized you weren't coming back.. I became a shell of what I once was." The stallion turned around and trotted to a mirror on the wall. "I even tried looking for you in the mirror world, refitted the old mirror with new technology to work more effectively." He ran his hoof down the glass and looked at his reflection. "Obviously it didn't work.. and after that." Winter hung his head and stomped a hoof into the floor with such force, it created a large hole in it. "My sorrow and pain turned to rage and hate." Some flames whipped up his back as his breathing increased. Luna sighed quietly and slowly trotted over to him. Winter flinched as she lay a hoof on his back.

"Oh honey.. I cant even imagine the pain you must have went through. But if I had to guess it was similar to the pain I went through for a thousand years on the moon. I may have lost my memories of us but deep down, I sort of always knew I had somepony special in my life. I never lost that connection with you Winter."

The large white stallion slowly sat on his haunches and looked into the mirror once more. His pupils were dilated into serpentine slits, the rest of his eyes completely red.

"But I am a monster Luna."

The princess put a hoof under his chin and gently brought his face up to look at hers.

"You're my monster Winter. And there's no one else I'd rather be married to." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the nose. Winter pompfed out his wings and wrapped them around her, hugging her tightly.

"There was no one else.. I made a vow that I would be yours for eternity. And I've kept that vow." He said quietly.

"I know honey, I trust you. Demons only have one mate for life. You're the most loyal pony I know." Luna smiled and leaned back a little rubbing his cheek with a hoof. Winter, for the first time in years, smiled. Ever since she had disappeared, he never had any reason to smile.

"Luna.. I'll call back my forces and give myself up, for you. And.. I'm so so so sorry that-"

"Shut up and kiss me you big ass handsome brute"

Winter blushed slightly but leaned in and kissed her deeply. Holding her tightly against his chest.

~~~~~

"Look! The enemy forces are retreating!" Shouted a pony in uniform, pointing a hoof toward the retreating planes, tanks, and soldiers. The rest of the uniformed ponies cheered and started hugging one another.

"Do you think Luna did it?" Asked Zipp.

"I think its safe to assume she did Zipp," said Hitch, taking off the combat helmet loaned to him by a soldier.

"You know, I know they're supposed to be the enemy but why don't we welcome them into our town and get to know them?" Asked Izzy.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Pipp asked the blue unicorn, "because you know they just attempted to enslave us all. I just got off the phone with my mom, and she said they had forced them into cages to await relocation."

Izzy turned at looked at Pipp, "If we dont offer them friendship, how much better are we?" Hitch looked at Pipp as well and sighed.

"As much as I want to agree with you Pipp, Izzy has a point. We need to be the better ponies and help them by offering them friendship and love."

From out of nowhere, Discord poofed next to Hitch and wrapped a scaly arm around his neck in a side hug.

"I couldn't agree more! Oh look how touching this is. I believe this calls for some celebratory tea!" Discord poofed a tea set into existence and began sipping some.

"Sheriff, we found the traitor," said a voice behind Hitch. Turning around, the stallion was shocked to see Sprout in hoofcuffs, being escorted by two soldiers.

"Sprout?" Hitch asked, taking a step toward the red earth pony. Sprout said nothing as his head hung low and his ears lay flat against his head.

"What should we do with him sir?" Asked one guard. The sheriff looked at his best friend and deputy, not saying anything for a few seconds.

"Take.. take him to the jail. Put him in a cell and I will speak with him when I return." The guards nodded and trotted off with Sprout. Izzy folded her ears back and took a couple steps towards Hitch.

"Hitch.. I'm, so sorry about Sprout." She said quietly. The sheriff of Maretime Bay sighed softly and looked at Izzy.

"Its okay Izz. I'll.. have a heart to heart with him before he undergoes trial."

"Sunny still asleep?" Asked Zipp, landing next to Hitch and looking over at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, I imagine she is. She isn't used to using that much magic at once."

~~~~~

"Sunnyyyyy" a distant and soft voice called out. The earth pony mare sat up slowly, rubbing her head and looking around. She wasn't in her room at the lighthouse. In fact, she didn't know where she was. She was laying in some type of hallway, completely painted white. Every 5 or 6 feet, there was a door that lead to an unknown room.

"Hello??" She called out, her voice echoing off the walls as if she were in a cave.

"Sunnyyyyy, follow the light Sunny," said the voice again. Getting up, Sunny began trotting down the hallway, her hooves making clip clopping sounds as they reverberated off the walls. She saw a door at the end of the hallway, it was a lit up with a bright light but was a ways away however. As she passed the doors, she could voices and laughter coming from behind them. Trotting up to a door, Sunny slowly turned the knob and opened it. She was surprised at what she saw. It was her and Izzy, singing as they made their way to Zephyr Heights, weeks ago.

"I'm looking out for you, when your off track. I've got your back. You can rely on me, I'm looking out for you. Back at home it was earth ponies first-"

Sunny shut the door and took a second to calm her breathing down, clutching her chest and looking around. Where the hell was she?? Once she had regained her composure, the apricot earth pony continued down the hall to another door, opening it she almost collapsed as she looked inside. It was her and her dad when she was a filly, they had just finished making the note Izzy would find eventually.

"Can we send it?" Her younger self asked. Argyle chuckled.

"I think its our duty," he said, releasing the balloon with her as they watched it take off.

Sunny began to cry and ran into the room, trying to wrap her hooves around her father but instead she fell through him and landed against the railing of the lighthouse. Looking up, she noticed neither of them had seen her, and reaching out, she watched as her hoof just phased right through her dad's arm.

