Clop.
The continuous chirping of the crickets outside were unable to stir the Princess from her tense back. Three of the Princess' hooves pressed firmly against the ground while the other remained outstretched, but bent. A soft exhale left the Princess as the stable door in front of her kept its glare.
The ambiance of the night was capable of lulling many ponies to sleep, especially when the comforting vision of the moon was brought over the horizon and into the sky by the Princess of the Night. Why was it that such a task would be incapable of calming the nerves of the pony who did it on a daily basis? This wasn't really a question to Luna since she already knew why the familiar darkness of the night was incapable of calming her. Routine had the tendency to desecrate an activity's impact. The object of Luna's nervousness was beyond the stable door in front of her, safely tucked underneath her covers while she dreamed about tomorrow.
Princess Luna's raised hoof met the ground once more.
Clop.
The sound was quickly drowned out by the crickets in the trees and the myriad of thoughts that plagued the Princess. She took a few steps back and raised her head to look at her creation. Pitch black night stared back at her, numerous stars dotting the sky while the moon met her gaze.
Luna's heart skipped a beat as the environment around her began to melt away. Her eyes widened as her ears started to fail her. The cricket chirping slowly drained away from the top to the bottom of her head until her ears were useless flaps of skin that folded down in shame. White noise became the normality, as if such a disorder was ordinary for the Princess of the Night. The brown of the door in her peripheral vision drained away until it was replaced with the color of the sky: black. Her left eye failed, then her right eye followed suit. She wanted to scream, but her voice was the next to go.
A whimper came out of the Princess in her last ditch attempt to fight back against the disorder. What she wanted to be a scream ended up being a whimper as the last vibration in her throat finalized another atrophied sense. The cool and fresh night air combined with the smell of quill ink and water was immediately cut off, as if a sadistic pair of scissors was all too enthusiastic about its victim's suffering. When she inhaled, the smells were welcomed into her body, but were incapable of being felt as the hot air (unknowingly to Luna) left through her nostrils.
The cold and hard ground beneath the Princess started to fade away. The pebbles that chipped the bottom of her hooves were the first to disappear, before her stature was completely cleaned of any small annoyances or aches. Whether it felt like a massage, or the slow progression of a numb feeling, she didn't know. She was floating, or at least, she felt like she was floating. It was her only guess, since the rest of her senses were unable to provide her with any clues. She was suspended within nothingness... a slave to whatever cruel power that provided this prison.
Luna wasn't sure how long had passed; not even her thoughts could provide her with comfort. She was disconnected, hovering in the shadows of a body that she lost the control of. Then, all at once, her senses were replenished. She wished that they weren't.
The first picture that met her eyes was a light blue stationary sphere that hovered quite a bit of distance away from her. The sphere was hanging in a black background with an immeasurable amount of stars surrounding it. Small circles of differing colors dotted Luna's vision. She wanted to use her magic to amplify her sight on this out of reach sphere and provide her with more answers about this new location. Unfortunately, magic was one of her senses that remained mute. Her gaze met the sphere once more and she felt her vision glaze over.
White noise began again in her ears and continued to plague her newly refreshed sense. She wanted to speak and scream out, if only to test her ears and make sure that they worked. Her attempted responses and thoughts were pulled away from her mouth like a set of handkerchiefs as she tried to vocalize her emotions. She couldn't feel her mouth moving or her ears vibrating to continuously provide her with white noise. All she heard was the sound of nothing.
Luna's vision cleared up, which revealed the sphere in front of her. She attempted to move her hoof up to point at the new object in her vision, but the inability to do so provided her with another epiphany. She couldn't move or feel the absence of her hoof. Luna tried to look down at herself, to try and get a glimpse of the new body that she was given, but the only thing she saw when she looked down was more stars and far off planets.
I can't be... Where's my body! Where's Equestria!
