Blooming Days

"I hope I didn't... interrupt anything, girls?"

My mentor's gaze drifted between her little sister and the violet unicorn who were currently standing very close to one another. Twilight looked downright ruffled, a vivid maroon blush burning her cheeks as she stared at Princess Celestia and I with wide eyes. Princess Luna on the other hoof didn't seem to be troubled at all. In fact, the opposite was true of the dark alicorn.

"You did not, Sister," the Princess of the Night was practically glowing. The smile lifting the mare's lips couldn't possibly be any more vibrant. "Isn't that right, Twilight?"

Nevermind. I stand corrected.

"Y-yes, Your Hi-"

Princess Luna's stern side-eye managed to both hush and fluster her pupil even further.

"I-I mean, yes..." she closed her eyes, a look of nervous elation coming to her face. "L-Luna."

WHAT!? my jaw dropped.

...

My stunned glare shot back and forth between my clearly embarrassed friend and her way too pleased teacher. I received nothing from them as far as clarification goes, so I looked to my mentor for answers. She was smiling, a satisfied grin now on her lips as well.

DID I MISS SOMETHING!?

"That's good," Celestia lifted a playful brow my way as if I was somehow in on whatever was going on. "Forgive me for wasting your time," she waved the pair over to join us. Celestia and I were back on her bed, -- though now we were sitting -- having finished our discussion about my newfound power.

We'd spoken a bit more on slightly less important things, -- how long I'd been able to use her sunlight (about a year), just how much of it I possessed (a LOT), and if I wanted her to instruct me on how to further master it (YES PLEASE!) -- but nothing touching on the Empire or what'd happened there. Now that Twilight and Princess Luna were back though, it was more than obvious we were going to return to that subject.

"Think nothing of it, Tia," Princess Luna and her protégé walked over to us, sitting in front of the bed. I made a mental note that Twilight hadn't lifted her head yet. "I pray everything turned out well between the two of you?"

"Even better," my mentor replied, nuzzling into me.

"That's wonderful to hear." Luna was clearly delighted by the answer.

I returned the gesture my mentor lavished on me, giggling all the while. In spite of that, I still wanted an answer to a particular question.

"And what about you two?" I lifted a hoof their way, drawing a raised eyebrow to Luna's face. Twilight still hadn't raised her head. "Seems like something really good happened, or am I misinterpreting?" I didn't want to press them too hard. I hadn't forgotten the time with Her Highness back in her realm, but it's not like we were that close.

Not yet, anyway.

"I'm not certain what you mean. What say you, Twilight?" Luna was being uncharacteristically playful, her sly smirk growing as she looked down at her student. "Did something good happen?"

"Uh-uhm," Twilight finally lifted her head. She was... smiling? The same dark red tinge was still permeating her features. "Yes, L... L-Luna."

Oh yeah. Something good definitely happened.

"I trust that is a satisfactory answer, at least for now, yes Sunset?" The Night Princess asked. It was evident she was on cloud nine at this point and Twilight didn't look too unhappy herself.

"I guess so," I shrugged, chuckling. Their glee was infectious. I'd have to ask Twilight a bit more about it later, but for now, knowing they were both in a good place, was enough for me.

"So... where were we?" My mentor asked, though it was clear for all to see that she was trying to conceal her own giddiness.

"I believe we were just about to hear about how our dear Sunset's newfound power aided her in trouncing the insect," Luna gladly answered. The prospect of Chrysalis getting walloped appeared to increase the Princess of the Moon's enthusiasm tenfold.

"OH! That's right!" I lit up with a toothy smile, their collective gazes on me once again. "So anyway, I... I had..."

W-wait...

...

My eyes slowly drifted back to Twilight. She was still smiling, but the joy in her gradually diminished into confusion as she realized I was staring at her.

...That's right.

My previous vigor fled from me, the memories of what had happened next forcing me to come face to face with the reality I'd tried to ignore since speaking with Un and Chrysalis. My best friend's violet eyes lingered on me, a desperation for clarity filling them.

"Sunset?" Her head turned slightly. She'd probably intended to look to her mentor for guidance, but kept her eyes on me rather than doing so. Her body tensed as I got off the bed and moved to stand in front of her. Thankfully, our mentors remained quiet.

I took a deep breath.

"Twilight..." I wrapped my forelegs around her. She was still tense and probably a little more than embarrassed by me, but she hesitantly returned my hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" she squeezed me back. "Sorry for what, Sunset?"

"I didn't..." I squeezed her tightly before drawing away to look her in the eyes. "I didn't know what you were going through. I should've asked you. I should've been there for you. I thought-"

"This again?" she sighed, a beautiful smile remaining on her face. "You don't have to worry about me so much. I'm a tough mare. I can-"

She screamed.

"TWILIGHT!?"

All three of us had shouted. Luna was faster than I was and I'm certain my mentor hadn't moved out of respect for her sister. The Night Princess caught her student in her forelegs.

Seemingly, out of nowhere, the lavender unicorn had lifted a hoof to her head, an expression of intense pain dominating her features as she nearly collapsed. The blood curdling scream that escaped her lips was too much. My heart was pounding. I'm pretty sure the sisters were just as panicked as I was, if not moreso by the terrifying event.

