Reliving Memories

Chapters

2: Past Horrors and New Victims
3: Responsibilites
4: Memories
5: Schemes and Chances
6: Expectations
7: Ambitions and Answers
8: Progress
1: One of These Days...

2: Past Horrors and New Victims

“On behalf of her Royal Highness, Luna, Princess of the diarchy of Equestria, and Sovereign of the Night, I declare the Lunar Court in session!”

The voice of Warding Moon, commanding officer of the palace guard night shift, echoed through the throne room. An unnecessary gesture, Luna thought. In contrast to the long line of ponies regularly forming up before the opening of the Sun Court, and even the smaller group gathering for the Twilit Court, she did not expect anypony to dare bring up a request to the Lunar Court.

Although she was an integral part of the diarchy and she had been longer in her position – even counting her thousand years of absence – than Twilight Sparkle, the number of visitors to the nightly sessions was limited to no more than one or two per month. A millennium of horror stories about the evil Nightmare Moon could not be erased by a few public appearances. She knew that even four years after her admittedly not very friendly return, many ponies still saw her as that specter which would bring eternal darkness over Equestria.

Despite her efforts to appear as a friendly and straightforward Princess of the Night, parents would still tell their children horror stories about the Mare in the Moon. Although it hurt Luna, she had given up trying to be popular with all means. It would probably just need time, and after a millennium on the moon she was used to waiting.

She lounged on the throne, a gesture one would never see Celestia doing. Luna had been present in some sittings of the Sun Court to accustom herself to today's standards of handling matters. Her sister gave always a respectable picture: She was neutral, showed hardly any emotions and sat through the entire session in a graceful pose on the throne.

Luna sighed. It would be a long night without any possibility of entertainment.

“Any incidents, Warding Moon?”

“No, your Highness,” replied the light gray earthpony. She had asked him countless times to simply call her 'Luna', but the captain insisted to stick to etiquette. It had become a joke between them to always use their title or rank to address each other. Other than Twilight he was the only pony towards whom she felt something like friendship.

“Princess Celestia mentioned great progress during the negotiations with Griffica. It seems the griffons finally gave in and adjusted their prices. She has told me to inform you that she will be leaving tomorrow as planned to sign the agreement.”

Luna sighed again. She had no interest in negotiations about economic treaties – that was something she happily left to her sister. Still, she was glad her captain gave her that report. He provided her with the most important news every night and also was always available for a conversation, sometimes even a joke, and she had learned to appreciate him for it.

The small number of visitors allowed her to pass on lengthy preparations for the Lunar Court, which gave her some free time. She used it to meet her friend Twilight for dinner – or, in Luna's case, breakfast. She enjoyed her time with the youngest princess and lately she hardly missed any occasion to see her. Twilight had not only saved Luna from herself, she was the only pony – aside from Celestia – which had never been afraid of her. In addition, she apparently harbored a keen interest in the celestial bodies of the night sky. Luna had noticed on several nightly trips, that Twilight at times spent hours at her telescope in the library in Ponyville, which pleased Luna very much.

Although the Princess of the Night appreciated the nightly conversations with her guards and especially with Warding Moon, only with Twilight did she have the feeling of familiarity which drew Luna closer to her... or was there even more to it? She shook her head. She should not even think about it. She had not been able to really trust anyone after her return, not even her sister. On the one hoof she was grateful Celestia had prevented more suffering in Equestria through the banishment of Nightmare Moon; on another hoof she thought of the punishment as disproportional and rushed. To Celestia, the issue was resolved. She just seemed to be happy to have her sister back. She was not interested in further discussions – especially not on the still relatively unclear cause of the problem that led to the conflict. It was only logical that Luna was drawn to the first pony that was completely open minded. Yes, that had to be it. Everything else surely was imagination. But still...

While Luna looked absently through the huge, but relatively empty, throne room, her gaze remained on one the stained glass windows. It was the portrayal of her banishment so many years ago. From her seat, she had a very good look at the highly detailed artwork. She had asked Celestia more than once to have it removed – the view painfully reminded Luna of her own past – but to her sister the matter was out of the question; she always found a reason to reject Luna's request.

While she was busy thinking on the past and present of her own existence, she noticed the visitor only after Warding Moon coughed embarrassedly to get her out of her own thoughts. She sat up straight and looked at the new arrival. It was a dark green unicorn colt, a with a blue mane and a needle sewing a piece of cloth for a cutiemark. He obviously had something to do with the handling of fabrics; he probably was working in the fashion business. He had a proud stance, but something seemed off about him, though Luna could not tell what it was. Maybe it was the way he was moving or...

“Welcome to the Lunar Court. Please bring forward your request and I shall help you if it is within my power.”

Luna spoke the royal greeting, which was used in similar form by each of the princesses, with the greatest possible kindness.

After all, it was one of her few visitors and it did not seem like he was here as part of a test of courage, like the last pony, who had visited two weeks ago. He moved up to her with his head held high and came unusually close to her, considering that visitors normally kept a large distance to the threat she still posed in the eyes of many ponies.

It disturbed her that he did not bow to her but instead maintained his proud stance. Luna did not want ponies to show their humbleness, but she she had never seen any pony not bowing in court, be it Celestia's, Twilight's or her own.

“It...” he whispered.

“I am very sorry, I could not understand you,” Luna responded.

“It... begins...” he muttered again under his breath.

All the time he was directly staring into Luna’s eyes. He was pale and Luna guessed that something bad had happened to him and that he was confused. That could be a reason for his behaviour. She tried again to get through to him.

“Please, explain yourself. I can not fol–”

“TODAY!” shouted the unicorn with a strangely distorted voice; it sounded much deeper than she would have expected from a colt of his size. It came so sudden and loud that Luna would have jumped backwards if she had not sat on the throne. She was all at once very tense and at the same time glad there was at least some space left between her and the seemingly crazy pony. Her guards also threw a suspicious eye on the visitor, ready to intervene in an emergency situation.

“Listen, We... I can certainly help you, but I need you to explain your problem,” Luna tried again to make contact.

“It is too la... Where... What... happened...?”

Luna watched as the facial expression of the unicorn changed from determination to... Panic? Horror? She was not sure what was going on, but it made every alarm bell in her head ring.

“Is everything okay with you? Shall I send for a doctor? I’m sure there’s somepony that can help you.”

She was just about to give a guard the appropriate order, when the face of the stranger changed again. It now showed almost fanatical zeal.

“It begins NOW!” he shouted.

The pony's horn began to glow unnatural bright with green light. If Luna and her guards had not been alarmed by now, this was the last signal to take defensive positions. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Warding Moon beginning to move to overwhelm the dangerous pony. Luna was not defenseless; being an alicorn with thousands of years of experience entailed being able to cast very powerful spells very fast. After all, Alicorns were immortal, not invincible; she and her sister had learned that the hard way. In a split second she created a bulwark of defensive magic for herself and the guards, but it was too late: The unicorn was about to shoot the spell – whatever it was supposed to do – in Luna's direction.

“NO!” she shouted with all her might, using the Royal Canterlot Voice, as she saw the captain, her friend, jump boldly towards the direction of the intruder to stop the madpony and protect Luna. The world around her seemed to slow as she had to watch the commander of her guard collide with the spell-casting unicorn. Both slid several meters over the smooth marble floor, while the fatal spell was released and missed its initial target by a large distance. The green magical orb shot into the ceiling of the throne room, lightning arcing in every direction. With a loud crack the spell made the whole castle shake and the dome collapse above the two ponies.

Huge pieces of the ceiling came crashing down on Warding Moon and the attacker and buried both under them. It had happened so fast that not even Luna had had a chance to intercept the falling rocks. With a quick flash of her horn, she created a barrier that prevented more injuries. Assisted by the remaining guards, she immediately started lifting the debris with hooves and magic to free the two buried ponies.

“Oh please, oh please, oh please...” she muttered to herself.

Under a particularly large fragment of the ceiling she found them, both seriously injured. She turned first to her captain, who had clearly suffered the more serious injuries.

“Hold on, help is coming!”

She cursed herself for not being able to heal major wounds even after her long lifetime. Her sister clearly had the greater talent for healing magic. Luna's skills were still above those of the palace guard, but that did not mean she could heal internal injuries all by herself. She tried her best, but it hardly helped.

“Your High... are you...?” Warding Moon brought out.

“I'm fine, you saved me.”

“I... you... save?”

“Yes, you're a hero. Stay with me!”

“Luna...” he whispered, his eyes closing.

“Warding Moon? Warding Moon!”

He stayed silent. Unbelieving of what had happened, Luna grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him, tried to wake him, but he did not show any reaction. Combining every ounce of power she could bring up with her little knowledge on healing magic, she wanted to do everything to make him live. As she reached out with her spell, she could feel what was already certain. The captain had given his life for the princess. Only with his last breath had he given in to her plea to address her without title.

Luna held back her tears. Later there would be the time to mourn. Now she had to dedicate her attention to the pony responsible for this incident.

She walked over to the unknown unicorn. He also had some serious injuries; they were not as severe as Warding Moon's, but this pony still was in mortal danger. As much as she disliked it, she had to use her meager healing skills if she wanted to get some answers. The tower of the healers was almost at the other end of Canterlot castle and it would still take some time for professional help to arrive.

“Who art thou? Answer Us!”

Her emotions were so intense, she was almost shivering; every single muscle was strained. She could barely keep herself from exploding into a storm of wild magic. She was about to lose control any moment, so she did not care about the old style of speech.

“Helpful... Helpful Stitch, Your Highness.”

“What was thy scheme? Why seekest thou to kill Us?”

“I... what is... kill you?” he stammered. “Princess, what...”

The eyes of the unicorn began to roll. “YOU WILL NOT LEARN ANYTHING!” His tone of voice and volume had – just like before the attack – once again changed. “Soon enough you will know what it means to defy Lord Fading Light! He will– AAAARRGH!” After a horrific scream, the pony fell silent. As before with Warding Moon, Helpful Stitch's vital spark ceased.

Luna's mind raced. She was overwhelmed by the situation. She had been attacked in the throne room of Canterlot! The Captain of her guards had sacrificed himself for her. He had almost – no he had definitely been a friend. She had not been able to protect him. All her experience, all her powerful magic had not helped her. The attack had completely taken her by surprise. She had not been able to save him.

Then there was this crazy unicorn which was apparently named Helpful Stitch: What had been his motivation? Were the ponies of Equestria hating her so much they wanted to kill her? Again, Luna cursed her past, the choices she had made... There was a time when they had made sense to her, when they seemed to be the only logical choice. But she no longer was this pony. She would never be like she was in the peaceful years before... like she had been, but she no longer was the monster either and she did not want to be it anymore. She was only disgusted by her past. Couldn't others see it, too? Was she still the monster to her subjects?

“LUNA!”

Her sister pulled Luna back from the dark thoughts the recent events and her own memories had brought upon her. Based on the volume of her voice, Celestia must have tried several times to talk to her. A large number of guards was closing off the area now. How long had she been standing motionless in front of the two dead ponies?

“Luna, are you all right?”

“We are... I'm unharmed.” She tried to regain her composure for a moment. “Warding Moon... He saved me,” the younger sister said apathetically.

Celestia gave her a hug, but Luna hardly reacted. “It's okay, everything will be fine.”

“It's happening again...” Luna whispered, almost to herself. The thoughts of her past were now even more unbearable. Was she to blame for the death of those two ponies?

“Celestia! Luna! What happened?”

Twilight Sparkle trotted towards the two princesses. She looked at the hole in the ceiling and the still active magical barrier and immediately began analyzing the possible events, mumbling her thoughts to herself, “Unstable ceiling? No, impossible, the palace was build by the best architects. Failed experiment? No, the laboratories are in the east wing, not above the–”

She stopped when she saw the faces of the two sisters. While Celestia seemed to filled with worry, Luna just stared impassively into space. Twilight followed her gaze and noticed the pile of rubble and, finally, the two dead ponies, whereupon she turned pale.

This time with a shaky voice, she asked, “Wha-What happened?”

Celestia broke away from the embrace with Luna and looked upon her with a questioning face.

“I know it's hard, little sister, but we need to know what happened.”

Luna nodded and told them the story. Twilight was still very pale, but she gave Luna encouraging glances or put a hoof on her shoulder when she faltered in her speech; Luna was very grateful for it. The Sun Princess was sitting across from them motionless, her face showing no emotion.

Finally, Luna's report neared the end. The moment she repeated the last words of the seemingly insane unicorn, Celestia's facial expression got out of her control. Twilight was startled; she had never seen this expression on her former mentor. It was a mixture of fear – almost panic, disbelief and... pain?

“What... What did you say?” Celestia's voice was low and timid.

“I said he mentioned a name. I think it was 'Fading Light'. What is going on? Do you know this pony?” Luna had also noticed Celestia's behaviour.

Celestia fell back unto her usual neutral role as quickly as her facial expression had changed before.

“No.”

Her answer was surprisingly concise. Without another word, Celestia turned around and left. On the way out, she spoke a few words with the deputy commander of the guard, who organized the investigations, and then disappeared in the direction of her rooms.

“What was that about? She wasn't like this even when Chrysalis beat her.”

“No, Twilight Sparkle. My sister has never been like this.”

“Have you heard what happened to him?” the unicorn whispered.

“Heard? I was there! My group was sent to stop him,” she answered, obviously feeling uncomfortable while remembering. “We had to disconnect him before he could do even more damage.”

He was shocked. “But...”

“Indeed. What we've been told about the results was no joke. He won't perceive much of the... consequences.” She shook her head. “I still don't want to be in his place.”

“Who would? Are there already new orders? A new plan?”

“Now? Do you think anypony dares to ask? Do you want to end up like him?”

Author's Note

I would like to thank my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.

3: Responsibilites

The investigations around the attack on Luna had started quickly, but did not seem to achieve any usable results. Within a short time the palace guards had been able to identify the attacker; some of the last words of the unicorn seemed to make sense now. Helpful Stitch had been working as an assistant of a boutique in Canterlot, and did not arrive at home after leaving his workplace this evening. Not even his family had noticed anything, no change in behavior nor the kind of confusion he had shown in the throne room. It was as if he had disappeared after work and reappeared in the castle as a crazy pony with unknown intentions.