The Earth met Luna's vision once more as it slowly began to move. The Earth spun slowly as the familiar fragment of green color on the surface of the Earth shifted away from her. If she was able to cry, she would have.
I'm so sorry! I missed you, my big sister!
Once upon a time, in a magical land of Equestria, there were two sisters that ruled together, and spread harmony throughout the land... one night, the younger sister refused to make way for the dawn... the elder sister used the magic of the Elements of Harmony, and banished her permanently in the moon.
In the moon.
In the moon.
In the moon.
The phrase repeated, gaining in intensity as Luna tried to cover her ears. It would have worked, if she had ears or hooves to begin with. She tried to ignore the sound, but the battering echoes of the chanting continued to assault her consciousness. The chanting grew louder as her failure continued to be repeated. She couldn't ignore it, she couldn't disconnect from it, she could only scream.
Luna's anguish echoed out towards the nothingness of space as the chanting continued to increase in intensity. Unlike back on Earth, her body was not limited by the stress of her vibrating vocal cords. She screamed... and she screamed... and she screamed.
The chanting stopped.
The familiar sound of Equestrian crickets washed over the white noise and Luna blinked. The Earth was gone, the noise was gone, her touch was back, but her foe remained. Sapphire hues moved back to the door in front of her as a shiver moved down her spine. Her bottom lip suffered the onslaught of her teeth in order to hold back a whimper. She moved closer to the door and raised her hoof once more. All it took was a simple knock.
Sister, my faithful student is ready for her transformation. Tomorrow, I will send her Starswirl's notebook, and I know she will be able to complete the spell. She will become one of us, Sister. I can't wait to see her as a princess.
Luna's focus returned with another blink. It would all happen in the morning. Four hours from now, Twilight Sparkle's path to her destiny would start, and the unicorn that everypony knew and love would change, for better or worse. Her sister's student, the pony that saved her from the prison of Nightmare Moon, was going to become one of them. One of her. She wasn't ready, she couldn't be ready.
Clop.
What gave her sister the idea that Twilight Sparkle was ready? How did her sister know that this exact time was the right time to give Twilight that notebook? That mare may be capable of controlling her powers, but her ability to solve the problems given to her were average at best. Luna remembered the giant glass barrier that surrounded Ponyville and the mare that summoned it. Would a mare that was “ready” allow the town to be imprisoned by a powerful mare for almost a whole day? Would a mare that was “ready” almost give the Crystal Heart over to King Sombra and in turn, allow the King to curse the Crystal Empire and Equestria for another thousand years? Sure, Twilight didn't fail, but a studious mare like her would be able to notice the difference between barely passing and completely passing.
Princess Luna's hoof outstretched and finally rapped on the door. The loud sounds of her knocking reverberated through the house while her hoof returned to the ground. A few moments passed and the light in Twilight's room flickered on. The light traveled downwards until it was out of the room and brightening the window to the right of the door. The door glowed a magenta color before it was cracked open. Twilight Sparkle poked her head out and her eyes widened. “P-Princess Luna,” Twilight whispered as she surveyed the outside. “What are you doing here?”
“It is nice to see you as well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna responded as she gave the mare a quick once over.
Twilight realized the implications of her question and quickly tried to back up on her supposed rudeness. “I mean... that's what I meant!” Twilight exclaimed, her voice hoarse as she quickly opened the door and allowed the Princess to come inside. Twilight rubbed one of her eyes with her hoof before moving to the other, a failed attempt at trying to wake herself up.
Twilight Sparkle would have been well-rested if it wasn't for Luna's interruption. Her mane was shaggy and out of place from her bed, pieces of hair stuck up in every direction. Her eyes looked like they suffered the most. Drooping eyelids combined with bags underneath the mare's eyes made her look like she was going to collapse at any minute. Perhaps she had a long day, perhaps her REM sleep was interrupted, or perhaps she just needed to get used to the night. Luna shook away the thought.
