It was more than five days later before I again saw my sister. I hadn’t sent her any direct invitations, lest she misinterpret them as mandatory summons. And apparently, unfortunately … that seemed to mean that she would no longer be leaving her chambers for any reason.

After two days of not seeing her, however, I had made it known that she was welcome to join me for my midmorning tea, any day she liked. That was an open-ended invitation and couldn't be seen as an order, given that it specified no particular date. Or at least that was my theory. Whether Luna sees it that way is anypony’s guess.

By this point, I’ve given up on that working. Perhaps she won't come out unless she thinks she’s directly told to do so? It’s a discouraging thought, but the longer she waits, the more I favor that solution.

However, the situation is not as dire as that, it seems. To my utter shock, when I come to sit down at my favorite sunny nook by the kitchens and enjoy my tea, Luna is already there, waiting for me, looking at me over the sunny little table.

For a moment, I merely stand there, rather stunned. Had I lacked my many centuries of practice, my magic might have faltered, leaving the floating teacup and saucer in front of me to plummet to the marble floor. As it is, though, I manage to keep my composure and poise, as ever. Only my pause and hesitation betray the shock I feel to see that Luna had finally voluntarily come to see me. It’s … it’s wonderful!

My first impulse is to run to her, to embrace her. But I subdue myself. Luna might not be ready for that just yet. I musn’t scare her off now, after she’s only just mustered this courage.

Instead, a more restrained welcome is in order. “Luna! It’s wonderful to see you again.”

Luna glances away. Have I done wrong? Have I called undue attention to her days of solitude?

There’s nothing for it but to press on. I notice that the table before her lies utterly bare. “Did Copper Kettle not offer you anything? Let me just make a quick trip back to the kitchen. They have everything you could possibly want and more that you’ve never tried.” What was it that Luna liked best? Blast! It was so long ago. White tea, wasn't it? And from some particular region of early Equestria, but however much I shuffle through the dusty memories in my head, I can’t recall the name of it, always just on the verge, but never quite there… Luna’s looking up at me again. Ah… Forget it, suggest something else. She’s still keeping to her customary nocturnal schedule, isn't she? “If you’re heading to bed soon, perhaps something herbal? Copper Kettle’s specialty is a lovely subtle blend of cinnamon, apple, and peppermint. You simply must try it.”

She looks down. “No thank you.”

“It would be no trouble at all, just a moment and I’ll—” When she looks back up, I stop instantly.

“That is not what I came for. I actually came to…” For a long moment, Luna hesitates. “Nevermind. Perhaps now is not the time.” It’s already more than I’ve heard her say for a thousand years. I can’t let her stop – not now, when she’s so close!

Quickly, I come over and sit down next to her. “For you, Sister, I have all the time in the world.” It’s literally true, after all. “And if you’re not in the mood for tea, I won’t force you. I just…” Would it be too much to say it? Oh, but I can’t hold it in! “I miss you, Luna. I lost you for a thousand years, and I’d hate to lose you again, even for a minute. If all you want is to sit with me, I ask for nothing more.”

“Thank you … Sister.” She glances up at me. A slight smile – I saw it!

Then … silence. Silence again. Luna looks away, studiously unmoving. Inscrutable. Distant. For a moment, I had her back. Only to so very quickly lose her again.

But is this so bad? Perhaps I should just sit here in peace with my sister. That might be enough. It’s far more than I’ve had for a thousand years now. If she wants to venture outside the ramparts of silence she has built around herself, that would be wonderful. If she’d rather sit in silence, I can accommodate that as well. No need to rush her. No need to pressure. It might be that she would enjoy my quiet company as much as I enjoy hers. A silence is only awkward if one makes it so. With a slight nod and a sip of my – quite delightful – tea, I resolve to sit here quietly with Luna as long as she allows me, and for now I am content.

Is it so bad, after all, to simply sit back and remember the good times I’ve had with my sister? Happier times, when we…? It’s all so long ago now, isn’t it? My memories are faded, blurred, and muddled together. I can’t quite tease them apart into discrete, concrete moments in my mind, no more than I can grasp smoke between my hooves. I remember sunshine, laughter, my beloved sister running and playing when we were merely foals… But wait, was that before we ascended to be alicorns, or after? Where exactly did it happen?

Or did it happen at all? I’m well aware that the mind invents memories to fill any vacant holes, and I am certainly no exception to it. There were times, in the last few hundred years, when I questioned whether I’d ever actually had a sister in the first place … or if she might have been an imaginary friend from my foalhood years.

But no. I mustn’t get too distracted with what was, or what might have been. My sister is here, in the flesh, as real as the seat below me, as real as the tea on the table in front of me. I look back up at her and smile. Old memories seem irrelevant now that I have an opportunity to make new ones. The memories are merely ghosts, shadows of the real sister before me now.

Can I admit to myself that I have forgotten so much about Luna? Perhaps the distance that now separates us isn’t hers alone. In some ways, it’s almost as if I’m only just now getting to know her for the very first time. Perhaps that’s exactly the admission she’s been waiting for.