As part of the investigations, the family of Helpful Stitch had already been informed by the palace guard while the family of Warding Moon was still sleeping, unaware of the tragedy. Being not only the immediate superior of the captain but also a friend, Luna saw it as her responsibility to deliver the message in person.

A few hours after the incident, she was on the way to the center of Canterlot where Warding Moon's wife and daughter lived. An extraordinary large group of fully armed guards accompanied her. They had protested against Luna leaving the castle, concerned about her safety.

Although Twilight had protested as well, she had also joined the group, albeit for different reasons. She was not so much concerned about security, but about Luna's emotional state. The Princess of the Night had always been strongly guided by her emotions and Twilight knew Luna’s apathy would not remain without consequences.

Twilight had tried to talk her out of visiting the family because Warding Moon's death seemed to affect the blue alicorn directly, and she was sure it would not help Luna with handling the event if she took the blame on herself.

“Do you really want to do this, Luna? I’m sure that someone else could take over. If you want, I could...”

Just the thought of the upcoming conversation silenced Twilight. As much as she wanted to help Luna, it was not a task she was eager to do.

“There is no reason to leave this task to somepony else, Twilight. Warding Moon gave his life for mine. It’s the least I can do.” Quietly, as if to herself, Luna added, “I have to take the responsibility for my actions.”

Twilight was about to say something, when Luna spoke again.

“Besides, I have... some experience with delivering this kind of message. It is not the first time...”

The rest of the way they walked in silence. Only the rattling of the armor and the sound of hooves on the street broke the silence of the night while the guards nervously scanned the area for possible threats. After about a quarter of an hour they had reached their destination, a medium-sized house in the upper part of the city of Canterlot. It was placed in one of the nobler districts and while it was not overly ornate, it was still nice to look at. Presumably, Warding Moon's job as a captain of the royal guard had helped provide this house.

The guards that accompanied Luna and Twilight insisted on entering and checking the house for potential attackers first. The tension that had seized them was visible in their faces, although it was already past midnight and several hours had passed since the incident at the castle.

“Sergeant, you're overreacting. I am not in danger, especially not here. The whole city is asleep and I am quite able to take care of myself,” Luna said, a little annoyed.

“Excuse me, Your Highness, but given the events I'm not willing to take any risk,” the leader of the guards said. “The incident in the castle was unexpected too, therefore we have to look out for further attacks everywhere.”

Luna sighed and let him have his way. Twilight thought that she probably would not be able to sleep anymore, after this statement. The sergeant moved toward the door of the house and knocked loudly.

After he had knocked a second time, lights were switched on inside, and a white unicorn mare with a green mane opened the door. She looked sleepy and annoyed, but her facial expression changed to surprise when she saw the guards and eventually the two princesses behind them.

“Your Highnesses?” she said under her breath, apparently confused.

Then, as if she had just remembered something, she bowed down before Twilight and Luna, who were partly hidden by the guards between them.

Before anypony could say anything, the sergeant asked with a stern voice, “Mrs. Daisy Garden?”

“Uh, yes, that's me. What is–”

“Their Highnesses, the Princesses Luna and Twilight, would like to speak with you. I have to inform you, however, that we have to inspect your house beforehand. Otherwise, this conversation will have to take place inside the castle. I am sure, though, that it would be in everypony's best interest to stay here.”

“W-With me? I... uh, yes of course,” she stammered, opened the door widely and gestured the guards to enter. “Is something wrong?”

“We are only here for security reasons tonight. Their Highnesses will explain everything to you,” replied the sergeant as he and some other guards looked around as discreetly as possible. A few moments later another guard gave him a nod, whereupon he left the house together with the others and took position at the entrance.

“It is safe. You may enter, Your Highnesses. We will keep watch out here.”

“Thank you, sergeant,” Luna said shortly.

She entered the house, followed by Twilight. Although she had said that she had 'experience' with situations like this, Twilight could see how uneasy Luna was.

“W-What’s going on? Did something happen?” Daisy Garden asked, still confused. “Oh, where are my manners? Please, have a seat, Your Highnesses. May I offer you something to drink? I assumed you want to speak to my husband, but he is at the castle at the moment. How could I of all ponies help you?”

Now that she was wide awake and two princesses were standing in her house, Daisy Garden was so nervous she did not seem to know what to say first. Luna and Twilight just wanted to sit down at the living room table together with the unicorn, when a soft voice made the three of them sit up.

“Mommy?”

A small, white pony appeared the top steps of a stair. The filly seemed to be very young; she had no cutiemark and probably would not get it in quite some time. Daisy Garden immediately went towards the stairs and tried to send her little filly back to bed.

“Did we wake you, Honeydew? We’ll be quiet, I promise. Come, I'll take you back to bed.” To the two alicorns she apologetically said, “Please forgive me, Your Highnesses. Our daughter has always been a very light sleeper when her father has to work at night.” Then she disappeared to the upper floor.

Twilight gave Luna a hesitant glance. For just a moment, Luna seemed to have lost her self-control. Twilight could clearly see fear in her face, though she was not entirely sure what her friend might be so afraid of. Some tears were building up in Luna's eyes. Twilight put a hoof on Luna's shoulder, whereupon the latter winced.

“Luna...”

“'Tis nothing, Twilight Sparkle.” The blue alicorn took a deep breath and within seconds she regained her composure.

“Luna, you really don't have to do this. Each of the guards outside would have this conversation in your place,” Twilight said again in an attempt to help her friend.

“No, Twilight. I cannot entrust the guards with this task.”

“You cannot... Do you not trust them? I am sure that each of them would give his li– … I'm sure they would be very well up to the task and you can trust them.”

“Please understand that I have to do this by myself.”

“By yourself? Should I–”

“I did not mean it that way, Twilight. Of course you can stay.”

“Luna, you've been deep in thought all night, I see it in your face. It was an awful night. Let me help, talk to me. That's what friends are for.”

“Twilight Sparkle, I do not like repeating myself. I need to–” Luna fell silent when she heard Daisy Garden’s hoofsteps on the stairs. Quietly, she said to Twilight, “Please, let me talk.”

She took another deep breath and tried to calm her mind. Twilight was absolutely right, there were all sorts of thoughts going through Luna’s head and she did not feel like she could cope with even one of them.

Daisy Garden apologized again for her brief absence and then she walked over to the other side of the living room table.

“So... what can I do for you, Your Highnesses? Your guard said you had some matter to discuss with me. Please forgive my directness, but what could be so important that couldn't wait until tomorrow morning? Not that I wouldn't appreciate your night, it is wonderful,” she added hastily, her eyes averted from Luna.

Luna ignored the last comment. With a stern, but very calm voice, she said, “Please, sit down.” After the white unicorn had obliged to her plea, she continued: “Mrs. Garden, we are here because of your husband, Warding Moon. There has been an incident in the throne room.”

“What... What does that mean? What happened? Where is my husband?”

“I am sorry. I have to tell you that Warding Moon lost his life in the line of duty.”

A few moments of silence went by; Daisy Garden did not seem to be able to respond. Finally, she brought out a few words.

“No... Warding Moon is... No, no this can't be!” She shook her head in denial while her face turned pale. “He was assigned for the night watch in the throne room. What could possibly...? No, this has to be some kind of mistake!”

“I assure you, there is no mistake. I was with him when he died.”

Luna started to tell her of the events that took place that evening. Slowly, but surely the sad news seemed to get through to the white unicorn. Finally, when Luna came to an end with her story, Daisy Garden burst into tears.

Luna gave her some time; when the mare did not calm down, she walked over to her and tried to put a hoof on her shoulder. Daisy Garden shook it off, jumped to her hooves and started to shout at Luna.

“Don't touch me! It's your fault my husband is dead! He died to defend you. Where was your powerful alicorn-magic everypony is talking of? You can move the moon but you can't even fend off the spell of a madpony? Without you, Warding Moon would still be alive! Celestia should never have let you come back from the moon! You are not welcome here, not in Canterlot, not in Equestria and certainly not here, in my house! Get out!”

Step by step, she had pushed Luna towards the door while she was yelling at her. Luna had remained silent all the time, but Twilight could see the words did not leave her friend unaffected; the pain was written all over her face. The young princess had watched the scene with an open mouth, but now she jumped to her hooves. She wanted to support Luna and defuse the situation.

“Mrs. Garden, I'm sure Princess Luna did her best to–”

“Oh, did she? Then why is my husband dead? Was it too difficult for the oh-so-mighty Princess of the Night to stop a few stones from falling? Or was she too busy saving herself? She escaped unscathed, after all. What do you want here, anyway? You didn't say a word the whole time. Are you the 'amazing' new guard for the crazy princess? Are you the foalsitter, appointed by Celestia so she can take care of something else but her mad sister? I told her and I’ll tell you, get out of my house!”

“Mrs. Garden, I ...”

“OUT!”

Twilight looked worried at her friend; Luna gestured her to leave. The blue alicorn went over to a nearby desk without a word, grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill and wrote down a few words. Finally she put the scroll back on the desk and turned towards the crying unicorn.

“I am sorry,” Luna said with a trembling voice.

Then she bowed her head respectfully and left the house. When she was outside, she turned around one last time and cast a spell that seemed to surround the whole building for a moment. The glowing blue magic faded as fast as it appeared. After she was done, she went over to the guards and signaled them to leave without a single word.

On the way back to the castle Twilight tried several times to speak to Luna, but she stayed quiet the whole time; her hanging head and the grim facial expression told Twilight that the words of Warding Moon's wife had left deep traces. She wanted to help Luna, hug and comfort her, but she knew that Luna would not allow any of it at the moment.

When they arrived at the castle, the group of guards that had accompanied them were dismissed and the two princesses silently went on their way to their respective rooms. They shared the same way for some time, but after a while they had to go in different directions. Both stopped for a moment and Twilight sighed. Luna's expression had not changed a bit and there was probably no point in offering help again, even if Twilight could hardly stand to see her friend like that. Maybe Luna just needed some time to get over the events. With a lump in her throat, Twilight said goodbye.

“Good night, Luna.”

Luna continued to gaze into space, but finally she nodded in Twilight's direction and then walked slowly toward her room. Twilight gazed after her for a moment before she also started to make her way to her bed.

She had barely gone a few steps when she heard a muffled noise from Luna's direction. The tension of the evening still in her limbs, she cantered back and took a careful look around the corner. What she saw upset her deeply, although it was not surprising at all.

Luna had collapsed and lay sunk down on the floor, crying and sobbing in the light of her moon that fell through a window. Twilight trotted over to her, sat down beside her and put a hoof and a wing around Luna.

“I'm here, Luna. I'm here for you.”

Luna moved a little closer to Twilight, who took this as a good sign. No pony, not even a princess with millennia of life experience, could simply get over the recent events from the attack in the throne room to irrational accusations, and certainly not the emotional Luna who quarreled with her past every single night. It was foreseeable that her tactic of repression merely delayed the inevitable. The two ponies spent a long time in the empty corridor of the castle, Luna crying, Twilight whispering comforting words and caressing Luna's mane.

Finally, the sobs slowly stopped and Luna seemed to calm down a little. She looked at Twilight and spoke probably her first words since they had left Warding Moon’s home,

“I cannot do this alone, Twilight. Please... stay with me.”

Author's Note

I would like to thank my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.

4: Memories

”...it wasn't fair, she wasn't thinking rationally...”

“...you mustn't blame yourself. It's not your fault!”

“...not even Celestia could have healed him...”

“...everything you could. You assured them of royal support and even saved the filly from nightmares with that spell...”

“...seeing how much you care shows how much you've changed. They will all see that one day...”

“...don't be silly, Luna. I can take a pillow over there... Well, if you say so...”

Twilight opened her eyes wide. In her dream, she had went through the previous night's conversation up to the moment when she and Luna had agreed that they needed some sleep. Did I really stay in Luna's room? Still drowsy, she looked around and realized that she was indeed lying on Luna's bed with a front leg and a wing wrapped around her friend. Luna in turn clung to them tightly. Oh dear, I'll be in trouble.

Twilight blushed, her behavior was certainly completely inappropriate, and she didn’t know what Luna would say once she would wake up. Carefully, she tried to free herself from the embrace without waking up her friend, but her attempt wasn’t crowned with success.

Waking up Luna wasn’t an option; she would need every bit of sleep after that night. Trapped this way, she lowered her head on the pillow again and let her mind wander. Through the window she could see the position of the sun; it had to be around noon, which meant that there was more than enough time before she had to get back to her duties. It seemed odd to her that the heavy curtains weren’t closed since Luna usually slept during the day. They both had to have fallen asleep mid-conversation.

Still, Twilight wasn’t uncomfortable with the situation. She enjoyed talking to Luna; both shared many interests and they got along very well. Even if a small part of her worried about Luna's reaction should she wake up right now, Twilight was neither tense nor nervous. On the contrary, she found that being this close to her friend made her feel secure, relaxed and calm; there was no place where she would rather be at this moment.

Twilight was not sure at first what all of this meant. She had always felt connected to Luna and they had become friends quickly, but was this still friendship or was there – at least from her side – more to it?

She wasn’t sure how much time has passed while she had absently stared into the blue ethereal mane in front of her before Luna began to stir. However, she didn’t get up, but only dozily snuggled even closer to Twilight.

“Luna...” Twilight said softly.

That seemed to wake her friend. “Twilight? What... I... oh!” Luna stammered in surprise, quickly blushing. She withdrew from the embrace in an instant.

“It’s my fault!” Twilight said, blushing slightly and trying to untangle her limbs from Luna’s. “I didn’t want to wake you and then…”

“Twilight, I did not know…”

“You were still sleeping, so I…”

“Please, forgive me.”

“I’m sorry, Luna!”

She finally got off the bed and slowly turned around to face Luna who was standing at the opposite site of the bed. Apparently, the blue alicorn didn’t really know what to say, either which resulted in them staring at each other for a few moments before breaking out laughing. Both threw themselves down on the bed again laughing until they finally stopped when the memories of the past night returned again.

