Can you fix the broken?

Chapters

5: The Moon Rises, The Night Falls
1: An awaited return
2: Darkness falls
3: A close call and a deal
4: Cadenza's interesting day
6: Talk and Walk
7: Return to Ponyville -Part 1-
8: Return to Ponyville -Part 2-

5: The Moon Rises, The Night Falls

Celestia’s P.O.V

Celestia…did not know how to feel about the current situation. The meeting with Cadance went better than expected, sure, but she couldn't help but feel as if it was short. That despite the dump of information onto Cadance, it wasn't enough. Cadance needed more time to learn, and Celestia needed more time to calm herself and adjust to everything.

After Cadance teleported out of the room, the 2 Alicorns and one unicorn simply remained there in silence. She could tell that Twilight wanted to speak but simply was afraid to do so. Oh, how she wanted to grant her permission on her own but she didn't want to risk upsetting Luna. She still needs to talk to Twilight about it properly, perhaps even involve her brother so he can help her convince Twilight that it's a bad idea.

Speaking of Luna, Celestia thought back to what her sister said about the reason for her banishment. Was it that obvious that she was terrified? How did Luna feel about that? Knowing that her sister was scared of her to the point of banishing her as she did? Did she spend 1000 years alone on the moon, her last memory being Celestia’s terrified expression? That thought… terrified her to no end. That is, without even mentioning the part where she said that she doesn't even know why they fought! What could she mean by that?! Sure they argued 10 minutes before she became Nightmare Moon but she still wanted to bring forth eternal night!

She honestly couldn't know why she seemed to be upset about not being Nightmare Moon anymore. Earlier her student mentioned it as if it was a loss, which was utterly ridiculous! How could losing a piled-up mess of negative emotions hurt her or make her feel bad? Sure it didn't happen in the way she wanted it to but the desired effects of getting rid of it were done.

For the longest time, she thought her sister was possessed by something in her moment of weakness. It turned out that her sister was holding back so many emotions that she personified it as a living entity inside h
Ber! Sure, it was heard of before and she brought it up on one occasion but Celestia did every test she could to confirm and it all came out negative. She didn't like the implication that her sister went literally mad with grief and sadness but it was the closest thing to the truth. Oh how she regretted not being there for her little sister, how she regretted letting said emotions fester within her and drive her sweet sister into what she did.

It didn't matter how much she regretted it though, what happened had happened and she could only help her sister heal from it. She doesn't hate her, she knows that, if Luna hated her then she wouldn't have leaned into her before or even called her Tia after the blast. She was still a point of comfort to Luna (why did that hurt?) and she'll hope to deliver this time.

Yet it still confused Celestia. She should be happy and brimming with Joy over her sister’s return yet she's not. Celestia, if anything is more nervous and afraid than happy, afraid that she might say something wrong or do something that upsets her sister. She hated that. Why could she not enjoy having her sister back? Why did her fears have to ruin moments of joy?

And then there is the problem of appeasing her sister. She wants her to be satisfied, she wants her to be happy so she doesn't feel like nothing has changed, so she doesn't feel that neither she nor her nights are hated. But she's also afraid that in her pursuit of pleasing her sister, she'll turn a blind eye and hurt another pony. As much as she loves her sister, she doesn't want to hurt others while trying to repent for her own sins.

She had to make this right, she had to do everything well. She had so many plans before yet they all crumbled to dust as soon as she laid eyes on Luna…she had to plan on how to make it right, she had to find a way to fix their relationship. She has to get her sister, her family, and her first and oldest friend back.

She, unfortunately, didn't get to plan how to do so as their moment of (admittedly awkward) silence was interrupted by none other than Luna herself. “Now that has been dealt with, we shall address another matter. As I said before, today I will raise the moon and bring forth the night as I have done over a thousand years ago. It will be my introduction to the public and the proper night...if it can be that anymore.” Celestia couldn't help but flinch at that.

“Are you sure sister? You returned only yesterday, can your magic handle bring forth the night?” Celestia asked worriedly. Sure, she knew Luna could move the moon. That much was apparent when the moon disappeared, but now she has let out an uncontrolled burst of magic and hasn't rested properly since her return.

“It can,” Luna said in a harsh tone of finality. “We would also like to speak to you in private, sister. Therefore Twilight Sparkle, leave us and wait outside until I call you back.”

Poor Twilight didn't get a chance to do anything but nod before Luna presumably teleported her to the outside of the room. Slightly confused by the haste, and now feeling awkward and scared due to being alone with her sister, Celestia simply turned towards Luna with a small awkward smile on her face. “What would you like to talk about Sist-”

“Luna is fine in public but when alone address me by my full name Celestia.” Luna was quick to interrupt her, in one second all warmth was gone from her sister’s voice and she just stared at her with contempt. What just happened? Why did she say that? And most of all, did it have to hurt so much? Did she do something wrong?

“L-Luna I do-” a cough with a slight narrowing of the eyes “Lunariana why? Did I do something wrong? Y-You never told me to call you that before, what's wrong is-...Lunariana?” Celestia cursed herself as she couldn't keep her fear and worry out of her voice. She sounded like a filly who was told that she wouldn't get a gift at Hearth's warming. Yet, it all took a back seat as Luna glared at her with what felt like pure hatred. But it can't be that! No, it had to be something else and her fear was making her see things.

“Plenty is wrong Celestia, we- I am over my initial shock of return. I mostly reacted to what was happening at the moment and ignored anything else. I believe it is time for us to have a proper talk Sister,” just…what was going on? Weren't things going well?

“L-Lunariana…what is going on? I thought that we had a good start. What is causing this? I repeat, did I do something wrong? Please be clear with me!” Celestia was doing her best to not sound like she was pleading…obviously, she was failing miserably.

“Celestia, we have merely returned from a thousand years of banishment and nearly got killed on the same night by your very student. The issues of the present or the past are not dealt with. I would like you to detail to me what you think might be wrong.”

“No, No, NO! You'll tell me why you don't want me to call you Sister or Luna anymore! Then we can deal with everything else!” Celestia knew that her desperation was abundantly clear but she did not care at the moment, how could she do anything but not care? They were sisters, they are sisters, and now Luna is not even allowing her to call her that? Something was seriously wrong here.

“The answer to that is simple. We ended things with a serious argument a thousand years ago and now there is a thousand-year gap between us, not only do I consider our relationship sour at best, but it needs to be addressed that neither of us is the same pony we were a millennia ago. That is also without mentioning other subjects.”

“What other subjects? And can't we just let the past be the past? Lunariana, I've regretted everything I've done to you long ago, I shouldn't have said what I said or even considered any of it and doubted you, I spent the better half of a thousand years trying to fix my mistakes. Please, give me a chance, I've changed, I want us to be like what we were before, back when we were little fillies” Celestia had to hold her emotions, she didn't want to start crying or yelling. She had to give Luna a semblance of what she could be.

“Admirable efforts I will assume but none that I care about at the moment. How can I when I have yet to see any fruit of such efforts? Now, I want to ask what happened to my squadron, my thestrals. What has become of them in my absence?” Luna asked accusingly and coldly, did…did she just shrug off everything she said? Celestia felt an ache in her chest. She hoped that it wouldn't last for long.

“The…Thestrals retreated away from society after your…leave. They secluded themselves in cave systems and a single forest. We tried, I tried to contact them again but they refused. Not that I can blame them. If…if it would please you then mayhaps we can go there one night?”

Luna did not respond for a while. She sat there and stared at the table with a thoughtful expression, Celestia did not know what was on her sister's mind but she hoped it was- NO, No. She will trust her sister, she will not make the same mistake twice.

“Speaking of the night,” Luna suddenly said, breaking the train of thought Celestia had, to which she was grateful. Yet, she still felt a pang in her heart as Luna dismissed what she said once again. “As we said multiple times today we will be the ones to raise the Moon and bring forth the night. I know I insisted on repeating this statement but I want to make it final,” Silence again as Luna's expression turned from thoughtful to sombre. “I'll do it the same way I did when I earned my mark. Perhaps then you'll see the extent of the folly you have done, of what you made the elements do, and their new bearers.”

“What folly? What are you talking about now?”

“The perishing of Nightmare Moon. I- No, we thought that you changed when you accepted us as one, albeit wrong it was also close. Not only have you spread lies of what my dearest is…was but you have also shown not even the slightest hint of remorse. Perhaps seeing the night without her will show you. In all honesty, I am disappointed and it seems that your day is as well.”

What? What the buck was her sister talking about now? The night without her? Was Luna expecting her to feel sorry for destroying the very being that caused her to be banished? And what was that about her day being disappointed?

“Sister, have you gone mad? The being you became as Nightmare Moon is what caused you to be banished in the first place!” Celestia froze as she realized what she said. No, no, no, no…she can't be like that again, she can't. She won't. “Lunariana I'm sorry I didn't me-”

“No, that was your fear and distrust of me! Don't you DARE blame her Celestia! How many times will it have to be said for you to realize that I did not become Nightmare Moon?! She was there from the beginning, she came to be the day I became an Alicorn!”

“Sist-” a weak blast interrupted her. Celestia easily deflected it but the message was clear. “Lunariana, what are you speaking of now? Is her influence returning? I saw you change right before my eyes. If she was good then the elements wouldn't have gotten rid of her.”

“Oh? So the elements are what dictates what is good or bad? She's a person! The elements didn't kill her in the traditional way but what they did is an act that violates our very realm!...sigh. I don't expect you to understand Celestia, you had a thousand years to do so and figure out the truth, and yet you didn't. Let's get back to business shall we?”

She wanted to yell out no, she wanted to have Luna explain everything, why was she treating her like a foal? Did she hold her in such low regard? Did she not trust her? Seriously, this was not a way to treat fami-....oh.

The ache in her heart turned into pain akin to being stabbed with a knife filled with thorns. Her withers sagged as gave up and nodded, she couldn't lift her head to face her sister.

“Good. Now, I will go on a slight tour for the first week. It will provide a chance for me to see the changes across the world first hoof and also get our subjects more acquainted with me. Twilight, as my servant will accompany me. Now I believe it is time for you to talk to our subjects and announce my event and introduction. Any last words before I take my leave?”

Celestia had to pause at that, she had so many things she wanted to say and ask, from apologies to demands of truth. She took a deep breath to calm herself before lifting her head, but her eyes still did not meet that of her sister. “Will you give me a chance to fix this?” Celestia did not see her sister’s reaction, frankly, She didn't want to. She just allowed her anxiety to overtake her body and mind as she fidgeted in her seat while waiting for an answer.

The pause was deafening, it held a thousand promises of rejection and a thousand more of hate and disdain. She did not wish it to be the case, but Celestia’s mind refused to drift away from such thoughts.

“I'll think about it. You must understand that I don't know what to feel about you yet. One moment I wish to tear you apart and have you out of my life, and the other I wish that it was all a dream of sorts and that I'll wake up as a filly again and all of this has never happened. Give me time to consider it. I need it. I need it. I will speak to you about this when I am comfortable enough so don't be insistent.”

Relief flooded into the Sun princess. Sure, it might not be the answer she wished for but it was also not the answer she feared. There was a chance she'd say yes and Celestia would do anything, absolutely ANYTHING to get her sister to say yes. But for now, she'll give her the time and space she needs.

She lifted her eyes and looked at her sister with a weak smile “Thank you Lunariana, I hope you find it in your heart to allow me to call you by your other names. I wish you a good day princess, I'll get things prepared.”

Celestia took a deep breath as she turned around and started heading towards the door, she felt too exhausted to even think about teleporting.

“Wait.” Celestia froze. It was not a call, it was not a question. It was more of an order that she was more than inclined to follow. She turned around with a confused expression on her face.

“Since you are already here.” a brief pause as if she was thinking about what to say. “You might as well tell me of the current political station of Equestria with the neighbouring nations, and the inner politics. After we are done with that, I'd like to talk about setting up my own private quarters as well. Then you can leave and do as you wish with the rest of your day.”

Celestia blinked, confused then a warm smile graced her face. The Solar princess felt the warmth of her own Sun inside her chest as she headed towards Luna and they began to speak. It was all about business of course but…it was more than enough to calm the princess of the sun and bring joy to her heart.

Twilight's P.O.V

Twilight was pacing nervously in the corridor. She didn't know what to expect or what might happen. She wants to help Luna and make up for what she did but she also feels so scared and utterly terrified of the moon princess. It's clear as day that the moon princess doesn't like her, you have her behaviour at the meeting as proof. Twilight couldn't blame her though, honestly considering everything, she was lucky to be alive at the moment.

But that's the thing, at the moment. She had no idea what might happen next, maybe she'd do something wrong and the princess would hurt her or worse, hurt her new friends simply as a warning. Twilight was slightly okay with getting hurt herself but others getting hurt because of her? Oh buck no, she'll never be able to live with herself if that happened.

Oh, how she wished Shining or Spike were here. She wondered if she could tell a guard to call Shining over or something…but what if he gets mad at Luna for making her a servant? Faust knows how protective her brother is. No, she can't risk him doing something foolish. Okay, back to square one which is pacing and panicking.

Twilight's ears suddenly perked up as she heard the familiar sound of feet on the floor. Not hooves, feet. That of course, meant only one thing, Spike was here.

With excitement and relief, she jumped from her spot and ran towards the source of the sound, completely forgetting about Luna's orders to wait outside.

It didn't take long for the young mare to be close enough to spot the object (well dragon) of her attention and before he could even blink, Spike the tiny dragon found himself tackled and enveloped in a tight hug by Twilight. All the poor young drake could let out was a surprised (yet excited) ‘Woah!’

“Oh Spike, Spike! I missed you so much! So much has happened since last night and I was so worried and taken up in initthatididntevennoticethatyouwerentwithme!” Twilight's speech accelerated to the point that it would have been gibberish to anyone, anyone except her number one assistant of course.

“Hey hey calm down Twilight! The girls already told me about what happened, how come you left so suddenly though? The girls were panicking when they just appeared in Ponyville to the point that I had to calm them down, me! You should have seen the bone-crushing hug Fluttershy gave me! However it did end up with ~Rarity~” he almost sang her name out “ checking that I was okay, which of course I was! But anyway, everything is alright though right? Where were you by the way?” Oh, how sweet the news he gave her. Spike might not know it, but he told Twilight almost exactly what she wanted to know.

The girls were back in their town and they were safe (thank Faust for that) and they were worried about her! A pony that they just met today and almost resulted in their deaths (more than once) and almost had them executed thanks to involvement…okay maybe it was for the better that they did not know that.

Most importantly though, Spike was happy, he wasn't afraid, concerned thanks to her current behaviour, yes, but he was not scared like he was back at Ponyville.

“Yes, Spike. Everything is alright, it's just that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are having a meeting and I was waiting outside until I heard your steps,” she said with a soft smile before realization sunk in.

Without warning, Twilight wrapped Spike in her magic as she picked him up and ran back towards the meeting room at a speed that would have impressed Rainbow Dash herself. Of course, her running figure was accompanied by a purple floating blur letting out a sound that was a combination of a wee and a woah…perhaps there was an AAAAAHH mixed in there as well, it wasn't clear.

She stopped right in front of the door. Should she have stopped a second too late her face would have been on the other side of the door. Thankfully she was not.

Twilight was panting with a surprised, ecstatic and somehow also worried Spike. “Twilight what was that for? Can we do it again?!” Twilight just thought the conflicting emotions were adorable

Oh right, back to the matter at hoof. “Oh, it's just that the new..well she's not really new but a returnee princess well anyway she ordered me to stay outside while she conversed with Princess Celestia about some private matters and I kinda abandoned my post as soon as I heard your footsteps and I didn't want to anger the princess considering my new job as her servant.”

To his credit, Spike just stared at her with a very confused look before shrugging. Of course, it didn't go without him asking about the obvious but at least he didn't freak out.

“Twilight, what do you mean by your new job as her servant?” Considering his age, Twilight was proud of how calm her little son brother was. He certainly handled it better than she would have personally done. Oh right, to answer his question.

“Oh well….” should she tell him what she did? Would Spike be able to forgive her for what she did? He loved her right?...no, no. She can't risk telling him that, and he's too young to even know about this. “I've…made a mistake that hurt the princess greatly Spike. The princess decided that my punishment was to serve her. Sure, it sounds bad and it will definitely affect my study but at least we still reside in Canterlot! I'll just be the princess's personal attendant so you have nothing to worry about Spike.”

The young (and adorable) Drake frowned a bit before shaking his head and suddenly embracing the lavender unicorn. He didn't say anything for a bit as he just continued the embrace. Twilight simply smiled softly before returning the embrace with one of her forehooves.

“Well, the princess will have 2 attendants then! I'll still be your number-one assistant after all, right?”

Her heart melted as she heard Spike speak. For a moment she forgot all the issues that clouded her mind and just sat down with her faithful assistant. “Of course Spike, you'll always be my number one assistant.”

Soon enough, Spike began to fill her in on what happened in Ponyville after she left. Apparently, the 5 mares she met have kept their silence about the murder cleansing of Nightmare Moon and the new princess. It was a bit surprising but she was thankful nonetheless.

She kinda missed them despite knowing them for only such a short period of time. After all, they are the first people in the world that she might call a friend that isn't Shiny, Cadance, Celestia, or Spike. Huh…well that was depressing now that she thought about it. Did she really deprive herself of such comfort and joy because of her studies?

No, it couldn't have been. She was only doing her job after all, and now she has a new job to learn and focus on. Perhaps she'll catch up later.

Hours passed by with Twilight sitting and speaking with Spike, she only noticed the time of day when the door behind them opened and the 2 princesses emerged.

Of course, she bowed to both of them. She knew it wasn't necessary with her mentor but that wasn't exactly the case with the other princess, Twilight knew she had a lot of work to do to get the princess to even remotely like her.

As she looked up Twilight noticed the Lunar princess staring at Spike, who just gawked at the princess. Honestly, Twilight thought it was adorable but knew it shouldn't go on for too long so she nudged the little purple drake so he could get his bearings back.

“Twilight Sparkle, you will accompany Celestia till the night arrives. I have work to do so I can usher in the closest thing to a proper night.” huh, she almost thought that the princess would have asked about Spike…wait ‘proper’ night?

Twilight, as is known about her, is the curious type. She liked to question everything and learn, and it made her extra curious considering the topic. When you're a daughter of a family of astrologers you do not let the mention of ‘proper’ night slip by unquestioned, she knew her dad wouldn't and neither would she.

“Princess Luna, may I ask about this…proper night?” Twilight asked meekly, almost as if expected to get yelled at.

Twilight gulped nervously at the stare she got from the princess, fearing the worst she took a small step back to make some space. Thankfully, that was unnecessary as the moon princess nodded.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she asked her question. “What will make it proper? As far as we saw…yesterday…" Was it that long ago? Or was it that close? She couldn't tell. It felt like so much time had passed but it also felt like everything just rushed by so fast. “The night was the same as it always was when you took over.”