"W-what.. is this??" She stuttered, getting up and backing away to the hallway. "Where am I!? Let me out!!! Let me out!!" She screamed, tripping over her hooves as she fell into the hallway. "Oof!!" She grunted, as her head hit the wall and she began to sob. The door slowly closed and once more she was alone in the hallway.

"Sunny, get up my child. You have to get up."

Sunny felt a hoof on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

"No! Leave me alone! I want to go home!" She shouted. Again she felt the hoof on her shoulder.

"But my child, you are home," said the voice.

Looking up, Sunny gasped.

"P... Princess Celestia!?"

The large white alicorn smiled and nodded.

"Yes, however... I am not the real Celestia." The princess helped Sunny to her hooves and looked down at her. "I am the keeper you created." Sunny looked confused.

"Keeper? What? Celestia, what is going on? Where am I? I don't like it here." Sunny said, looking around as quiet laughter bounced off the walls along the hallway.

"This is the hallway of your memories. And I am the keeper of your memories my queen." Princess Celestia bowed to Sunny.

"Wh- wha- what??" Sunny stammered. This was all very... sudden and shocking to her. "Queen? Your highness you must have me mistaken for somepony else, I'm not a queen. Not even a leader."

Celestia looked up at Sunny and regained her stature, smiling and beginning to laugh. Sunny frowned and snorted as horses do.

"This is NOT funny princess!"

Celestia however continued to laugh until she eventually calmed down and chuckled softly. Looking into Sunny's eyes, the tall slender alicorn bent down to meet her height.

"My little one, you make me laugh. If you were not the queen, you could not possibly be here. And I could not possibly exist," Celestia said matter-of-factly. Sunny, who was now staring at Celestia confused, sat on her haunches.

"Where is here??" The earth pony mare inquired.

"The realm of past, present, and future of course. Only the Elemental Queen can access it and view the memories and futures of each and every creature to exist."

Sunny continued to look around the hallway.

"So... you mean this is the hallway of my memories?" She asked. Celestia nodded and began trotting down it toward the end with the light.

"Yes"

Sunny got up and followed her the doors, she now noticed, were marked with dates and different colors. There ones with green, red, orange, and yellow.

"Princess what do those colors on the doors mean?" Sunny asked. Celestia looked down at her.

"They stand for the degree of the memory. Green is a good memory filled with happiness, yellow is an okay memory, orange means to take caution on entering because it might be hard to watch, and red means the memory is a traumatic one."

Sunny reached a hoof out to a door with a red square on it. But before she could open it Celestia put a hoof on hers and stopped her.

"Some memories aren't worth remembering my child." The princess said.

"Why? Which one is it?" Sunny asked.

"Your most painful one... enter at your own risk little one." Celestia took her hoof away from Sunny's and watched her. Slowly, Sunny opened the door and peeked inside. It was a hospital room. A large hospital bed sat in the corner of the room next to a window. Outside the sun was setting on the horizon, and sitting next to the bed was a slightly younger Sunny, she had to be about 19. The apricot earth pony paused at the doorway. She knew what memory this was. Did she want to enter? Looking behind her, she saw Celestia was watching her. The Princess gave a small nod, and turning her head back around, Sunny entered the room. A doctor was busy checking vitals on a monitor as Sunny stared at the scene before her. Her dad lay in the bed, a breathing machine hooked up to his muzzle as the heart monitor beeped slowly. Tears were dripping down the mares cheeks as she held her father's hoof. Sunny pressed forward and went closer to her younger self and her dad.

"Daddy... I don't want you to go." Her younger self said quietly. Argyle was asleep while she held his hoof. From behind the present day Sunny, the door to the room opened and looking back, she saw it was Hitch.

"Hey... Sunny," he said softly, trotting over to her slowly and sitting next to her. Sunny sniffled and looked up at Hitch.

"I know what I have to do, he told me what he wanted me to do. But I don't know if I have the strength to do it..." She said quietly.

The present day Sunny teared up and tried to look away but couldn't.

"Then let me give you the strength Sunny. Your dad was an amazing pony. One of the best I ever knew. He knew when his time came he could trust you to let him go." Hitch took her hoof in his and hugged her. The past Sunny sniffled and nodded, taking another look at her dad. "The machines are the only thing keeping him from moving on to the next life. You will meet him again Sunny, it may be a long time from now. But you two will be reunited again." Sunny looked up at Hitch and pressed her face into his chest as he held her. After a short hug, Sunny got up and went over to the life support machine. The doctor stepped to the side.

"Whenever you're ready miss," he said softly.

Sunny couldn't watch anymore, she shut her eyes and ran out of the room. Crying loudly, she felt a pair of hooves catch her as she burst through the door.

"There there child... shhh, it's okay, it's okay." Celestia said quietly, hugging Sunny.

~~~~~~~

It took a while for Sunny to calm down but she eventually regained her composure and wiped her eyes, looking up at Princess Celestia.

"It was the hardest and most painful thing I've ever had to do.." Sunny whispered. The alicorn nodded and wiped some of her tears away.

"I know little one, the saddest memories are usually the hardest to make go away. But that is why we have our friends to help us through those times. Friendship will always be the real magic, the real bond between ponies, the truest form of family." Celestia said quietly, standing once more.

"Now go ahead and wake up, your friends need you right now. You may return any time you seek advice or comfort where there are no others to comfort you my little pony."

Sunny smiled and stood up shakily, nodding and hugging the tall princess.

~~~~~~~

Sunny woke up in a cold sweat. Panting, she looked over and saw Hitch was gone. And looking around the room, she saw Luna was sitting in a chair watching over her reading a book. Noticing that Sunny was awake, the Princess of the Night looked up and smiled.

"Welcome back young one."