“Twilight… I do not know how to ask this from you,” Luna said, “and it is doubtlessly too much to ask, but… would you stay with me for some time?”

“Of course I will, Luna,” Twilight said. “This is what friends are for. Hm, but I’m not sure about my court…”

“‘Tis not a problem. I do not think my sister would object to suspending court sessions for a few days.”

Twilight beamed at Luna. “What do you want to do today?”

During the following days, Twilight and Luna spent most of their time in the latter’s rooms. They talked for hours, read books Twilight had never even heard of, and tried to work through the recent events. Though most of the time they simply enjoyed spending time together, regardless of what the other mare was doing.

Now, it was late in the evening and they were sitting on a huge pillow each in front of the fireplace. Twilight was lost in a book while Luna was deep in thought, unable to focus her attention on a book she had already read as long as Twilight was around.

After a while, Twilight closed the book she had been reading. “What is it like?”

“What could you possibly mean?” Luna asked, looking at Twilight.

“Being an alicorn. There never really was a chance to ask after Celestia changed me. I can practice flying and I can practice my magic, but…” Twilight said and sighed.

Luna nodded and took a deep breath. She didn’t answer, but turned her head and gazed out the window. A few minutes passed, and just when Twilight was about talk, Luna stood up and went over to it.

“What do you see?” Luna asked, pointing at the night sky.

Twilight put away the book and walked over to her friend. “There is no moon tonight, but that is just due to the usual lunar cycle you create. New moon causes a spring tide, which means–”

Luna smiled. “You will probably never hear me say this again, but ignore the moon for a moment. What else do you see?”

“Well, the stars, of course.”

Luna nodded and asked, “What do you know about them, aside from the things you learned as a filly?”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” Twilight said, mildly confused. “They move across the night sky similar to the moon. Sailors used them to navigate centuries ago... today most crews have at least one unicorn to help with that. Stars have been the inspiration for all kinds of literature and poetry. Some constellations represent certain objects or creatures and–”

Luna shook her head. “I am not referring to anything like that. Do you know anything not everypony knows or pays attention to?

“Hm...” Twilight mumbled, rubbing a temple. “I once read that although it isn’t noticeable for a pony with a normal life span, some stars apparently seem to fade until they aren’t visible anymore. Is that what you mean?”

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but shut it again for a moment. “Never underestimate Twilight Sparkle’s intellect,” Luna said smiling, giving Twilight a wink. “You are right, that is exactly what I mean, but there is more to it. The night sky has always been something I have been holding near and dear, but my talent is not the only reason. ‘What is it like to be an alicorn?’ You are not the first pony to ask this question, Twilight. I have been trying to answer it for as long as I can remember. The stars are my answer.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?”

“The first and certainly most notable feature everypony thinks of regarding this question is us being forced to outlive others,” Luna said. “‘Tis true, ponies perish… as do my stars.”

Twilight remained silent for a moment, and her ears slowly dropped. “But that would be a very sad answer. Lives around you fading like the stars…”

Luna shook her head. “But ‘tis not sad, Twilight. There is not necessarily more or less sadness than in any other pony’s life. Do you not ask yourself why there are still stars if I have been answering the question for millennia?”

“Oh, but then... why are there still any stars?”

“Because there is also as much joy as in any other pony’s life,” Luna said. “If a star resembles a pony’s life, then new stars are new ponies you meet and hold dear. In time, everything you live through will happen on a greater time scale, just like a mare perceives time different from a foal. In no way does that mean you cannot experience joy… or love.”

Twilight’s ears rose up again and she looked at the stars with wide eyes. “That is… beautiful. But… they all said... they claim that a life like this must be a bitter fate,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re all wrong!” The implications of Luna’s answer made her gulp. “I will never look at the sky in the same light again. Thank you, Luna.”

They returned from the window and sat down next to each other on a bunch of pillows near the fireplace. Staring into the fire, they silently let the time pass, lost in thoughts and enjoying the togetherness.

Twilight smiled. Luna. What an admirable mare she is.

Thoughts of admiration were nothing special considering it was Luna she was thinking of – Princess Luna, ruler over Equestria, the pony who raises the moon. Twilight’s thoughts were beyond admiration, though. Lately, she had had these thoughts frequently, but she had always suppressed them: friendship, familiarity, fondness… affection. Now, however, there was nothing that could distract her – on the contrary, the situation encouraged these thoughts. As they were sitting next to each other on one pillow near the fireplace, Twilight was unable to suppress the enjoyment she was receiving from the situation. She liked everything about it: the crackling wood in the fire, the slight touch of Luna’s svelte and warm body, the scent of her gorgeous blue mane. Her mind was racing while the sensations were close to overwhelming her. A single thought that she had previously tried to ignore manifested as the time passed. Realizing how much she liked everything about this moment, it dawned on her: she had fallen in love with Luna.

Twilight felt like the whole world came crushing down on her. For what seemed like hours, she could not find a clear thought; her brain had apparently shut down. Everything she could still think of was that she had never felt anything like this before, but it was a wonderful feeling. What would happen now? While studying friendship, she had read many books about love, but of course none said anything about starting a relationship with a princess. No historian had written something about an alicorn being in a relationship, ever. She did not even know if Luna reciprocated her feelings.

However, the more Twilight thought about it, the more some things seemed to make sense. Not only had she tried to meet Luna as often as possible, her friend had also done her best not to miss an opportunity to spend time together. The last days had been perfect from Twilight’s perspective, and Luna had also seemed to enjoy her company. Could she feel the same way?

Twilight had an idea, but there was no possible way to determine the outcome – not even the chances – of her plan before she set it into action. It could be the best thing she would ever do… or the biggest mistake which could destroy their friendship. Oh, what do I do? I can’t stand losing her as a friend, but… what if...

Just when Twilight got stuck in her inner conflict, Luna slightly leaned against her. The sensation immediately halted all progress in Twilight’s mind, and the only reaction she could manage was leaning against Luna, too. After some more minutes had passed, she realized that this was exactly the push she had needed to take the first step. Although she was concerned about Luna's reaction, she was sure that she absolutely had to obtain an answer.

Twilight was just about to say something, when Luna took a deep breath and started to sing; something Twilight had never heard her do before.

“I will lead thee to foreign lands
With endless myths and tales:
From Zebrica with desert sands
To crystals in the northern dales,
From castle with the sisters two,
Eternal is their reign,
To far out shores and oceans blue
Where winds caress thy mane.

Be careful yet, when thou mov’st on,
The sacred path unwinds,
Where ruins’ glory, long past gone,
Thee of millennia reminds
And of all perishable might –
Where on decaying bone
Of kings the graveworm crawls around,
And under one ord’nary stone
A buried world can soon be found
Not soiled, adorned! with darkest night.

Tremendous champions rise up high
With strength never disputed;
And even foes thou willst come by,
Their minds with scorn polluted;
And tones of power, wild, unbound,
The din of battle’s poetry,
The raging storm’s, the ocean’s sound:
Origin of all melody.

The silent muse of this song’s lines,
No glorified nor yearning mare;
Not pageantry, not pomp defines
Her life, for heart and soul too fair;
She cries and cheers with all her heart,
Is joyful amongst merry
And too abundant with true pain
To let contrived words carry.

What sparkling thrilled this little me
Of tunes of woe and joice,
Impressed I recited for thee
To give familiar voice –
And thee, who at all beauty’s shrine,
Art highest priestess far and wide,
I dedicate with this tune mine
My works loyal to thee with pride.”

Before Luna could say anything, Twilight gently pecked Luna’s cheek. Her ears lowered in uncertainty and she blushed as she gazed deeply into Luna’s teal blue eyes. Only a moment later, although it felt much longer to Twilight, there was a small smile on Luna’s face before she closed her eyes and leaned in to tenderly plant a kiss on Twilight’s lips.

Twilight's heart skipped a beat the moment their lips met. Luna’s warm muzzle pressed gently against hers was more wonderful than she could have ever imagined. As she closed her eyes, the whole world faded to black and there were only two mares, united in their first kiss. When Luna put her forelegs around Twilight’s neck and pulled her slightly closer, their horns met and a small spark of magic arced back and forth, causing both ponies to shiver in excitement.

When they parted, Twilight’s tried to not get lost in Luna’s eyes. She barely got her breath back when she realized that all her dreams had just come true.

She leaned her head against Luna’s neck as they both gazed into the fire once more, each wrapping a wing around the other mare.

“Luna? The lay… I’ve never heard of it before,” Twilight quietly said. “It sounded like Starswirl, but I thought I knew all his works.”

“‘Twas a gift from him a long, long time ago,” Luna replied. “He was the pony who made me look at time in a different way.”

“Oh, so you were thinking of him when you sang!” Twilight protested jokingly.

“But I was not! I wanted to…” Luna said before it dawned her. “Oh. Now you got me.”

They both shared a giggle. A few moments later, Twilight stopped leaning against Luna’s neck to look her in the eyes. “I want to be with you, Luna.”

“And I with you, Twilight Sparkle.”

Time went on, and just before they fell asleep on the bed together, Twilight whispered in Luna’s ear.

“Luna?”

“Yes?”

“You have to teach me how to sing as good as you one day.”

As the weeks went by, the affection Luna and Twilight held for each other grew stronger. Twilight had never been happier. They spent as much time together as possible. The commander of the palace guard had insisted on cancelling the Lunar Court for some time for safety reasons, even though the Sun Court and the Twilit Court had been reopened. Since Twilight, now more than ever, felt torn between Canterlot and Ponyville, Luna had summarily decided to join the routine of her marefriend and commute with Twilight.

Spending time in Ponyville did Luna well. In contrast to her life in Canterlot, she constantly had to face other ponies who were not directly under her command or belonged to the castle's staff. As a result of the attack, there still were two guards who accompanied Luna and Twilight wherever they went, but she still had the opportunity to make new friends.

In particular, Twilight's closest friends immediately took Luna into their hearts. Although the inhabitants of Ponyville had always been a bit reserved at first, by now there were no more masses of bowing ponies. They had grown accustomed to her; where Twilight Sparkle appeared, Luna was not far away.

However, the addition of new friends was not the only thing important to Luna; she loved Twilight and the love she received in return gave her security and stability in her life. She was grateful for every moment in which she could be with her marefriend who was so very patient with her. Luna was not suppressing her fears and worries anymore, and with Twilight at her side, she felt able to cope with those problems. For the first time in millennia her life was back together again; for the first time she felt like she had found somewhere she belonged.

However, there was but one drop of bitterness that dampened the mood of the couple. Since the incident at the palace, Celestia had hardly spoken a word to them, and she had withdrawn from everyday life. Of course, she still led the Sun Court as always with her friendly but neutral smile, but as soon as the session was over and she turned to leave, that mask slipped from her face. Although she tried to hide her worries, Twilight and Luna did notice this change. They tried their best to help, but they could not bring Celestia to talk about it.

The younger princesses were greatly worried about Celestia's condition. As Luna had already mentioned, not even she had seen her sister behave like that. They had suspected that there might be a threat and therefore had consulted with the commander of the guards. He had also noticed Celestia's behavior and he had been overfond of conducting an investigation which should determine whether Canterlot, possibly even the whole of Equestria, was in danger or not. Despite all their efforts, in the end there were no clues that could explain Celestia's behavior. Twilight and Luna had therefore come to the conclusion that she would just need some time to be able to talk about her problems, and that they would be there for Celestia once she would need their help.

Just like her sister, Luna also never spoke about her past voluntarily, but unlike Celestia she let herself be helped by her marefriend. Twilight knew that Luna struggled heavily with her experiences, and she often tried to make her open up a bit and talk about her problems. Although some events had happened ages ago and there was nothing that could be changed now, just talking about it helped Luna.

When Twilight had finished her court duties for the day, she and Luna had flown back to Ponyville, where they had grabbed some pillows and a blanket and lied down on the library's balcony, snuggled together under the soft cover, gazing into the vast array of stars and constellations that adorned Luna’s night. They did not talk most of the time, but instead enjoyed their get-together in silence.

After a while, Twilight noticed that Luna's ears were hanging low and she was staring at the night sky. Twilight followed her gaze, but she could not see anything that might be the reason for the sad expression.

“Luna, is everything all right?” Twilight asked.

“'Tis nothing anypony could change,“ Luna said, scarcely audible. Her eyes still focused at the sky, she sighed and added, “I am fine, do not worry.”

“I know that's not true. Tell me what's on your mind.”

“You will not let go, will you?” Luna asked. She now turned her head and looked directly into the eyes of Twilight, who smiled encouragingly. “I am warning you, I will probably kill the mood.”

“Oh Luna, you should know by now that you can't talk yourself out of it with something like that. How could I be happy when you are not?” Twilight asked. “What's going on? Please, let me help.”

Luna sighed again. She did not answer right away, but turned her head to look back at the sky and took a deep breath. “Do you see that star, just a bit to the left above Leo?”

Twilight followed her gaze and found the star. Although she had frequently observed the night sky through her telescope, and had read a lot about the different constellations, she did not recognize the star and could not name it.

“I can see it, but... I've never seen it before,” Twilight said, both confused and embarrassed that didn't know the star.

“You could not have. I created it today when I brought the night. It is a memorial to Warding Moon.”

Twilight gasped. “But... That's wonderful, Luna!” She rested her head against Luna's neck. “Is that what's bothering you? The memory of him? I have told you, there was nothing more you could have done.”

Luna stood up and walked up to the railing of the balcony. “That is not it. Or maybe it is. I do not know...” She shook her head. “I was just so happy with you here... Then I had to think of all the suffering I have caused.”

“It wasn't your fault,” Twilight said. She followed Luna and stood right beside her. “Daisy Garden even apologized to you the other day. Nopony can think straight after getting that kind of message. You mustn't take it personally.”

“That is not it either, Twilight. Even if I was not to blame for his death, what about all the pain suffering I have caused as Nightmare Moon? Tia has not let anything of that end up in history books, but back then I would have caused a civil war if it had not been for my sister banishing me! I... I hurt ponies, killed them, even. I let the night last so long that the plants froze to death. There was a great famine in that winter! And do not tell me that I have served my sentence. I have tried the same again when I returned.”