Twilight did a triple take between the kitchen, her bedroom, and Luna. “Would you like something to drink, Princess? You came all the way here from Canterlot, the last thing I want is for you to be thirsty.”
Luna nodded her head while her expression remained impassive. “I would appreciate a glass of water.”
Twilight looked towards the kitchen again. She didn't want to upset Spike just to give the Princess a drink, but she already offered it and couldn't go back on her offer. Twilight's horn glowed once more and her lantern was pulled from the end table near the door. The small amount of light in the room moved with the lantern as the mare moved into the kitchen. Luna followed her and kept her head high while she eyed Twilight with interest.
The unicorn did a double take between the refrigerator and the Princess. She's getting impatient. Come on Twilight, think fast! Spike usually puts the glasses in that cupboard.
Twilight's cheeks flushed as she opened one of the nearby cupboards. A glass was levitated over to the sink, filled up with tap water, and then placed on the end table near Luna. The Princess grabbed the glass with her own magic, drained it, and levitated it into the sink. A small smile moved across her face due to the hospitality. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight nodded her head and she smiled as well. “It's no problem, Princess Luna,” Twilight said as she turned back towards the Princess.
“Please, there will be no need to address me with such formality,” Luna replied. “Just call me Luna.”
Twilight's eyes widened at her error and she quickly bowed her head. “I-I'm sorry Luna! It's just... been such a long time since we've talked.”
Luna nodded her head. “It has been a while. My apologies, Canterlot's duties have been more than draining on both my sister and I. Just because everyone is sleeping during the night doesn't mean that there are no duties for me to fulfill.”
Twilight blinked. She never made such an assumption. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Princess started again.
“I realized tonight that I never formally congratulated you on the Crystal Empire.”
As much as I wanted you to fail.
Twilight blinked while she tried to gather her composure. “Oh... thank you Luna. I appreciate it. But... did you have to come all the way down here to tell me this?” Twilight realized her implications once more and she reached out her hoof. “I mean... I'm not ungrateful... I'm glad that you decided to leave Canterlot in order to come see me.”
Luna nodded again as she stared out the kitchen window. The moon was staring down at her, wanting her to continue. “I did come here to congratulate you on your adventures over the past year, but I also wanted to talk to you about something else, about tomorrow.”
“Oh?” Twilight took a step towards the Princess and tilted her head slightly forward. “What is it that you want to talk about?” Twilight noticed Luna's gaze and she turned around to try and grasp what Luna was seeing.
Luna walked back into the living room of the library, her tail swishing behind her as she caught another glimpse of the Elements of Harmony. Twilight turned back to Luna and quickly followed the Princess into the living room of the library. Her tiredness blurred her peripheral vision, so the switched Elements of Harmony were out of her sight and essentially out of mind. She winced as she realized the disarray that her library was in and she nervously laughed. “I um... I didn't expect such a,” she paused, “timely visit.” Twilight cursed her habit of taking books out of shelves and not placing them back according to the Dewey Decibel system.
Luna nodded her head with a plastered smile while her forehooves pressed against the ground.
Just say it. You came all the way here to tell her. She isn't ready for this. Sister is wrong about her. Say it.
Luna exhaled through her nose as her smile disintegrated. “Twilight Sparkle, my sister has been talking a lot about you.”
The mare gulped and let out a nervous laugh. “I trust that's... a good thing?” she asked as she finally met Luna's gaze. The eyes that were staring back at her made the mare's fur stand on end and her ears flop down onto her head. Those weren't the kind of eyes that facilitated a good reaction. They reminded her of the disconnection in Celestia's eyes when Twilight looked into King Sombra's door.
Despite the disconcerting gaze, Luna continued. “There is a reason why my sister decided to show off your adept magic for the ponies from Saddle Arabia. She has plans for you, Twilight Sparkle, plans that are going to take effect when you least expect it.”