Princess Luna hummed slightly as if thinking if she should answer the question. After all, who was Twilight (a murderer) to answer that question? Or well that's what the lavender unicorn thought. However, the princess did see fit to answer…well if it was to be considered an answer.

“You'll see when the moon rises,” was the glorious answer that Twilight received. She wanted to protest and demand more but she knew she was in no position to do so.

Her withers simply sagged a bit as she nodded. She said nothing else as she went to stand next to Celestia. Meanwhile, Spike went and tried to introduce himself but was ultimately ignored as the princess just…disappeared.

“Hey! Where did she go? I didn't even get to introduce myself!” Complained the young drake with a slight frown on his face.

Celestia meanwhile just gave him a reassuring smile before slightly shaking her head. “My sister went to get herself ready. She needs to rest and gather the energy needed to usher in the night, and she already needs to adjust to a lot of things so please, excuse her young Spike.”

Spike sighed and then nodded in understanding before he climbed on Twilight and sat on her back. Twilight simply kept her silence and followed the princess once she began to walk.

Twilight thought that she would be glad that she was with Spike and the Solar Princess. It was just like before, only the 3 of them. Except, it isn't the 3 of them anymore. She was no longer a resident thanks to being the Princess's student, but a resident as a servant. She was no longer innocent and pure, she had blood on her hooves.

Now she was hesitant to speak, she was curious about what the sisters talked about for hours inside. Did Princess Luna tell Celestia about Nightmare Moon's death? What would she have said? Princess Celestia was wrong about what Nightmare Moon is…right? The emotions of the moon princess were real but was the cause real? It just…felt so overwhelming. Would Celestia kick her out if she knew what she did? No, no she wouldn't. Or would she?

No. She can't think about this, she has to calm down. She has to stay strong, if not for herself then for Spike. She has to…she will stay strong.

