To The Moon

Chapters

To The Moon
One-Thousand Years to Go
The Night Will Last Forever
The Moon Will Have its Days

To The Moon

"Is something wrong my sister?" Celestia stood over knowing something was troubling her sister Luna. Luna watched the house lights in the distant turn out one at a time. She looked up at the night sky, looking for some sort of flaw that would explain why it failed to impress anypony. It was one of Luna's finest full-moons, and each star twinkled pleasantly in their proper place. For a moment, both Luna and Celestia were silent as the two sisters stood on the castle balcony under the night sky.
Celestia waited for Luna to speak, while Luna was waiting for herself to stir up the right words. Celestia put her hoof around Luna's shoulder to encourage her to say what was troubling her.
Luna sighed before finally speaking. "Look at this night. No matter how much I fill the moon, or how many stars I bring out, not a single pony seems to care."
Celestia leaned toward her. "The night is just as important as the sun no matter how the ponies react to it."
Luna's mood seemed unchanged by her sisters statement. "My stars don't make the crops grow. The moon can barely stay full—not that it would make a difference if it was. Ponies just sleep through it all. After bringing out the moon I nearly collapsed from exhaustion, and look: Not a single pony outdoors. It's not even worth my trouble. I bet if I didn't bring out the moon no pony would notice."
"Luna! Without the moon we wouldn't have such a lovely harmony in all Equestria. Besides, I bet there are ponies in their beds right now—making a wish on one of your stars." Celestia smiled sweetly at Luna, but Luna refused to look her sister in the eye.
Luna maintained a locked stare on the night sky. "You of all ponies would be the last to understand. Ponies praise your name every time a weather pony kicks away a cloud."
Celestia couldn't find a response that would make her sister happy. In all honesty, Luna was right. Whenever anything good happened in Equestria the ponies would say something along the lines of 'Praise Celestia,' and most ponies wouldn't even think twice to give any respect to Luna.
Luna knew that her sister couldn't give a truthful response that would do anything but infuriate her more. Having no desire to talk, Luna felt that leaving was the best option. She opened her wings. Before taking flight she turned to her sister for the first time of the night, and said, "I guess you have to get your sleep too—like everypony else."
Luna flew into the night sky, without looking back. She could hear the wind hiss as it blew across her face. It was cold, but Luna liked it that way. After Luna arrived at her thinking spot, the oldest tree in the Everfree Forest, she made her descent. Luna liked it in the Everfree Forest, because it was the only place where creatures were out and about at night. None of the creatures were ponies, or creatures that had as much as one word to share with Luna, but it was better than waiting in the vacant outdoors of Canterlot for the ponies to wake.
With little to do, Luna practiced some of her simple magic spells. She was never as strong with magic as her sister, but her constant boredom fueled her inspiration to come up with new spells that no pony has probably even attempted.
She used magic on trees to give them funny faces. She also used her magic to alter the clouds. She would see just how long and thin she could stretch them out before they become transparent. Luna would bring them to the ground and cover the forest floor with them; leaving the forest in a haze.
With such little entertainment there was in Equestria at the middle of the night, Luna got a lot of satisfaction with altering things with magic; making the world less boring. She had a creative toolbox of spells that she never revealed to anypony. One of her favorites involved altering the shadows themselves—which at night, there were many at her disposal. She used shadows to create illusions that emulated other ponies, and they looked exceptionally lifelike. She was hesitant to admit having imaginary friends—even to herself—but she enjoyed their company more than anypony else. Despite their muteness, they did more for her than any friends she had.
As the forest was converted into a magic play-place, the constant flow of spells from her horn soon became more exhausting than entertaining. She gave her horn a rest, but first she cleaned up the forest back to the way it originally was. Once done, she began to rest on her favorite tree. It was when she dispelled her imaginary friends, that she was reminded just how alone she was. Luna was alone with nothing but her own thoughts.
There were still hours before the she had to pack up the stars, and retreat the moon. She was left with plenty of time to think. Luna thought to herself, Why couldn't I have been the older sister. Then I could have controlled the sun, and everypony would love me like they do with Celestia, and I wouldn't be alone with nothing better to do, but mess with a couple of clouds, and trees in the darkness. Luna tried to remember a time where she talked to somepony other than her sister, herself, or something non-existent, but she just couldn't remember.