I take another sip, bracing myself for just how badly this might go. “I must admit … my memory isn’t what it once was. I’m afraid I may have lost much of what I once knew of you. I wish I could remember more of the good times we shared, so long ago.”

She glances up at me, and I think I can see an openness in her eyes. An encouraging sign. Perhaps it’s time to press my luck?

“But I’m going to love making new memories with you by my side. Once you’re…” Hm… How to put it delicately? How to ensure it doesn’t insult her? “Once you’re feeling up to it.”

Luna takes a deep breath and sits more upright. She looks straight toward me. “Sister, I need to tell you. I…” She glances away, deflating again.

“There’s no rush,” I assure her. “Take all the time you need. Perhaps if you join me for tea tomorrow, we could—”

“No.”

Though quiet, the force of the word sends a shock through me. Oh no… I have done something wrong, haven’t I? I should have just sat here with her, keeping my mouth shut. I should have just enjoyed that when I had the chance. Why do I always have to push her like this?

She shakes her head slightly. “No… this must be said. I must say this.”

For a long moment, Luna is silent once more. Though she stares intensely down at the table, her wings ruffling and her tail flicking behind her. Though I have resolved to never again fear her, I fear what damage her words might do to our already-fragile relationship.

Luna looks up at me, her aqua-blue eyes nonetheless fiery. “You may not remember it, but I do. I remember everything.”

Shouldn’t that be … a good thing? Not judging by the look on her face. Not hateful, no, but there’s certainly something there. Not the Nightmare, no, but still a hint of darkness.

Patiently, I wait, not even a sip of tea, as lovely as that might have been. This is difficult for her to say, and I should wait for it. She deserves at least that from me, among much more...

“I remember everything,” Luna repeats quietly, staring down at the table. Almost a whisper. “I can still remember the way it felt. All those years in the shadows, in your shadow. I … I know it isn’t your fault. I know that now. But knowing it wasn’t your fault doesn’t change how it felt. It doesn’t change how it feels.”

Oh no… I don’t know whether to be hopeful or terrified for her. This could be the mending of our relationship … or the end of it, and I feel as if I have no control over which way that might go. What can I say? I know I mustn’t say anything. I mustn’t interrupt her. One way or another, she needs this.

She looks back up again, and I see tears in the corners of her eyes. “I … perhaps foolishly … I longed for just a single moment in the spotlight for myself. But it never came. I was only ever seen if I was seen with you. A moon with no light of my own – merely reflecting the light of the sun. I could only ever be acknowledged as the other Princess, as the other Sister, as the other pony by your side. Every time they deferred to you first, heeded your words while ignoring mine, loved you more than me… Every time it happened, it was like a little piece of me was eaten away, one bitter little nibble at a time. Until there was nothing left… nothing but hate.” She closes her eyes tight and breathes a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Sister. I’m so sorry for what happened. For what I did.”

Oh how I wish to hold her! But that might be going too far, perhaps she isn’t quite ready yet. But still, I can’t allow her to wallow uncomforted like this. I shake my head. “No, Luna. It is I who should apologize. My blindness and neglect inflicted this festering wound to begin with.”

I move toward her along the bench seat, feeling the time might finally be right to embrace her… but Luna holds out a hoof, pushing me away, preventing me from coming closer. I back away.

“No,” Luna says, shaking her head almost violently. “No, you don’t understand. You don’t understand who I was … who I am. It felt good to lash out at you, Sister. I know it was wrong, I knew it was wrong at the time, but it felt so good to finally give voice to the bitterness inside. It was the first time in hundreds of years I had felt pleasure, satisfaction. The maniacal grin of that … that monster I became is the only genuine smile I’ve had in … in … as long as I can remember.” She sighs and slumps down against the table. “I … I hated you, Sister. And it felt good to hate you. It was the only joy in my life.”

I wince at what my neglect had caused. “And … now?”

Her face still against the table, Luna turns her teary eyes up at me. “Sister… Why am I here?”

“Of course you’re here. You’re—” The look she gives me shuts me up instantly. There’s so much pain in her eyes.

“When I saw the Elements of Harmony light up around you, I thought that would be the end of me. I thought they would turn me to stone forever, as they did to our enemies in the past. And I knew, in that moment, I deserved such a fate, after everything I had done, what I was still trying to do.” She raises herself up. “But their magic spared me. Why? It shouldn’t have. It should have ended then. It should have all been over.”

“Luna…”

“But instead, I brooded and rotted on the moon for a thousand years. And when I came back … when I came back, I did it all again. And once again, the force of the Elements came against me, once again, I thought I’d met my well-deserved end.”

“You do not deserve to die, Luna.”

“But now I’m here again. With my sister. And I don’t know how to put the pieces of me back together. The Elements purged the bitterness of envy from me. They burned away a thousand years of hatred.” She shakes her head, squinting her eyes shut. “It was so much a part of me, so much of myself devoted to it. It was like a rose’s thorns wrapped around my heart, but no matter how much it hurt to hold on, I couldn’t let it go, because then I wouldn’t have it anymore and I’d be nothing again… Now it’s gone. Forever.” Luna pauses. “But the shadow of it remains, and I feel its absence. The Elements scorched the hate from my soul. But they haven’t healed the wounds those thorns left behind. Not in me, and not in others. I don’t know how to go back. I don’t know if I can go back. What if I’m destined to only ever be a nightmare – that Nightmare? What if that’s all I can ever truly be?”