Twilight did her best to keep her cool as she soon entered the princess's study. Celestia wrote a proclamation of sorts before sending it wherever with magic.

~~~3 hours later, Time for Sundown~~~

Celestia’s P.O.V

Celestia led her student and companion towards the balcony of her room. Where she always stood to raise the sun when it was not the solstice. Celestia had to admit, she was very eager for sundown today. Today, the ponies of the modern age would be reintroduced to her sister’s night.

She had a feeling that astrologers would have either pleasant dreams or nightmares about today as all of what they studied would change. She felt bad for them since it was her fault. Celestia could never replicate her sister’s night. The most she was able to do was preserve the stars to the best of her abilities but over the centuries the night sky was almost barren compared to its former glory.

Celestia nudged her dear student closer to the rails with her wing as she stared at the masses wondering why their princess called them. She took a deep breath before enhancing her voice with magic so it would be heard with ease.

“Citizens of Equestria! As you are aware, The solstice of the rising sun was disrupted by the night and the celebration never commenced. The reason is, that a creature of the night and moon rose to preserve its home. Unfortunately, its ways conflicted with the harmony of our world so my faithful student and her companions in the town of Ponyville used artifacts of old to restore harmony. The inner Harmony of the world saw fit to have a way of preventing such disaster and so we have gained a new blessing in the form of a new member to our ranks!”

Celestia relaid the script she and Luna made with as much emotion as she could to make it sound genuine. While she spoke she started lowering the sun. She also pointed her hoof to the other direction where a purplish blue tint started to paint the sky.

Soon the form of a flying mare throughout the sky came to be, silver strings flowed from the figure’s wings as it flew closer to their direction. With each of her wings, the night grew and moved as if a tidal wave surged forward to encompass the very heaven itself.

Soon bright specks of light formed and shone with fervor unseen in a thousand years. They flowed with the wave of night as they spread across the sky forming shapes that were witnessed for the first time by the mortals of the lands since countless generations past.

The mare drew closer and so was the object the strings were attached to. The grand form of the bright moon was being pulled as if it were a chariot carried by the singular mare. Its form is clean of the famous shape of the mare on the moon.

Celestia saw the wonder and awe in the eyes of her ponies, as she looked beside her she saw Twilight's jaw drop and a shine in her eyes of wonder. It was a most pleasant sight indeed.

Unfortunately, Celestia couldn't share that sentiment. Something felt off about the night. It was just as she remembered (no, something was different) and the movement and flow of magic of her sister was identical to what it was. So what was off? What was wrong?

It was only when Luna was halfway through her path did she noticed what was wrong. The stars were shining with power, not life. A body capable of holding a life yet none were there to begin. Celestia suddenly felt her knees weaken and felt her back legs give out as she plopped down with widened eyes.

Was…was this what Luna meant? No, it can't be. It just- it just makes no sense! Luna was well! She was rid of the nightmare and her magic was returning? Why did the stars refuse to wake up? Why did they refuse to show their shine in life? Was the night truly….dead? She refused to believe it. She took a deep breath as she stood up and took her previous position.

Whatever it was that was going on or whatever Luna did, she'll talk to her about it later. She had to keep an image of strength for her ponies. She charged her voice with magic again as the moon settled into the middle of the sky, with the galaxies of afar shining across the sky with the sea of lights that were the stars.

“Citizens! It is my honour and my delight to introduce the newest princess of the realm, my sister and princess of the night and Moon, Princess Lunariana!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her sister gently flew down from the sky and turned to face the Citizens with a smile on her face. Cheers broke out from the ponies at the news. Celestia could tell they were more surprised by the news than happy, but how could they not appreciate the new princess after showing them such a beautiful display? She introduced a new night to them, a brighter, warmer night.

Luna simply raised her hoof and waved at the ponies, she still lacked regalia thanks to there not being enough time to make them, but it worked in her favour by making her seem more approachable to the populous.

Soon the cheer died down and Luna turned around to get inside…the soft sniff that she made had not escaped Celestia, nor had the fact that she didn't even look at her night even once.

It was only then when the simple truth made itself clear to Celestia, that her previous question was answered and her basis of knowledge shattered.

The Moon itself was alive, and its shine and power held strong and gave out its joy…but its other half? the night? The night was…dead.

Author's Note

Toldja that it will be out soon, comments and opinions are deeply appreciated! (Especially about Spike, I feel like I didn't do good with him)

1: An awaited return

Celestia P.O.V

Today...Today was the day, today Nightmare Moon will return with her, her dear little sister. Oh did Celestia long for this day over the past millennia, a thousand years of waiting, waiting while staring at the moon for what felt like countless nights, Yet, the Princess of the Sun kept count, she had stared at the moon for 365250 nights in a row counting today.

The princess stood still as the stars aligned and made way for her sister to return, she could feel her getting closer by the second, she could feel her overwhelming presence race across the large expanse of space between the earth and the moon....and soon she felt her behind her.

Taking a deep breath that puffed out her chest, she turned around shakingly, slightly at least, trying to gather whatever courage there was left to grab and to finally face her sister again.

There she stood, standing proud with that smirk of superiority and triumph. Terrifying tooth grin from the monster she helped make, loneliness was the assistant in the creation of that look. She was talking about something, most likely about her breaking free and getting her revenge, whatever it was it didn't register to Celestia’s ears; it did not matter to the sun princess after all, she had her sister back and that was it. That was all she needed. To see her, to know she stood there. That..that broke the resolve that took who knows how long to conjure up. Tears that she didn't know were present started to stream from her eyes, burning over the other tear trails that scarred her face.

She saw her sister’s confusion at the falling river of tears, it didn't matter really. Without much thought Celestia rushed towards her sister and gave her a hug, her first contact with her sister felt like she reached heaven, she did not deserve to feel this good. Not this relieving bliss. Not after what she did, not with her being the reason her sister was like this or gone in the first place. Trapped alone on the moon, most likely spiraling slowly but surely into insanity. She continued the hug in silence while Nightmare M- No, while Luna tried to break it.

Nightmare Moon's P.O.V

The nightmare was baffled, just what was happening here? She just broke her imprisonment and now that she's back, that thing she has for a sister is just staying silent and giving her her back?! She was her greatest enemy and soon-to-be usurper and she was just ignoring her! The gall of that mare is unbelievable! She expected the so-called ruler of Equestria to be in full regalia and be ready for a battle that would dwarf their previous one, not whatever this is!

No, she will not let this ruin her mood, she will explain to this brain-dead buffoon if she needed to, to get her to understand the predicament she was in.

With a smirk to mask the insult and anger she was about to demand that she turns around only for her to tense as she saw the other princess's body get ready and heard what was a deep breath, what was she preparing for? She was not building up magic as far as the horn indicated and she was too far away to be bucked by the extremely tall mare. Maybe a cue for something she couldn’t see? A trap perhaps? Readying herself for combat, Nightmare gets into position only for her to relax again as she saw Celestia turn around slowly, by Faust, she is shaking! The great princess of the sun was fighting herself just to turn around and face her!

Her mask soon turned into reality as pride got into her head. Well if the princess was scared then this will be easy.

“Well well, Celestia! Shaking in your boots are you? I have guessed that you feared my return but I never expected it to reach this–....what….why are you crying?”

Now things went full circle as Nightmare was once again baffled and confused. Why was she suddenly crying? Was she feeling guilty? Happy? Was she accepted that she was going to die? Just what was going on here?!! This was not the Celestia that she had known for thousands of years! This was not the Celestia that defeated her! THIS WAS NOT HER SISTER! No! She refuses to believe it. This is a fraud! The Celestia she knew would’ve been at her throat by now!! Not crying a river for who knows what.

Before she could develop that train of thought further she was interrupted by a sudden feeling of being pulled and having a body pressed against her own. At first, she felt confused..then she felt relaxed as she took the warmth of her sister….damn it. As much as she didn't want to acknowledge that this shaking and crying mess was her sister but..this warmth, this embrace..it was hers alright. No mistaking that strange familiar feeling, but why was she doing it? Soon her relaxation turned into panic as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Was Celestia about to pull a secret attack? Seal them both on the moon? Destroy them both? So many possibilities and so little time.

Nightmare began to try and break the hug but Celestia wasn't letting go, eventually, she used magic and pushed her- No, threw her at the wall and took a couple of steps back.

“J-Just what are you doing? What is wrong with you? Where is your fight? Where is the mighty princess that banished me? Where is the ruler that ruled this land and had everypony in it grovel at her hooves? Where is my sister damn you!” said Nightmare Moon while all but screaming with her own tears in her eyes. She expected to meet her sister when she returned, expected to fight and let all the frustrations of a thousand years on her. A battle that would change the land around them! But that was for her sister, not this pathetic mess of a mare. “I'll get back to you later. If I find you as this pathetic mess I'll kill you without a thought.” she all but growled before she flew away to the furthest town from this castle.

She did not want to even see the look on Celestia’s face as she left. Broken and desperate for whatever she was seeking that made her scrunch her face into the ugly crying. She did not want to think about this…if her sister is nothing but a pitiful shell, she will make her go back to normal one way or another. Hell, if she had to beat sense into her before she got the battle she so so craved then so be it…she did have a couple of interesting spells developed on the moon. Maybe she should give forming the shadow army a shot?

Nightmare didn't dwell on her thoughts for long. She was far away enough and this town looked like it was having a celebration. Maybe it's time for a real welcoming for the Queen of the Night. She couldn't help but chuckle darkly to herself before she went to make her entrance.

Celestia’s P.O.V

She laid unmoving as her sister threw her at one of the walls breaking the hug. If Celestia was honest with herself, she couldn't blame her. Who would want to be embraced by the one who caused them such unimaginable torment and loneliness?

But…then she heard what Luna said…even as Nightmare Moon and even after a thousand years of torment she had it in her heart to call her sister?

Celestia could barely fathom that thought. Yet here she was, crying and yelling about where the sister she knew was…did she miss her? How can she miss such a monster as herself?? And she's even giving her a chance to get herself together and fight later on!

The sun princess’s mind was occupied by a thousand and one thoughts as she watched her sister fly away.

M-Maybe there is hope for Luna? Maybe they can put an end to this without fighting again! Luna did not seem to want to kill her. Maybe just maybe…she can have her sister back without any drastic measures.

With a new goal in mind and with something to look up to, Celestia stood up and went to prepare herself. Not for battle, but to try and deal with her sister. She just hopes that Luna won't do anything drastic so soon. She could not fail her ponies AND her sister.

~3 hours later~

…..okay maybe getting ready took too long and the idea of it not working and her having to fight Luna again terrified her. The idea was so terrifying that she didn't even leave her chambers and tried to follow Luna till a couple of hours later.

Eventually (and in a panic as she realized how long it took) Celestia flew out of the canterlot castle and started the search for her sister. Of course, picking up on such a strong magical signal wasn't very hard after all.

Of course, whatever sense of calm and control the esteemed princess had vanished into thin air as she saw a dreadful array of colours shooting out and for her sister’s magical signal to almost disappear entirely. It brought too many bad memories from her fight with Luna long ago.

In a panic, the Princess immediately teleported to her sister’s magic signal with no thoughts or acknowledgement to the 6 ponies behind her, Celestia was desperately fighting the feeling of dread as she saw the outlines of a limp body in the dust. With fear and worry as fuel, she quickly used her magic to push the dust cloud around her away and the coughs of others behind her didn't even register to the Monarch's ears. Those don’t matter, not in the current position

“LUNA!” screamed the usually calm princess in a total break of character and now with worry and fear evident in her movement and voice. She moved closer to the body only for her hoof to freeze mid-step as her eyes registered what she saw. Though all thoughts went to the side as she heard a voice that was as much of a relief as it was a painful stab in the heart

“T-Tia?” called out a weak, scared and breathless voice. Hearing it alone brought tears and for the second time today, Celestia cried at seeing her sister again. Only this time, it was HER her.

Before the other ponies knew it, their kind and benevolent ruler was hugging a young mare with a dark blue coat that had what can be described as tendrils of black over what can be seen of her body and coat, as the rest was being covered by the crying princess who was bawling her eyes out.

2: Darkness falls

Twilight's P.O.V

Twilight was staring at the scene happening in front of her with mixed emotions. She was happy and relieved from defeating Nightmare Moon with her friends, a feat that would have made even Celestia extremely proud …..yet that was immediately followed by Celestia teleporting into the chamber with fear and worry and that terrified the young mare. What could have made Celestia the literal example of PERFECTION so afraid and worried? And then after clearing the dust she went and hugged some mare that emerged from the dust while crying!

Twilight could not even begin to understand what would cause Celestia to cry like this. To react like this, it just felt so….unreal, so wrong. it felt more like a dream- no no, it felt like a nightmare. Twilight couldn't help but feel pain and hurt in her chest as she saw her mentor and what is basically her second mother cry like this.

She quickly looked around to see the reactions of her new friends, unlike her, they don't have the same emotional attachment to the sun princess and so they were more confused and shocked rather than the Primal fear and pain that she felt. She was oddly grateful for that. She did not know if it was out of a selfish reason or because she didn't want to see her friends also hurt…she didn't exactly know but she was grateful nonetheless.

“P-Princess? Are you okay? W-Who is that?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Twilight felt regret for speaking. She did not gain the attention of the still-crying and shaking princess, instead she got the attention from her.

Twilight froze as she made eye contact with the black and dark blue mare. Nightmare Moon, or Luna (a name that she is sure she heard before but can't remember where or when at the moment) as Celestia called her, was absolutely terrified.

To be fair, Twilight herself was also afraid of that Luna and felt a sort of resentment towards her. Her resentment came from the fact that this pony showed up out of Nightmare Moon after her defeat and the first thing she caused was Twilight seeing her mentor so weak, vulnerable and afraid for the first time in her life. Princess Celestia held her like she was going to disappear at any second!

Her fear however… Twilight had no explanation for that. She didn't know if it was because of the calming Hum that she started feeling when Luna appeared, forcing her nerves to feel things that contradicted with her mind’s wakefulness and unrest. Or if it was because of her effect on Celestia, or if it was that unnatural feel that came from her. Princess Celestia’s presence is always calm and inviting, a true ease of the heart but this Luna? Just looking at her made Twilight feel like she was an inferior, as if she was staring at a sole presence in a sea of nothing, as if she was a speck of dust in a desert staring at a raging tsunami. It all felt so odd and surreal that it left the unicorn wishing she was still fighting Nightmare Moon! Honestly, even the reasons and feelings she got from the mare were contradictory in nature.

And then….there was the look in her eyes. She did not know why but the look in her eye…it was a window that displayed the Primal fear and terror that the mare was feeling. Twilight felt it herself getting lost in it for a moment, she felt overwhelmed and separated from the world around her. It was only for a second but it was more than enough to disturb Twilight…but it also made her wonder, what was this pony afraid of? Only option is Celestia but that made no sense!

Unfortunately, before Twilight could ask any more questions or tell the princess to stop because she was scaring the unicorn (as ridiculous as that notion was), she suddenly felt lightheaded and lost sense of the world around her once again. Her legs grew weaker and so did her magic and the power she felt from the elements of harmony. Something somehow touched the magic of friendship…she could feel it but it only took part of the magic's power. The warm and calming feeling of friendship didn't change, it's just the power of her magic that felt weaker, and with a quick worried glance to her sides, Twilight deduced that her new friends also felt it.

As soon as Twilight was able to focus back on the princess and the mare. She saw that her horn was glowing, and before she could warn the princess, the dark-coated mare disappeared in a white flash of light leaving everyone dumbfounded (and slightly dizzy with the exception of Celestia) and leading to the Princess falling into a panic….which didn't help at all with the current mood

“No, no, no! Where did she go? How did she go? She's too weak to be on her own!” She heard the princess talk to herself as if she was a mother looking for her foal while trying to focus and find the mare's magic signal if Twilight's guess was correct. Fearing that the princess would disappear without explaining anything or possibly do something rash in her panic, Twilight decided that now was the best time to gain the princess's attention and hopefully get her to calm down a bit… also she really wanted an explanation for what was happening.

“PRINCESS!” Twilight yelled to get her mentor's attention, and much to the lavender pony's delight (and slight terror as realized what she did) it worked. “Yes, Twilight? As you can see I'm kind of busy at the moment,” she said in a tone that can be easily misinterpreted as dismissive (she refuses to believe that it is) as she turned her head and looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow

“Princess just what is happening? Who is that mare? Did you feel the magic getting weaker? Why is she terrified of you? Or at least I assume that to be the case. I'm so sorry if it's not and please don't toss me into the dungeons! Also What happened to Nightmare Moon? Is she Nightmare Moon?” The lavender unicorn wanted answers as soon as possible, her curiosity and worry did tend to cloud her vision and judgment, she even missed the hurt look on Celestia’s face in the moment that it appeared.

“Yeah! Just who is she and where did she go?” she heard Rainbow Dash's voice say. Twilight almost forgot that her friends were also here with her and wanted to Facehoof because of that. Before anyone else could ask any questions though, a voice spoke up above the rest, not too loud, just the right amount of volume needed at the moment

“Sorry princess but what Ah believe mah friends and Ah want to say is that we want an explanation,” said Applejack "We're plum confused 'bout all this hullabaloo is all. If you don't mind, that is.” ‘Faust bless that mare’ is all that went through Twilight's brain as Applejack more or less became the voice of reason or the equivalent of it in this situation.

She watched as the princess smiled apologetically at them and started speaking in a tired tone that made Twilight feel like a horrible monster for pressing any matter onto the tired mare. “I apologize my little ponies, I'm just busy at the moment. I'll explain it all afterwards.”

“Princess please explain it to us, we want to help you! Right?” Twilight's gut wrenched in guilt for pressing the matter more but convinced herself that it was too important for guilt to stop her, she also turned to her friends with hope that they agreed with her, and much to her relief they did. It made her heart warm up as she saw all of them nod with smiles on their faces…except Rainbow and Pinkie. Those two just screamed “Yeah!” instead of being calm as the situation called for.

She watched as Celestia’s smile turned into a happy/proud one as she stared at Twilight and her new friends. Twilight couldn't help but feel giddy happiness inside. Unfortunately though it did not last long as the princess’s attention returned to the matter at hoof. “I suppose that this is the least I can do for you, my little ponies. You all heard of the tale of the mare on the moon, right? Well, there is more to it than you know. This is what actually happened….”

Luna's P.O.V

Luna appeared with a flash in front of the nearest lake that she could sense and she hurried and almost fell and hit the ground as her hoof tripped on some root of a nearby tree. She groaned before walking again and looking to see her reflection on the lake. With each step, she felt dread rise within her. It was quiet…too quiet in her head. She can not hear her voice. It felt wrong, she felt light, she was smaller, and it was quiet inside. It's not supposed to be quiet, not when she was there, why was she in control!?? Why is she alone?! What did the elements do!?

That and a million more questions rose in her head before she saw her reflection on the lake, the moon princess became as stiff as a corpse and her eyes shrunk into pinpoints as she stared at her reflection…she was her old self, a bit younger than usual and her coat was….different, but she was still her old self, her old teenager and pathetic self… and she did not like that one bit.

The moon princess started shaking and hyperventilating and then sobs escaped and soon the sobs turned into crying. She was not thinking, she did not want to think, not when it is empty within….damn her sister for not fighting, damn HER for being merciful and allowing those ponies to get the elements, damn their arrogance and pride for not letting them escape. Now she is alone again, she can not be alone…not again, not now not ever. She has to fix this. She has to get rid of the quiet, she has to get HER back somehow, but how? She cannot feel her mind within….oh Faust she could not feel her mind within! Oh Faust, Oh Faust, OH FAUST! Just where was she? She can't be gone. Luna refused to even consider that idea!

Then She looked up to try and see the moon in hopes of finding the image of a mare on it… and yet, her silver treasure and prison for the last 1000 years was a clean slate of silver that was as clean as can be….she couldn't help but loathe it at the moment, she felt her rage rise and hatred sorrow almost hit like a flood. She extended her will to it with as much restraint as she could without ordering it to break, and then she felt the moon, felt it gleam with joy as their connection returned, a feeling that was all but mutual at the moment. The moon was happy for the return of its master and representative on Equis, but soon that happiness turned into confusion and hurt as she forced it to go down with hatred seeping into her magic as she bellowed out her command. She does not want to see this monstrosity now or anytime soon! Yet as ever faithful as it was, the moon obeyed without any resistance, seemingly feeling the sorrow and emotions that affected its master.

“Oh great, I'm throwing temper tantrums like a filly now! How bad can this get?” for a moment she was thankful that she was actually alone at this moment…well not really thankful. It sucked to be alone, she doesn't want to be alone. Why did the elements have to take away her only solace and source of happiness for the past millennia? And most importantly, how will she get her back? With no answers and no one to ask and share her thoughts to, Luna was forced to dwell on her thoughts.

Slowly the realization of her loneliness started sinking in and without even her own symbol in the sky to keep her company thanks to her tantrum, the Alicorn mare couldn't help but chuckle to herself as her home was gone from sight and the night lost its faint, and calm illumination. Now with only the stars to look at from the darkness and the only thing to look at in the sky and keep herself distracted, she couldn't help but let out a small yet somber smile as stared at the darkness. The ponies of this land have shunned her moon and their night for the longest time, if she was not here to enjoy the moon with her then she will give them what they deserved. Loneliness and fear, confusion and darkness, the silver hope and ease provided by the gentle moon gone. A truly dark night. It is what the ponies of this world hoped for and it is what they deserve. They deserve to feel the despair and fear that she was feeling right now.

She knew her actions are petty and uncalled for, especially now with night and day muddled and tracking time becoming that much harder without the moon as a tell tale sign, but it wasn't for petty reasons that she did this. She could not stand the sight of the moon at the moment. It was painful to look at her lovely moon, not without her companion….not on her lonesome again. No… No, No, NO, NO. With ample time to dwell on her circumstances, She let out a sigh (a thing that she started doing a lot since her return, but can you blame a mare for missing air and wanting to feel it move through her body again?) and tried to wrap her head around what happened.