Nopony seemed to appreciate the night, and that often made Luna upset. Luna loved the night. The cooler temperatures were much more bearable than being under the sun, and she always found the darkness exciting as she felt that it made the world have more surprises in it. Every night it was her goal to make the moon glamorous in the sky, without being blinding so that ponies could stare at its beauty all night without hurting their eyes.
But despite her efforts, ponies didn't watch the moon or give a second glance at her stars. Yet something as simple and uncreative as a single ball of light was treasured by the other ponies. Luna would spread the stars across the entire sky as if it was a canvas she was trying to fill. She took the time to make each star beautiful and unique, but ponies slept during the night, and only watched sunsets and sunrises. Luna loved the night, but she hated the loneliness. Why am I the only pony that stays awake through the whole night? she thought.
Luna's eyes began to water. She spent a large portion of her night with one tear or more sliding down her cheek. She's been sad, and alone every night, but for the some reason, today she just wasn't capable of putting her sorrows behind her. Maybe it was because tonight, she put in much more effort in creating beauty than normal, or maybe it was just that she was gradually getting sicker of the constant neglect.
Luna was reminded by the nocturnal creatures in the Forest preparing for their sleep, that it was time for her to clean up her night so that her sister can bring out the sun. She cleared out her eyes, and secured her emotions underneath a stale expression. Luna flew back to the castle in Canterlot, where she could prepare with her sister to say goodbye to the moon, and bring out the sun.
Celestia was already waiting at the castle, when Luna arrived. "Good morning," Celestia greeted. "Are you ready to pack up your night?"
Luna pondered that question much more than Celestia intended her to. For some reason this night felt different than the other nights. She didn't feel so willing to just give up on another unappreciated night. Luna murmured, "This night was one of my finest masterpieces ever, and no pony got to see it."
Celestia sighed, "Are we still on this? I already told you: It doesn't matter if the other ponies see it. It was a fine night—a great night—but it has to go now."
Luna stood her ground, and refused to lower the moon. "What if we just left it out all day, then ponies would have to look at it in awe."
"Now sister. Ponies need the sun during the day so they can see what they're doing. The sun helps them be more efficient, and makes them safer when they're out and about."
Luna understood her sister but it didn't convince her that she couldn't have her moon out for just a little longer. "Raise your sun then! There's plenty of room for both. Look right there! You have plenty of room in the sky to put your sun—just beneath my moon." Luna pointed into an empty space of the night sky.
Celestia began to raise her voice, but still maintained her usual passive tone. "Luna! I lowered the sun for your night. You have to clean up your night for my sun.”
“How about just a little longer so that the ponies could see it when they wake up?” Luna asked.
Celestia disapproved her sister's compromise. “It wouldn't be fair if the moon gets to stay out longer than the sun.”
Luna was angry that her sister tried to argue that it wouldn't be fair. “Is it fair that my moon only comes out when everypony is sleeping?” Luna asked.
Celestia answered, “We both agreed that you control the sky during the night, and I control it during the day!"
Luna interjected, "I never agreed to that! I said we should rule together—side-by-side. You said we should take turns and divide our authority by time of day." Luna glared into her sister's eyes.
Celestia wasn't intimidated by Luna's stern behavior, and she glared back at her sister. "You just need to lower the moon. We are still ruling 'side-by-side'."
Luna lashed out, "Is that why you do all the planning for the Gala, and your guards are fitted with golden armor, and you get the biggest room in our castle?" Luna's question was rhetorical. The two girls both wore their faces with anger.
Celestia warned, "Last chance my sister. Lower the moon now!"
Luna stood her ground, and made her reply with silence. Celestia was unwilling to share the sky with her sister during her day, and Luna refused to lower her moon until the ponies of Equestria woke up to see it first.
Both girls were ready for a fight. Their Horns glowed bright with a magical essence. A bolt of magic energy fired from each of the girl's horns. Luna's spell was significantly inferior, and withered into the blast of magic Celestia unleashed. Luna knew that she had been beat. She knew that her magic was weaker than Celestia's but she hoped that maybe her rage would put up a better fight against her sister than what it did. Celestia's power was stronger than anypony could have anticipated.