“But you have not done it, Luna,” Twilight said, emphasizing her marefriend's name. “You are not Nightmare Moon, you are Luna. Everypony makes mistakes, but we learn from them. Would you do all this today, now, at this very moment?”

The corners of Luna’s mouth moved slightly up, but Twilight could tell it wasn’t real: it didn’t reach her marefriend’s eyes and her ears were still hanging low.

“Of course not! But Twilight, that is exactly my problem. Back then, I never would have imagined that I could do those things. Yes, I was sad that hardly anypony noticed the beauty of my night. In the last weeks prior to my insanity the anger came up and everything just got worse. Shortly after that, I lost control. I still do not know what made me do all of this. Who can guarantee that this will not happen again? Almost nothing has changed, there are still almost no ponies who take notice of my night. It still makes me sad... what if I lose control again?”

“Are you still angry?” Twilight asked calmly.

“What? I... No,” Luna said, taken by surprise. “Maybe that was already part of my madness. I do not know. I am just afraid, Twilight. Afraid that I might hurt somepony again. That I might hurt you.”

“I know you. You're a good pony and you'd never hurt anypony voluntarily. Just that you think about all this proves that. You have friends who will stand by your side no matter what happens.” Twilight gave Luna a kiss on the cheek. “And you've got me. I will always stay with you, Luna.”

A smile loomed on Luna's face, albeit faintly. “Has anypony ever managed to stay sad in your presence?”

Before Twilight could respond, Luna leaned forward and they joined in a tender kiss.

The weekend after that day the two mares were on the way back from Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie had once again thrown one of her many parties and half of Ponyville had been there. As one of Pinkie's best friends, Twilight had helped with the preparations, and of course Luna had offered her skills and experience. She had always been a prankster, and therefore she and Rainbow Dash had taken care of the large number of pranks that were spread all over the party.

The party itself had been a great success. In addition to all the baked goods Pinkie had prepared, the Apple Family had provided several barrels of fresh-brewed cider. The lightly alcoholic beverage ensured a boisterous mood amongst all guests. Therefore, it was not a surprise that Twilight and Luna were constantly laughing and giggling on their way to the library.

Only when they arrived the night air had let their tempers cool down again. They entered the hollow tree and made their way to the bedroom. Spike was lucky that he was staying overnight at Rarity's because Twilight and Luna made no effort to be quiet.

“You really thought Tia would send you back to magic kindergarden?” Luna giggled.

“Hey, don't make fun of me, I was really scared back then,” Twilight said and poked Luna gently in the side, which made her marefriend stumble. “Enough to mess up half of Ponyville.”

“I would have liked to see that.” Luna yawned. “I am reeeeeaally tired. I think I am ready to drop right here,” she said as she entered the room.

“You had to go overboard with the cider.” Twilight looked around with a searching glance. “Where did I... Oh no!”

“What is going on?”

“My checklist for tomorrow was in my saddlebags and I forgot them at Sugarcube Corner.” Twilight sighed. “I have to go back.”

“Twilight, you are crazy. I cannot talk you out of this, can I?” Luna knew exactly what the answer would be. When it came to her checklists, her marefriend could not take a joke.

“That's my whole plan for tomorrow! I mustn't skip any article on that list!”

“Very well then. Please hurry up.” Luna walked over to Twilight and kissed her briefly. “I will wait for you.”

A few minutes later, Twilight was already at the halfway mark to Sugarcube Corner. One of the unicorn guards had insisted on accompanying her, which bothered Twilight greatly because now she could not fly; therefore it would take her twice as long to fetch her saddlebags. However, she had learned that there was no sense in discussing this matter, and besides, she was too tired for that.

They walked in silence through the empty streets of Ponyville. It was common that most palace guards were not very talkative, but the two that had accompanied the two princesses today were particularly bad. They had not said a single unnecessary word all day and had not taken part in any conversation. Even now, the unicorn who walked next to Twilight was silent and just let his gaze wander over the houses, streets and small alleys of the peaceful town, always on the lookout for potential threats.

They turned around the corner and had almost reached Sugarcube Corner. The lights inside were apparently still turned on, which made Twilight sigh in relief, because she did not really want to wake anypony. Just as Twilight was about to fly the rest of the distance, the guard stopped abruptly and gestured her to stand still.

“What is it now? We're almost there,” Twilight urged.

She was tired and she wanted to return as quickly as possible to her home and to Luna. The sergeant motioned her to be still and went in the direction of an alley on the opposite side of the street, his spear directed forward.

“Who goes there?” he asked in a deep, stern voice.

When there was no answer and he could not find anything extraordinary, he muttered: “Must be my imagination.”

The moment he turned around he winced as if there was a shiver running down his spine, but then seemed to ignore it. He slowly walked over to Twilight who was glad to be finally able to go on. The guards were too cautious for her liking; they behaved as if there was a lurking threat behind every corner. Especially in Ponyville, that was just absurd.

She had already turned back towards her goal with the guard standing behind her, so she could not take notice of the spell he was aiming at her.

Twilight sighed. “Sometimes I really wonder what they tell you in training. This is Ponyville, what could possibly hap–“

She got no farther. With an extremely bright flash of light, the guard flung the spell through the air and hit her on the back of her head. Twilight immediately fainted and collapsed on the spot. The guard remained frozen for a moment and then also lost consciousness.

A few seconds later the door of Sugarcube Corner opened. Pinkie Pie came out, curious about the origin of the bright light she had seen from inside the house. Her eyes met the two unconscious ponies who were lying on the ground a few meters away. Jittery, as she was at any given time, she bounced over to her friend.

“Twilight! My Pinkie Sense told me something reeeeally strange was going on and then I saw that flash of light and... Twilight? Are you all right?”

Pinkie’s eyes widened and she screamed with horror as she became aware of the seriousness of the situation. She galloped the last few steps to Twilight and tried to jolt her awake.

“Twilight! Twilight, wake up!”

When she got no reply, she tried the same with the guard, who showed no reaction either. She went back to Twilight and again tried to wake her. This time, she began to stir.

“Twilight! What happened? Did some mean meanie-pants do mean things to you?”

Twilight looked at Pinkie, confused. After a moment, she finally replied with a shaky voice.

“Where... am I? And who are you?”

Then she lost consciousness again.

Author's Note

I would like to thank my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.

5: Schemes and Chances

Spheres of liquid rose one after another from the otherwise calm surface of the pond. Although there were almost no ripples, the water didn't reflect the surroundings or even the blue sky. Instead, it was crystal clear, and allowed various minerals in the ground to reflect the light. Together with the light refraction of the water, it caused the small lake to shine in a vast array of colors under the summer sun. It reminded him of something which is why he liked the place so much.

The light gray unicorn focused on raising the droplets of clear water which cost him a great part of his concentration. He had never been good with spells like levitation or teleportation. Once they reached the desired height, the rest was easy for him, although most unicorns weren't able to cast such spells at all. He didn't make the water take the desired shape with force from outside; he made it form the shape on its own. Although water as a substance clearly wasn't alive, he liked to think of it as convincing it to follow his wishes.

With the hard part done, he relaxed and just thought of the shape he wanted to create. It was even easier for him to focus on the image while she was sitting right next to him. Her presence always calmed his thoughts.

Now that he was in the middle of creating a three-dimensional portrayal of the white mare on his side, he was still getting a bit nervous. Recognizing this immediately, she leaned over and nudged his shoulder to encourage him, though careful enough to not be distracting. Feeling reassured, he continued casting his magic. The result was supposed to be a surprise; therefore, his marefriend was looking curious at what he was creating.

While he finished his spell and worked on some details, he risked a glance at her face, wondering if she might like it. The white mare was looking at her portrayal, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly agape.

Shaking her head to regain her dignity, she said: “It's... it's beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it! But...”

“Is there something wrong? Don't you like it? Tell me, I can fix it,” he said, discouraged, his ears dropping.

She looked at him, smiling. “Don't worry, dear. It is wonderful. It's just that... I don't feel like that when looking into a mirror. What you created is far more beautiful than I am.”

“I didn't create it using some picture of you; it is exactly what I see when I look at you. It is the picture of you in my mind when you aren't around, and it is what I see now,” he said, which caused her to blush and bury her face in his dark mane sheepishly. “Although I think your flank might have grown juuust a bit,” he added with a cheeky smile.

“My fl– oh you!” She used her hoof to splash him with some water. Taken by surprise, he let go of the magic holding the portrayal up in the air.

Knowing he deserved the ‘punishment’ and also enjoying the cool water on this hot day, he stood up and jumped into the lake, causing the water to drench his marefriend's mane. He emerged again and swam closer to her.

Still not reassured, he asked: “So, did you like it?”

“Yes, I did. It was the most wonderful present I ever got.” Leaning forward to kiss him, she held back for a moment and whispered: “Fading Light, I lo–“

“NOOO!”

Heavily panting, Fading Light jumped out of his bed. It took him some minutes to calm down and ease his mind. His hooves still shaky, he went to the bathroom to splash his face with some cold water. Just a moment before reaching the washbasin it occurred to him that this might not be a good idea regarding the nature of his dream. Cursing, he went back to his room and sat on the bed, his face buried in his hooves. Buck up, it's over!

He had made an enormous effort to suppress, and even erase, memories like these. They were remnants of better times, and even though those days were long, long gone, remembering the scene at the pond felt like it had just happened.

He took a deep breath and tried to shake of the thoughts, but he also knew that, ultimately, it would be of no use. The bad mood would haunt him all day; then again, the grim dedication caused by it would help him concentrate on the important things.

Looking through the window, he noticed it was still dark outside. Being wide awake now, he knew that going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Let’s start with the preparations then. Ha, if those narrow-minded fools only knew all the effects of that spell. Thinking of the upcoming ritual, he smiled sinisterly. Despite the rude awakening, today would be a good day.

Some hours later, Fading Light was drawing obscure lines and circles on the floor of a large hall. The geometric shapes flew into each other to form a huge circular pattern that filled out the greatest part of the room. On the outer ring of the shape there were various circles in regular intervals; other lines lead from those circles to the center of the pattern, were another small empty space was. All in all, the drawing looked like something a young pony would draw while bored and having a compass at hoof.

Fading Light had to suppress his laughter. It was nothing more than that, a useless shenanigan. Maybe not entirely useless. After all, it helps to keep them from thinking too much about the ritual. He wrinkled his muzzle; the paint he was using had a pungent smell, which was part of the illusion, too.

He was grabbing the brush with his magic again, when somepony knocked on the door. He grumbled; he had locked himself in for a reason. There were several stories about how he created the patterns, and every single one included the use of some strange magic. It was ridiculous because it was all just part of a big web of lies.

He sighed, put away the paint brush and went through the door. He closed it quickly behind himself before he shot Lucent Aura a stern glance. The unicorn mare bowed when he passed her; he ignored her and took a look at the documents she had prepared for him on the secretaire. What do we have here. Expense reports, the usual status reports... the guard department’s request for more bits, again. Money wasn’t anything he had to worry about. He had had more years than others to amass riches.

Noticing his assistant was still patiently waiting in silence, holding two other files next to her with the yellow glow of her magic, he signed the documents. Without looking up, he asked in his usual stern, indifferent voice:

“Anything else, Aura?”

“Yes, my Lord. I have the first report you requested on the Ponyville operation,” she said, handing over one of the files. “Everything went according to your plan.”

“That tends to happen when no cocky foal considers himself superior,” he responded, grinding his teeth. He took a quick look at the file. Since it wasn’t the full report with the all the details from every informant, there was only a single page with some notes.

Operation “Severance”
Target: Subject T
Objective: Removal of memories beginning with arrival of Subject N

Type of Interaction: Connection with personal guard of Subject T
Course of Action: Distraction of Subject T and guard. Assumed direct control of guard. Used designated spell on Subject T. Removed short-term memory of guard. Termination of link between specialist team and guard.

Condition of Subject: Suspected psychogenic amnesia without access to designated memories. Terminal examination report pending.

Preliminary Result: SUCCESS

With a grim smile, he put the file away. This was the second step. They had gained access to the book recently, and now his biggest problem was out of the way. Without her memories, she posed no threat to his plan.

“My Lord,” Aura said. “There is another file. It’s the final report on Hopeful Vision’s condition. I know you didn’t request it, but I thought... maybe...” She faltered. Aura knew Fading Light didn’t like to think about him, but it was still her job to deliver these messages.

“Don’t you dare waste my time with that insolent fool!” Fading Light said, his fury rising. “Just shred it and don’t bother me with him.”

“It’s just that... He won’t recover.”

“And that is my fault, yes? I think I was very clear when stating our rules. I told everypony involved what happens when they meddle around with this magic. I’m the only pony capable of what he tried, and I didn’t do it for a reason. Even if he had been capable, what do you think would have happened if he had been successful? I do not regret my order to disconnect the link or his punishment afterwards. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into. Now he has to live with the results.”

Aura had retreated a few steps while Fading Light was venting his anger. It wasn’t fear that drove her; she just knew exactly what his temper could do to another pony getting in his way. With a still steady voice, she said,

“Forgive me, my Lord, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. If there’s nothing you’d have me do, I’ll get back to my other tasks now.”

“Make sure to remind everypony of the consequences of failing me. If you’re so concerned about that imbecile colt, maybe you should take him as an example for what happens when somepony disobeys a direct order. Or for that matter, if they think too much,” Fading Light said.

He turned around and walked towards the room he had worked in before. From the corner of his eye he noticed Aura was still waiting for orders.

“Have I not made myself clear? Oh for pony’s sake, yes, that will be all.”

Without deigning to look at her again, he moved inside the large room and shut the door behind him. At least I won’t have to bear with them much longer now. I’ve waited for all this time, those few weeks won’t hurt.

“...and so it will begin. Every challenge you met, every hardship you survived, every danger you faced led you here. Fear not, for you will soon be part of a new era of ponykind. A glorious age awaits us all, any you will be the first ponies to ascend to unknown heights of knowledge and power. You will conquer the fear of the eternal sleep. For tonight, we will rewrite the laws of magic and life itself!”