Twilight's nervousness melted away under the praise of her mentor. Her eyes sparkled and her ears straightened as she took a few steps towards the Princess of the Night. “Really?” she exclaimed, her voice unable to contain the excitement.
“But,”
Twilight's ears flattened against her head once more.
“I do not believe you are ready for the plans that my sister has for you. Matter of fact, I think that you need at least another year before you are ready.”
“But,” Twilight looked over at Starswirl's notebook. “Luna, I have been trying my hardest in order to learn the magic of friendship,” Twilight responded. “I know that I don't know everything about friendship, but I believe that whatever Princess Celestia has planned for me, I will be ready for it.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. This mare was certainly tenacious when it came to anything involving Celestia.
“Are you sure?” Luna asked as her vision traveled up the stairs and ended at Twilight's bedroom door. Luna's horn glowed a dark blue color as a magical barrier surrounded the door for a few moments. The door glowed one last time as the magic sank into it and Luna's horn dimmed. Now that the door was soundproof, she could get into the details. “I was unaware that you were prepared for absolutely everything that my sister has prepared for you, Twilight Sparkle. Can I trust my sister if she passes a student that was barely able to save both Ponyville and the Crystal Empire?”
Now it was Twilight's turn to tense up. Her ears straightened while she glared at Luna. There wasn't a disconnected feeling in Twilight's eyes, she felt hurt and defensive. Those feelings definitely reflected in her voice as it grew more cold and steely. “I passed all of those tests, Princess Luna. I doubt that it matters whether or not I almost or certainly passed them. The point is that I did.”
Princess Luna looked around the library, her eyes scanning the numerous shelves of books in order to find something to help her argument. After she found nothing due to the disorganized shelves, she turned back to Twilight. “I would think that you of all ponies would know the difference between an 'A' and a 'D'. Just because you solved a solution doesn't mean that you did it perfectly.”
Twilight took a step forward, her eyes glistening with the buildup of her anger and sadness. “I'm not perfect, Luna!” Twilight choked out as she whimpered and bit back a sob. Her eyes were threatening to form a small puddle below her. They burned and ached with the desire to let out her pain.
Good. She's vulnerable now. She's crying and questioning herself. Continue.
“You were minutes away from giving the Crystal Heart to King Sombra, and cursing Equestria for another thousand years. A year before that, Discord would have taken over Equestria with his chaotic magic if it wasn't for my sister's help. I believe students say that using others work for their own benefit is... cheating?”
Twilight's eyes widened as she met Luna's gaze once more. Her glistening eyes started to leak as she realized the stakes of her victory. If she had to use help from her teacher in order to solve the problem, didn't that basically mean that she didn't solve it in the first place? Her last rationalization left her mouth as the tears freely fell. “B-but... Princess Celestia sent me those letters... she wanted me to use them.”
“Did she?”
Twilight paused. Her stomach felt like it was folding in on itself. It couldn't be. Those letters were just study material, like notes or flashcards. But then again, she never told Princess Celestia about the letters, and her teacher never told her the intentions for it. For all Celestia knew, the letters were still pinned inside of a book somewhere. Maybe they were meant to be that way. “B-but Luna, I don't need to solve my problems with Princess Celestia's help anymore. I know that I can pass any test. If I don't... I can study again and retake it.”
I can raise the moon, Sister! I don't need your help anymore!
Using the power of the Elements of Harmony, the older sister banished the younger sister permanently in the moon.
“LIFE DOES NOT HAVE A RETAKE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
The Royal Canterlot Voice boomed through the house and creaked the foundation of the library. Dozens of books toppled out of shelves while a shattering sound echoed from the kitchen sink. Twilight closed her eyes as she let out another sob. More tears formed a puddle on the floor as she sank to her haunches in front of the Princess.