Okay, so they returned to the earth and found a pathetic Celestia who seemed to accept that Luna and Nightmare are actually the same person (or so she assumes, even then Celestia is only half correct). That Celestia was too weak to fight and so they wanted to get her ire by causing a ruckus somewhere else. Some ponies went to the forest after her introduction and in her curiosity she followed them. They went to the old castle where she and her sister used to live…and then it was too late for her as she was stupid enough to allow them to use the elements…

She does not want to think about this anymore. She relaxed her muscles as much as she could and sighed before eyeing her surroundings in the new darkness that enveloped it. She needed to move, who knows when Celestia would raise the moon again or maybe even the sun to bring forth light. She doesn't want to be in the open when that happens so she decided that it was time to leave.

With a groan of frustration, she finally stood up with shaky hooves and wobbly legs and tried to get used to the new length of her limbs so she could move normally again without the risk of tripping with each step. After getting the hang of it, she started heading towards the forest again. 15 minutes or so of complete silence passed before she heard a couple of loud and croaky howls. She couldn't help but lick her lips, maybe she could get a meal out of this? She shook her head before she continued walking and thinking. Trying to hold back whatever excitement she had for a fight.

…..who was she kidding? She was only looking for distractions at the moment. She knew that and was so angry because of it….why did they have to take her? She did not need fixing! The elements could have just killed her and got this over with! Why did those stupid gems like to torture her so much? Why could they not just turn her to stone like what they did with Discord or just kill her or banish her again and get this over with! Ugh, at least they didn't do their job right anyway. She doesn't feel consciousness but feels a bit of the nature and power left of her inner counterpart ... .which honestly hurt that much more so her previous statement was in a place of doubt now. Would she be ok? Will she come back? Nonsense, of course she will! Why wouldn’t she? Right?

With her temper and worry rising again and no important sound other than her own thoughts, she stopped paying attention to the area around her and did not hear the 2 tree-like creatures with glowing eyes jumping from tree to tree. She only stopped when she felt their magic essence rising and then she waited for them to show themselves.

“No doubt animals are in a panic now. Beasts will also run amuck. Ponies might have magic and lamps to have light but the animals have nothing of the sort….dealing with them should keep me busy at least.” She thought with somber amusement while giving in to the idea of a distraction despite her previous protest. Her eyes moved to the location of the magic signals she was sensing.

After what felt like forever the princess decided that she had waited for long enough, she sent a weak (by her standards at least) yet focused magic blast near one of the Timberwolves and smiled as it tumbled and fell out of surprise. She quickly turned behind for the other Timberwolf before he attacked, her horn glowed and so did the new dark lines on her coat, casting a slight violet glow that would have otherwise gone unnoticed if they were not in complete darkness. The Timberwolf hesitated and stopped so it could growl at her and the glow she emitted. She knew it was considering using her as a tool of sorts or mayhaps as a chew toy at the moment yet she was not afraid.

She simply took a step closer to it and watched it back away slowly as if surprised by her actions. It’s an animal, it’ll respond in animalistic ways. Just challenge their nature and they’ll panic because their instincts aren’t used to being challenged by something smaller than them. She felt its body tense and heard the low growl it made as a warning to the other timberwolf once it got its bearings. Luna did not care though and returned to work. Finally putting her mind into it, she focused on siphoning the magic out of it. It's not an ability that Luna likes to use a lot, she doesn't usually lack the magic or face a threat powerful enough to justify using it (plus it felt wrong to use it at times) but she lacked magic and needed an outlet for her frustrations and those wolves just happened to be her outlets.

It was only a matter of seconds before almost all the magic was drained from both beasts. She felt their bodies slowly deconstruct and revert back into logs and vines as the magic that kept them alive and formed their body was being drained out of them. Luna is not going to lie to herself and she fully admits of knowing how horrible what she is doing is. But it didn't really matter for the princess right now, she just stopped when she felt like she had enough. The wolves were already just piles of timber at this point. She did feel enough sympathy for the wolves to keep just the tiniest bits of magic so they might be able to reform one day though.

Although she couldn't help but smile at her accomplishment. She felt refreshed and slightly energized…and the feeling of being the one in power again did feel great if she was honest to herself “At least I can still do that ...now, where to go and hide? It will be only a matter of time before Celestia finds me.'' She almost spat when saying her sister’s and consequently felt a bit of sadness when she realized that. It was a bit sad. How she can not say her sister’s name without the rage and contempt that she was feeling at the moment seeping through. It didn't feel right to hate her sister like that when she tried to accept her. Although she is still enraged at her inaction and banishing her and all. Who would banish their flesh and blood? And then just after that turned into a pathetic mess. ThE GrEaT SuN PrInCeSs. What a joke.

Still, she couldn't believe that Celestia of all people would give up on fighting and decided to accept Nightmare as Luna (still only half correct but it meant a lot to the younger Alicorn). It felt comforting yet also sad because it was obvious that her sister was guilt-ridden. She will not forgive her though, not yet. Accepting her and feeling guilty does nothing to what she did and fixes nothing. Still a nice thing to know though. Less of a kick to the hide.

After walking around for 5 more minutes or so (again it was hard to keep track of time without any Celestial object in the sky) she saw that the sun was starting to rise, she then immediately cursed under her breath for wasting so much time getting distracted, in her desperation (and slight panic) she found the best decision is that any place would work regardless of quality. She Decided to hide inside one of the many caves that filled the area. She just hoped she did not have to fight anything inside which fortunately, she didn't. After going into the deeper parts of the cave with no trouble, she found a comfortable enough spot to lay down on and rest. Exhaustion was finally catching up with the princess and before long, the Princess of Night fell into deep slumber on the spot before even casting any spell to hide herself or for protection. Hm.

Twilight's P.O.V

Twilight and the others waited for the sun to rise so they could start their search, Celestia almost had a heart attack when they walked out of the castle to find a night without a moon and in turn Twilight herself almost had a heart attack because of her mentor almost having one.

It was stressful if she was being honest. They needed a moment to prevent Celestia from going Catatonic out of shock and after that she looked like she was about to have a heart attack while Twilight looked like she was dealing with both while also becoming so pale that she was as white as Rarity and Celestia.

After that whole… ordeal or so to say, they decided that splitting up was the best idea, sure the forest was dangerous but that was the only way to cover as much ground as possible, and Celestia casted a minor protection spell on all of them and even if it broke she would know and teleport to help.

Then they all set out to search and Twilight couldn't help but think about her mentor. Before this, she was thinking about staying in Ponyville with her new friends but she wasn't so sure now. Sure the princess would be busy with her sister when they found her eventually, but it won't be fair to have the princess deal with that alone, especially with all the apparent stress that she was having at the moment. There was also the fact that she could learn so much from the other princess as well and Twilight was a sucker for knowledge.

Who knew what a pony like the new princess might know? What stories or knowledge about the night she could tell or even tell her what it was like to look at the planet from the moon! She surely could see everything all on her own! With nopony to bother her… or keep her company or having anyone to talk to… OOOHH. Twilight hastily made a mental note to NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES mention her exile on the moon. Honestly she was feeling horrible for thinking about that or even about resenting the princess earlier (okay she was not fully over that but she likes to think that she is)

It was already noticeable enough that the dark blue Alicorn was afraid and she would definitely have a hard time dealing with the modern world. Having her think back upon her times of exile will not do the princess any favors and frankly Twilight didn't want to be the reason for the Moon Princess to have a mental breakdown.

Twilight sighed as she continued walking around and looking for any noticeable magical presence nearby. During her walk, she came upon a tumble of woods and vines with some residue of magic on them. It was odd…of course, this was the everfree forest but still, it made no sense for logs and vines piled together to have magic remnants of their own. Did something put them there? Possibly a nesting technique for a creature in the woods. Yes yes, that makes sense. Twilight did not notice the small hole that burned through a couple of the trees above.

Twilight made another mental note to ask either princess about this later (that is if she gets on speaking terms with Luna or a chance to talk to Celestia afterwards) as she continued her search for the lunar princess.

After 40 minutes of walking around almost aimlessly, Twilight suddenly broke into a gallop as soon as she felt a strong magical signal, the young unicorn didn't think much or even consider that it might be a danger and instead went with the blind hope of it being the princess.

Soon she came to a halt as she neared a cave system and recast the spell to confirm her suspicion. She gulped as she felt the results and felt a great amount of magic from within the caves, it was nothing compared to Celestia’s own magic but it was still well above what an elite unicorn would have and that's without mentioning that the princess barely rested since her ‘cleansing’ by the elements….now that she's thinking about it, she felt kinda stupid for thinking that the princess was a unicorn but hey, she was not able to see her wings with Celestia hugging her like she was in the castle so she's not to blame for that! Just a slight miss in observation.

After taking a deep breath to think of what to do, Twilight decided that it was best if she ventured alone. After all, Luna was apparently afraid of Celestia (as ridiculous as that is) and coming with her friends will surely not be the best idea after earlier today..or was it yesterday now? Eh it doesn't matter. Find the princess, make sure she’s ok, coax her back, and reunite the sisters! Easy as rereading her favorite book.

After pacing around and gathering her courage the young lavender unicorn puffed out her chest as an act of reassurance before heading inside the caves. It being a cave of course meant that it wasn't easy to see, nothing that a light spell couldn't fix but it still made her that much more noticeable to whatever laid within. With a final prayer to Faust, Twilight hoped for the best and ventured deeper into the caves as she looked for the missing princess.

3: A close call and a deal

Author's Note

Apologies for the late chapter, hope the size compensates for the wait!

3: A close call and a deal

Celestia’s P.O.V

Celestia was not in the most clear state of mind at the moment. She was fighting too many emotions as well as the panic for her sister’s sake. She cannot, and will not falter in her mission to find her sister. She herself would not allow it.

She can still hardly believe that her Lulu was back. Oh if she wasn't afraid for her sister she would have been jumping around like a filly out of joy. It was a dream come true, finally, she could make amends for her mistakes, and finally, she could see her sister smile and laugh again! They can be happy again! It just felt so good to know that she was not alone anymore. Neither she nor her sister will be alone again. Such a curse loneliness was, but they will finally have each other and be together forevermore, as it was intended by the world. As it always will be.

Well, that is when she finds her sister. She did not expect Luna to have enough magic to teleport away after being blasted by a fully charged harmony blast. She did not blame her sister for teleporting away though, oh poor Luna must have been so confused to see everything be the same after the blast of harmony. Her poor sister must have thought she was going to be banished to the moon again. Okay, to be fair, even Celestia thought that to be the case, although she was ready to go for drastic measures to ensure that her sister would not be alone this time. No matter the consequences.

It always ate away at Celestia knowing that she had imprisoned her sister in the manner that she did, she wished that she was not afraid, she wished that she wasn't so scared that she didn't just command the elements to ‘get this thing away from everyone!’. She wished she could say that she was young then, but that was another excuse she would give herself to make the guilt soften.

For the longest time, the sun princess tried to convince herself that she banished this ‘Nightmare Moon’ and not her sister. But it was all for nought, Nightmare was her sister, there was no denying that. She still had her cutie mark, her passion, her love for the night, and as she saw her first hoof today, her compassion and honour. ‘Never fight a defeated foe’ was practically her mantra for a while.

Celestia secluded herself away from the world after that realization, which didn't take long, really, all it took was a quick visit to her sister’s old room and after a bit of exploring, she found all the reasons and the desperate ways used to deal with them. She kept herself in the castle for the first 400 years after that. She almost became a legend if it wasn't for the Sun celebration. It was the only time of the year that the public saw her for centuries, and even then it was almost filled with regret. She celebrated her sister’s banishment of all things! Cruel is what she thought of it as, even barbaric, but she had to make that celebration to please the public and ease their worries! Of course, she also kept no records of her sister as both Nightmare Moon or Luna so no one would question why she was gone or worse, ask if her being gone was the reason for the celebration to exist in the first place.

While it is technically true, she still didn't want others to spread heinous stories about her sister and she had to calm the populace after the sun returned for the first time in a week. With things possibly going out of hoof she had to come up with something for when her sister’s plan ended. So a celebration came to be, a celebration that ponies loved across the globe…and one she dreaded and hated more than anything else.

How could she not hate it? It was a reminder of her failures as a sister and as a friend to Luna, she failed her sister and then banished her to the moon! In all honesty, it did feel good to be thrown away by Luna earlier today. She deserved to be hurt like that for keeping that celebration going after the first decade or so. It was her punishment, and she was fairly sure there was more to come.

Oh, buck she was getting distracted by her thoughts about the past again! focus Celestia focus! You have a Lulu to find for Faust's sake! she thought as she flapped her wings harder to boost her speed, she was never as fast as Luna considering their origins and expertise, but she was still faster than most Pegasi out there.

Staring at the vast expanse of the Everfree forest below her, she found out that she was glad that she accepted the help of her student and her little friends. She just hoped that she was the one to find Luna first. After all, they had nothing to do with this, and Luna might view them as enemies as they were the ponies that defeated her. Of course, she was as big of an enemy as them if not bigger but unlike them, she could handle the other alicorn’s offence and aggressiveness (in all honesty she felt like she deserved to be attacked some more).

She knew accepting their help was risky but they were more or less beacons that would summon her before they got seriously hurt. She was proud of her student for finding such good and kind friends in a single day. Sure it was meant to be considering the plan but she didn't expect them to face her sister so early. She meant to meet her student and tell her of a plan after awakening the elements of harmony, it didn't occur to her that her sister would go to Ponyville out of all places in the kingdom. But even then she was still proud of her student. Twilight has been her second attempt at taking a student ... or well they were more of what can be called companions rather than students. Sure she taught them but they were suggested for company that made her calm, happy, and ‘lively’, whatever that meant.

During her time without her sister, the loneliness just got too much and as much as she enjoyed staying alone and hiding from the population that hurt her sister so much (it was the only one of the 2 causes that she could get away from after all), she still desired an actual and honest regular social interaction. Now admittedly her first attempt went poorly, unfortunate events made by mistake that were both done by her ‘student’ and herself.

Well, Celestia likes to think that she learned from those mistakes and also learned that cake is a fabulous snack to eat to drown your sorrows. The sugar intake did wonders that ice cream couldn't even dream of achieving.
It really was a miracle food and she regretted not hiring that wondrous grey mare that made those oh so wondrous Strawberry jam and cream cakes!

…aaaaand she was doing it again wasn't she? Ugh, why can't she focus like usual? What's so hard about finding and talking to your little sister? Before now this was all that she could think about! The little sister that she wronged and dearly missed. She has to and will fix this, she will get their relationship to be better than before and she will find Lunariana ‘Selena’ Hurricane even if it's the last thing she'll ever do in this life!

Twilight's P.O.V

To put it simply… Twilight regretted a lot of actions in her life. She regretted not solving the problem of language barriers, she regretted not learning how to bake butterscotch cookies, but most of all, she regretted venturing into a dark cave in the middle of a magical forest alone while also searching for a magical princess that controlled the moon! The moon of all things! Couldn't she have been the princess of flowers instead of the old symbol of all things magic? Oh, wait…that probably had a reason. She should note that down later.

Now that she thought about it, this princess was probably there when the moon was considered the symbol of magic…most of all she controlled it. Now Twilight was hit with the terrifying thought that Princess Luna might be the very reason why the moon is the old symbol of magic. It made sense for it to change when she was gone but oh boy does her cutie mark feel odd to her now. Was it even magic? Or did Luna change the symbol of magic during her reign and go back to what it was before when she was gone?

Agh! She was getting off-topic! She had to get rid of this habit sooner or later. Seriously, it caused her so many troubles that are much worse than it's worth.

She groaned before she shook her head and refocused on her search. The cave ceiling wasn't that high so it's most likely not a home of a very big creature…and even if it was, the Princess probably took care of it. You know, unless it's not the princess that's waiting for her inside, which will be a really unideal situation or so to speak. Many things were unideal now that she thought about it.

Shaking her head to focus again she continued walking further into the cave, she cast a quick spell to muffle her hoof steps so she was least likely to get noticed…well if you ignored the horn light that is.

Still, even then she was nervous and her approach was slow, she didn't know how long she walked and how many dead ends she reached in the cave and didn't bother to count, she memorized the paths that she took so she was not afraid of getting lost, what she was afraid of is not finding the princess here…okay she might also be afraid to find the princess as well. Who can blame her?

Nonetheless, she eventually reached a dead end with a body silhouette near it. Holding her breath, Twilight approached the figure as slowly as she could and hoped to not lose focus and trip. As she approached she saw toned and slim hooves and legs in front of her and with a small push of extra magic she increased the light from a safe distance so she could get an actual look at the princess.

Twilight didn't know what to expect but the princess was….exotic to say the least. Her body was smaller than Celestia's (that one is obvious), and her coat was mainly dark blue but there were these..weird yet beautiful sets of black lines that spanned across her body, from her barrel to her neck, even her wings had them. After taking a step to get a closer look she noticed the details. It also became apparent that her lines extended from some black splotch on her flank where the moon cutie mark was.

Leaving that to return to later she focused on the princess's face and horn, by all means, it was very impressive. Of course, it was not as tall as Celestia’s horn so the precision was not going to be the same but it was definitely denser and thicker, it was obvious that her spells, even the weaker ones, would be extremely powerful.- It explains why her magic was returning at such a rapid pace. Her body uses more magic and makes even the simplest spell that much more intricate and so her body compensates by generating magic insanely fast! That has to be it!

Her mane and tail on the other hand, it was as if she was staring at a reflection of the night sky, from its flow and colour to the subtle silver shine near the edges to indicate what she can only assume to be the moon. It brought into question the nature of Celestia’s own mane but that is for later.

Going back to the topic of the wings, they were certainly bigger than that of the average pegasi and the muscles in them were strangely showing. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The lines on her wings spanned across it whole, it spread and branched like a tree between and on every feather and pinion. It almost looked like a set of veins or as if a forest was drawn on her wings. Looking past them she saw that the lines continued over her back and went down to her legs and hooves. They went down in a spiral manner that ended touching one side of her slightly larger hooves. Then there was the front section which wrapped around her neck as if it was a necklace of sorts, that part was the only section that made her wonder if this was natural or not.

It was…well unique is one way to put it, but yet it also feels off as if it's incomplete. She couldn't help but feel like something was missing but yet she was also sure the lines shouldn't exist. The abstract displays of the princess of old or even the images in the stories book bore no mention of such lines or markings on the Lunar Monarch's body.

In her wonder, Twilight failed to notice the pair of turquoise eyes staring at her. A pair of narrow confused and enraged eyes. It's safe to say that Twilight didn't even get time to react before she found herself tackled and before she could even try to cast a spell, she felt Luna's horn jam into hers and send a small surge. Whatever that was, it was obviously not a good thing as the light spell had faded away and she couldn't get her horn to channel her magic anymore. Oddly enough though it did not hurt, not that she was paying enough attention to notice that. Not yet at least.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” Twilight heard the princess say but she was too shocked for the words to actually register, let alone respond to them. She was shaking and the pony on top of her was snarling with anger. It's safe to say that Twilight was never more afraid of her, she was stripped of her magic, the Princess can probably kill her in one spell despite the protection spell and Celestia will have to— wait! The princess!

Suddenly finding her courage she opened her mouth to speak while hoping that her voice won't betray her more than the rest of her body. “Princess wait! If you attack me you'll break the protection spell and Princess Celestia will be here!” The words had the desired effects as she saw the body above her stiffen. Soon enough the princess lifted her head and took 2 steps back, she was still on top of Twilight yet not as much as before.

“You didn't answer my questions, and do you think I'm afraid of her for that to be a warning of sorts?” She asked with irritation and slight confusion, which in turn confused Twilight. Wasn't she afraid of the princess when she first showed up?

“Um….yes? I mean…you did sorta of kinda panic when Princess Celestia showed up earlier” Her response immediately earned Twilight a glare. Well apparently she said the wrong thing “or totally not! I could be entirely mistaken, it would obviously make more sense if you weren't afraid of her but it was the only explanation at the time-” that caused the glare to intensify “or I can just ask you what caused you to panic of course!.... Please don't turn me to dust and spread me across the night sky as an example for ponies or lock me up in the dungeons..”

The princess just stared at Twilight for a second with confusion in her eyes, she then raised an eyebrow as she stared at Twilight as if she was trying to judge if she was serious or not. The princess eventually came to her conclusion and took another step back.

Twilight got up and it was her turn to be confused about why the Princess let go of her. Why would she do such a thing? Sure she couldn't use her magic and probably couldn't outrun- oh it all makes sense now. Twilight realized that she was simply not a threat at all to the night princess. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

“Why would it make sense to fear my sister when she was obviously panicking? I might not have registered what she had said at the time but it was clear that she was not in an ideal state to do anything but panic.” Luna said as if she was stating the obvious, and now that Twilight thought about it…well she indeed was saying the obvious.