Fading Light waited for his followers to stop stomping their hooves in applause. There were a hundred unicorns in the room, all looking at him. They were all eager to see what was coming and help with the ritual. I promised them immortality, and all that will happen tonight is me taking their years. Oh, the caprices of fate.

“You have found the book, I have deciphered its contents and so I finally found the spell to make you live forever. With our combined strength, we can do it! Think of all the things you thought you would never be able to do in your lifetime. After tonight, nothing can ever stop you!”

Another hurricane of applause followed his speech.

“But I must warn you: do not falter when you feel weakened, as it is all part of the magic. You might exhaust yourself during the ritual, but don’t lose heart, for you will be rewarded in the end. So let us make use of the talent we were born with and embrace eternity!”

With a final applause, he went away from the podium and towards the double door which led to the room with the prepared drawings. Before he passed through, he turned towards Lucent Aura, who had been waiting for him. He went off to the side with her and said some words to her, so that only she could hear him:

“I am the focal point of the ritual. I will be casting the spell, so I will be quite exhausted afterwards, unlike everypony else. I need you to get them all out of here as soon as we are done. No delays!”

Aura gave him a puzzled look. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“I said ‘get them out’. Have I made myself clear? This is important. Do you understand?”

“Of course, my Lord.”

Fading Light took a few steps towards the door before he announced:

“You have all been instructed what to do, but I repeat: Take your place in the circles, do not step on the magical markings and do not, under any circumstance, interrupt the magic currents.”

A few minutes later, everypony had positioned themselves according to the drawing on the floor which resembled arcane runes. They formed a large circle with two rows, all facing towards the center, where Fading Light was standing. He looked around, pretending to make some last checks if everypony was at the correct position. In the end, it wouldn’t matter where they were standing, it was all just part of the big show. He took a deep breath to calm himself. This would require his entire concentration and a huge part of his strength.

“Everypony knows what to do. On the count of three. One... two... three!”

Every other pony of the inner circle was lighting their horn along with their leader. Blue arcs of light were building up between the tips of their horns and a faint white sphere around Fading Light. The circles on the floor around each one of them were glowing in the same color and subsequently ignited the respective lines that connected them to the circle in the middle. So far, so good. Yes, look at the illusions! The real magic never happens in the place the magician draws your attention to.

About a minute later, the other half of the ponies in the inner circle were lighting their horns. Their arcs of light and lines on the ground were red, but also connected with Fading Lights aura and circle and made them glow stronger. Within the same intervals, the ponies of the outer ring were joining the spell casting, with yellow and green arcs and lines.

Fading Light closed his eyes and concentrated on the spell he was preparing. Everything going on so far was just an illusion, packed in unnecessary complicated spell formulas to deceive his followers and make them think they were actively contributing something. He needed them, but not for what they were thinking. The spell he would cast had to create the following illusions all by itself once he would release it; he wouldn’t have the time nor the concentration to focus on that.

He released the spell. In a split second, white arcs of light shot from his sphere, reached for the other ponies and built similar, but faint spheres around each of them. While the illusion was doing its work and his followers were distracted, he started casting the spell that was the real purpose of this fake ritual. Unknown and unseen to others he reached out for their magic, their very essence, their life force, as he called it.

This was what would cause the exhaustion he warned them of. Not only did he reach out for their life force, he tapped it and transferred a small part of it to himself. Each of them living ten years less wasn’t something that would attract attention. Careful not to lose focus, he did it in the same order the illusion had done its work. Twenty-five... fifty... seventy... one... hun... dred! He was used to this kind of spell, it was part of his special talent, but he had never cast it on so many ponies at the same time and he had always used the energy for another spell immediately. This time, it was different; he had to store the energy until the ritual was finished and he would be alone. This was the hardest part of his plan.

In the meantime, the illusion continued to amaze and distract the participants of the ritual. The sphere around each of them increased glowing every second. Just before the spheres were too bright to look at them, a silver line started to envelop each pony, beginning at the tip of their horn and following their contours. Gasps and whispers started amongst the ponies.

“Is this it?”

“It is really happening!”

“I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“FO... CUS!”

The ponies immediately fell silent. Fading Light gritted his teeth, barely able to speak even that one word. The energy he had collected threatened to overwhelm him any second now; losing focus would not only mean he would have to start over, it could also severely harm him. He would have to keep control for some time, so any distraction was dangerous.

Once the illusion finished enveloping the ponies with the silver gleam, it quickly wore off. The last part of the mostly self-contained magic put a refreshment spell on each of his followers. It was also directly affecting Fading Light; it dampened his senses for the needed time. He now wasn’t able to hear or smell the other ponies anymore, even his sense of touch was blurred. This was necessary in case Lucent Aura wouldn’t make the others leave quick enough.

As soon as the visible manifestations of his spell stopped, he left the center of the room and cut his way through the crowd towards a small side door. Ponies were giving him confused looks, but all in all, they were too busy with their fascination of what they thought had happened.

Fading Light reached the small room he had prepared for his triumph. Just... a few... more... moments! He still struggled to keep control of all the energy he had stolen. A whole millennium of years others would have lived filled up his whole body and mind. Squeezing his eyes shut, he took a few steps towards the pedestal with the book on it; trickles of sweat ran down his face and his body began to tremble under the pressure.

He grabbed the pedestal with his forelegs and leaned heavily upon it; sweat was dripping on the opened book. He had memorized the formula, but he didn’t want to take any risks, and so he opened his eyes to look at the page of the ancient book. He gasped for air and started working on the spell.

When Fading Light finally began to use the collected life force, the relief was so enormous that it made him almost lose control by pouring too much energy into the spell at the wrong time. Small, light gray orbs appeared and began swirling around him. The immense power of the releasing energy slowly lifted him into the air and more and more orbs arose from nothingness until he was completely surrounded by them. By now, the whole room was ablaze with the magic gleam; if it had windows, it would have surely attracted attention despite the solitude of the manor, and it forced him to close his eyes.

Fading Light had finished casting the spell, but it continued to fill the air around him with arcane energies, which now also began affecting his body. He could feel it changing him, strengthening every part of him; the magical currents sunk into every limb, every sinew, muscle fiber and bone, imbuing him with power down to the cellular level.

Finally, the swirling around him stopped and the orbs thrust into his body, making him stagger even though he was still hanging mid-air. This last burst of energy was so intense that he almost passed out; only the fact that he had already been strengthened by the earlier effects of the spell prevented him from losing consciousness. With the magic wearing off, he was slowly being lowered to the ground.

He opened his eyes and with a short glow of his horn, he lifted the spell that was still dampening his senses. Now becoming aware of what he had just accomplished, he carefully moved his limbs as if to test them. He took a deep, relieving breath and shook his entire body.

A grim smile loomed on his face as he flapped his wings for the first time.

“Step three: check.”

Celestia strode down the hallway of Ponyville’s hospital. With her was a group of guards, fully armed and on the lookout for anything suspicious. Their faces showed a grim dedication, and made everypony who was still up at this time jump out of their way. The rattling of the armor plates would wake up some patients, but right now, Celestia didn’t care.

There had been another attack on a princess, and she wouldn’t tolerate any harm being done to her subjects, her friends or her family. Twilight Sparkle was family. I hope there is at least some evidence left this time. She sighed. If Luna was close, probably not. With her temper, it’s a wonder the town is still standing.

They turned the corner and arrived at the corridor where Luna was sitting. Her head was hanging low, and Celestia thought for a moment that she could spot a twinkling in her sister’s eye as if she was close to crying. Oh Luna... Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to be the strong one. You’re not the only one with problems. As soon as it reached her mind, Celestia pushed the thought away. It was nothing she could concern herself with now. There is still no evidence...

“Close off the place,” she said to a guard. “Ensure that no unauthorized pony roams free, and report everything – anything suspicious.”

“At your command, your Highness,” the guard said, and gave some quick orders to execute her command.

Celestia went over to Luna and sat down. When the younger sister didn’t respond in any way, she said, “Luna, tell me what is going on. Your message wasn’t very informative. What happened, and how is Twilight?”

Luna took a deep breath and turned to look at her sister. Celestia could now clearly see how much the ongoing events troubled her: Celestia hadn’t imagined the upcoming tears in Luna’s eyes; even her ethereal blue mane looked dull. This is going to be hard on Luna. I still can’t allow it.

“I do not know much myself, Tia. Twilight... She only went out for a brief moment, and then I got called here. It was another attack, but this time, it has been successful. Pinkie Pie found her unconscious; the doctors are still trying to find out what might be wrong with her, and they will not let me in! They sent Pinkie Pie away because Twilight needs rest, but I will not leave her,” Luna said. She leaned against Celestia, who put a wing around her. “I should have been with her! Why would anypony do this to my Twilight? She hasn’t done anything wrong! Not like me...”

“As much as I appreciate your concern for Twilight, this is actually something we need to talk about,” Celestia said.

Luna noticed the sudden seriousness in her sister’s voice, and raised an ear. “What are you talking about? Can this not wait until she gets better?”

“No, it can’t.” Celestia shifted so she could meet Luna’s eyes. Here goes. “I think you two should stop meeting. At least until this situation has been resolved.”

“What? Thou cannot be serious!” Luna shouted. She broke the embrace and took a step backwards. “‘Tis none of thy business, Celestia! How darest thou think thou canst interfere in Our most personal affairs?”

“Luna, calm down.”

“We will not ‘calm down’, sister, and We will not discuss Our relationship with Twilight with thee!”

“This is a hospital, and it’s the middle of the night,” Celestia said quietly. She was still sitting on the same spot, radiating calmness. “Get ahold of yourself, Luna.”

“Thou canst expect us to break up with Our loved one.”

“I didn’t say that I do,” Celestia said. She sighed and continued, “Get ahold of yourself, Luna! You must see the connection, too. You’ve been attacked first, and when they couldn’t get to you, they started attacking the one you care for most. How much more danger do you want to put Twilight in?”

“We...” Luna trailed off, her eyes growing wide. “I put Twilight in danger?”

“Not you, but your relationship with her does. Whoever is behind these attacks, it’s obvious they intend to harm you. Trust me, I know this isn’t easy, but you should put your relationship on hiatus, if not end it,” Celestia said. With the attempt of an encouraging smile, she added, “She will understand.”

“I... I can’t,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Twilight got hurt, and I cannot leave her when she needs me most. I cannot and I will not, Tia. I will not abandon her.”

“Be reasonable, Luna. You have seen the power of the first attack yourself. You can’t protect her at all times. Are you willing to take that risk?”

“What if we broke up, I stayed away from her, and she still gets attacked again? I would not be at her side!” Luna shook her head. “Maybe you cannot understand. You have not felt what I feel.”

How dare she! She doesn’t know what I– No, keep calm. She doesn’t need to know. Celestia sighed and walked up to her smaller sister. “Luna, please listen to me. I know this isn’t easy, better than you might kn–”

“Um... Your Highnesses?” Dr. Stable, the doctor of Ponyville’s hospital, said. He had just come through the door behind which Twilight was getting treated. “I’m very sorry to interrupt you, but, um, you were getting quite loud, and since this is a hospital and it’s in the middle of the night... Could you please lower your volume?” He was obviously very uncomfortable with the situation; his ears were laid back and he was looking at the floor, shooting only some glances towards the princesses.

Celestia looked at her sister, who turned away with a grim face. She turned towards the doctor and said,

“Of course. We won’t cause any disturbance. There’s already enough pressure on your personnel with all the security. Do you have any new information about Princess Twilight?”

The doctor noticed that Celestia wasn’t bothered about the interruption and relaxed. “That’s the other thing I wanted to tell you. The patient is awake now, and you can go to see her. You mustn’t excite her, though, and you can only stay for a short time. She needs rest.”

“Do you know what happened yet?” Celestia demanded.

“Well, I can’t be entirely sure since these things usually take some time. She seems to suffer from a memory loss, something we call psychogenic amnesia. She knows her name and is able to do everyday tasks, but she doesn’t remember what happened in her more recent past. For example, she doesn’t even know that she is a princess now. I’d strongly advise against delving into that topic or anything else of similar importance tonight.”

In the meantime, Luna had gotten over to the other two ponies, and was now joining the conversation.

“What exactly are we talking about? How much has she forgotten?” Luna asked. “Will she recover those memories?”

“We will find out the exact timeframe during the next days. For now, I can only say it seems to be about four years.”

“Four... years?” Luna’s face grew pale while she tried to grasp the implications; she sat down with shakily knees.

“Roughly, yes. As for her recovery, the patients usually just need time and the support of family and friends. That counts for the normal cases of this illness, though. What happened to the princess was of magical origin. I didn’t want to frighten you, but... I’ve never seen anything like this before. Research on that topic might yield some results. I still recommend that anypony close to her should help her regain her memories. Show her familiar faces, go to places she liked and visited often.”

“Thank you, Dr. Stable. If there is anything you need, tell me. On another note, I’d like her to be referred to the Canterlot Mercy Hospital as soon as possible. You can still be the doctor in charge, of course,” Celestia said. “I think we’re ready now to pay her a visit.”

“Of course,” he responded and turned around to get back into the room where Twilight was laying in a bed. Before Celestia followed him, she turned to her sister.

“Don’t be sad, little sister. Maybe she will remember the time you two had together. You were close, and from what I know, quite happy. Don’t lose hope.”

Luna didn’t say anything, but Celestia’s words brightened her mood slightly. She tried her best to smile and followed her sister.

Celestia reached Twilight’s bed first; it was the last in a row of otherwise empty beds. The only other ponies in the room were the doctor and Nurse Redheart, who were monitoring Twilight.

Before Celestia could even greet her, Twilight started jabbering excitedly. “Princess Celestia! What are you doing here? You didn’t come for me, did you? I’m fine, you don’t need to waste your time with me passing out for a moment.”

“Twilight, you’ve been my most faithful student. Of course I would come to visit you when you’re in the hospital,” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Tell me, how do you really feel, and what do you remember?”

“Really, I’m fine, Princess, no need to wor– wait, who’s that behind you?”