Celestia's spell engulfed Luna in a blinding aura of light. Luna knew that their was no point in trying to escape the inevitable. She stood in shock, realizing she underestimated her sister's power. Celestia's magic surrounded Luna, and Luna was at its complete mercy. When the blinding light finally dimmed Luna found that she was no longer in her castle. Instead, she was on the moon.

Author's Note

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One-Thousand Years to Go

Luna was alone. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't return to Equestria. Celestia had some sort of spell that trapped her on the moon. At first Luna wasn't bothered. Actually, she felt that it was probably a good thing to get a little space from her sister. She was still angry with her, and felt that it would probably be best for both of them to get a little space.
Luna didn't mind being stuck on the moon. It beat being trapped on the sun, but the fact that Celestia was lowering and raising both the moon and sun, infuriated Luna. Her sister always stole all the fame and royalty thus far, and now, the one little thing Luna called her own was taken away from her also. She didn't know what bothered her more: being deprived of the last thing that gave her happiness, or seeing her already over-spoiled, royal sister get her hoofs around one more thing that she didn't deserve.
Despite every effort, Luna had no control over the moon anymore, and was hopelessly stuck on it. She simply didn't have the power to return back to her castle in Canterlot, or anyplace for that matter. Luna was still under the effects of her sister's spell. It didn't just send her to the moon, it imprisoned her and negated any action that attempted to leave the moon, or regain control of it.
Days passed, and each one only reminded her that Celestia was raising the sun and moon while Luna was stuck with quite literally nothing. Now the princess of the night had nothing to call her own. Luna started wondering when her sister would let her come back home. It was only one little fight, she thought. Luna was surprised that it took more than a couple of hours before they put their grudges behind themselves.
As days became weeks, Luna was actually missing the nights of crying by herself in the Everfree Forest. She missed her thinking spot, and she missed Canterlot. Although she didn't want to admit it, she missed her sister.
Luna resumed her usual pastime of using simple magic spells to calm her frustrations and keep herself entertained. With nothing else to do, Luna spent a large amount of time practicing her magic, and as weeks became months, she noticed her powers were significantly stronger.
What Luna longed for the most was company. Spending month after month in a place with nopony in sight made Luna crave an intelligent conversation. Just as she use to fight loneliness in the Everfree Forest, Luna conjured up some illusionary pony friends from the shadows with her magic. She would talk to them in a hopeless effort to pretend she wasn't alone, but they never said anything back, and they weren't enough to keep Luna from going crazy. Though talking to her illusionary friends eased her mind a little bit, after being away from everything for so long she ran out of things to talk about.
After telling her illusionary friends about the fight with her sister, and what Equestria was like, there was nothing left to talk about. Boredom caused her to come up with some interesting topics of conversation: what Equestria will be like in the future, what Celestia is doing right now, and if Celestia is wondering what Luna was doing right now. But every conversation topic ended with Luna asking the same question: “Is she still mad at me, or did my sister forget about me?”
She was usually done talking, once those thoughts entered her mind. That was the point which she would dispel all her illusions, and attempt to fall asleep, while nervous thoughts raced through her head.
Being alone for such a long time made sanity impossible to maintain. She no longer cared about who was right, and who was wrong. Luna was prepared with an apology in case her sister ever let her come back to Equestria. She even rehearsed it. She was willing to take any blame if it brought her back home.
Years began to pass by, and every one of Luna's thoughts were questions. Why hasn't Celestia came back for me yet or at least gave me a chance to apologize? Does she even care that I'm trapped here?
As her 100th anniversary of imprisonment on the moon was less than a day away, Luna began to question the magic her sister used on her. She wondered if it really was anger alone that fueled Celestia with enough strength to trap her with a magic spell that lasted for almost 100 years. It didn't add up. Celestia was powerful, but a spell that lasts continuously for 100 years without showing any sign of fading was just impossible.
Alicorns have powerful magic, but they need rest nonetheless. There's simply no way Celestia could maintain an imprisonment spell for a hundred years nonstop. Why hasn't her magic faded out yet? Does she not sleep? Does she not rest? Luna became curious.
As the hour of Luna's 100th anniversary of imprisonment was only minutes away, she was struck with an idea—The Elements Of Harmony. Of course, Luna thought. It's the only thing that could explain it. All signs seemed to only confirm Luna's theory.