"It's okay," she shook her head roughly, apparently in an attempt to clear out the cobwebs. "I'm... I'm fine."

"That's obviously not-"

"It's..." I interrupted the Moon Princess as I drew closer to the pair, grabbing their attention. "It's the Nightmare... isn't it?"

Twilight's eyes widened to the size of saucers, the fear inside of her suddenly vivid and visible for all to see.

"Sunset... h-how do y-"

"You are aware of the Nightmare, Sunset!?" Luna tried to hide her shock, but her voice was tinged with desperation. That, paired with the fact that she'd interrupted her student, spoke volumes of how drastically her mood had shifted from a few moments ago.

I glanced over my shoulder at Celestia, thinking I might find her just as puzzled as her sister.

She wasn't.

She looked back at me with nothing but love and understanding, nodding her head once.

Does she already know?

...

Probably.

I turned back to the duo. Knowing I had my mentor's permission filled me with the confidence I needed to continue undeterred.

"When I was just about to defeat Chrysalis... the Nightmare's brother saved her."

"You..." Luna's gaze shot towards her sister, the look of shock and disbelief on her palpable. "Tia!?"

...

The Princess of the Day remained silent.

...

"That THING isn't the only one out there?" Twilight's fear escalated several degrees, a look of utter horror consuming her face.

"As I had surmised," Celestia's expression still hadn't changed, but she stared into her younger sister's eyes as if to say 'you see?'. "There are more than one."

"You did know," I declared in awe. It was comforting, knowing she hadn't been caught off guard by the information.

"I'd say it was more of a... really strong hunch," she stifled a giggle.

"SISTER!" Luna's frustration didn't appear to faze her sibling one bit. I, on the other hoof, nearly jumped out of my skin at the impassioned shout. "This is a serious matter! 'Tis no time for jesting, Celestia!"

"Let's not do this right now, Luna," my mentor lifted a hoof, her jovial expression becoming much more serious in a flash. To be perfectly honest, she looked a little more than annoyed by her younger sister's sudden outburst.

"But I-"

Celestia's stern gaze shut down the dark alicorn instantly, the younger mare slumping in defeat.

"As you wish, Sister."

"H-hold on a second..." Twilight drew the attention of the room to herself. Her hoof was trembling, lifted in the air and directed towards the Sun Princess.

T-Twilight?

I'd never seen her in such a disturbing state before. Her expression was that of a broken mare; frantic and deranged. Her eyes were begging, pleading the ivory alicorn for help.

"Y-you... knew about the Nightmare?" tears slipped from her eyes, though she didn't sob or show any other signs of sadness. My mentor's reply was a look of utter disappointment, her eyes closing as an exhausted sigh left her.

"My dearest you've got it-"

"Why didn't..." she shook her head slightly, genuine hurt and confusion coming to her face. "Why haven't you tried to help me?"

Celestia didn't say a word, instead merely staring back at the distraught unicorn.

"Your Highness... Why!?" she persisted.

My mentor remained steadfast.

"My dearest, you don't understand," Princess Luna tried to intervene, but Twilight was so focused on her sister that it didn't appear to have registered with the violet mare.

The white alicorn averted her gaze, though her expression was still cold as stone, not changing an iota. She had glanced at Luna for a split second before looking away, though I'm sure Twilight hadn't seen the slight motion. I'm not even sure Luna had noticed the subtle action of her elder.

"CELESTIA!?" Twilight's sorrowful shout was dripping with desperation. She was begging. It was clear she needed an answer. "PLEASE!?"

My mentor refused, both to answer her question and to acknowledge the devastated mare.

"Twilight?" I cut in, drawing my friend's haggard gaze. Princess Luna was surprised by my interruption. I noticed Celestia turn ever so slightly when I spoke as well. If she wouldn't defend herself, then I had no problem being the one to do so. "If Celestia could help you, I know for a fact she would have. She'd have done everything in her power to."

The violet unicorn's eyes widened in disbelief for just a moment before falling slack shortly thereafter. She looked incredibly saddened by the fact that I'd interjected. It was either that or my faith in my mentor. I couldn't be sure which.

...

She remained quiet for several seconds, -- along with the rest of us -- her eyes boring into mine.

"She didn't even talk to me about it, Sunset." Her voice was even, but the undercurrent of desperation remained strong. "If you want to be her advocate, that's fine. Why didn't she-"

"My dearest," Luna laid a hoof on her student's shoulder, silencing her and attempting to draw her gaze. She accomplished the former, but not the latter. "As I tried to tell you before, you've got it all wrong."

There was a certain distinct sorrow in Luna. In spite of the comforting smile she was trying to utilize for her pupil's sake, she couldn't hide the sadness deep inside of her.

"Then tell me what I have wrong," Twilight continued to stare at me despite speaking to her mentor.

...

Luna's head fell.

"You don't have to say anything, Sister," Celestia finally spoke, her voice calm. "She is correct. I could have spoken to her of it, had I deemed it necessary."