As the other pony stepped forward, Celestia saw Twilight’s eyes widening. Twilight’s gaze slowly fell upon the mare with both wings and a horn, her dark blue coat, her long, ethereal mane sprinkled with twinkling stars, and finally upon her cutiemark, a silvery crescent moon on a black background.

Before Celestia could intervene, Twilight had drawn a conclusion. She jumped off the bed and began casting a spell, setting her horn aglow. All her attention was focused on the dark mare.

“Princess Celestia, be careful, it’s– it’s Nightmare Moon!”

“Twilight, calm down, it’s not what you think!” Celestia said, taking position between Twilight and Luna.

“Princess, don’t turn your back on her; she will attack you!” Twilight shouted, almost hyperventilating now. When Celestia didn’t react, Twilight teleported a few steps through the room to confront Luna, just to find herself facing her former mentor again. “What is– Are you defending her? Princess, she wants to bring eternal night! All of Equestria will suffer from her madness!” She teleported again only to get the same result as before. “Why are you on her side? What has she done to you?”

“Twilight, please trust me and calm down!” Celestia said while the doctor filled a syringe with a tranquilizer. With a practiced routine, he gave Twilight the injection, whereupon she immediately became dazed.

“Princess... Nightmare Moon... she’s... evil,” Twilight brought out before she finally fell asleep while still standing. The doctor and Nurse Redheart had to support her weight while they tried to get her back into the bed.

“Your Highnesses, I’m sorry, but I – uff – must ask you to leave now. Princess Twilight needs rest – phew!” He took a deep breath once they had gotten Twilight back into her bed. “I am terribly sorry about this, but like I said, we didn’t know yet how much of her memory she has lost.”

“We will talk about this later, doctor. For now, just make sure you do all you can to make her get better,” Celestia said. She turned to Luna, but found she had disappeared; returning to the corridor, she found her sister sitting on the ground. Luna’s head was hanging low with her mane concealing her face and she was helplessly pawing on the tile floor with a hoof. Celestia went over to her and gave her a hug, which Luna gratefully returned.

“Oh, my dear Luna...” she said, swaying back and forth, still embracing her sister.

“Is this what they all think of me? That I am still that monster? Can they not see that I have changed?” Luna asked; tears ran over her face and dropped onto Celestia’s mane.

“They don’t see you like that, Luna. There are ponies who cherish your night just as much as they cherish you,” Celestia said. “This is just a terrible misunderstanding. Twilight didn’t see you as what you are, but as what you once were, and you know that. She loved you and I’m sure she still does. It will just take some time for her to remember.”

“Why, Tia, why? Why did they take my Twilight from me? What have I done... What has she done? She has never done anything to deserve this!”

“I know, little sister. We will find out, someday, somehow,” Celestia said. Twilight’s reaction in front of her inner eye made a shiver ran down her spine. She took a deep breath to shake of this feeling.

“I should have been with her... I should have been there. I could have protected her! Why did I stay? I have failed her, Tia!”

“Don’t blame yourself. You can’t always be present. And even if you could, sometimes you are powerless to change the outcome. Sometimes you make the right decision, yet you still hurt somepony.”

“But what do you do then? What should I do now?” Luna asked, still sobbing.

“You pick up the pieces. It’s hard, but life will go on, and you have to carry on as best as you can, too. You get the chance to make things right...” Celestia said, almost unnoticeably emphasizing ‘you’. Not everypony has that chance. “You know, I was wrong. Stay with her. Help her regain her memories.” Luna raised her head and looked into Celestia’s eyes. A small glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes, and the older sister added:

“Do everything you can to get her back. Anything.”

Author's Note

I would like to thank my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me. Special thanks to NotSoSubtle and WoolOverYourEyes for thoroughly analyzing my chapters, and to Shrineheart for the awesome artwork!

6: Expectations

Cold, bright light illuminated the way as five ponies and a dragon moved through the mostly empty corridors of Canterlot Mercy. While it was hard to measure the level of Pinkie Pie’s jumpiness, everypony else displayed some nervous quirks in their own way. A nervous earflap, a distorted mouth, more flown loops than usual – or possible with so little airspace. In Applejack’s case, the tension showed in her shortened temper.

“Stop it, will ya, Rainbow?” Applejack snorted at Rainbow Dash who made another loop through the hall. “You're gonna make a mess of this fancy medical stuff!” She pointed at the cupboards with medical equipment and supplies they passed every few meters.

“I never bump into anything!” Rainbow Dash replied, her voice rising in annoyance. “You know I’m always flying, Applejack. Everypony knows! Princess Celestia's letter said Twilight might need help remembering us.” Her ears dropped slightly at the thought. “How could anypony remember me better than through my flying skills?”

“Oh, then what's in your bags?” Pinkie Pie asked, jumping next to Applejack and taking a closer look at one of the three pairs of saddlebags the earthpony was carrying; both Rarity and Rainbow Dash had found excuses to make Applejack carry their bags. “Is it balloons? Oh, I love balloons! Remember that one time when–“

“It's not balloons, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, I know, I know!” Pinkie Pie said. “It's a giant costume of yourself! Twilight will see it and remember you and then she'd wonder where you are and then you can take it off and she’ll be happy to see you and remember everypony else!”

“I am fairly sure that is not it,” Rarity said, now joining the conversation. “But now, tell us what it is you brought.”

“It’s… private,” Rainbow Dash replied, looking away and blushing slightly.

“Ah, come on, Rainbow. We’ll tell ya what we brought, and then it’s your turn. Deal?” Applejack asked.

“It’s… okay, deal.”

“Can’t show it to y’all because it’s below Rarity’s and Rainbow’s bags, but I brought a bottle of cider– I know, Rainbow, it’s not cider season,” Applejack added before the pegasus could protest. “I always keep a bottle for special occasions. Ya know, because everypony likes it so much. I thought, what could be more special than a friend in need?”

“Well, that's certainly something with a story behind it,” Rarity said. Waving her mane, she continued, “If you must know, the bag dear Applejack is so nice to carry contains the dress Twilight wore to our first Grand Gallopping Gala. Oh, she looked absolutely magnificent! The Gala wasn't what each of us expected, but in the end, it all turned out good once we started spending the evening with our dearest friends. What did my little Spike bring?“

“Pinkie brought Twilight’s bags earlier, and I found her latest checklist in there. I know, it’s not that important, but the letter said she would still remember me,” Spike mumbled. He knew it had to be harder for everypony else; he, at least, was still somewhere in Twilight’s memories. “Maybe something more recent could help, too. I also brought the picture of all of us from her room in the library. What about you, Fl–”

“Oh, let me, let me!” Pinkie Pie said, now bouncing backwards to look at the others.

“Pinkie, you’re gonna– ah, nevermind.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “What did ya bring?”

“At first I wanted to bring some cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner, but then I remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Cake bake them, too, and then I was scared that Twilight might think I was Mrs. Cake or even Mr. Cake!” Pinkie said, eyes agape. “Can you imagine? I am not even like the Cakes, but Twilight would mistake me for one of them and then she’d think Mrs. Cake would be Pinkie Pie and maybe somepony who doesn’t know them would believe her and then nopony would know me as Pinkie anymore!”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “Ugh, Pinkie, focus!”

“Oh, yes!” Pinkie Pie shook her head to get back on track. “After that idea I had a better one. I thought ‘What could make somepony happier than a get-well-soon-party?’, so I brought everything we need!”

“Don’t ya think that might be a bit much? I mean, she might not be in the mood, Pinkie,” Applejack said.

“How could anypony not like a party? It’s like the best thing to brighten up your mood!” Pinkie Pie said, tilting her head to the side.

“I just meant–” Applejack tried to say before she realized with whom she was talking. “Just forget it. Fluttershy, what about you?” When she didn’t get an answer for a while, she tried again. “Fluttershy?”

“I, um… I didn’t…,” Fluttershy stammered. “I only had a feather from Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix that could serve as a memento for our friendship. I brought it, but it’s not as nice as your gifts. It’s more about me than about the friendship. So I thought I… maybe...” she trailed off.

“What’s that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“I… I thought about everything that happened since Twilight came to Ponyville and what I learned from her. So I wanted to tell her how she made a better pony out of me,” Fluttershy said, hiding her face beneath her mane. “Oh, if Twilight ever remembers, she’ll be disappointed! We’ve been good friends for so long, yet I don’t really have anything I can show her!”

“Oh, don’t you worry, darling. To be honest, I think your present outshines the other presents we’ve heard of and even my very own,” Rarity said. She gave Fluttershy a little nudge and continued, “Don’t you see it?”

“Rarity is right, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. She took a deep breath and continued, “See, I… I wrote a story about Daring Do a while ago. Twilight read it and wanted to help me improve some things. She said she enjoyed reading it, so I put it in my bag when I came here, maybe she’ll at least have a good time reading it again. I didn’t really want to talk about it. I didn’t want anypony to think I’m an egghead. But that’s just what my friendship with Twilight did: I was able to think outside the box, and I started reading. It’s not about the book at all, Fluttershy. It’s what being friends with Twilight means.”

Applejack smiled and nodded. “There ya go. We all brought something to help her remember, but these are just little things linked to one story each. You brought the best thing you could: yourself. With all the stories ya can tell about how Twilight and the friendship with her influenced you for the better, that’s the most wonderful present there is!”

“Your friends are right, Fluttershy. ‘Tis a fine gift.”

“Princess Luna!” they all said with one voice. They had been so lost in conversation – especially with Pinkie Pie still bouncing backwards in front of everypony – that they didn’t notice they had already reached their destination. They were still standing in a corridor, but the room Twilight was staying in was at the end of it, separated from other patients.

“I told you to call… It is of no use, I guess,” Luna sighed. “Can I take it that my sister’s letter has reached you?”

She had been sitting next to the closed door; now she was standing in front of the other ponies, her horn dimly glowing. She seemed to be exhausted: her eyes were reddened, her mane didn’t have its usual brilliance and several streaks refused to follow the flow of the rest of her hair. Her face was filled with determination without the slightest glimpse of a smile despite just being greeted by friends.

Applejack was the first to speak. “It sure has, Prin– I mean, Luna. That’s why we’re all here. I’m sorry if I’m intruding or something, but what happened? I mean, to you. Looks like you had a rough night, too.”

“I am well. ‘Tis nothing but the result of taking precautions.” The magic glow of Luna’s horn pulsed once as if to confirm what she had just said. “I dare not entrust anypony with the protection of Twilight, so I have been taking that matter into my own hooves since she arrived at the hospital in Ponyville. When she was being moved here, I followed.”

“Are you telling me you’ve been staying up for almost three days now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Even you need to sleep once in a while! What are the guards there for?”

Luna shook her head. “‘Tis not something I will discuss with anypony. I do not know what my sister has told you, but all the evidence points towards Twilight’s guard being the attacker.” With an almost grim determination, she continued, “I am staying with her, no matter the cost.”

“Her guard?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Where is that–”

“Shouldn’t you be with Twilight then? You’re outside of her room now, you silly pony!” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

“Pinkie Pie! You can’t talk to a princess like that,” Rarity said before Luna could answer. She shook her head, clearly appalled by the pink pony’s behavior. “Please forgive her, Princess. But if I may be so bold, her question isn’t completely unreasonable. Why are you out here?"

Luna sighed and her ears dropped slightly. “In this moment, Twilight’s brother is visiting her. Aside from that… It is complicated. Let me for now just say that she does not want to see me.” She took a deep breath. “I will explain it to you later. Before you may visit Twilight, there are two things. First, she has to allow it. Shining Armor will tell me when she is ready to see you. Please keep in mind, she does not remember you, and you may know more about her than she does. It can be a scary situation for her, so be careful.”

“We will certainly show our best manners, Princess Luna,” Rarity said, darting a stern look at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. “What is the second thing?

“The precautions I have taken prevent any kind of magic inside the room, and I do mean any kind. It is not just affecting unicorns. Pegasi and earthponies each have their own kind of magic. You will all feel weakened, and the spell may make your head spin. There is nothing I can do about that without stopping the spell, so if anypony might not be able to endure it any longer, just leave the room. Entering it will take a bit longer, though, to prevent any kind of intruder to get in.”

“Ya think this is really necessary?” Applejack asked, wondering what kind of earthpony magic Luna could have meant. “I mean, whoever it is, they didn’t attack ya twice. ‘Sides, ya really need to hit the hay.”

“I am not willing to take any risk. I have lived thousands of years, I can survive a few days without sleep. I would do anything for Twilight.”

“Twily, they’re your friends. Give them a chance!”

“I told you, I don’t remember them.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “If there’s any reason I became a princess, it’s my studies. I have to make use of every second to catch up on what I forgot.”

The discussion had been going on for a while, but now her big brother sensed his chance. “That's just it. Your friends are what you fo–”

“I’m happy you visited me, so don’t get me wrong when I’m saying that I can’t have you or some ponies I don’t even know keep me from studying. Not now. I’ll have some time in… let me take a look,” Twilight said, plodding through the pile of parchment she had already produced on her bed. “Ah, here it is. See? I can’t even tell you accurately when I’ll have time because I didn’t have time to make a good plan! All I can say for now is that I’ll probably catch up with them in a few months.”

“A few months? You’re crazy, little sis!” Shining Armor dropped his forehead into his hoof. “Look, I’m sorry to force this upon you, but you need your friends. I know you’re having a hard time and you’re not the only pony getting a headache because of Lu– this magic field protecting you. You’ll put your scrolls aside now and I’m going to get your friends.”

“But–”

“No backtalk!”

Twilight watched as her brother left the room and started talking to somepony outside. Fine. Maybe he'll stop bothering me once this is over. A few moments later, Shining Armor returned, accompanied by Spike and a group of five ponies. They walked to her end of the room and took positions around her bed. Spike climbed on it and jumped towards her.

“Twilight!”

“Spike! I've missed you!” Twilight said, hugging Spike. “Catching up on everything I forgot isn't the same without my number one assistant.”

Spike smiled sheepishly. “But maybe you don't need to learn everything again. That's why we're all here. Each of us brought something to help you remember.”