“B-But Why were you panicking then?? I saw the look in your eyes, and it was pure Primal fear! If not Princess Celestia then…then what was it that scared you?” Fear and nervousness were coming back full throttle towards the young unicorn. She did not know if she wanted the answers to her questions, just what could have made Princess Luna so…so scared. That was the most fear that Twilight had seen in anyone's eyes before, and now it is scaring her even more because there had to be something ELSE that scared the princess like that.

“WE-” The princess suddenly stopped her outrage as soon as it began, Twilight blinked as she didn't have time to do anything but flinch at the volume. Before Twilight could inquire about why she stopped or why she used the term ‘we’, she was interrupted by the princess who decided to continue talking, though it was different. Her tone was hurt and sad this time as she spoke.

“I was not panicking, I was simply shocked….yes shocked, after ... after you used….You..You…YOU” Twilight stiffened at the growl-like tone, but before she could even react. The princess already tackled her again and pressed her against the wall with rage, hate, and…wait was that sadness? The princess was CRYING Now????

“YOU, YOU ARE THE ONE THAT GATHERED THE ELEMENTS, YOU ARE THE ONE THAT ACTIVATED THEM, AND YOU ARE THE FOOL THAT KILLED HER” Princess Luna screamed with magic boosting her voice, it did not help at all that they were in a cave with a lot of Echo, nor did it help that the voice sent enough vibrations through the walls of the cave that she made the whole cave start to shake.

None of that caught Twilight's attention, it was the hate and rage in the Princess's voice that caught her attention, it was what she said that caught her attention, it was the last part that shook Twilight to her core. “K-k-killed?” Twilight spoke with a whimper. She…she couldn't have killed anyone, could she? All She and her Friends did was destroy Nightmare Moon and free Luna. Suddenly it clicked in Twilight's head, though she still did not understand the reason.

“Nightmare Moon?!” Twilight almost yelled herself at the piece of information. She didn't have much time to think about it though. “Don't you DARE say her name you piece of filth!” The princess's voice was less angry than before but the biting hatred was still there…and so was the princess's sorrow. Why was she sad, Twilight could not know. It made no sense!

With fear forgotten as her need to rationalize took over, she talked back and asked questions that while sensible, it was not the time for them. “But why would you not be happy? S-She’s not even a person! She's just your negative emotions taken form!” upon further thought, she really should have closed her mouth.

“What?! How dare you! What fool has told you that? She's not my negative emotions, she's everything to me! And YOU, alongside the other elements have killed her!” The princess was all but shaking with anger now. She pressed her hoof against Twilight's neck and the unicorn was almost crying now, it wasn't hard to breathe or anything thanks to the protection spell. No, what made her almost cry was the anger and sorrow that the princess was showing, did Nightmare Moon mean that much to the princess? And…and then they just went and destroyed her?

Now that she thought about it, Nightmare Moon and Luna were alone together for 1000 years. They had no one but each other for all that time, and it made sense for her to care. If what Celestia said is true then Nightmare is… well was part of Luna’s emotions for a long time, so it only made sense that she must have found the capacity to care about Luna and vice versa during their banishment. Oh Faust what have they done?

With the realization setting in, Twilight did actually cry. She felt horrible for what she did. She felt like she was the monster if anything, despite the nature of what happened. If what she did was good then it certainly did not feel like it. How could she when she killed someone? As bad as they were, they were still cared for deeply by someone, and she killed her just like that. This was the Princess's only friend! Only companion for 1000 years of Isolation while the world moved on without them, she was part of the Alicorn in front of her for Faust's Sake! Just thinking about what she and her new friends did made her feel sick.

Finally, after sorting her thoughts, Twilight gave up and relaxed her body, letting her fate be in the hooves of the Alicorn princess. Whatever it may be, it will be deserved. She just hoped it wasn't painful. Though before whatever judgment the princess made would be cast on her, she gave a final barely audible whisper.

“I'm sorry…”

Luna's P.O.V

Luna froze and stared at the crying mare that she was pinning, her ears twitched and flapped a bit as the princess made sure that she heard correctly. Did the mare that led the charge and attack that killed Moon really just apologize while crying?

It… it made no sense yet, here she was. Giving up on survival and simply apologizing for what she has done… Why did this runt have to make this hard? She sounded so honest in her apology that it was hard to even tell herself that she was lying. This could’ve been so much simpler if Moon took—… stop that, Luna, not now.

She let go of the mare before taking a step back and sighing. She had to get more information from this unicorn after she got her to stop crying of course.

She snarled as she let go of Twilight and immediately wrapped her up and grabbed her with her ethereal tail. The mare looked confused with tears still flowing from her eyes. A quick glare was all that Luna gave her before she gathered herself and started to hold back the sobbing, it didn't stop but it was certainly a start.

“We have much to talk about. You knew about us and the elements, and unfortunately, we lack knowledge about the world due to my lovely sister’s Judgment. Now, tell me what happened to Celestia during the past millennium.”

She saw the confused look on the mare's face…actually now that she thought about it, she should ask the mare for her name. It will be awkward to call her unicorn or mare over and over. “Before that do tell us- do tell me your name.”

Luna couldn't help but roll her eyes as she saw the dumbfounded look on the unicorn's face but at least she was distracted enough that she wasn't crying anymore.

“T-Twilight, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It's an honour to um….meet you, your Majesty.” Luna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the title used but didn't waste time inquiring about it she didn't have any time to inquire about anything at all as the unic- as Twilight Sparkle talked again. “Well..as far as I know, nothing happened to the Princess…well except the state of panic that she's in, I've known the princess for almost all my life but this is the first time I've seen her so…so worried, I've seen her worried about ponies or whatever happens at court before but never this much… princess you ne-”

“You don't tell me what I need to do Twilight Sparkle, you tell me what I tell you to tell me, got it?” Luna unintentionally slipped into the Royal Canterlot Voice which pressed Twilight harder against the wall. Just how long was her tail to go that far? However, it still seemed like she didn't give up.

“Princess Luna, please! Like I said I-I have known Celestia for almost all my life but it's still relatively nothing compared to her entire life, all I can tell you is that as far as I know nothing happened to her but she's worried beyond anything I've seen, and she's worried for you. You've seen how she hugged you and cried, you should have seen her when she saw the night without the moon!” Luna wondered how a simple question of what happened turned into this but she might as well set things clear so she can continue her questioning … although it did feel good to know that Tia- That CELESTIA still worried about her. I suppose some care remained after all.

“Do you really think that I'm just going to her? She banished me to the moon for the past 1000 years and now that we're back she's acting like a broken coward. That's not the sister I knew and even if she was, what would happen if we talked? Apologize to each other and then go back to living together? As if!”

Luna unknowingly started walking around in a circle while stomping angrily and cracking the floor of the cave with each step. She saw the bits of fear that were followed by defiance and hints of anger at her words in Twilight's face but she did not give her the chance to talk, tightening her grip on her to send the message.

“And even if that whimsical scenario happens, what's next? What will happen next? Does it make up for the time I lost?! Does it make up to the pony that I lost?! No! Once ponies learn about me and my return they will only see the monster that you all viewed us to be! They will always look at her image as if she was a monster!”

“I-....I cannot deny any of that, and I can't say that what was gone will be returned, but princess, times have changed, ponies have changed…a-and you're not alone…I-I want to make up for what I've done…I owe you way more than I can pay so please…allow me to help you, allow me and Celestia to help you. She's your sister, she'll understand, she'll help.” Oh my oh my, this one might as well be asking for her teeth to be knocked inwards. She got her motivation of guilt but did she have to involve Celestia every bucking time that she spoke?? It really grates on her nerves.

“Girl, who am I speaking to at the moment? You! I'm speaking to you, and not Celestia. When you talk you talk about yourself and what you'll do. Stop talking about what she will do. I'll be the judge of everything involving her. Got it?” Luna allowed a slight smile to grace her lips at the quirky curt nod that she got from Twilight. “Now, the idea of you helping me is intriguing, and honestly the only option you have other than getting obliterated, but that still ignores the matter of the other 5.”

“NO! Princess please, let them be, I gathered them, I told them what to do and I am one that activated the elements in the first place. It's no fault of theirs, princess. I'm the only one deserving of punishment.” Twilight all but cried out, it was an impressive display of loyalty while also making her job easier but still felt like it wasn't enough

Luna sighed as she sat down to think and considered her options. She can take the path of ‘fixing’ her relationship with her sister but so many things can happen and most of them damage Moon's legacy in one way or the other. The only saving grace out of all of this is that both Celestia and her student are now guilt-ridden. She can use that to her advantage but the thing is, was it worth the risk?

In all seriousness, just what would she get out of fixing her relationship with Celestia? People will still hate her, and most of all they will still hate Nightmare Moon. Sure it will help when their lovable ‘goddess of the sun’ tells them to not hate the Moon but even then, not all will listen. Even she knew that such a scenario would be just wishful thinking and nothing more.

Hmm, it leaves nothing much to do as well, there is a course of action that will bring the most ease towards her but it would be rather…unpleasant and disrespectful to her origins. She'll revise this plan and see if it is indeed the best course of action…who knows? This might as well work. It's certainly better than anything else she came up with till now.

She took a deep breath and sighed again before turning towards the squirming Twilight “Listen here Twilight, I'll leave your friends on one condition,” She paused to see if Twilight would talk and avoid getting rudely interrupted. “A-and what is the condition princess?”

Luna was decently surprised by the eagerness in the lavender unicorn's tone, not enough for it to change her own tone though. “You will become my own personal servant that will attend to me 24/7. You will be given the time needed to do other duties should it be required, but other than that? I cannot risk you getting away from my side for long periods, if you ask why I'll tell you now already. You need everyone for the elements to work, and you are the main link for the other elements and with you by my side, there will be little to no chance for you to use the elements against me.”

She stared at Twilight to see her reaction throughout her whole explanation, first came shock and what seemed like a will to protest but that was soon gone and replaced by a thoughtful expression then a nod of understanding. It was amusing now that she thought about it. She began to see why her sister apparently kept her….and then there would be making her sister agree to this, hopefully it wouldn't be too hard.

“I-I understand, I'm sure the princess would understand as well…thank you,” Luna blinked and her ears twitched to make sure that she was hearing correctly, what was she thanking her for? “Thank you for giving me a chance, and thank you for leaving the others be. Though um…can you let me out of your tail, please? It's quite cold in here.” Twilight said a bit sheepishly before she found herself suddenly plot first into the ground.

Twilight got up and stretched before turning back towards the princess, she wanted to say something but was interrupted by Luna suddenly shoving her horn into Twilight's own at the same spot that she hit before. Luna saw Twilight's eyes widen before she suddenly froze as the feeling of her magic definitely rushed back at her.

Luna then cast a repair spell to fix the chipped parts of her horn left by her attack. She then turned around and motioned for the shell-shocked Twilight to follow her. “Well, since it should be obvious that I settled for a chance of peace, you might as well take me to your friends and my sister. I'm sure that the lot of you agreed to have a meeting point to report after a certain amount of time right?” Luna smiled to herself at the nod she received. “Well then, what are you waiting for? Lead the way.”

Twilight nodded once again and sped up so she could walk in front of the Lunar princess. Luna couldn't help but wonder about what was happening inside her young little mind.

Celestia’s P.O.V

2 hours have passed and just as agreed, the Princess returned to the castle grounds, a smile adorned her face as she saw the other ponies there and unharmed, though that smile soon turned into a slight frown as she saw a lack of a certain lavender pony “Where is Twilight my dears?” Celestia knew her student almost better than anyone else, even Twilight's parents knew her less than she did, so it stood out to her that the most punctual pony that she knew was the one late.

It did not calm her nerves or soothe her worries when the other ponies all gave varying shrugs or words of ignorance, Celestia was getting worried. She knew Twilight was safe and sound due to the protection spell she placed still being active but it was not like her at all to be this late. Maybe she got lost? Yes, maybe that was the case.

In her deep moment of thought she almost missed the rustling of bushes and cracking of sticks. Almost. She jolted and quickly turned her head to look at the source, and what she saw made her jaw drop.

There she was, Twilight slowly walking forward with her head a bit down as if she was deep in thought (which she probably was) and behind her was Lulu walking forwards calmly with a stone face that portrayed zero emotions.

What shocked her the most was how her sister looked. She didn't get a clear look of her sister before in the castle so she didn't notice much of the details except Luna being younger. The lines and broader wings are what caught her attention the most. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to dwell on her thoughts.

Celestia found herself in front of her sister, right there and right now, she was face to face with the person she wronged the most in her immortal life. Staring at her with cold indifference that stung and hurt more than the ice age or the magic downpour of falling meteorites.

Celestia didn't think, Celestia didn't hesitate, she didn't even realize that she wrapped her sister in another hug until she felt her sister slightly and ever so subtly lean in. Before she knew it, Celestia was crying once again.

What's worse is that she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say or what to think. She had 1000 years to plan for this but how was that supposed to matter? Even if she did plan, even if she did have a set course of action, she wouldn't have listened to it, she would have given up to her emotions and let them take control.

After what felt like an eternity (yet it still felt too short) she felt herself getting pushed away by the stone-faced Luna. Oh now did she want to grovel and beg for forgiveness at the moment, how she wanted to abandon all sense of self-respect so she could properly convey how sorry she was, how much she regrets her actions…but she can't. Not only were they not alone, but Celestia knew that whatever respect Luna had for her would fade away if she did do such things, she knew her as the strong leader, not the grovelling mess.

Celestia took a step back and did her best to do some breathing exercises to calm herself before she addressed her sister again. “Welcome back Luna, I'm glad to see you again.” She said with the warmest smile on her face, even then, Celestia sincerely doubted that it conveyed a fraction of the happiness and joy she was feeling.

Luna in turn only raised an eyebrow at Celestia before she spoke “See me again? Have you not seen our Visage every day on the moon every time you beckoned it to rise against its will?” Luna's tone was cold and accusing, there were also hints of irritation and anger in her words but that was to be expected, it is hard to say such a thing without her emotions seeping in. Not that she blamed her, Luna has every right to feel the way that she did, but it still hurts.

“Luna I'm-” Celestia didn't get to finish before she felt a hoof press against her mouth and shut it. “Save it, Celestia. We have more important matters to talk about at the moment. Your feelings and rationalizations can wait for another time. Now before you ask, yes I will be coming back with you to Canterlot. But things will not be the same, I wish for you to send the ponies here home, except Twilight. The less they know the better it is.”

Celestia just stood there stunned for a moment. Her sister was coming back? Just like that? J-just what happened? What did Twilight say or do that caused her sister to agree to return? Oh, she will reward that mare with the strongest hug that she could muster (that is nonlethal of course) after this is done. Nonetheless, she had to return to the matter at hand and she had to question the last 2 parts.

“And why is that Luna? They are the new holders of the elements-” Celestia found herself unable to finish what she was saying for the second time in less than 5 minutes and she was interrupted by the same pony. She couldn't get mad though and just allowed it to happen. “That, dear sister, is precisely why I want them sent away and why it would be better for them. The matter at hand only concerns the 2 of us and Twilight.”

Celestia blinked and she could already hear a set of protests around her from the other bearers of the elements (unfortunately she didn't get a chance to know their names yet). She quickly lifted her right wing up to silence them before she nodded to her sister. “Dear little ponies, please do so and return to your homes. I'm sure your families and other friends are worried sick about you and would prefer to see you again. You'll get news of what will happen soon. Till then you can safely tell everyone that the threat has been dealt with and that I'm safe and sound.”

Celestia only waited for a couple of moments to see if the ponies would leave by themselves but it seemed that they refused. She sighed before turning towards them. “I am sorry for this, my little ponies.” in less than a moment, her horn glowed and a bright golden light enveloped the area and the 5 element holders were gone in an instant and back at Ponyville.

She turned back towards Luna and gave her a slight nod with a small smile, Luna simply nodded back before getting back to business. “On our way here, I asked your student about the nature of the world and recent history, and of course, the topic of myself came into the conversation and imagined my surprise at finding that I was practically erased from history. Now before you go on a tangent and try to explain, I'll have to say that I'm thankful for it. It makes what I have in mind that much easier to accomplish.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her student who was standing at the side nervously and digging her hooves into the ground. She then turned back towards Luna and motioned for her to continue.

“Since the world forgot about it, it can be easily said that after the defeat of the mare on the moon, harmony saw it fit to bring forth a force to represent the moon and the night on earth and fix its tarnished image. Yes, I am proposing that we say that I'm a newly made Alicorn who's here to ‘fix’ the ‘wrongdoings’ of the mare on the moon. It's also more believable since I made the moon disappear and kept the night. It can be said that it was because I was ‘born’ at that moment. It will make my introduction to the public that much easier and should prevent most of the negative theories and conspiracies of the public from forming for what is hopefully enough time for me to adjust.”

Celestia simply smiled and nodded before walking closer to Luna and resting her head on top of her neck. She saw nothing wrong with this plan and as odd as it might be, it still made sense AND also allowed her to be Luna’s older sister once again.

She still had questions though, she stepped away from Luna’s unmoving body and turned to look at Twilight. “May I ask what Twilight has to do with this?” Luna simply nodded before she stared at the young unicorn.

The mare in question shrank from the attention of both princesses and looked around nervously to avoid eye contact from the two of them, very interesting.

“She agreed to become my personal servant and my aid in the modern world as a way to pay back for what she and her friends did,” Luna said simply and plainly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Celestia on the other hoof stared at her sister as if she had grown a second head. “What. What do you mean by that Luna? She's my student and not some servant or whatever it is that you're thinking of! She may help you, yes, but she's not a servant.”

Luna simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow before speaking again. “Don’t worry, she will remain as your student and you'll be free to call her for her studies. I am afraid that the other parts are non-negotiable and she already agreed to them. I am simply stating the state of things to be soon. Now ignoring that matter, do we- do I have your support on this plan sister?”

Celestia simply stared at Luna with a dumbfounded expression, was she being serious? Did Twilight agree to this?! She quickly turned to her student to look and found her, staring at the ground nervously as she continued to avoid her mentor's gaze.

“...I know you said it's non-negotiable but we will talk about this later on Luna,” she said while staring at her sister with a stern and serious face for the first time since her return. She didn't know exactly why but Luna simply rolled her eyes at her this time.

“Whatever the case may be, it will be for another time. I do believe it's about time for you to confront the masses about what happened. Before then we would like to be transported to the castle that we confronted you on when we first returned. I do believe that this is where your new home is, correct?” she gave her sister a quick nod. “You can keep Twilight to calm the nerves of the others but her element will stay with me and you are to transport her to me as soon as possible.” her sister quickly turned towards Twilight once again. “Twilight, be sure to return to my side before the late afternoon. That is if you want me to keep my side of the deal.”

Luna then promptly turned to the silent Celestia and waited for a moment, Celestia was confused for a moment as she forgot what she was supposed to do. She let out a simple “Oh right.” After Luna introduced her hoof to her face. Luna simply gave her a blank expression while holding the element of magic with her own magic. Celestia simply shook her head before attempting to cast the teleport spell. She blinked in confusion and shock as she felt her spell get interrupted, the magic of it taken and then Luna disappearing in her silver glow of magic rather than Celestia's golden colour. The Sun Princess simply shook her head to focus again before addressing the other matter at hoof.

Celestia then turned towards the sheepish-looking Twilight before she rushed in and gave her the promised hug from before. The mare let out an ‘eeep’ at being hugged so tightly but Celestia still kept it going until it was fully out of her system. With a sigh of relief, she let go of her student and stared at her with the happiest smile she could muster before nuzzling the unicorn.

“Twilight my dear, thank you for bringing Luna with you, I sincerely thank you for that, but I must know what you have done to get her to agree. What is this about you becoming her servant? What is this deal?” Celestia couldn't help but worry for Twilight. Sure she took her to be a friend and a person to interact with but with time, Twilight became more of a daughter for the princess and she cannot let her do something that will harm her.

“It's…” Twilight wanted to speak but couldn't get the words out of her. Celestia looked at her student with worry etched into her face before her eyes widened as her student launched herself forwards and hugged the princess as tightly as she could “P-Princess…I've..I've done something truly horrible with Nightmare Moon…I promised to fix it and pay the price for me and the others, she agreed to let them be on the sole condition that I remain by her side for as long as possible.”

Celestia couldn't help but frown as she hugged Twilight back and kept the girl close to her and her warmth “Why would she do that? Your intelligence and nature in magic is something remarkable, yes, but I can hardly see why that will compel her to keep you like that.”

“It's…it's because *sniff* it's because I'm the connection link…the elements wouldn't work without me. S-So she decided to keep me by her side instead of getting rid of all of us for what we did… please allow it, princess..it's the least I can do to her and I'll also be keeping the others safe!”

Celestia froze as she delved into her thoughts again….sure that plan made sense. Magic requires a lot of magic and an understanding of friendship, and the people who hold the elements for them to work…Celestia shook her head and sighed.

This was no time or place for her to go deep into her thoughts. Her student wanted to do this, her student needed her support not some way to get around it. Not yet at least. She sat down and continued to hug the smaller frame of the lavender unicorn while enclosing her wings around her to keep her privacy and comfort. She didn't know what caused the need to pay her sister back to rise within Twilight but Celestia doubted the mare wanted to talk about this at the moment.

Celestia stayed like that with Twilight for the next 2 hours or so, the girl quickly fell asleep on the princess. The night's exhaustion finally caught up to her. To give the mare the time to relax and recover, Celestia decided to simply walk towards Ponyville and go at a comfortable pace.