"Necessary? NECESSARY!?" Twilight was livid, turning her wrath onto my teacher. "IT'S TRYING TO TURN ME INTO A MONSTER! I THINK WE'RE WAY PAST THE 'NECESSARY' PHASE AT THIS POINT!"

"Twilight," I lifted my hooves to halt her progress, speaking as softly as I could. She'd made an aggressive move towards Celestia so I'd gotten in the way to block her. I couldn't let her get past me. "Please, calm down!"

"SUNSET, SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTH-"

"Tis not my sister who is to blame, Twilight." Luna hadn't moved to stop her protégé. She stood where she was, her head still on the decline and her gaze still locked on the carpet. The Princess of the Night's quiet declaration had stopped Twilight's tirade before it could truly gain any steam.

"Then... then who, Your High...?" Twilight whirled around, her indignation fizzling out as soon as she laid eyes on her mentor. Luna was slumped over, as if a great weight was forcing her body downward.

"Please... forgive me, Twilight," the Night Princess dipped her head further down. "I never intended to mess things up so badly."

...

"Princess..." I didn't know what to say further than that, but even a single word was better than the eerie silence that had gripped the four of us.

Twilight stared at her mentor, her expression running the gamut from outright rage to utter disbelief and everything in between before her own head fell.

"I swear I didn't-"

"That's enough, Luna." Celestia's soft tone didn't match the command she'd given her sister. "You can be just as self deprecating as Twilight," she giggled. All her words appeared to accomplish was to degrade the pair's mood even further. "I'm sorry," the Sun Princess sighed contentedly when she'd noticed her faux paus. "Honestly, it's a marvel neither of you have-"

"Celestia," I cut in, not certain where she was going with the line of dialogue, but knowing it probably wasn't going to help anyway. My mentor looked at me with a slightly confused expression, but as soon as I raised my hoof towards them and tilted my head in their direction she sighed, though her smile did remain.

"Right. No fun," she muttered to herself quietly before jumping off the bed. She unfurled her wings and walked up to the despairing duo. Neither lifted their head. Both remained still as statues. Both stayed in nearly identical positions. To be perfectly honest, they looked like a reflection of one another. It was kind of weird. "Girls... look at me."

Both reluctantly lifted their heads, still mirroring one another's actions. With a slow, deliberate motion my mentor took a seat on her rump and then moved the tips of each of her wings to their foreheads. With all the gentle kindness of a loving mother she tapped their foreheads, just below their horns.

"Stop being so hard on yourselves," the Princess of the Sun smiled down at them as she folded her wings back at her sides. As if their minds were connected both Princess Luna and Twilight lifted a hoof, rubbing their respective temples softly. Princess Luna had a wry smile on her face while Twilight looked completely befuddled. "You didn't 'mess things up', Lulu," Celestia continued, drawing her sister's gaze. "Everything will be fine. Trust your big sister. And as far as your case goes, Twilight..."

"Y-yes, Princess?" The lavender mare was still dumbfounded, rubbing her forehead and not doing much else.

"The plan I enacted to relieve you of the darkness within you did not come to fruition." A lopsided smile came to her lips. "Unfortunately."

"So then..." the unicorn smiled slightly. "You did do something?"

Of course she did.

"Of course I did, my little pony," she placed a hoof on Twilight's head, patting it gently. "Had things in the Empire gone according to my wishes you'd be free of your... less than desirable tendencies."

"My...?" her face contorted in confusion. "But... it's the Nightmare..." she looked to her mentor. "I-isn't it?

"Not... exactly," Luna scratched at her face with a hoof, turning away from Twilight.

Not exactly?

"Not exactly?" Twilight was thinking the same thing as I, scrutinizing her mentor.

"My sister has a... bad habit of withholding the more harsh truths of our world from you, Twilight," Celestia laid a hoof on Luna's head. "Most reasonable creatures would call that love." It was moments like these that really showed just how much the white alicorn trumped her sister in size. In spite of Luna's larger build compared to normal ponies like Twilight and I, she looked absolutely miniscule compared to her elder sister.

Twilight stared at her mentor for a few more seconds before turning to face mine.

"Like what, Your Highness?" It was clear from her expression she knew she wasn't going to get any answers from the Night Princess.

"Normally, I'd say you and Luna should be the ones to talk about it..." Celestia looked at me for a moment before returning her attention to the violet mare. "But with Sunset interacting with one of them in the Empire, I believe she is now more involved than I ever would have wished."

Celestia...

Her concern made me feel all sorts of good things. Appreciation. Fondness. Love. But there was something else too. Something I'd never experienced before...

She doesn't want you involved with us. She doesn't want you near us.

The voice was low in my mind, nearly undetectable, but it was definitely there. The sound sent chills down my spine. I'd never heard anything like it before. The one thing I knew for sure was that it was most definitely not me.

She's afraid we would make you strong.

I swallowed, though the action was difficult, as if a hard lump had formed in my throat. Not even my mentor's aura could mitigate the horrible vibes the voice was giving me.

I am strong.

...

That we shall see, Sunset Shimmer...