Luna has only seen the power of the elements unleashed once before, and that was when Discord, a chaos bringing draconicus, was creating havoc in Equestria. Celestia and Luna unleashed The Elements of Harmony together, and they trapped Discord in stone.
The Elements of Harmony contained more magic than anything else in Equestria. They had a limitless power. Thus, strict rules had to be put in place to make sure that they are not used in the wrong way.
Luna knew that Celestia was angry, but the thing she always cared about was the balance of harmony in Equestria. Celestia and Luna were what kept that balance of harmony in order, and yet, Celestia used The Elements Of Harmony to completely banish her sister along with the balance to harmony that her sister represented.
Even though it was over 100 years ago, Luna could remember the day she and her sister agreed that they both must approve before ever using The Elements Of Harmony for anything—to make sure they were not misused. It was the only way to make sure balance was kept. Did Celestia really break her promise? Luna could see no possible alternative.
Luna came to the conclusion: Harmony's equilibrium can't exist with only one sister. It was the two of them that contributed equally that made harmony possible, and by trapping her sister on the moon, Celestia destroyed that balance. She used them without Luna's permission. Celestia abused the elements by using them to destroy harmony.
To Luna, this was no longer a simple disagreement—it was a serious offense. Luna was able to admit to herself that maybe it was wrong to not lower the moon for her sister's sun, but nonetheless, Celestia's misuse of The Elements Of Harmony was far worse than what she did.
The thought of Celestia misusing the elements disgusted Luna. It was completely inappropriate, and immoral. Celestia had many traits that made her an ideal ruler, but Luna would have never done such a thing. Worst of all, Celestia was the respected sister, and with Luna unable to tell the Equestrians the truth, everypony can only assume Celestia was just doing the most honorable thing.
Luna wanted to remove Celestia's authority from Equestria. She strongly believed it was the best course of action, not just for herself, but the ponies of Equestria. She wanted to liberate the ponies from Celestia's corruption, and bring justice. That night Luna vowed that she will one day return to Equestria—somehow--and make things right...
But as centuries passed, Luna's initial vow became skewed. It became less about making things right and more about regaining her self-respect. She dreamed of seeing Celestia defeated. Though she was naturally a compassionate pony, she didn't dwell long on the well-being of Equestria. All she thought about, was to get back at her sister.
She no longer cared about saving Equestria from Celestia's corrupt dictatorship; she just wanted to make Celestia suffer more than what she had. She wanted to see her sister being shunned, instead of worshiped. She wanted to see her sister suffer from losing control of the sun and moon, and for once be seen as the weaker sister. She vowed that Celestia will one day bow down before her.
Luna no longer practiced magic to fight her boredom. She practiced magic to train. She prepared herself to fight her sister—to be stronger than Celestia. And her magic did get stronger. After centuries of practice, Luna became much more powerful. She learned how to shoot powerful bolts of lightning from her horn—with power that Celestia herself couldn't match. Even her simple illusion spells became more advanced. They no longer looked as transparent, they looked like real ponies. Luna was able to conjure a realistic, illusionary, pony army. She no longer summoned them one at a time—like before—but half a dozen, and best of all, they were able to talk.
They spoke mostly in whispers, and at first, Luna thought she was just going insane, but they were speaking. They had glittery blue manes and tails, like Luna's, and they obeyed every one of her commands. They might not be real, but they were the next most real thing on the moon besides Luna herself. Luna named the group of illusionary ponies: 'Shadowbolts,' because they were made with the same empty voids as the shadows themselves.
Luna felt self-pride to see how powerful she became over the centuries, but she still had the same problem as before: she was stuck on the moon. She didn't know how to break the spell from The Elements Of Harmony. She became strong enough to face her sister, but it did no good if she was weaker than the imprisonment spell from the Elements Of Harmony. From what she understood, it was impossible to go back home, until one of the twinkling stars caught her eye.

The Night Will Last Forever

“The stars!” Luna shouted. It suddenly became obvious: The stars were created with her own magic, therefore, she could use the magic from the stars to teleport off the moon. Best of all, the magic in the stars wasn't occluded by the imprisonment spell—unlike the magic from her horn. The magic in the stars weren't stronger than the Elements Of Harmony, but their magic could be just enough for her to leave the moon, and evade the effects of the imprisonment spell.