It didn't take TOO long for them to reach their destination. Soon they reached the town and both mentor and student (Twilight was used to early morning lessons so thankfully she woke up easily thanks to her internal clock) found themselves busy with the inhabitants of the town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celestia teleported both herself and Twilight home after a tiring morning that she dealt with without any sleep. She might be an Alicorn but she likes to rest as well. Thank you very much!

Ugh if this day was any more tiring she would have probably forgotten about Luna's whole deal with Twilight. It was a good thing she remembered (as well as the fact that it gave her an early way out) before things got bad and Luna got tired of waiting.

Speaking of the night Princess. She was currently sitting on the bed ignoring its owner and her companion and was just reading a book as if this was just another Tuesday. Honestly…it was kinda fair considering all the things she and Luna faced when they were younger.

Still, she couldn't help but crave her sister’s attention. She missed her dearly and wanted to make up for lost time while also fixing her mistakes. She didn't want it to be all cold like this all the time.

Getting back into topic, she faked a cough to gain Luna’s attention which seemed to work as she raised her eyes to look at her. No words left the darkly coated Alicorn, she just stared at Celestia with an expectant look on her face which left her confused. Oh right, she wanted Luna’s attention so she could say something. She got so invested in Luna's reaction that she forgot what she momentarily forgot what she was doing.

“Well sister, as glad as I am to have you back (she was still holding herself back from jumping like a filly), I do believe that we need to further discuss….your plan.”

Luna simply sighed, setting the book down, it was only then did Celestia notice that the element of magic was nowhere to be seen. “The plan is simple. As you are aware, after I left the castle I made the moon disappear. I have to admit that that decision was out of rage but it gave me an idea. It can be easily said that since the Vanquishing” Celestia felt a shiver of guilt run through her spine as she heard the venom in Luna’s tone. “That the world required balance and so the elements of Harmony saw fit to create a new Alicorn for the Moon. It will also help the populous morale for a celebration of having a second Alicorn princess in Equestria. “

Celestia knew that Luna did not like her plan for what it implied and what it meant, but it was the most practical...except there would be a minor complication. It was no fault of Luna’s that she didn't know about this but Celestia knew that she wouldn't be pleased. From the corner of her eye, she saw that even Twilight came to that conclusion.

“Well that is a splendid plan Luna…but there is a detail that you are unfortunately unaware of. You see um- it will be the celebration of the third Alicorn princess in Equestria.” Celestia winced as she saw the frown form on her sister’s face and the glare she aimed at Celestia. “I beg your pardon, dear sister?” she almost spat the last part out.

“You see Luna…during your time gone another Pegasus ascended into an Alicorn and became the Alicorn princess of love…so uh surprise?” she said with a nervous smile and a slight shrug.

She then gulped as she saw her sister’s eyes shrink into pinpoints and for her magical aura to flare, knowing what was about to happen she immediately clamped Twilight's ears shut to shield her from the stream of profanities that flowed out of her sister’s mouth after a mountain shaking “WHAT!”

4: Cadenza's interesting day

Twilight's P.O.V

Princess Luna was, by all means, the furthest thing from pleased at the moment. Her wings flared open and wide while her aura took over the room, and despite the supposedly small amount of magic restored, she still managed to shake the room as her aura ran wild and infused itself to what it touched in the chaos caused by emotions.

The room took a darker colour tone while the temperature dropped. Luna's body heat rose causing the air around her to almost distort when looked at. It was a scary thing to look at, It was almost as scary as Nightmare Moon…Twilight suddenly felt the air being heavier than it already was as her thoughts went back to the mare.

However, she didn't get the chance to get distracted as the Princess's rage-filled voice filled the room “GET OUT NOW!” her command shook her body to its very core thanks to the magic that infused itself to it.

Twilight couldn't object to the order, nor would she have dared to even if she could. Nonetheless Twilight found herself being surrounded by the warm feeling of sunlight and then she was out of the room before she could blink.

She turned around with a confused look on her face as she stared at her mentor. She wasn't confused by the fact that she teleported her out, what confused her was that she teleported both of them outside of the room. Why did she also leave and not try to calm down the raging princess? and what was this look on Celestia’s face?

“Um, Princess?” Twilight started hesitantly, hoping to get her mentor's attention. It apparently worked as the mare turned her head to stare at Twilight with her left eyebrow raised. “Why…why are you also outside and not calming Princess Luna? What if she destroys the room or loses control?”

Twilight saw her smile softly before she shook her head and had that strange look back on her face as she stared at the door. “There will be no point. Things didn't go well the last time I tried to tell Luna how to feel and so… I believe it will be better if we allow her to get rid of her frustrations,” she said with a sombre tone.

The princess and Twilight stayed silent for a while as they both stared at the door. Twilight for her part, just didn't know what to do. Even if she did, she would have to stay close in case the princess called for her when she calmed down

The silence, however, was broken by the Solar princess “Twilight?” She asked. Twilight did what her mentor did and turned so she could stare at the princess before answering. “Yes, Princess Celestia?” She asked with curiosity written all over her features.

However, the Princess was still staring at the door and not at her student. “When I first appeared and yelled out my sister's name, did she…” Was that hesitance and nervousness in Celestia’s tone? “Did she call me Tia?” The princess asked with a hopeful tone at the end

Twilight didn't answer for a while. She unconsciously frowned as she tried to remember what happened after using the elements…back then it felt like this major accomplishment and heroic deed. Now it felt like her greatest sin. Nonetheless, she was also annoyed by her lack of clarity after their use. She remembered rubble and remembered being dumbfounded as she saw Princess Celestia teleport and yell out a name.

It was a mess and she needed to concentrate to remember correctly but she thought she heard the faint impression of a voice calling back, she didn't get what was said but she was sure that it was something that started with a T.

“I- I think so? When you first showed up I was so shocked and dumbfounded by how worried you were and the name that you called that not much registered to me. I do believe that I heard the vague impression of a word starting with T being said,” she knew that her answer was probably not what the princess sought, but she couldn't lie to her mentor and so she told her the truth.

She saw the princess's face brighten a bit while at the same time, her hunches and withers fell. Either out of disappointment or relief, she didn't know. She hoped it was the second option though.

“Thank you, my student. I do apologize for worrying you back then, I was not…thinking rationally and I have to admit, I did panic heavily,” she said the last part almost sheepishly. It didn't take a genius to see that Princess Celestia was embarrassed by her bout of panic. But as Twilight thought about it, she didn't know how she could have had any other reaction. After all, this was her sister in the end. Twilight would have panicked if either Shining or Spike were blasted by the full force of the world's natural energy…wait

“SPIKE!” She suddenly yelled which startled the white mare beside her. It didn't matter to her though. She was worried about her number one assistant, her almost brother but most importantly, her son. How could she have forgotten about him?! He must be worried sick at the moment!

“Twi-” Celestia started before she got interrupted by the panicking unicorn. “Princess! Can you please send a quick message to Spike to tell him that everything is okay? Or better yet, can you teleport him here?”

The sun princess gently shook her head with an apologetic expression on her face. “I'm sorry Twilight but I'm afraid I can't teleport him here if I don't have his location. I will, however, send a message to him to tell him to get here,” She said as she faced the young unicorn and nuzzled her.

“I do have another question, Twilight. I don't know if my eyes deceived me but was Luna’s magic silver in colour?” said the princess before pulling away and began to write the message without even looking at it.

Twilight nodded in response but now the matter caught her attention. She remembered Nightmare Moon's magic being purplish, yet when Luna levitated the element of magic it was surrounded by a silver aura and not the previous purple. Was Nightmare Moon truly a different person? It wouldn't make sense for one person to have two colours for their magic, even if they were an Alicorn…right?

“Wasn't it supposed to be silver? I mean, your magic is golden yellow like the sun, so isn't her magic supposed to be silver like the moon?” Asked the unicorn mare curiously.

The princess's response was that of denial, however. “No, it was a blueish purple ever since Luna started using her horn for magic.” her response only confused Twilight.

“I'm sorry princess but started using her horn for magic? Isn't a horn the only way to project magic in a non-passive way?” the princess's answer intrigued her, how could it not considering what it implies?

The shining princess smiled at her, something that Twilight could easily find comfort in (much-needed comfort at that). She visibly relaxed again as her teacher began to talk.

“Not necessarily, there are ways for all kinds of ponies to use magic. The pegasi and earth ponies of today are mostly ignorant of those forms due to how they integrated the basics of their magic into a passive state of being. They don't need any thoughts to use their magic in the way that they want to use it anymore. Unicorns always took pride in their ability to use magic intricately and so developed it and had its use remain mostly non-passive and requiring conscious thought and knowledge to perform,” Celestia explained with a gentle smile still plastered on her face.

However, it was mostly lost to Twilight whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates at this piece of information. Not only did she learn that there are other ways to cast and use magic consciously, but that the other types of ponies mastered the basics of their magic to the point that it's instinctual without learning. Sure, unicorns have telekinesis and almost every unicorn knows it and it can be self-taught, but it still needs to be taught.

She always thought that it was because the other species don't have horns that their magic can only manifest in a passive state, but the fact that it's instinctual to the point that it became a passive quirk is more impressive than anything she can do!

“So earth ponies and pegasi can cast spells?! What sorts of spells? What was your first type of magic to use? What was Princess Luna's first type of magic to use? What are the pros and cons of earth and pegasi magic?” Had Twilight been left to her own accord, the questions would have never stopped. Thankfully, however, Celestia placed her hoof on Twilight's mouth to silence her while chuckling.

“I'm glad that your thirst for knowledge is still there. Now, yes they can cast spells if they are taught how properly, my first type of magic to use was unicorn magic, Luna's was pegasi magic as it was-” Celestia stopped for a second as if she remembered something. She sighed before speaking again. Weird. “Luna's was pegasi magic. Would you like to guess why?”

Twilight blinked in confusion as she stared at the princess. Was she supposed to know why? She barely talked to the princess and most of the time that she did was under the impression that she was going to die! And even then, Celestia Didn't know about that so she couldn't have been referring to something that happened then. Wait…her mind dialled back to the earlier conversation with the Lunar Princess before she snapped. Specifically to what Princess Celestia said about Cadance. What did the princess mean when she said another pegasus became an Alicorn? Was there a pegasus who has done the same before Cadance? But the only other Alicorns are Celestia and…oh Faust.

As the realization sunk in her eyes widened and threatened to almost pop out. She tried to get words out of her mouth to ask the princess to confirm but no words came out of her mouth. She only stared at the princess with a dumbfounded expression.

Princess Celestia slowly nodded before speaking with a sombre expression “Yes, Luna was originally a Pegasus and not an Alicorn, she ascended into an Alicorn the day she got her cutie mark. I'm afraid that knowing that another Pegasus ascended might have brought her to the idea that she was replaced during her banishment.”

“B-b-but How?!? Isn't she, your sister? Wait! Were you a pegasus before too?! How did she even turn into one? I mean Cadance defeated some evil love witch but you said that Princess Luna did it when she got her cutie mark. What was it? How did you get yours now that I think about it? Is becoming an Alicorn related to having a cutie mark?” Twilight was struggling to deal with this information, it brought so many questions and made her doubt things she thought were facts now.

“Yes, Luna is my sister Twilight. No, I was not a pegasus either. I was born an Alicorn. What Luna did was raise the moon for the first time, and I got mine for raising the sun for the first time. No, it is not related to the cutie mark as Cadance already had hers before becoming one,” The princess answered patiently.

Twilight just sat there as she contemplated the answers she got. Then she remembered the matter at hoof. “But Princess. If Princess Luna thinks that she is being replaced, shouldn't you be there to comfort her? She already lost Nightmare Moon a couple of hours ago and now she thinks that she was replaced” she asked worriedly. She couldn't imagine what Luna was going through with Nightmare Moon gone, and now she thinks she was replaced by her sister.

“Dear Twilight, trust me, if I thought it was the best thing to do I would have teleported only you and helped comfort her. She…I hurt her so much before her banishment. I never allowed her to just express how she feels and not bottle up those emotions. I'll try my best later when she calms down,” said her mentor reassuringly with a soft smile, yet Twilight knows her mentor. She can see the worried and tense expression hidden beneath the smile.

Not knowing what to do, Twilight just silently sighed and waited. After what felt like forever, the angry aura that emanated from the room dissipated. The door opened and the Lunar Princess walked out. Her face and behaviour showed no emotion as she walked almost like a statue. She was so calm that it was off-putting.

Luna's P.O.V

Luna simply looked at her sister and her student who were just sitting next to the door. She simply raised an eyebrow before addressing Celestia. “Sister, would you kindly take us to see this Cadance? I believe that was the name that you called her by.” She made sure to keep her tone cool and collected.

In all honesty, she can't even believe this. She was gone for a mere 1000 years thanks to her sister and now when she's back, she learns that she was basically replaced. Not only was there another Alicorn, but it was also an ascended pegasus! It was too much to be a coincidence!...yet what if it was?

Luna remembers the day she became an Alicorn and remembers how sudden it was. What was it that this Cadance had done that kicked the gears of the world into making her an Alicorn? She was as curious as she was displeased now.

Nonetheless, her train of thought was broken by Celestia finally answering her. “Yes, her name is Cadance. I'll invite her for dinner today as she has duties at the moment. My niece is currently in a diplomatic meeting but should be back soon.” Now that caused a frown to form on her features.

“Niece? So she is family? Is she your niece-in-law?” she saw a smile form on her sister's lips, it seemed that what she said pleased her somehow.

“No, not-in-law, and yes, she is family,” Celestia said with her ever so sweet and calm tone as she stood up and walked closer to Luna.

Luna meanwhile just gave a glance to the sitting Twilight before staring back at her sister. “You do realize what a niece is right? For her to be your niece she has to be my daughter. So pray tell, how is she part of the family? As far as I know, there isn't even a blood Oath ritual to make someone a niece or nephew. And the reasons are obvious.”

Celestia's eyes widened a moment before giving a sheepish smile… she did not think this through, did she? “Well…after I found her I decided to adopt her but not as my daughter as that would have placed way too many expectations and responsibilities on the young one, and…she kinda reminded me of you so I made her my niece by adoption. I will admit, at the time I did not think of the implications that it would have. If you want to, can she also be your niece and call it a day?” She ended with a small hopeful smile.

“It will make no sense for her to be my niece! She will have to be your daughter and also my daughter at the same time! So unless we deal with that can of worms she'll be stuck with a new mother and I'll be stuck with a daughter. A daughter that, to the public, is older than me!” Seriously was Celestia even thinking when she did that? What do you say Moo-...right.

Luna sighed before looking at Twilight. “Get up.” She commanded with a hint of anger. The unicorn mare immediately stood up as she was addressed. “When in the presence of royalty, you stand in respect and bow when they enter the room. You'll need to learn proper etiquette Filly.”

From the look of it, Twilight was about to protest but a simple glare made her shut up. Good, she had some sense at least. She turned back to her sister with annoyance written all over her face “We'll have to talk more about the daughter I unknowingly have. Cancel her meeting and call her, say it's important and concerns the disappearance of the moon the night before.”

Her sister slightly frowned, apparently not glad about the idea of interrupting this Cadance and disrupting her work but it was of no importance for Luna. “Luna, she's dealing with the worries of the night and comforting the other nations. Let her deal with this so we can talk about it. Now if you want to, she doesn't have to be your daughter, when can say that she's your sister instead of me and you become my-” No, she will not allow her to even say it.

“SHUT IT. I will not be your lesser. I will be known as your sister as is it meant to be, my rightful place will not be taken from me. If I need to deal with having a daughter then so be it. Got it?” Luna might have been too loud and she might have used the RCV (Royal Canterlot Voice) in the beginning but it does not matter. She had to make her point clear.

Apparently, it did the job. Celestia looked hurt (good), she simply nodded and then said something to the guard. “Let's head to the meeting room.” She said softly as she led the way. Leaving Twilight to walk beside Luna.

Twilight, the unicorn who brought the end to the pony that Luna cared about the most. Just seeing her was enough to make Luna tense, yet her logic knew how useful she could be. She won't harm her yet, she still has much use for her and not to forget her status as a bearer of the elements.

She looked at the unicorn and saw her stare at Celestia with a worried expression, she was looking for something on her sister. Perhaps signs of discomfort? She saw how lax her sister was with this unicorn so it's more than likely that those 2 are close.

The 3 of them eventually reached the meeting room. Celestia took her seat which was at the head of the table, Luna begrudgingly sat to her right. Twilight tried to sit but was stopped by Luna's wings and a side glance. Getting the message she simply stood there while looking at the ground nervously.

Now it was a matter of waiting for the new Alicorn to show up. Luna didn't know what to expect from her but she hoped it wouldn't be disappointing, especially considering that she's her daughter now. Ugh, how will she even deal with being a mother? Sure it will barely matter considering her age but it will still complicate matters beyond their already complicated nature.

How would she even react to all of this? Would she ask to be Celestia’s daughter instead? It will make sense since they have been family for a while now…the idea did not sit well with her, it will be yet another thing taken from her by her sister. Sure she didn't even choose this or necessarily want this but the idea of her adoptive daughter choosing Celestia to be her mother was not a pleasant one. Everyone chose her sister over her after all. So what if she and this Cadance had both originally been pegasi? It means little to nothing now. The only person who would choose her willingly is gone now…

Her thoughts then switched and went to Nightmare Moon. Nightmare always wanted to have a child and be a mother, she would have been delighted by this news…or maybe she would have gotten mad because of the nature of how it came to be. What would she think if she was here? What would she expect of Cadance? What will she do if she chooses Celestia instead? So many questions, yet there will be no answers. She cannot converse with the dead nor would she want to disturb the dead and bring her back no matter how much she wanted to…why was she taken from her? Why? Why not allow them to be gone together?!

Cadance's POV

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza otherwise known as Cadance, had an interesting past 24 hours. First, her auntie was attacked by something or someone, then auntie flies out alone saying she has to deal with something, the sun doesn't rise in time and oh, The Flipping Moon disappears from the night sky. Now, after trying to calm the people, she gets called by a guard on orders of her aunt.

Cadance followed the guard who called for her attendance with a confused expression, she was confused about why Auntie Celestia would interrupt a meeting. Not that she was complaining, dealing with panicking nobles and foreign diplomats was not something she enjoyed doing.

She understood their fears but could they not act like children? The sun rose, whatever attacked her auntie and messed with the moon was gone now. Everything was back to normal. Sure, it was also freaky for the night to remain without the moon in the sky but it didn't last that long. Everything was fine now. They were fine and safe…but then why did the princess call for an urgent meeting regarding the disappearance of the moon? Would it still be gone and not shine again? Or what? And what was this sorrow that she was feeling close by?

Whatever the deal may be, her questions will be answered soon after she reaches the room. The guard knocked on the door before slightly bowing and returning to his post.

Cadance used her magic to open the door and froze at what she saw. Her auntie and Twilight were there, which was relatively normal, but what shocked her was the 3rd member. Sitting there was someone she didn't know, sitting there was an Alicorn. By the looks of it, she was young, perhaps a teenager. If she were to guess, she'd say that the new Alicorn was a bit shorter than her.

Of course that is not what made her concerned or what caught her senses. As the princess of love, she can, of course, feel love and all the emotions that relate to it. This Alicorn had a tremendous amount of love, which would have been a sight for sore eyes not in the form of sorrow and heartbreak. It was not like anything she had seen before in her life. She almost wanted to cry as soon as she saw it.

What could have caused such a thing to the young one? She immediately wanted to just rush there and embrace her and tell her that it would all be all right. But she couldn't, not now. She'll meet her later and do her best to help then, now she has work to do.

“Cadance, it's nice to see you, my dear. Please, do take a seat. We have a lot to talk about today. I'm sure you have a lot of questions at the moment. They will all be answered soon, so no need for you to worry.” odd. Auntie Celestia isn't usually this serious or curt. She was fine though, but her emotions further confused the pink Alicorn. She felt a great deal of love towards the new Alicorn. It was family love, sisterly love to be precise, and it held back a lot of regret.

She didn't know what this was about but she was both looking forward to this and dreading it. She made herself smile for her auntie before she went and sat down on the chair to Celestia’s left. “Hello Auntie Celestia, it's nice to see you too. I must thank you for calling me out of the meeting, the nobles and ambassadors were getting slightly out of hoof back there.”

The newcomer simply stared at her with an intrigued (and somewhat smug) expression on her face. The princess of love didn't know why, but she felt as if she was being studied and analyzed by the teenager Alicorn. Not exactly knowing what to do, she simply waved her hoof to her as a way of saying hello.

“Right. Well since you are, we shall discuss the matter at hoof. Now as you are seeing, we have another Alicorn present with us. This is Princess Lunaraina Selena Hurricane. My sister and the former mare on the moon. You can call her Luna for short.” Said her aunt softly and casually as if she was introducing her to another noble, she also looked at the ‘princess’ for approval and she seemed to get it.

Meanwhile, Cadance was left with her jaw on the ground as she stared at the mare with eyes the size of saucers. Did her aunt just say that this teenager of an Alicorn is not only her sister but the mare on the moon?? All those stories and tales about the monstrous mare that hunts and eats children, the one that haunts the dreams and causes nightmares is just a TEENAGER?? BUCK WAITING.

Within an instant, Cadance teleported next to the mare and abandoned all formality as she gave her the tightest hug that she could give. She felt her tense and even attempted to push her away but she stood firm. No wonder she felt all that sorrow and heartbreak. This poor child (okay now she wasn't sure that was the correct term considering the mare on the moon was definitely older than her) was the subject of the hate and fears of countless people for generations!

“Oh, you poor thing! Don't worry, we'll fix that, no one will fear you like that again, no one will hurt you or will say those hideous stories about you anymore. I promise you that Princess Luna.” she softly whispered to the mare who went stiff after hearing her. “What…what are you talking about? What hideous stories?!”

What? Did she not know? “you don't know? The stories about the mare on the moon? Nightmare night? You don't know about them?” she said as she let go of the hug with a confused look on her face

“...well now I want to but it's a matter for another time. Now let go of me and return to your seat child,” Princess Luna said after a moment to realize what she was told.