Silence permeated the room as Twilight stopped sobbing, but continued to cry. Luna's face contorted in anger. She blinked and looked down at her shaking forelegs. She took a deep breath as her own eyes started to glisten. “The ponies that you hurt... do not always forgive you if you fail. Many ponies have left my life because of my anger... because of my mistakes.” Luna let out a soft sob as her mane billowed in front of her face.
“And you don't want Twilight to make the same ones,” a younger voice muttered from the staircase near Twilight's room.
Luna looked up at the staircase. Spike stood at the top of the stairs, a blanket in one arm while he rubbed his eyes with his other claw. He was smiling, despite the fact that his best friend was crying at her haunches. Since Luna was so focused on Spike, she didn't even notice the warmth that started to spread through her neck and chest.
Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Luna's neck and pulled the Princess close, her muzzle buried in the Princess' shoulder. “I've forgiven you Luna,” she muttered, her voice muffled by Luna's fur.
Luna looked down at Twilight's mane before her gaze shifted towards the wall. Her face started to flush with color as her heartbeat quickened. Her mouth remained closed while her brain tried to fetch the perfect response for the forgiving mare in front of her. This only became harder as Spike descended the stairs, walked over to Luna's foreleg, and hugged her as well. Luna allowed the two to hold the hug for a little while longer, before the both of them pulled back.
Twilight sniffed and smiled as she placed her hoof on her chest. “Everyone in Equestria loves you Luna. I know from the bottom of my heart that I forgave you the moment you came back, and I'm sure that everypony else did. Thank you for talking to me about your concerns. It shows how much you care about me... how much you want me to succeed. I'm glad that I have a friend like you, Luna.”
Luna exchanged glances with the two in front of her, before she broke away from the hug and walked towards the door. Her tail swished behind her as the door was levitated open. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I'm glad to be your friend as well.”
“Wait, Luna!”
Luna turned around and met the mare's gaze once more. "Yes, Twilight Sparkle?"
"You don't have to be afraid, Luna," Twilight said as she took a step closer to the Princess.
Luna felt her heart jump in her chest.
She couldn't know... she didn't.
"I know why you haven't been talking to me lately. Let me just say... that I understand." Twilight closed the distance between herself and the Princess. Her forelegs wrapped around Luna's neck as she lowered her voice. "I know what it feels like to have something hanging over you. Your failures are not who you are Luna. You are... what you do with them."
Twilight broke the hug and took a step back. Her eyes seemed to be glistening with a new light, something that Luna had never seen before. Twilight continued. "If my friendships have taught me anything, it's that you can always be forgiven, you can always start anew. I forgive you Princess, would you like to start again?"
Luna smiled and turned back towards the open door. She stepped outside and allowed the chilly wind to brush against her fur. Twilight followed her and Luna stretched her wings, readying them for her trip back home. “I would like that, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight smiled as she marveled the Princess' beautiful wings. "Please Luna, call me Twilight."
Luna's smile widened as she kept her gaze on the night. “Very well. Good luck Twilight, I can't wait to see you in that new dress.”
Twilight blinked. “What new dress?”
Luna giggled before she soared off into the night. Twilight watched Luna disappear among the clouds before she yawned and turned towards the small pile of books that lingered on the floor from Luna's outburst. “I'll fix those tomorrow,” Twilight muttered as she ascended the staircase, entered her room, and collapsed on top of her bed.
Spike walked over to the opened door and closed it. He turned to the pile of books on the floor and then shrugged. “Eh... I don't have anything else to do anyway. Shouldn't have fallen asleep in that bubble bath,” he muttered as he began the routine of organizing the library according to Twilight's Dewey Decibel System.
Luna spun through the air with one of the biggest grins she could muster. Her shoulders felt weightless, as if all the stress and tension that normally accumulated on them were nowhere to be found or felt. She giggled as she turned on her back to look up at the moon. The cold wind brushed past her fur while her wings continued to keep her in the air.
I believe she is ready, my sister.
Indeed she is. Now the only question is... are we?
Author's Note
The finale was awesome.