Luna fired a bolt of magic from her horn, this time targeting the stars. Initially, nothing remarkable took place. She maintained a stream of magic flowing at the stars, but the magic stream never passed the imprisonment spell. Luna closed her eyes and concentrated on using all her magic desperately hoping to reach the stars. She took deep, full breaths to channel all her energy. After a minute of total concentration, Luna felt an aching sensation form in her head. She peaked one eye open to see if she had any luck reaching the stars. Nothing remarkable yet. Her frustrations caused her to strain herself. She dug her hooves into the moon's surface, and clenched every muscle in her body for a final effort. Alas, even after centuries of practice she was still too weak.
She collapsed onto her back from the exhaustion. She was panting heavily, and was light-headed. All she could do was ask herself why she was still not strong enough. The Elements Of Harmony are just too powerful. Maybe if the stars were just a little closer... No matter what I do, I can't get passed the imprisonment spell.
Luna discovered what went wrong. Her magic was negated from going beyond the moon, and she was magically bound to the confinements of the moon, but that only applied for her—not her Shadowbolts. The Shadowbolts were conjured out of the shadows, and could therefore freely roam through any shadow, even the shadows on the stars. She could conjure her Shadowbolts, and have them use the magic on the stars to bring them back to her. But there was one problem—not enough shadows on the stars. They were too bright for there to be shadows.
Luna lost track of how long its been since she was in Equestria, but however long it was, it was probably best that she didn't know. She was so close to making it back to Equestria, yet in reality, she was just as close as she was from the beginning. Then, something caught Luna's eye. The stars were becoming dim.
Luna was curious as to what was happening. The stars usually only did that during the summer solstice celebration. They darkened along with any other light source on the summer solstice so that Celestia's sun wouldn't be masked by any other light; to put emphasis on the sun's natural, radiant beauty. Luna smiled. This must be it: the summer solstice. This is my chance to make the longest day into the longest night.
Luna conjured her Shadowbolts, a horde of illusionary warriors. Luna ordered her warriors, “Go to the stars! Bring them back here!” The Shadowbolts each gave an obedient head nod, before they vanished into a cloud of blue magical essence. For the first time for 1,000 years she was waiting in anticipation. Sure enough, Luna could see a cluster of stars coming toward her. Luna smiled. Within moments, Celestia will regret everything she done to me. She will regret trapping me here, and stealing my moon, and using the Elements Of Harmony without my permission.
The stars were brought to Luna. With the magic from the stars, she was able to use their magic to move the way her Shadowbolts moved—through the shadows. Luna tried one more time, to return to Equestria, this time with more hope than ever. She closed her eyes to focus her magic. Her horn glowed and her magic synced into the magic from the stars. A tingling sensation formed in her hooves, and traveled all the way up her spine.
Her body transformed into a smoky cloud of magic essence. Immediately after, she reappeared feeling a non-customary surface under her hooves—grass. Could it have... Did it work? Luna curiously opened her eyes.
Luna was looking at things that she haven't seen in a long time: grass, water, animals, houses. She was back in Equestria—the Everfree Forest to be exact. Luna felt rejuvenated to have finally been back to the place she missed the most after spending centuries on the moon. After the jittery sense of joy had passed, Luna was reminded of Celestia, and the summer solstice. She smiled at the nightly critters scurrying across the forest floor, then took in a deep breath knowing that she would need it for her ambitious intentions. She was back in Equestria, and now, Luna's next task was to confront her sister after all these years. Luna teleported again, this time reappearing in Celestia's room...
Celestia was looking in the mirror, brushing her mane with magic when Luna appeared behind her. “Its been a while, sister,” Luna said deviously.
Celestia jumped back in shock. “Luna?”
“You have no right to call me that! Not after what you've done!” Luna snapped back at Celestia. Celestia's mouth hung open while Luna tried hiding the smile that secretly enjoyed seeing her sister startled.
“H-how did you get back?” Celestia's eyes were wide and her hooves shook.
“You should be asking me what I plan to do now that I'm back... I know what you did. You used the Elements Of Harmony! You imprisoned me on the moon, and you stole my control of the night sky!” Luna shouted. Her voice echoed against the walls of Celestia's room.