Twilight sighed. “That's nice, Spike, but I'm quite sure that won't work. I am in Canterlot, I grew up here. I can even see my parents' house and the palace from here. If that doesn't work, I don't think anything will help. So let's just get this over with. I need to get back to my studies, I don't have time for this. It's already hard enough as it is with a constant headache.”

Awkward silence filled the room while Twilight was already starting to pay more attention to the nearest scroll of parchment next to her bed than to the ponies around her. Why are they looking at me like that? They have surely been told about my memory loss by somepony. They knew what they were getting into.

“Twily, at least give it a try,” Shining Armor said with an encouraging smile. He started pointing at each of the visiting ponies. “These are Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They have been your best friends since you arrived in Ponyville.”

After being greeted by everypony, Twilight said, “I'm sorry. You surely expect me to remember you, but it's like I've never seen you before.”

Another moment of awkward silence followed; Rarity was the first to speak. “Oh, don't you worry, darling. We've got plenty of stories to share with you. Just wait and listen. We will help you like you helped us when you saved Equestria from Discord.”

“I did what now? You're joking, right?” Twilight said. That's the last thing I need.

“Oh, but I am not joking at all,” Rarity said. “It is one of your great accomplishments that resulted in that statue of you being set up in the palace. It's next to Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's.”

Shining Armor tried to intervene, “Um, Rarity, I'm not sure if you should ment–“

“There's a statue of me in the palace? Oh great, even more to live up to,” Twilight said before realizing the full implication of what Rarity had just said. “Wait... next to Princess Celestia's statue and Princess what's-her-name?”

“Don't ya make such a big deal out of it, sugarcube. It's well deserved,” Applejack said. “Oh, and ya don't even remember Luna? I mean, I didn’t expect that, after all the time you two spent together.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly. “‘All the time’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We should probably not–” Shining Armor said, hesitantly raising a hoof.

“Oh you silly pony, you even forgot what a cutesy-wootsy couple you two were?” Pinkie Pie interrupted him. “You were on everypony’s lips back in Ponyville!”

“Yeah, I guess you two had a great time together,” Rainbow Dash said, giving Twilight a wink. “Or didn’t you–”

“Woah nelly, that’s enough of that for now,” Applejack said, giving Twilight a break. “Let’s not give poor Twi the creeps. How about we tell her some stories, like we planned? Rarity, would ya like to start?”

Shining Armor sighed in relief. “Thanks, Applejack, I almost thought I had to–”

“Well, of course, dear Applejack,” Rarity said. “Twilight, darling, do the words ‘Grand Gallopping Gala’ ring any bells? Oh, of course they do. Everypony has heard of the Gala and you haven’t forgot everything, have you?” With a short glow of her horn, Rarity opened her saddlebags and tugged out a dress. “During your first year in Ponyville, we were all visiting the Gala together. Quite naturally, we couldn’t wear just any dress, so I made one for each of us, and this one is yours. Oh, you looked absolutely magnificent in it!” She went on elaborating on every little detail of each dress, and Twilight could feel the throbbing pain in her head grow stronger. Oh please, make her stop!

Finally, a slight poke from Applejack brought Rarity back on track. “So, where was I? Ah yes, the Gala. Well, it was certainly as glamorous as each of us thought, but it still fell short of our expectations in the end. Everything began when…” Rarity said, telling the story of their first Grand Gallopping Gala; the other ponies were adding a detail or two now and then. When she was finished, she said, “Honestly, I can’t say we weren’t to blame for what became of it that day, but we still had a great evening. So… What do you think of it, darling? Any memories coming up?”

“You did… what?” Twilight said, her mouth slightly agape. With every word of the story, the magic-induced headache seemed to get stronger. “You basically wrecked half the palace and you’re saying it was a great evening? And I was there with you? That surely was the most embarrassing day ever! I don’t even want to think… Oh, Princess Celestia must have been so disappointed!”

“Ah, calm down, sugarcube,” Applejack said, patting Twilight on the back. “We all shared a good laugh that night, and that includes the Princess as well. Maybe I can brighten up your mood with something I brought. Let me just… Rainbow, could ya at least take your bag?” she asked, trying to reach her own bag.

“Ah, there it is. Ya see, Twi, I’m from Sweet Apple Acres, the biggest farm right outside of Ponyville. Every fall, we use our best apples to make some cider. There’s a large crowd every year, and we can’t always make enough cider for everypony. That even made some crazy ponies appear a few years ago. Let me tell ya…” Applejack said. She went on to tell Twilight about Flim, Flam and how the friends saved Sweet Apple Acres together. Handing Twilight the bottle she had pulled out of her bags, she continued, “But every year, I’m saving one bottle for a special occasion, so… this is for you.”

Twilight sighed. What is wrong with these ponies? “You do know that alcohol causes headaches and memory loss, don’t you? I’m already suffering from both.” And what’s so special about that cider? Imported cider is available in Canterlot throughout the year. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Shining Armor, I don’t see where this is supposed to be going. I don’t remember anything and I’m just wasting precious time I need for my studies.”

“Twily, just–”

“Twilight, come on!” Rainbow Dash said, flying closer to the bed. “You haven’t heard all of our stories yet. Just take Fluttershy, she has a great story to tell you. Show her what you’ve got, pal!”

“But… um, ok,” Fluttershy stammered. Pulling out the phoenix feather, she said, “The story behind this feather isn’t that big, but I have more things I could tell you. If that’s ok, I mean.”

“We’ll see. As I said,” Twilight shot her brother a stern look, “I don’t have that much time, so just go on and tell me about this feather.”

“Well, maybe you can already tell what kind of feather this is,” Fluttershy said. “It is from a very rare and special kind of bird.”

Twilight started rubbing her temples although she knew it wouldn’t stop the headache. “Just tell me, no guessing games.”

“Ok then. This is a feather from a phoenix, a beautiful creature of fire,” Fluttershy said with shining eyes. “But it’s not just from any phoenix, it’s from Princess Celestia’s own pet phoenix. When she was visiting Ponyville, I thought her pet was sick and…” she said. When Fluttershy finished her story, Twilight dropped her forehead into a hoof.

“You are really telling me you abducted Princess Celestia’s pet?” Twilight asked. “You’re crazy! You can’t just go and take somepony’s pet from them!”

“But… Princess Celestia said–”

“It’s a miracle the princess didn’t banish you when she found out! Ugh,” Twilight said, crossing her forelegs.

Shining Armor raised a hoof again. “Girls, I don’t think this is–”

“Now, Twi, don’t ya be so hard on her. Ya haven’t even heard all her stories,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder to comfort her.

“Let’s just go on, please. I can’t spend the whole day on this,” Twilight said. Pointing at Rainbow Dash, she continued, “So, what’s your story… Rainbow Smash, it was?”

“I’m Rainbow Dash! But Fluttershy wasn’t… um, ok,” Rainbow Dash said when Twilight grumbled at the notion of hearing more stories. “So, when I was at the hospital a few years ago, you made me read ‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone’. I wasn’t interested in it at first, I thought reading is for eggheads.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“No, just wait! It’s what my first thought was,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve read the whole series by now, and I… you gave me the idea to write my own story. You called it a ‘fan-fiction’. You said you liked it and that you’d help me improve it, so… I thought you could need some distraction with everything going on, so here it is.”

“I already have a huge workload and distractions are exactly what I don’t need right now,” Twilight said. She sighed. “Ok, maybe I’ll take a look at it later, but that’s not a promise. Let’s see… ‘Daring Do and the Mysterios Cyan Mare’? Um... a self-insert story?” And it hasn’t even been spell-checked. How in Equestria could I have liked this?

She used her magic to grab a scroll of parchment and her quill and added another point to her checklist. Looking up again, Twilight realized she wasn’t the only one suffering from the magic field. Her visitors were already showing first signs of dizziness: a shake of the head, a quick rub of the temple, a deep breath and – in the case of the pink pony – an excited spin. Maybe I was too harsh. Mh, it doesn’t matter in the end. I still don’t have time to– ugh, this headache. Hoping to get some rest and continue with her studies before the day was over, Twilight said,

“So, just one of you left?”

“Hey Twilight, I brought something, too,” Spike said. The pink pony in the background started working on something in her bags, but Twilight’s attention was now focused on her scaled assistant.

“Oh Spike, that wasn’t necessary,” Twilight said. “How could I ever forget my number one assistant?”

“But you forgot your friends and I can try to help you remember! That’s what an assistant is for,” Spike said proudly. He pulled a scroll of parchment and a framed picture out of Applejack’s bags. Before handing them to Twilight, he said, “You went to Sugarcube Corner because you forgot your checklist before… um… Pinkie found you. I thought something more recent could still be in your memories, so I got it for you. The picture is the one from your nightstand. It shows all of us together with your brother and Cadance.”

Shining Armor’s mouth went agape. Gulping to regain his composure, he stammered, “No. Nononononothatsnotagoodidea–”

“Cadance?” Twilight asked. Taking a look at the picture, she said, “Why’s Cadance in that pic– You’ve got some explaining to do, mister!”

“Twily, calm down, plea–”

“Don’t you dare telling me to calm down. You’ve been sitting here for hours, keeping me from work and telling me all kinds of useless information about the past four years and the ponies I’ve met but mentioning your marriage never occurred to you? Why didn’t you tell me? You’re my brother, for pony’s sake! My B.B.B.F.F.!”

“I’m sorry, little sis, I really am. But the doc said–”

“Especially when it’s Cadance! She was my foalsitter, you know she already was like family to me! And where is she? She’s your wife and she was my foalsitter, shouldn’t she be here with you?”

“It’s not that ea–”

“Oh darling, but it surely isn’t possible for your brother and Princess Cadance to leave their new home,” Rarity said. “Somepony has to stay to reign over the Crystal Empire.”

Shining Armor sighed. “Oh dear. Why me?”

“Reign… what in Equestria… Crystal what now?” Twilight stumbled. “Ok, that's enough, I think we're done here. Either you all are just kidding me or I’m going crazy. Might as well do the latter. You are all just sitting here telling me cute stories and nopony tries to fill me in on what has actually been going on during these years? What’s next? Chocolate rain and talking bugs? Anypony? Come on, hit me! Maybe there’s something useful you can tell m–oompf!”

Twilight’s mouth was suddenly filled with confetti and one end of a streamer, and her ears were ringing from a loud bang. Both originated from the place the pink pony had been standing prior to Twilight’s ‘almost’-nervous breakdown. While Twilight’s head felt like it was about to explode, she realized that not only her mouth, but the whole hospital room was filled with streamers, garlands, confetti and other party decorations. A few seconds later, when everypony recovered from the sudden blast, they all found party hats on their heads and Pinkie Pie was pulling them into a group hug, while shouting,

“Get-well-soon-PARTY! No time for frownsies, everypony have fun!”

Shining Armor was the first to get free and said, “Ok, this is really not going as plan–”

“GET. OUT. ALL OF YOU!”

“Um… Twily, I think you’re–”

“NOW.”

While Twilight was breathing deeply and rubbing her temples with closed eyes, the others were slowly leaving, being pushed forward by Shining Armor and Applejack. Opening her eyes to rearrange her scrolls, she saw Applejack glimpsing back, with a twinkle in the earthpony’s eyes.

Twilight didn’t want to think about the afternoon. Her headache was killing her, and she needed to get some rest before she could get back to her studies. Just the thought about having to catch up on four years of studying even worsened her headache, so she stopped rearranging the scrolls, leaned back and closed her eyes to sleep. At least I can use the cider to forget this whole waste of time.

Luna tried to keep her mind clear of any thoughts. The past few days had already been exhausting without going through her bottled-up emotions. Even for an alicorn it wasn’t easy to keep a spell up over days, especially not one as powerful as a null-magic field.

A few hours after Twilight’s friends left, Celestia had paid her a visit. They had had a minor quarrel, not only regarding Luna’s sleep deprivation, but also her opinion on royal guards taking care of the security issues. In the end, Luna had agreed to get a few hours of sleep, as long as her sister would personally keep up the spell.

Now she was walking down a hall of Canterlot castle on the way to her room. Slowly but surely, her emotions got the better of her. A tight feeling in her chest, Luna sighed. How did this happen? And why? She did not hurt anypony, ever! Oh Twilight… my dear Twilight. She took a deep breath to shake off any depressing thoughts. Do not fret over it, Luna. You will figure something out. Tia will help, too.

Passing the last corner before reaching her room, Luna suddenly felt a shiver running down her spine. She immediately turned around with her horn aglow, ready to shoot spells at anything or anypony suspicious. All she could see, though, was the palace guard standing at the corner of the two corridors.

“Is everything alright, Your Highness?” the unicorn asked.

“‘Tis none of your business. Stop bothering me!”

Luna went into her room and slammed the door shut. Whispering to herself, she said,

“No more unpleasant surprises. This has already gone too far. Whoever is behind what happened to Twilight, I will find them, and I will crush them once she gets better. And Celestia should not dare to withhold any information. Oh, I will have a talk with her.”

He sighed with relief. Almost thought she’d get me. The change of mood was expected, but... wow, it was intense to actually see it as a result of this spell. I wonder where Fading Light learned that kind of magic. It’s so complicated… I don’t even dare to try understand it. Constructing something like it truly requires the mind of a genius.

He reverted to gazing into space. There was no need to blow his cover now. Lord Fading Light’s time would come soon – and so would his followers’.

Author's Note

Thanks to my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.

7: Ambitions and Answers

“How could you betray my trust? It was because of your promise that I left my position in the first place!”

Celestia went over to her sister and gave her a little nudge. “Calm down, Lu. Everything is fine.”

“That is not our – my point,” Luna said, still breathing heavily. When she had woken up, she had seen Celestia through her window which meant that the older sister wasn’t around to personally protect Twilight. Luna had immediately jumped out of her bed to confront Celestia.

“Nothing is fine,” Luna muttered, shaking her head.

“The guards are keeping an eye open,” Celestia responded. “If anything happens, I will know, trust me.”