It seems almost impossible to me. How different these words sound than the last time I’d heard my sister speak. These defeated, self-denigrating whispers are such worlds apart from the vengeful vows of the Nightmare. And yet, neither one seems capable of love. And all of it is my fault.

“I’m … I’m trying to heal. But how do I let go? Everypony wants to act like it never happened, but it did happen. It was real.” She shakes her head. “Do I even deserve to get better? How can I ever make up for something so unforgivable?”

For a long moment, I’m silent. How can I respond to that? And what if she has more to say? But as her pleading eyes look up at me, I know I must to say something … even if nothing in my long, long life had ever prepared me for a moment like this.

I give her a firm gaze. “You can try. One small step at a time. Only do your best – nopony can ask for more.”

“What madness is this? It was – no. Not in a thousand years could I ever atone for what I did. I was one of the worst evils ever to befall—”

“We have all the time in the world, Luna. And we have each other.” My raised hoof blocks all further protest. “After all this time apart, we can finally be sisters again. We can fly together in the cool night sky, we can bask together in the sunlit fields, we can spend time together like we should have all those years ago.” Moving closer, I took her forehooves and held them in mine. “I will not let our past mar the joy of your return.”

Luna looks down and away, shaking her head slightly.

I reach out and, with a gentle touch, turn her back toward me. “Let go of the past with me. Don’t let it ruin today. Don’t let it ruin tomorrow. And don't let it ruin us.”

Luna gives a slight smile, a slight nod … and for the first time in literal ages, I see hope in my sister’s eyes once more.

☀️ ❇️ 🌙

After a tear-filled hug, Luna had finally admitted to very much needing sleep. She had kept her nocturnal schedule after all. And thus, I did not see her again until sunset.

For nearly a thousand years, I had come alone to this highest balcony in Canterlot Castle to work my magic, to do what ponies have grown to nearly worship me for. Even after Luna’s return, she lowered the moon on her own, privately. Both of us, of course, can do this from anywhere, drawing on our innate connections to the celestial elements. But I have always preferred to do so here, in a private tower where I would never be interrupted, so high and so close to the sky I feel like I can touch it. Of course, in some ways, I can. It is my solitary duty, my time to reflect alone.

But not this evening. This evening, I am not alone.

I look over at my sister, scarcely able to breathe from the swell of pride in my chest. Look at her! So regal, so poised. I can almost believe already that she’s fully recovered and whole again. Perhaps she’s only putting a brave face over inner turmoil, but her face is brave nonetheless.

“It’s time,” I say. “Shall we?”

Luna takes a deep breath and nods.

And for the first time in a little more than a thousand years, I do not raise the moon in the evening. I need only concern myself with lying my tempestuous sun calmly down to bed, which seems nearly effortless now that I no longer need to split my attention and my power.

At my side, Luna’s own magic comes to life, raising the moon herself. The deep oranges of sunset fade into purple, and then into the silver glow of the moon.

Luna never looked quite so beautiful as when seen under a fresh moonrise.

How many times in the past had I ignored the sight, numb to it after centuries? The way the moonlight glimmered in her aqua-blue eyes, the way it played in graceful shimmers along her mane, the way her coat seemed to drink in the darkness and refine it into the deepest possible blue… She is truly in her element, and an under-appreciated element at that.

And yet, I cannot tell her. What if she takes it the wrong way? What if she thinks it condescending? I know I mustn’t ruin this perfect moment.

Thankfully, I have another way to tell her.

“Luna?” I ask.

“Yes, Sister?”

“I… I have something for you. If you could wait here just a moment.”

She pauses, then gave a slight nod.

In a rush, I hurry through the balcony’s doorway, down the hall, and to the right, into my personal quarters. And I find that small golden box once more. Though I suppose there’s no need for such haste, I nonetheless rush back. Luna should not have to wait any longer for this.

Luna peers apprehensively at the box as I approach – as I try to inconspicuously catch my breath. She looks back up at me. “What … what is this?”

I know what waits inside will need no explanation, so I merely use my magic to open the box and hold it up for her to see.

Her eyes go wide, reflecting the sparkles from inside the box. “This … this is…”

“I asked the palace jewelers to repair it as well as they could. And, well, I … I truly hope you enjoy the new lines of platinum running through it. They remind me of…”

“Constellations,” we whisper in unison.

“It’s like looking at a map of the constellations. Sister, this is… This is incredible! I thought it destroyed! I thought it lost forever.”

“As did we all.” I give her a gentle smile. “But what is gone need not be gone forever if it can be made whole once more.”

For a long, long moment Luna stares at her crown. When she finally looks back up at me, there are tears in her eyes. “I … I cannot accept this.”

I close the box. “I know.”

“You know…?”

“I do. But I want you to know that it’s here for you. It’s here when you’re ready.” I lean in and nuzzle her slightly. “As am I.”

Author's Note

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