Sensing that the princess was a bit happier now, Cadence simply nodded as she walked back to her seat now a bit confused. If that's not what caused the emotions to the princess, then what did? “oh um, I'm sorry for the sudden break of formality Auntie.” she said sheepishly before she sat down.

“It's alright Cadence, you don't need to worry about it. Now would you like to introduce yourself to the Princess?” Well, Celestia was also happier so that's an improvement.

“Oh right, My apologies, Princess Luna. My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, The princess and Alicorn of Love but you can call me Cadence.” Cadence couldn't help but chuckle at the confused look on Twilight's face, it was probably the first time she heard her full name after all.

Luna on the other hand just stared at her for a moment before blinking slowly. Did she say something wrong? “Are you sure of the fact that that is your name?”

Now it was Cadance's turn to stare at her for a moment. “Luna, would you please be nicer to dear Cadance and um, not ask her such questions?” Thankfully, Auntie Celestia broke her out of her moment. “Oh no Auntie, it's quite alright really! Um, Yes Princess Luna, my name is indeed Mi Amore Cadenza.”

Luna stared at her for a moment before shrugging to herself. “So the princess of Love's name is My Love Cadenza. I would have commented further but seeing that my name has two instances of the moon in it, I'll just say that Pegasi names hold an intriguing mystery.”

“I admit, it is quite a coinciden- wait what now?” is the princess implying what she thinks she is implying? Now that she thought about it, her name was definitely a pegasus name…and then there is her last name.

The young(est? It's up for debate) princess simply nodded before speaking. “Yes, I was born a pegasus and ascended into Alicornhood just like you. I did not think such a thing could happen again but it seemed I was wrong. Now to explain why you are here. As my sister has just told you, I am the former mare on the Moon, what she did not tell you is that I am the princess of the Moon.” The princess stopped speaking for a moment to allow her to digest the information.

Cadance just sat there for a moment before speaking. “But you're so young? The mare on the moon was there before I was even born, yet you're a teenager! Erm- no disrespect, of course, I'm just…confused to say the least. Also since you're Auntie Celestia’s sister, does that make you also my aunt?”

Luna sighed, apparently she expected such a question. “I am younger due to the elements of harmony, they sapped a considerable amount of my strength and age among other…acts.” she felt the sorrow and heartbreak inside the princess rise as she said that. Also, why were the elements used on her now?

“So, instead of being an adult the size of Celestia, I am now a mere teenager. As for your other question, the answer is an unfortunate no, the moment Celestia made you her niece is also the moment she made you my daughter. By law at least.” Excuse me, what now? She's her what? “Making you the niece of both of us requires us to have a brother or a sister or it will be a confusing legal mess. I'll give you a moment considering this is a lot.”

Saying that it was a lot was not even scratching the surface. So, the teenager in front of her is the living legend of the mare on the Moon and actually an adult who got age regressed into a teenager by the elements of harmony AND thanks to Auntie Celestia, she is also her mother according to the law? All of that is without even mentioning that she is also a pegasus who ascended!

“I…I need more than a moment for this…but you might as well tell me the rest before I begin dealing with this.” Ugh, her throat felt dry and her head hurt a bit. Maybe she should get a drink later on.

The princess (should she call her mother now?) simply nodded before she continued. “The reason I was gone is that I was banished by the elements of harmony for 1000 years after a fight with Celestia.” The solar princess looked at the ground in shame at that. “And now that I am back, my duties to handle the moon, and the night will return to me and so will my duties to the public. Now as far as you and the public know, I did not exist a thousand years ago and it will remain like that. The story that will be told to the public is that after the defeat of Nightmare Moon, the elements saw fit to create an avatar for the Moon and that will be me. Any questions?”

What the buck? Of course, she has questions after such a dump of information!

“Luna, don't you think that you dumped a bit too much at once?” Celestia began. “No, she asked for the rest and she received it. Now, do you have any questions?” Luna ended and returned to her previous question.

Well of course, but among the many questions that plagued her mind was simply why? Why was she banished? Why is she Luna's daughter now? Why are they lying to the public?

“Why?” Before she even noticed. The question slipped out of her mouth. In response, she only got a raised eyebrow. “Why what? I'm afraid you have to be more clear.”

“Why were you banished? Why did you fight Auntie? Why are you lying to the public about who and what you are?” She flinched at the sharp inhale that came from the other 2 Alicorns at the table, looking behind Luna she saw Twilight tense. Did she say something wrong?

“My fight with my sister is a more complicated matter that I'm not sure even she understands. The why for my banishment can be attributed to fear and the same can be said for why we're lying to the public. Me and Nightmare Moon used to be practically one, and so it is us who attempted to bring eternal night. If the public knows that then we will meet riots and mistrust from the general public and the nobles. So, to make sure that we keep the peace and to make the most of a decision out of rage and a coincidence, we will lie. A lie that will keep the peace and does no harm to anyone. Do you understand now?

“I-...yes? Not really? Dealing with the consequences of who and what you are now seems like a better idea than dealing with the consequences of the public finding out the truth later on, no matter how unlikely that situation may be. Also um don't get me wrong and please don't consider me selfish for wanting to address this matter first buuutttt...why are you my mother now exactly? What did Auntie Celestia do exactly to make me your daughter?”

She did not know why, but she felt the Moon Princess tense up as she asked her questions…the last 2 questions to be specific. Instead of her answering though, it was Auntie Celestia who did. “Since it's my mistake I'll explain. You see, I adopted you as my niece, which enlisted you as the daughter of my sibling, and by ancient law and bonds with blood-” with? “That landed you as Luna's daughter. Now I admit, I did not think it through or even consider what your position will be as my niece, and my lack of foresight is what landed us here. If you want to, we can give a compromise to the public, but as far as the truth and law are concerned, I accidentally made you Luna's daughter … on the Brightside now you're a princess Twice! For your status as the princess of love and the daughter of the moon princess!” Okay, the ending was a bit lame but any effort to lighten the mood was appreciated.

Cadance nodded before she stood up “Okay, I think I get it. Having a mother who's younger than me in appearance will be odd but nothing that I won't get used to.” she then smiled as she looked at the Moon Princess (who looked rather anxious) “I know this is a sudden thing, and I can only imagine what you're going through with your return and finding out that you're a mother now but um…I would like to get to know you, Princess. Mother? I'm sorry I just don't know what to call you yet, but perhaps we can both get used to this together?” she ended with a hopeful note at the end.

She didn't know what happened between the 2 sisters or the full events of the past day, but what she knew was that it was a lot for everyone. What she also knew was that she wanted to help the returning princess get rid of all those pains that she was harbouring. Who knows, perhaps this situation will be a blessing in disguise.

As she looked at her new ‘mother’ she couldn't help but smile at the nod she received…or at the fact that her pains were not the focus of her mind, perhaps she was happy at the moment? She'd like to think that she is.

“Now if you all please excuse me, I'm going to get a drink,” she said before teleporting out of the room while giggling at the shocked reactions on the faces of the others.

As she arrived in her room she would lay on her bed and thought back to her day. Deal with terrified people and nobles? Check. Meet a living legend? Check. Have history and princess lore dumped on her? Check. Gain a new mother? Check. Learn she's not the first pegasus to ascend? Check. Be part of a future nation- no, worldwide lie? Check.

While shifting on the bed Cadenza called a bottle of brandy towards her from the closet with her magic. She couldn't help but think about the one way to describe her day. Interesting. Today was an interesting day indeed. Actually, now that the night will be ruled by another Princess, what changes will occur to it? Other than no mare on the moon that is. Perhaps the night will also prove to be interesting.

6: Talk and Walk

Cadance P.O.V

Cadance woke up to the feeling of a soft hum in her head, it felt gentle and soft almost like an embrace yet persistent enough to shake her into a proper awakening. The love princess lifted herself from the bed and stared out the window.

At first, the sight escaped her as she concluded that she drank herself to sleep (Auntie and Shining will definitely talk to her about it later…if they knew). A thing that she consistently does after long days and meetings, a bad habit yes, but when you feel the hidden emotions of everyone around you from hate and love you do notice things that you wish to bleach out of your mind. Being a love princess is anything but easy, honestly she envied her aunt and new mother for the simpler domains.

Bad habits and envy aside, her brain went from relaxed to hyperactive as soon as she saw the night sky. It was…it was so different… The night before, the one that she has seen all her life was replaced by a sea of flowing lights and swirls that spread further than the eye can see. Cadance might not come from a family of astrologers like Twilight and Shining Armor but it would take a fool to think that this was not a sight to behold. Was this going to be a daily occurrence now? Is this what the night will be under the new princess?

Wait…oh buck she missed the ceremony! Well, she assumed there was one considering the nature of the situation. She cursed under her breath as she galloped out of the room to search for the princess. Fortunately (well, unfortunately) she sensed the familiar grief of the moon princess so locating her wasn't that hard.

She slowed down as Luna came into view so she didn't crash into the other mare. A frown came to be on the pink alicorn’s as she got a proper feel of the heartbreak ... Also the fact that the dark blue mare's gaze was stuck on the ground did not help.

“Princess?” She said hesitantly, she thought that Luna didn't hear her but the ear twitch and change of pace said otherwise. Suddenly, the princess's change of pace turned into a halt. She took a deep before she lifted her head.

Her face was cold and aloof, betraying all the swirling emotions that Cadance could feel, yet she did not comment on it. She'll do her best to warm the princess into opening up, but rushing things will only make them worse.

“Yes, Princess Cadenza?” Honestly, Cadance was impressed and concerned. Why was the princess so well-versed in hiding how she felt? Even Auntie Celestia wasn't like that in private.

“Oh, Princess Luna oh- or is it mother now? I'm… not sure what to call you if I'm honest. Anyway, Cadance is just fine truly, I told you already, friends and family call me Cadance.” Honestly, this was the first time that she was called just Cadenza, people either called her by her full name or Cadance. Still, it felt a bit too formal.

At her question, The Moon princess withers sagged a bit as she let out a sigh. “We- I do apologize for that. I fear that in my love for logic and haste, I rushed the both of us into a situation that neither of us has agreed to.”

Cadance couldn't help but freeze in surprise for a moment. Where did that come from? The princess seemed very happy about that decision earlier, what brought this sudden change? She shook her head slightly to get her thoughts clear.

“No no, it's okay really! I agreed to be your daughter, remember? I just wonder if you would like to be called mother or something else.”

“And for that, I couldn't be happier, but I'm afraid it cannot be. You saw me and your first thought was to help and comfort me when you could. To you, I was a stranger and yet you rushed to me to comfort me as soon as you heard of something that you considered a woe.

It is simply unacceptable for me to use your kindness and get you up in a situation where neither of us knows how to make heads or tails off. I am not truly ready to be a mother as I have much to deal with now that I returned. Dragging you along with what I desired is not something I can allow. I hope you understand.

You have no need to call me mother or any maternal word. You can simply call me Luna, for we are equals as princesses of the realm.”

Cadance simply didn't know what to say for now. She frowned and thought for a moment, a million thoughts going through her mind at once as she tried to come up with a way to answer that…and she did get one. Not perfect, but viable. Truth and emotion tended to be like that anyway.

“Then can we be friends? Or at least start at that. I-...I do understand what you mean. Honestly, I have to admit, I was pretty surprised and uncertain about the whole deal myself. It's just not every day that someone gets told that they gave a new mother after all.”

At that, Cadance gained a small smile and a nod from the princess.

“It is a rather jarring situation, isn't it? Honestly, I commend you for taking it with as much stride as you have.”

“Thank you, but I wasn't done…I was surprised and uncertain yes, and a whole ton of confused…but I was also excited. Don't get me wrong, Princess Celestia is great but she always kept a distance to herself, she is family and one of the closest people to me but she truly committed herself to the role of aunt. She's close but never close enough to substitute for well, parents or anything.

Your case, however, is different. Sure, the cause was odd but you seemed truly eager for it, and I sensed you perking up at agreeing and I have to admit, while I did indeed agree to help you, I also agreed partially for myself.

You're a pony who has been in the same situation as me, you too were a pegasus before, and you too ascended and had to adjust to a whole new way of life. It's just…there's common ground between us that will help us relate to each other more than anyone I know and I wanted that. So seeing you wanting to take the maternal role for me, I was eager to jump at this opportunity.

As I said, I understand what you mean but I hope, I wish, I dream, I pray, that you do take me as a friend at least, and perhaps we can grow closer from that.”

Cadance sucked her breath as she waited for Luna’s response after her monologue.

The Lunar Princess blinked silently for a moment as if contemplating something before a sombre smile formed on her face.

“Nighty would have loved you. Very well, let us start as friends, and see what fate has in store for us.”

The smile remained on her expression as she started to walk again.

The Alicorn of Love decided to not comment and simply followed Luna. Since she wasn't hiding herself or anything, Luna did notice her and raised an eyebrow at her.

Getting the question, Cadance answered “Oh, I just thought that we might be able to spend some time together starting tonight, I did just wake up after all. Perhaps I can get you up to date with Equestria as well! Oh by the way, while your speech is more formal, it is still relatively modern. Did pony language really not change at all or did the Royal way of speaking get adopted by everyone?”

The Dark blue alicorn’s eyes narrowed a bit as if considering something before the previous aloof expression returned.

“No, the language was very different back then. The tone, the volume, the word structure and even the way we speak to our subjects are different. It is honestly almost unrecognizable.”

Now that just confused Cadance, how is the language so different yet Luna was speaking it normally? The princess apparently noticed her confusion and went on to continue speaking, thus answering the unasked question.

“During our Banishment, Me and Nightmare Moon roamed the realm of dreams during our time of rest after a long half-earth cycle. Over the years we noticed the change of Language and we began to adapt, taking various forms and speaking to the sleeping inhabitants of Equis, though what form and what topic to converse or who to even converse with was not of our choosing thanks to our weakened state.”

“You can walk through dreams? That's…that's amazing! What else have you learned while dreamwalking? That is what it's called right?”

“Hm, I suppose it can be called that. As for what I learned? I'm afraid it was nothing significant. I couldn't enter lucid dreams nor for lucidity so whatever I learned was through whatever was integrated into the minds of ponies and other creatures alike as normal, things that their brain memorized to heart and can portray easily. For example, I have no idea what happened to the writing systems and what changes were in letters and all but I was aware of our visage on the moon.”

“Oh…Well, would you like to learn?” She asked with a hopeful tone, Luna started relaxing around her and Cadance wanted to learn more about the alicorn.

Luna however looked a bit confused and tilted her head “Learn what exactly?”

“Well, whatever you want! From history to how to write in modern equine. You sure have a lot of catching up to do.” That raised a slight frown from Luna, “So um, what I mean is that a lot has changed and you have a lot of time and I was thinking, maybe we can spend some of our time together by teaching you about the modern world and you teach me about the past?”

Now while Cadance was interested in the past, history was not her favorite subject and she doubted anything would be interesting (little did she know) but she wanted to make it more appealing to the other princess.

Luna returned to staring forward for a while without giving a response. Cadence was about to ask again after the silence got awkward but it proved unnecessary.

“We'll-...I'll see to it that whatever schedule I have will give us enough time for this…trade of knowledge, the only complication would be aligning our schedule. I am to assume that you, like the rest of the ponies, don't spend your waking hours during the night.”

Cadance frowned slightly at the addressed issue, was the princess truly nocturnal? How lonely was it for her in the night then? … Perhaps she can stay up a bit late for her new… family member.

She turned her head slightly and stared at the night through the various windows. It wouldn't be bad, the view will certainly make up for it.

“I don't think that will be a problem, I'll manage to stay awake and hey, getting to know your night is just as important right? Honestly…if it always looked this beautiful then how come the ponies could ignore your night?”

Cadance almost chuckled at how wistful she sounded, she knew she hit a sore topic but she wanted Luna to talk about it, perhaps say how she felt about ponies admiring her night upon her return.

However, that… that was not what happened. Luna stopped walking, frowned slightly and turned towards her

“What is it that you mean Cadenza? The night was never ignored by Ponykind, even though it was not made for them to live in.”

Now that caused Cadance to frown and stare at the princess. What did she mean by that? Wasn't the reason eternal night happened because of the ponies shunning the night?

Cadance was so confused she couldn't manage a response that articulated her confusion except for a measly “What?”

Twilight's P.O.V

Twilight was currently following her mentor along the hallways of the castle. It took a while for Twilight and everyone else to leave after bearing witness to the birth of the new night (or the return of the original one for those who knew). How could they leave soon when a piece of such beauty was presented for them all to see? A piece of beauty that will accompany them every night?

Honestly, Twilight couldn't stop gushing about it. She knew her dad wouldn't either, her poor mother would probably hear talk about the night of either praise or remorse as a thousand years of study had gone to waste. Anyway, back to the topic. How could she stop gushing about it? This was a sight that Equis had been deprived of for a millennium, a sight that would be the talk of all of the creatures that roamed the planet.

All of that contributes to why Twilight was confused, she was confused because her mentor, the one who longed most to see this night return for a thousand years, looked disturbed.

While Celestia might be able to hide her emotions for the majority of the time, and Twilight wasn't particularly good at figuring out what a pony was feeling, she just knew that something was wrong. Celestia’s steps were a pace and a half faster than usual, her eyes darted around as she walked, almost as if she was looking for a distraction.

Then came the fact she looked at everything but the night. Was there something wrong with it that no one else knows? Celestia is the only one who saw what it was like before and is still alive and able to see the difference. Perhaps there was indeed something wrong with it…but why would there be such a thing? Princess Luna would have certainly fixed it. This was the new standard that she set for the entire world, why would she leave a mistake in it?

Deciding that her silence would neither explain anything nor help her princess, Twilight saw fit to end the silence herself. “Princess? Is something wrong?”

A twitch of a tail, slight widening of eyes, expanding of magical aura. All signs that something was wrong.

At last, the Princess turned her head so her eyes could meet Twilight's, her expression clear and calm as if the face she was seeing didn't belong to the body that held it.

“I beg your pardon Twilight? Why would something be wrong?”

Hurried, unreasoning, unconvinced with her own tone. It was Twilight's turn to worry and hasten her steps. Just what was going on?

It honestly pained Twilight to see the princess like this. Celestia was the living example of perfection itself, yet here she was, a worried mess for the second time in 48 hours.

At least it was more dignified this time with her trying to hold her composure, but something was clearly taking over the princess's mind at the moment.

“Oh it's just…you've made no comment about the night, I just thought it was odd since you seemed eager for it outside. So I'm just wondering if everything is alright…is it?”

Celestia’s withers tensed for a moment, her wings shuffled slightly and hugged her body closer. It was as if the princess was holding herself back from taking flight and escaping.

“Everything is-” Celestia stopped mid-sentence. She shook her head slightly and steeled her expression. An uncomfortable silence filled the air before the princess spoke once again “...No, No it isn't.”

Twilight just tilted her head, her ears twitched and so did her tail. She usually controlled herself and didn't allow reflexes to take control over her mind, but she worried more than before and was fearful now.

What was wrong then? “What…what may the issue be then?”

After another bout of silence, suddenly, the slightest amount of force was added to each step the princess took. She didn't increase her speed, no she just put more force into it, making each step slightly louder than normal.

A silent huff that did not befit the calm face escaped Celestia. Before, Twilight thought that the princess was nervous, but now she knew she was wrong. The princess wasn't worried, not anymore at least. No, Princess Celestia was frustrated, a hint of anger escaping into her aura and disrupting its pristine even presence. It was what caused Twilight to even notice it even formed. Since when did that happen? And why?

“Well, nothing went according to plan nor did it go as expected.”

It was said matter of factly as if it explained everything that needed to be explained.

Twilight waited for a moment, thinking that there was more to it but there was none. That single sentence was all the answers she got.

Usually Twilight would question that. She would ask and see what was troubling her mentor or beg her to tell…but Twilight, for the first time in her life, felt afraid of Celestia.

How could she not? No one, absolutely no one has seen CELESTIA angry before. As slight as it was, it was still anger and frustration.

Twilight didn't know what caused it, but she knew she might be at fault. Whatever that Celestia had in mind didn't occur, and Twilight might be a cause.

Perhaps she shouldn't have fought Nightmare Moon, or perhaps she should have separated her and Luna instead of (killing) disposing of her.

Maybe it could be because of her pledging servitude to Princess Luna. Princess Celestia wasn't fond of the idea and she tried to protest but was that worth the serene princess's rage to brew?

Or it might be something else that she was not responsible for, something unrelated to her completely. Twilight knew that was probably the case since the princes did nothing to punish her. But it was this uncertainty, this slight chance for it to be her fault that terrified Twilight, and so for the first time in her life, the young unicorn did not seek knowledge.

“Well, perhaps things will get better soon? Everything that happened is a big change and maybe things will settle in the next couple of weeks?” Twilight assured. It was both an assurance to herself and the princess and a drive away from the topic.

A thoughtful expression came upon the princess's face at the suggestion, her pacing slowed and her neck and head were just that bit higher than before.

“Yes…perhaps it will. I still have much to do to fix what I can but perhaps there is a way to fix this issue.”

The princess slowed herself so she was right next to Twilight before she brought the young unicorn into an embrace. At that moment, Twilight felt all the tension leave her body, just as it had when she was with Spike…who was currently sleeping on her back.

Twilight instinctively leaned into the embrace, not commenting about how it might not be inappropriate or how it was embarrassing to do such a thing in public. But she needed this, Faust knows she does.

After a bit, Celestia broke the hug and returned to walking. Twilight wanted to call for her and to ask for the embrace to continue but she knew it wasn't the time.

“Thank you Twilight, I'm sorry if I worried you, it's just been…a difficult day or so to speak. Things will get better, that, I promise you.”

Twilight found herself silently nodding as she continued to follow her mentor, as it was meant to be.

The princess walk was slightly more energetic and her smile returned, not a happy smile, but a thoughtful one. Twilight didn't exactly know what was going through the princess's mind, but she was glad she helped ease her mind.