Celestia confessed, “I had to use the Elements Of Harmony. You were being irrational. What was I suppose to do? I didn't want to, but you left me no choice.”
“I don't care! You are unfit to rule Equestria,” said Luna, “I came back to regain control of my night, and to deprive you of your throne.”
“Oh no you won't!” shouted Celestia while her horn glowed brightly.
Celestia fired a magic ray of light at Luna, but Luna easily blocked Celestia's spell with a magic field. The ray of light dissipated into the air. Luna pointed her horn up in the air. Her eyes glowed silver as her horn fired a bolt of lighting at Celestia. Celestia was thrown to the floor stunned.
Luna knew her magic was stronger, but she never had the chance to see just how much more powerful she became until now. Celestia's magic was effortlessly dispelled, and she was knocked on her back with a single spell. The fight was clearly one-sided—almost as one-sided as their first encounter was, but this time the Luna was the victor. Luna stood over Celestia, and her horn glowed bright, ready to cast another detrimental spell.
From laying flat on her side, Celestia knew she had lost. There was no hope in being able to control Luna as easily as before. From the ground Celestia's horn flashed brightly, and equally as quick, Celestia vanished before Luna could cast her finishing spell. The bright flash temporarily blinded Luna. Celestia had teleported to an unknown location. After Luna discovered her sister was gone, she lowered her horn, and ceased its magical charge.
Luna shouted out, “Go ahead and run! I'll be ready when you come back, and in the meantime, I'll be watching your throne.”
Luna scanned around the room. It changed from the vague memory Luna had of the place. Furnishings and color schemes had all changed. But one thing was still the same: Celestia still kept her writing table by the bedroom window. Luna approached the table, which had a flier for the Summer Solstice. She read it:
The Summer Solstice,
This years celebration will be held in Ponyville. Come to the Town Hall to witness Celestia's magic raise the sun. Refreshments will be provided. Celestia will begin raising the sun for the longest day of the year.
Luna thought to herself, Probably worth checking out. Luna teleported, leaving Celestia's room, and reappearing in Ponyville's Town Hall.
Luna appeared on the stage. The Town Hall was filled with pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies. Luna didn't recognize any of them, but all of them had the same startled expression when she appeared.
Luna spoke with a sense of control, “Oh my beloved subjects, its been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces...” Everypony fearfully trembled in place. “Don't you know who I am? Does my crown no longer count now that I had been imprisoned for 1,000 years? Did you not see the signs?”
“I did!” Interrupted a young mare's voice, “And I know who you are! You're the mare on the moon!”
Luna was shocked that after 1,000 years, there was still at least a unicorn who remembered her. Not only was Luna being recognized, but she was for the first time respected as a powerful, and authoritative alicorn.
Luna jeered, “Remember this day little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forward, the night will last forever!”

The Moon Will Have its Days

The townsponies ran away, and Luna's suspicions were raised by the young mare who called her out during her first appearance in 1,000 years. The fact that a regular unicorn knew of Luna's long-forgotten history could potential mean that she also knows about the Elements Of Harmony. Luna disappeared into the air, and followed the unicorn while remaining undetectable.
Luna saw her enter a library inside an old tree. Some other ponies entered the tree also. Luna eavesdropped into their conversation but what interested Luna were their talk about the Elements Of Harmony.
The purple unicorn explained to the others how there were six elements but only five known elements, and that the sixth will reveal itself when the first five are united. Nothing in their conversation about the elements included anything that Luna hadn't already known, except that they were lost. If their not in Celestia's possession, Luna didn't have to worry about her sister banishing her to the moon again. The Elements Of Harmony are the only thing strong enough to overpower Luna, and she needed to know what competent efforts were being made to stop her.
Once the Six ponies ventured toward the Everfree Forest to search for the Elements Of Harmony, Luna knew the race was on. If she could find the elements first, nopony could stop her.
Luna could have easily defeated the ponies with force, but Luna didn't want to harm anypony. She wanted to get even with her sister—take Celestia's throne just like Celestia did to Luna—but she was no murderer.
Luna looked around for a way to stop the ponies from finding the elements. Her many memories of the Everfree Forest gave her a good understanding for the layout of the forest, but after 1,000 years, foliage, trees, and the dirt paths have changed.
Luna observed them venturing toward a steep cliff in the forest. Luna remembered that cliff from her from before her banishment; she questioned its integrity 1,000 years ago, and after 1,000 years it couldn't have gotten any better. Her magic could move just one rock, and cause it to collapse. The six ponies were likely competent to survive the collapse unscathed, but Luna hoped it would be just enough to give them a good fright and send them running back home. At the very least, it would give Luna a head start in the search for the elements.
Luna did exactly that. She waited for the ponies to be right at the edge of the cliff before she caused the whole thing to collapse. After it was done, Luna didn't hesitate to start searching through the forest for the elements of harmony. As she transported herself by converting herself into a magic cloud, she tore through the forest with great speed. Finding the elements as quickly as possible was imperative, and she didn't slow down for anything. She was so committed to finding the elements quickly that her speedy search was almost as reckless as it was quick.
Traveling as a smoky cloud with no true form, she was able to doge some of the things in her path, but her relentless haste disrupted the trees, and the fellow creatures in Luna's path. She ran into tree's, causing her magic to collide into them resulting in bizarre results. She soared through branches and bushes, which caused splintery twigs to scatter everywhere as she tore past the forest creatures.
Luna circled the whole forest at least once, and was beginning to feel disappointed as her search remained unsuccessful. As she continued soaring through the forest, she saw the other ponies still venturing deeper. She was impressed by their bravery but she wasn't necessarily threatened by them. The pace they traveled at was significantly slower than her own, and for them to cover the same amount of ground as Luna, it would have taken them all night or even days. Nonetheless, she couldn't risk leaving them alone, nor could she risk wasting her limited time to deal with them herself.
Luna conjured her squad of Shadowbolts and gave them the order to prevent the ponies from finding the Elements Of Harmony. As her Shadowbolts obediently ventured off, Luna only had to worry about finding the elements.
Luna continued searching through the forest with very little luck. She was beginning to think she would never find them. Each lap only confirmed that the elements weren't anywhere. Then, all that changed when she saw something through the corner of her eye—it was an old abandoned castle.
She was baffled that she hadn't seen it in any of her previous laps around the forest, but now it was the only place she hadn't looked. Luna flew into the open castle gates. The structure looked familiar though its condition made it hard to recognize.
Luna was quite shocked to find the purple unicorn was already there. The unicorn had five stones—each with a unique glyph on each one that represented what element they represented. The unicorn was trying to use them to reveal the final element.
Luna made an abrupt appearance and interrupted the purple unicorn. The unicorn was frightened and took a shaky step back.
Luna stomped her hooves near the stone elements and they shattered like glass. Luna laughed with excitement thinking that she was unstoppable. The only thing that was strong enough to defeat her was smashed to bits, but the unicorns friends entered the castle shortly after, and soon the spirits within the six little ponies managed to utilize the magic of the Elements Of Harmony.
Even with the elements destroyed, the six ponies were able to recreate what the elements represented, and with a bright, multi-colored, light, the ponies engulfed her with a magic field that crippled Luna's power.
When the lights returned to normal, the six ponies rejoiced in their success while Luna splayed limply on her side. She felt her power leaving her body as her muscles were consumed with fatigue. Luna was weak, tired, and disoriented; she didn't realize her sister Celestia appeared, and stood tall above Luna.
Celestia helped prop Luna off her side. Luna didn't know her sister's intent, but she complied with her sister's gesture while tears poured out of her eyes. Celestia spoke, “My sister, we should be ruling side-by-side, and go back to the way things were.”
Luna was unable to say anything, and instead nodded, and hugged her sister. The six ponies left Celestia and Luna alone together. Celestia continued to comfort her sobbing sister until Luna was able to speak. “I just... wanted to have what you had,” she said.
Celestia nodded. “You do have what I have. You're a princess just like me. You always had what I had.”
“But everypony loved you. They hardly even knew I existed. You had all the respect and the praise, while I spent every night alone,” said Luna.
Celestia became filled with sorrow. “I know you wanted everypony to appreciate you, and I always believed that you deserved to be appreciated, but I feared that if you had control of the sky any longer than I, The harmony we worked hard for would be out of balance. That fear made me desperate to prevent that from happening. I used the Elements Of Harmony, and I ended up doing the thing I tried to avoid most. When I sent you to the moon, I ruined the balance of harmony we created. I tried my best to maintain it without you, but it was never like before when we ruled together.”