Perhaps, she should open another conversation? No…No, she shouldn't. She's content with this silence. She doesn't want to think more, for this simple moment, for this little while, she just wants to enjoy the silence and comfort of familiarity while she can. Faust knows what will the Night Princess bring to Twilight's life from now and on, she just hopes it wouldn't be too much.

Speaking of the night, she did start getting sleepy, perhaps she could take a quick nap at Celestia’s study later on near the a fire, the beautiful view from the windows will certainly help…now that she thought about it, she can't wait for the night to come tomorrow just so she can see this view again, to make sure that this isn't a dream, to make sure that the comfort she is feeling is real.

She really needs either coffee or sleep…

Author's Note

I apologize for the wait and length of the chapter, I decided to focus on the material itself this time around, specifically Cadance to make some things fit better.

7: Return to Ponyville -Part 1-

Author's Note

Part 1 out of 3 or 4. Depends on how I divide the chapter. Thank you all for waiting and I apologize for the long wait!

7: Return to Ponyville -Part 1-

Twilight's P.O.V

Two weeks have passed since the return of the Lunarian Night as it was called now. Two weeks since Nightmare Moon and Two weeks since Twilight's life went on a rollercoaster dive.

She didn't know what she should exactly feel about everything but she knew one thing. Life at the castle became very awkward and tense.

Cadance started to show up less and less inside the castle during the day (which slightly upset Shining) and spent most of her time with Luna. All her lessons with Celestia continued but it always felt like the princess's mind was somewhere else, and oh, her sleep schedule became more abysmal than it already was.

Now she has to awaken near noon for her lessons, have a slight time for sleep before Moonrise, and then only rest after sunrise. Speaking of rest, it was time for her own to end since she heard the pitter-patter of feet on the cold marble ground.

She groaned as she lifted her head from the bed and looked at Spike just as he opened his mouth to wake her up.

“Good morning Spike,” Twilight could hear the raspiness of her voice. She really should ask Princess Luna for a bit more rest.

“Good morning Twilight! You're starting to get used to the new schedule huh?” The young drake said with a cheerful tone. Sometimes she envied her little companion.

“Just barely. My internal clock is still heavily struggling,” She sighed as she got off her bed. A shiver went through her spine as the embrace of the blanket and the soft bed were replaced by the cool palace air and the hard ground.

Twilight didn't have much to say. She simply picked up Spike and placed him on her back (much to his delight) and used her magic to help herself get ready.

Saddle bag? Check. a couple of gems for Spike? Check…and so she went as she completed her mental checklist.

It didn't take long for her to reach the princess's office…princess Celestia that is. Even though half a month had passed, the idea that there were two princesses now was still an odd one.

She reached out with her magic, and soon, a faint glow appeared on the golden ringer. 3 knocks as was customary for her. She didn't need to knock, considering her lessons were at a fixed time and that if Celestia was busy, she would have been informed earlier. Still, it was a comforting routine.

The gentle “Come in, Twilight.” Was said and heard soon after. With a smile, Twilight opened the door and bowed to the princess, she also made sure to use her magic to secure Spike. The young drake simply let out a cheerful good morning. Unbothered by the slight incline.

“Good Morning, Princess. How has your day been so far?” she said as she lifted her head, getting her first actual look at the Solar princess.

As (almost) always, the princess was presenting her calm, pristine expression accompanied by a gentle smile. Her regalia is properly on, as it should be. Her wings held by her side, just slightly lifted upwards compared to what a pegasus's wings would be when relaxed, a testament to the effort the princess puts into her appearance. Hmm, something was off.

“Good morning, Twilight, Spike,” Celestia began, Twilight recognized that as soon as she was called by name. Her tone and posture indicated that she had a lot to say, and calling her by name meant that this wasn't a student and mentor environment at the moment. Names make things personal. “The day has been as well as can be so far, though there is a matter to be discussed. I'm sorry, but your lessons will be postponed until the matter is resolved.”

Twilight couldn't help but tilt her head to the side, her left ear bent to the side. A reaction she had no control over but always took notice of. What could be of such importance? There wasn't anything going on recently as far as she knew.

“What seems to be the matter, princess? As far as I know, there isn't anything going on.” Ugh, Twilight hated the formal way of speech she had to use. She may be close to the princess, but proper mannerisms need to be used whenever the princess herself speaks formally. Much to her dismay that is.

“Well, it's concerning the other elements of Harmony, the grand galloping gala, and my sister.”

Twilight felt her blood run cold. The elements meant her friends (well, she hoped they were still friends), and the grand galloping gala meant…well, frankly, she didn't know what it meant or why it was even mentioned. No, her attention was brought to Princess Luna.

What matter would concern both her friends and the Lunar Princess? The princess may have spared them and showed no ill intent (that she knew of), but by no means were they on good terms.

Spike, on the other hoof, perked up. “The elements? Does that mean that we're visiting Ponyville again?”

That seemed to grant a chuckle from the princess. Frankly Twilight didn't find anything humorous. She might have if she wasn't fighting the panic within her.

Thankfully, she didn't zone out; the gentle hoof on her withers made sure of that (when did the princess move?).

“Yes, Spike. I'm afraid in our haste we left the other elements behind. Both the objects and the bearers I mean. I would have liked to invite them to the gala as thanks for their help and as an opportunity to discuss things discreetly.”

Twilight sensed a but coming, but she couldn't not voice her concerns and mention the wording.

“Liked? Past tense? Princess, what do you mean by that? Has something happened to them? Or did they do something to make you change your mind?”

The princess smiled, which greatly confused the young unicorn. Was it something she said?

“I'm glad to see that you still care about them my dear, but yes, Liked as in past tense. My sister refused. She wishes to head there personally to see the state of the elements and see if they are worthy of attending the Gala. While I was initially against her decision, she argued that none of them knew the proper decorum that is expected of the attendees and that inviting them and explaining later may lead to a scene or raise issues.”

Before Twilight could respond, she felt the Princess's wing gently embrace her. She swiftly leaned into the appendage and unconsciously relaxed. She also couldn't help but chuckle slightly when Spike sneezed, the feathers must have tickled his snout.

“As her…’ personal servant ’ You are expected to accompany her. I saw fit to inform you early…and I also have a request to ask you, Twilight,” Celestia said as she stepped away and started to pace around. The clanking made by her hooves made for an odd rhythm.

The princess had a clear dislike of Twilight's new status. She wished not to upset Luna but despite her best efforts to convince her sister, she couldn't change her mind.

Twilight took that moment to think. On one side, she was excited to meet the other's again and she would gain a chance to check on the status of the town. On the other, she'd be accompanying Her out of all the ponies. Faust knows that it would make for a volatile environment.

Her time to linger and think came to an end; Celestia’s deep breath took hold of her attention once again.

“I understand that my sister didn't have the most pleasant experience with the other elements, and they may be tense themselves considering everything. While your presence alone is sure to ease tensions, I'm afraid it might not be enough. So I ask you to make sure that things don't escalate between them.”

Twilight stood still, her mouth akin to that of a fish; making no sound as it opened and closed repeatedly.

How was she, out of all people, expected to stop any sort of escalation? She barely knows any of them! She knew her friends for a single day or so and the princess was closed off to anyone who wasn't Cadance! And that is without mentioning her apparent disdain for her (not that it is undeserved).

“B-But Princess, how am I supposed to do that??”

The princess simply smiled slightly. It was an understanding smile, as gentle and warm as the rising sun. “I understand that it's a difficult task Twilight. But I have faith that it won't be as hard as you think.”

She stepped closer to Twilight once again. She simply sat down on the cold floor and extended one of her wings in an open invitation. Twilight didn't even think as she accepted the invitation. The princess was a second mother to her, so such acts, no matter how improper they seemed, were normal and tended to always calm the unicorn.

“Your friends are good ponies, I do believe that if you explain the situation to them, they would wish to stray from trouble. After all, they did help in the search for my Sister while they had no obligation to.”

“Plus you have me to help! So you don't need to worry too much Twilight. Your number one assistant will help you in this assignment.”

Twilight blinked; for a faint moment, she forgot that Spike was on her back. Though his words and the princess's did bring some comfort to her.

The princess is right, she doesn't have to worry much. If things do get bad, she can take care of calming down her friends, and Spike can do his best with Princess Luna. After all, she never seemed to mind the young drake and according to him, she did hand him a gem to eat a couple of times. Although she never saw it in her time attending to the princess, she couldn't have it in her to think of Spike as a liar when it comes to such things.

She let out a soft sigh as she leaned into the princess. “I suppose it's true. They are still my friends after all, and the princess already promised not to harm them before…Okay, I made up my mind. I'll do my best Princess Celestia. You can count on me!”

She straightened her back and puffed up her chest slightly as she said that. Despite her nervousness, she was happy that the princess trusted her with such a task, there might have been a sliver of pride as well.

“I always can Twilight. Now I think it's best if you go to pack what you need and get some rest. You have a long night ahead of you.”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled the princess’s side before she headed to the door to leave. Of course, she did bow to the princess before she left. Come on Spike, we have a checklist to make and a bag to pack.”

“Aye, Aye, Captain Sparkle!” Twilight didn't need to see Spike to know that he performed a cute salute as he said that. She just hoped that things would be as easy as the princess made it out to be.

Luna's P.O.V

A dancing void, a flow, and a swirl of black dancing around her. That is what the moon princess first saw as she entered what she knew to be her dream.

She observed the world around her, only to be faced with nothing but swirls of black in different pitches. To another's eye, the darkness would have been indistinguishable; to her eyes, though, it was a flow of memories and magic.

She trotted slowly in the vast expanse, There was no floor for her to walk on, yet none was needed. She had long since stopped observing and went on her now daily walk.

She had no track of time as she walked forward. She did not wish to lament on time, not when it lost meaning to her; exile taught her so...frankly she doesn't know why she's going through this dream anymore. She's lucid and can shape her dreams so why did she not form it to be something else?

She had every opportunity to make this a memory. She could review when her mother first taught her how to fly, when her father took her to the cloud expanse at the dusk of the summer solstice, perhaps when she first met Tia…or perhaps she can view memories of her beloved again.

All of those options were viable, all of them just a thought away. Yet, she made no choice. She found herself lacking the will to do so. She wondered why but made no effort to try and figure out the answer.

It's a thing that she noticed. The idea of putting effort and dealing with the world, old or new, real or in dreams. It was odd.

Perhaps that's why she looked forward to this dream. She can just be here. Not work, not think, not feel. Just, a perpetual state of existence where she doesn't matter nor anything does. As lonely as It was, it brought an odd comfort that she had barely felt since her return…since her loving Night was gone.

An amount of time unknown yet to her has passed in the dream and reality. She felt the Moon's slow and melodic call as if it were a soft hum from a mother's lullaby.

Soon, the darkness dispelled and reality dissipated and shifted. Her eyes were open now and she was in the view of her body. It was earlier than she instructed her servant to wake her so she had time to herself.

She gently lifted her head from the bed and gazed at the sky from her window. She can feel the Moon itching to rise again, the dam that held back the flow of the night and its stars threatening to break. Yet she granted the moon no relief nor opened the dam to spare it from the dead sea. No, not yet.

Luna absent-mindedly reached out with her magic and called upon her outfit which consisted of the regalia that was recently made for her. While it shared the same colour as her previous regalia, this one was made out of obsidian rather than metal on behalf of her request. The idea of metal wrapped around her neck was no longer appealing to her.

So many things have changed in the past 2 weeks. She saw so much of the world in the dream realm in her exile, yet even that was nowhere near the true scale of change that occurred in the world. So many details the dreams have neglected to show or outright distorted thanks to the minds of living.

If Luna was honest with herself, she'd say that she found it overwhelming. But she can't do that; she might know her weaknesses, but she won't admit it. She has to keep her morale high after all.

Soon the sound of hoof steps approached. Luna took it as her cue to end her peaceful moment. She got off the bed, then with a single ruffle of her feathers. Faint silver strings formed and brought her metallic boots (she wasn't a fool, she's not wearing a boot made out of volcanic glass) just beneath her so when she stepped down from the bed, her hooves slid her boots and with only a couple of steps, she was in front of the door which started to creek open.

She watched silently as her servant flinched and almost yelped as soon as she saw her. She held back a slight smile at the sight; she might have despised the unicorn at the beginning, but she had to admit, she was lively, a source of entertainment, and extremely competent. Having a drake as her own assistant was just a favourable plus…and it was funny that her servant had an assistant of her own.

She stared patiently as Twilight Sparkle got her bearings again, bowed with a proper angle, and then addressed her as was appropriate.

“The realm of awakening re-welcomes her Royal Highness, Princess of the Night's Silver Sun, Princess Luna. Was your slumber a source of rest or ire?” Said the young unicorn with a steady voice, and a hint of pride. Most likely because she managed to figure out, and memorize the now ancient appropriate way to greet a princess.

Luna had to admit, she was both surprised and impressed the first time she heard it, she almost praised the lavender mare. Not that she didn't deserve it, far from it actually, she simply didn't wish for the young one to get lax and start slouching in her job.

Her train of thought was broken by a chipper and casual “Good Morning Princess Luna! Urm…wait, is it Sundown or Moonrise?” Coming from Spike.

She rolled her eyes before addressing them both. “And I welcome the realm of awakening back, as I welcome you Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Drake. My slumber brought satisfactory rest, you have nothing to worry about. Now rise. Also Spike, it's Moonrise to me but Sundown to Celestia, though it's not the time for that yet. We have 15 minutes left before we attend our duties.”

Twilight lifted her head out of the bow and stepped to the side so Luna could walk. She and Spike followed with no need for command, it was becoming a routine.

“Oh! Well, I suppose that makes sense.”

Luna rolled her eyes once again before she turned her attention to Twilight. She could see the unicorn get slightly nervous once Spike spoke so casually.

To calm her down, Luna went straight to talking about work rather than keeping silent. She didn't want a servant who was too nervous to work properly.

“Twilight, I will not have breakfast today. We will be heading into the town of Ponyville today after I raise the Moon. I trust that Celestia filled you in with the rest of the details correct?”

She watched the confusion spark through her eyes before surprise and understanding settled in. Twilight nodded. “Yes, Princess Celestia already informed me, I was also given ample time to rest to be in top condition tonight.”

Typical. Hm, did Celestia tell her all the details though? “Good. Though rest was unnecessary. You would have had plenty of time to sleep on the train.”

Twilight almost froze as she heard that. It turns out she was correct. Just Typical of Celestia. Twilight regained her bearings and did her best to keep her voice in check. “Train? Are we not using chariots?”

“Chariot brings too much attention. I am a new Princess to the world so attention would work against us. Even with a disguise, a chariot would still be unideal.” Luna saw no reason to berate the unicorn for her question. It might not have been the smartest question, but she couldn't fault her.

Twilight took a contemplative expression before raising an eyebrow. “With all due respect, princess, you're an Alicorn. Your presence will bring attention with or without a chariot.”

Hm, at least she thought and asked. Good. “Which is why I'll be using a magical disguise. Our matter is with the elements of Harmony, not the town and all of its people. To avoid tensions, I believe it would be better if we kept my identity hidden from the other elements as well.”

Twilight didn't like the idea; her quickened breath, hot air snort, and flinch of tail were all classic tell-tale signs. Even Spike didn't seem to like the idea

“With All due Respect Your Majesty, I… don't think that this is a good idea. I'm not sure how much they trust you personally, but lying to them will damage any amount of trust they might have, not just in you, but in me and Princess Celestia. I have journeyed with those ponies and I can testify personally of their trustworthiness. We just need to keep them calm, that's all.”

Luna hummed softly as she took a moment to ponder the suggestion. Sure, it would be safer to hide her identity from everyone and the test would be more genuine, but the elements were to be sought as allies and not as enemies.

Though before she could respond, Twilight went on and continued speaking “And if the chariots would bring too much attention, why don't we just teleport there? It might be a bit too far for me but I'm sure that you can handle such a distance.”

Luna sighed. She expected Teleportation to be mentioned, but she didn't like it. Well here on to explain even more. This is a bit tiring. “While teleportation is a valid method, it doesn't align with what I intend. While your friends are the main subject and cause of our visit, I also wish to get to know Equestria for what it is. Not with the attention and servitude befit a princess. But just as another pony in the streets. Train aligns with that even more. That, and I don't like to teleport others with me.”

“But Princ-”

Luna let out a snort in response. Twilight got the hint and softly lowered her head in apology. Luna simply urged her forward with a wing before she continued speaking.

“Now that the matter of transportation is done with, it's time to address the methods of approach. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Now, while I wish to discuss the details with you and perhaps come up with a compromise, we'll have to save that for later. I have a meeting with Celestia first, and I'll have to inform Cadance of my departure too.”

Luna stopped as she said that and extended a wing in front of Twilight to have her stop as well.

She closed her eyes and focused. Soon, she connected her magic to that of the moon. She slowly and calmly tuned herself with the moon and its lullaby, coaxing it into rising with the aid of her magic. She then opened the magical dam that held back the dead sea of stars as the night embraced the world in its mesmerizing display, a fresh sight considering the plain sky. Of course, none of it was seen by them since they were inside the castle and away from any functioning window that wasn't a painting.

She suddenly turned towards Twilight and stared at her for a moment. Luna thought back to what Twilight said about knowing the ponies in Ponyville. Hmm, perhaps she might give her this task to occupy herself.

“Whether our approach will be of truth, deceit, or something in between. I would like for you to come up with an identity for myself to use as a disguise. I trust that such a task would be within your capabilities, correct?”

“wha- I-...” The unicorn mare stumbled on her words. It was slightly amusing, but it was a habit that she needed to help her fix. She would hot have her servant be a blabbering fool.

Luna raised a hoof, immediately silencing Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, is such a task within your capabilities? Yes or no?”

Twilight gulped heavily, her breathing quickening and the tail lowering “I-I beli-”

Luna's brows furrowed slightly before she interrupted Twilight again. “Yes or No, Twilight?”

Twilight understood the point, ( well, Luna hoped that she did) and took a deep breath to steel herself as she answered. “Yes, Princess Luna.”

“Good. I'll leave you to it and see the results later,” Luna said as she opened the meeting room’s doors and entered alone before closing the doors behind her. She hoped that Twilight would come with something that she could play along with.

Twilight's P.O.V

An hour and a half has passed since Twilight was left alone to come up with a secret identity for Princess Luna. She was not having a good time; Spike, however, was having the time of his life.

“Hmm, can we make her the daughter of two rich folks who wants to escape and become a farmer? Perhaps some of the nobility? Her being a farmer fits with Applejack, her nobility will certainly grab Rarity’s attention, escaping home for a dream would totally be something that Rainbow Dash would find awesome, too! And the princess is already good with animals and I don't think that we need to do anything for Pinkie to be on board with her.”

Twilight groaned as she placed her head on the desk. This was getting nowhere. Perhaps she should have said no instead…No, she already said Yes to the princess and she has to deliver on her word.

“Spike, while admittedly your backstory has merit, it only works if we plan to deceive the girls, something that could not happen at all. And I don't see what's wrong with her being a friend of mine from school!” Honestly, was it that hard to believe? She has friends here too!

“Twilight, I'd believe that the moon is made from cheese before I'd even consider believing that.” Okay, perhaps it was that- wait, HEY!

“Spike!” The little drake had serious gall to say that to her face.

“Okay, okay! We can roll with your idea. Though I still think mine is the better one”

Twilight sighed as she tried to think for a moment. If she was being honest with herself, Spike's idea had a good base. it might have been too much at once. But she can't blame him for that, though; he was still a young dragon after all.

“Okay, how about this, A smart pony from a traditional farming family. She was a friend of mine in school, and now she has graduated. She heard that I was coming to Ponyville, which is known to be a farming town, and so she was interested in coming with me during my visit. Is that good?”

Spike hummed for a moment as he took a thinking stance. He kept going at it for a hot minute before shrugging with a smile. “Yeah, I suppose it's good.”

The lavender mare quickly wrote down all the details of the backstory and everything else they came up with. It was usually Spike's job to write but Twilight was in a bit of a hurry at the moment.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before she was done. Twilight let out a sigh of relief before nearly jumping out of her skin as she heard a knock on the door.

She went and opened the door while grumbling under her breath before freezing as she saw Princess Luna.

“Princess Luna! I see you're done with your meeting, ehehe…just in time as well” Faust, that was close, too close. “We just finished the last details. It's all written down here,” Twilight said as she handed the princess the sheet of paper.

The purple glow was replaced with silver as the princess took hold of it. Her eyes quickly scanned the text before she gave a satisfactory nod (well Twilight hoped it was out of satisfaction).

The princess's horn then suddenly shone bright; after Twilight regained her vision, her jaw almost dropped to the floor. While just a moment ago, the princess was standing in front of her, now a new pony was there.

Who stood before her was a dark carmel-coloured earth pony mare of average height. The starry celestial mane was instead replaced with a long braided mix of blondes, from bright, to Hazel and then to strawberry, with a lighter uniform blonde hue on the tail. She had small tufts on the lower parts of her legs near the hooves and she had a cutie mark of a horseshoe with a mango in the middle. The only things that were unchanged about the princess were her eyes and regalia.

“I believe this is an appropriate look is it not?” Asked the princess as if what she did was not a big deal. Even her voice was different!

Twilight was so fascinated and engrossed in what she was seeing that she didn't hear nor feel Spike falling to the ground, nor did she stop staring or answer the princess.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the princess pushing her snout with her hoof lightly to snap her out of it. She shook her head, closed her mouth, and took a moment to formulate her thoughts.

“I-..you're- I mean, it's perfect princess! How did you do that? Almost everything is different! I-I don't know what to say.”

Luna nodded with a slight smile on her face. Perhaps she was proud of the reaction Twilight gave her or perhaps it was out of amusement. Twilight didn't know and for once, didn't care.

“Good, now would you grab your belongings so we can leave? Celestia arranged for you to stay at the same library that you resided in before. Also, call me Dusk Bloom while in this form, and try to act as if we were friends if we want to sell your story correctly.”

Twilight silently nodded as she grabbed her stuff and Spike with her magic before following princ- Dusk Bloom. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all.

8: Return to Ponyville -Part 2-

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