Luna wiped the tears from her eyes. “But... you left me up there. Y-you never came back for me. You never lifted the spell. I was stuck on the moon, and nopony cared.”
“That's not true,” Celestia assured, “I never stopped trying to get you back—you're my sister. One night, I saw magical flickers coming from the moon. I thought they were coming from you. I did everything I could to help you return, and I assigned my best student to study the legend to prepare for your return, and search for the Elements Of Harmony. Never had a day gone by which I didn't wish for you to come back. I missed you.”
Luna felt conflicted. “I missed you too, but... s-so you did use the Elements Of Harmony?”
Celestia lowered her head. “Luna, I'm sorry. I know it was wrong of me to use the Elements Of Harmony. I knew that immediately after using them. I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that. It takes both of us to maintain harmony, and that night I sent you away, the elements vanished. I wanted to take everything back immediately after, but once the spell was cast, the elements disappeared, and there was nothing my magic alone can do to lift the spell. I spent years looking for them, but alas, they just didn't want to come to me. One of my students discovered the elements with her friends, and they proved to be more responsible with the Elements Of Harmony than I ever was. Its better that they control the elements while we focus on making Equestria a better place.”
“Well it didn't take your student very long to find them. Is she just that good, or did you just not look long enough?” Luna questioned.
Celestia looked ashamed. “The elements are designed to maintain harmony. The way I used them ultimately ruined harmony. After I used them, the elements vanished. They knew I was misusing them. I searched day and night, but they just didn't want to be found by me. My student and her friends represented everything the elements represented, and so the elements choose to reveal themselves to the ponies that proved themselves worthy of using them appropriately.”
“Maybe that's why I had such a hard time finding them.” Luna looked into her sister's eyes. “... I'm sorry. I was on the moon for so long. I was just... I thought you didn't care about me.”
Celestia used her wing to cover Luna's back. “It was a silly fight. It's behind us now. Everything can go back to the way it was. You controlling the moon, and me only controlling the sun,” Celestia said.
“It will sure be nice to be able to control the moon again,” Luna guiltily replied...
With Celestia's approval, Luna continued making the night more beautiful than ever. She made the moon as full as possible, and placed as many stars as she could find. When it became time for Luna to put her night away, she returned to her sister on the castle balcony just like they use to when they ruled together.
“How did I do?” Luna asked. “Its been awhile since I last did this.”
“It's the most beautiful night I have ever seen,” Celestia replied.
Luna didn't know if Celestia was just trying to spare her feelings or if she really meant what she said. Luna was a little out of practice, and she could tell that some of the stars looked a little off.
Luna turned to look at her finished work from a distance for the first time that night. “At least you get to see it,” she said.
Celestia thought for a moment. “Well... Maybe we can leave it out during the morning so that the townsponies can appreciate it to.”
Luna was skeptical. “Really? But... What about your sun?”
Celestia smiled. “There's enough room in the sky for both.”
“What about the balance of harmony?” Luna asked.
Celestia took another look at Luna's night. It truly was something she missed seeing over the years. She turned back to her sister. “I think the sun and moon being out together is a perfect example of harmony.”
Luna asked, “Isn't the moon only suppose to be out at night?”
Celestia thought for a moment. “Every now and then, if the moon is truly at its most beautiful, I'll let you leave it up during the day so that ponies can appreciate its beauty when they're awake.”
Luna exclaimed, “So I can really leave the moon up for other ponies to see!?”
“Yes.”
“And the stars!?”
Celestia hesitated, “Umm...”
“Its okay. there's probably not enough space for all of them anyway, and I don't want any of the constellations to feel left out,” Luna interrupted knowing her sister felt uncomfortable.
“...Well if that's what you want,” Celestia said.
The two girls sat next to each other as they both gazed in awe under the stars. “Its good to have you back,” said Celestia.
Luna smiled. “Thanks... It feels good to be back...” Luna hugged her sister before adding, “... And your always welcome to have the sun out during my night.”
Celestia chuckled, “Don't be silly Luna. We can't have the sun out during the night.”