“Trust you? You lied to me! Moreover, your guards would not even bother reporting anything unless it is somepony bursting through the door with a spell at the ready! They don’t care about Twilight, and apparently neither do you,” Luna said. She turned around to face the open balcony door of Celestia’s room. “Forgive me if I mistrust our guards at the time. Maybe you have already forgotten, but one of those guards is the main suspect for the attack. Tell me, what crisis is it that has befallen Equestria such that you could not do me a favor for once?”

“There isn’t a crisis, just usual governing business, and I know these guards. They have been working for me for years, some even decades,” Celestia said. She sighed. “Yes, maybe I lied, but it was a white lie. You should have seen yourself. You were so exhausted, you could barely walk in a straight line. Still stubborn as always, though, so you kept insisting on staying there. It was the only way to make you get some sleep.”

“Governing business,” Luna snorted. “You cannot be serious.”

“Lu...”

“Do not call me ‘Lu.’ I am not your little filly sister anymore; I rule the night. Twilight's well-being is the most important thing to me, and you reject it as irrelevant,” Luna said, opening her wings to leave. “Do not assume this conversation is finished; I must go protect Twilight at the hospital. I will be at the hospital.”

“She isn’t at the hospital anymore,” Celestia said.

Luna clenched her teeth and snapped back to face Celestia. “What did you say? She has been at the hospital for barely three days!”

“Five days. She was released earlier today, and she’s staying at her old room at the top of the east tower – her decision, not mine. You’ve been asleep for almost forty hours, Luna. I was worried,” Celestia said.

She didn’t get a response. Luna had darted off, flying towards Twilight’s room. Gazing after her, Celestia whispered, “Oh Lu… That temper of yours… Please don’t let it cause any trouble.”

“Open the door.”

“Yes, my Lord,” the guard answered. He grabbed the key he was wearing around his neck and began to unlock the door of the guestroom.

Fading Light sighed. I can’t believe I’m wasting my time on him. “Any changes?”

“Um… he is…” the guard struggled for words and paused.

“Get moving. I know what his condition is,” Fading Light said, unnerved. “I only asked for changes.”

“No change, my Lord,” the guard replied, opening the door.

Entering the room and closing the door behind him, Fading Light said to the guard, “No interruptions.”

Looking around, Fading Light quickly found who he was looking for. His former assistant, Hopeful Vision, sat on the large bed, facing the window on the other side of the room. In one hoof, he held the blanket; with the other hoof, he made movements as if he was stitching, even though he didn’t have a needle.

Stepping closer, Fading Light said, “Even I couldn’t entirely predict the outcome. Taking control of another pony and being forcefully disconnected in the moment of his death... then the punishment. Let’s see if there’s anything left of you.”

Walking around the other pony to face him, he noticed the empty gaze of Hopeful Vision. The wounds were barely visible anymore; somepony had apparently taken care of them. Fading Light had been off the wall when his assistant had been brought before him that evening.

“Tell me, fool, what your plan was.”

Hopeful Vision maintained his silence.

Fading Light felt his anger rising. “Where did you keep your notes? You wouldn’t have done it without notes.”

Again, the other pony didn’t react.

“What did you tell them?”

Fading Light couldn’t hold himself back anymore, and used his magic to slap Hopeful Vision in the face, whereupon the silent pony fell over.

“Don’t even have the will to fight back? Pathetic.”

Getting back up, Hopeful Vision started stitching again, but this time he reacted. “Mustn’t interrupt me. Have to finish the blanket for the Lord. He’ll get angry.”

“I never told you to do anything like that. Stitching? Ha. Is there really so little left of your mind?” Fading Light asked. “Looks like thoughts of the pony you were controlling are polluting your mind… Interesting, but irrelevant for now. What did you tell them?”

Once more, he was met with silence. Smiling grimly, he said, “So pain is the way to make you move, isn’t it? I don’t see a problem then. You almost cost me everything, foal!”

With a short glow of his horn, he hit Hopeful Vision with a bolt of magic again which made the unicorn fall off the bed. “What did you tell them?”

“Did… didn’t want to tell,” the other pony stammered. “Wasn’t allowed to. Just slipped out.”

This time hitting him with his hoof, Fading Light noticed a disturbance outside of the door. Muffled voices were arguing. He decided against taking a look and instead shouted at the unicorn in front of him, “What? What slipped out? What did you tell them?”

A small trail of blood ran down from Hopeful Vision’s muzzle. Still gazing into space, he said, “N-name of Lord. Couldn’t say more, didn’t want to say more. Must get back to work, finish blanket. ‘Hoofstitched is better than using magic,’ Lord said.”

“My name…” Fading Light said, his heart beating faster for a moment. There is but one pony who could make use of it. It doesn’t matter. It has been… a while. The worst thing my name could do is cause fear. He shook his head. He had been careful enough, and without traces it wouldn’t be a problem. There were still questions left, so he continued to hit the unicorn.

“Where are your notes?”

“No notes. Everything in head. Didn’t tell anyone,” Hopeful Vision said. Now looking up and into Fading Light’s face, he added, “I just wanted to help you, my Lord.” Then he climbed back onto the bed and began to stitch again.

“Help me,” Fading Light snorted. “You would have helped if you had followed my instructions. I should have disposed of you just for your insolence of using my magic – my spells – without permission. Why do you think I have a puppeteer’s bar as a cutie mark? Because I’m good with marionettes? Even I haven’t met somepony with a similar talent, somepony capable of understanding, and I have seen more things than you could even imagine.”

Fading Light turned around and went towards the door. Before he reached it, he said, “You didn’t have to end like this. You were a good assistant once, but your actions doomed you. You deserve this. Nopony will interfere with my plan. I have waited too long.”

He left the room and found the reason for the disturbance earlier. Having closed the door behind him, he now faced Lucent Aura, his current assistant.

Ignoring her, he turned towards the guard and said, “Take care of him later: swiftly, safely, but with dignity.”

Starting to walk towards his private rooms, he noticed that his assistant was following him silently. Without stopping his movement, he asked, “What is it, Aura?”

She caught up with him and apparently struggled to find the right words. “I just… thought we – I mean, you could… maybe… let him live?”

Fading Light raised an eyebrow. “Why should I? He answered my questions, one way or another.”

Aura winced under his last words. “Maybe there is more! Maybe he discovered something important… He was doing research all the time.”

“Aura, there is no way you can deceive me,” Fading Light said with a stern voice. “I would prefer honesty from my assistant. You have been treating his wounds, you have been causing trouble when I was interrogating him, and now you want me to let the fool live. The fool who jeopardized my plan.” He stopped walking and looked at her with knitted eyebrows. “Why do you want me to do that?”

“I… I’m sorry. Vision and I, I think we were… friends,” Lucent Aura said, her ears dropping. “I can take care of him. I could take him to my home, you wouldn’t even have to pay for him!”

Fading Light sighed. They all still believe in this. Her brainwashing worked great on all these ponies. “Aura, friendship doesn’t solve every problem. Not like certain ponies want to make you believe. I thought you were beyond this.”

“I–”

“He will not leave that room. He will not contact anyone outside. You will take care of him. You will not let your other tasks slide. You will not mention him again unless there is any vital information he delivered. Again: he will not leave that room. If any of you two break these rules, he will die and you will either end up like he is now or die with him. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, my Lord. Perfectly clear,” Aura said, a tiny smile forming on her face. “You won’t know he’s there, and I’ll make sure there won’t be any problem.”

“That would be wise of you.”

With a few flaps of her wings, Luna quickly left Celestia’s balcony behind her. The cooling wind in her mane while flying helped Luna to clear her mind while she kept an eye on the tower where Twilight was staying.

There is hope. In time, she might remember, she kept telling herself. Although she was reciting it like a mantra in her mind, the low spirits returned. What if she will never remember? Will we get a second chance? She even rejected her friends! She could not even remember me...

Delving into darker thoughts again, Luna decided to repress her fears for now and landed near Twilight’s room. She took a deep breath and knocked; a few seconds later, Spike opened the door.

“Luna! It sure is good to see you,” he said, waving her to enter.

“Hello, Spike,” Luna replied. She took a quick look at her surroundings which were covered in dozens of books. “How are you? How… how is Twilight?”

“I’m fine,” Spike said. “But can you talk some sense into her? I’ve tried, but she’s so stubborn. Books are all she knows.”

“I will talk to her, but the outcome is uncertain. ‘Tis the second time I will meet her after what happened. She did not recognize me the first time.”

Spike wrinkled his forehead. “But maybe she will now! You were important to her, Luna. Oh, is it okay if I leave for a while? I need to buy some scrolls, ink and other stuff for her.”

“‘Tis not a problem at all,” Luna said. Having some time just with Twilight could be a start.

“Great. I’ll see you later, then! Bye, Luna!” Spike said, leaving the room.

“Good bye, Spike.”

The door closed behind the young dragon, and Luna was alone with Twilight in the room. She walked over to the largest pile of books near the shelves where she found the other mare, who was too lost in her book to be aware of her visitor.

“Hello, Twilight,” Luna said quietly.

Twilight seemed to be startled. “What… Oh, it’s you. Hi. Princess Luna was it?”

The question stung Luna, but she tried to ignore it. “Just Luna.” Forcing a smile, she added, “Even though you may not remember me, you are a princess, too.”

Twilight glanced at her wings disapprovingly. “Yes, thanks for the reminder. What can I do for you?”

“I… I was just checking on you. To see how you are, if you need any help. To provide protection.”

“Oh, so it was you who was responsible for the magic at the hospital?” Twilight asked, sounding annoyed. “I had headaches for two days after you left. Was that really necessary?”

“You had been attacked,” Luna said. “I had to ensure nothing else could happen to you!”

“Okay, nothing else happened, and I wasn’t really able to concentrate on my books. I am now, fortunately.”

Pawing the ground with her right front hoof, Luna said, “I am sorry to have caused you problems. So… how are you? Are any memories coming back yet?”

“I’m fine,” Twilight said. She sighed, grabbed a bookmark and closed her book. “Look… thanks for looking after me. Apparently you care a great deal about me, and although I can’t really believe it, according to my former friends we had a thing for each other. I don’t remember you, and I understand that this is hard. But given the fact that my memories aren’t coming back, it’s probably better for you to move on. I have to catch up on everything I learned during the last four years. I just can’t use my time to get to know you and everypony else again now.”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight added, “I’m sorry, but this is how it is. I… I’m sure you’ll get over it in time, and one day, you’ll find somepony else.”

Luna closed her eyes and tried to ignore the tight feeling in her chest. She wasn't sure how much time she let pass and what Twilight might think, but she needed a few minutes to regain her composure. You can do this, Luna. You had to expect something like this. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes; Twilight was still sitting in front of her.

“Twilight, I...” Luna tried. She wanted to argue with Twilight, but something else disrupted her train of thought.“'Former friends'?”

“What else should I call these apparently crazy ponies?” Twilight asked. “I can't remember any of them, so it's like I've never met them at all. I can't be friends with somepony I don't even know, and I can't procrastinate just to spend time with them. I mean, maybe I could, but actually, I don't want to right now. All this information on being a princess and alicorns is really fascinating!”

Luna's jaw along with her ears dropped slightly. “You... do not even want to...? Twilight, it does not matter what happened to you, nor what you and I share...d. We are all still your friends!”

“Not according to the information presented in my books. 'Friendship is a reciprocal relation between two individuals based on several variables like affection, sympathy, altruism’,” Twilight quoted the book in front of her. “The list goes on and on, so it’s quite a lot to work through. As you can see, I'm very familiar with the subject, and I think I'm making good progress with my studies.”

“Oh Twilight... Friendship does not blossom based on variables or formulas,” Luna said with a sigh.

“Why not? If you know all the essential variables, you can find a formula for everything. And if friendship really is magic like some of these books indicate, it's even easier. All magic follows rules; there's a formula for every spell,” Twilight said. Slowly falling back into her 'lecture mode', she got up and walked over to the chalkboard at the other end of the room. “Every spell uses a certain amount of energy. Contrary to what most unicorns believe, this is no flat amount of energy, but a varying amount dependent on the spell caster's experience and skill. Since the beginning of research in this field, there have been many attempts to calculate the exact amount of energy needed for particular spells, although Spark Jolt’s researches showed that...”

Luna didn't hear her anymore. When Twilight had started her lecture, Luna had turned around and left. Flying circles above Canterlot Castle to let the cool air in her mane calm her down, she squinched her eyes shut to suppress the tears.

I have to undo this. And somepony will pay for doing this to her!

A long corridor, dimly lit by magical green torches. The walls made of countless long and flat bricks, forming a barrel vault instead of a flat ceiling. Worn-down tops of large boulders creating the floor, a drop of water breaking the silence now and then. On the right, several wooden doors with iron fittings broke through the wall, each leading to a single small room with nothing but a stone cot.

Pictures like theses came up when Luna thought about somepony being imprisoned. It was the memory of the prison cells in the Castle of the Two Sisters a long time ago. In fact, they hadn’t been used for centuries even before Luna’s banishment, but ponykind had not always been as civilized as now, and the memory of ponies in that dungeon had haunted her for decades.

Where she was heading now, though, was disgusting in its own way.

A guest room at the palace. She let them put him into a guest room. He is being charged with high treason, and my dearest sister lets him stay in a guest room… I don’t care if Canterlot does not have a prison anymore. Chain him to the ground in a deep hole! Now he gets a nice, soft mattress and a warm chimney fire. He attacked Twilight!

Luna was still panting with rage when she reached a particular guest room of Canterlot Castle a few moments later. Two ponies, a unicorn and a pegasus, guarded the ornate door, standing on each side of the red carpet.

“Sergeant, open the door,” Luna said.

“Nopony is allowed to enter except Princess Celestia, who gave the order,” the pegasus replied. Her voice was determined, but revealed a certain insecurity.

“Who do you think I am,” Luna asked quietly as to conceal her anger.

“But Princess Celestia said… well… of course, Your Highness,” the pegasus said. She pulled out a key beneath her armor and opened the door.

Luna entered the room and closed the door with a quick glow of her horn. She looked across the room and quickly found the pony she was looking for. Morning Sentry was sitting near a window with his back turned towards the door. His ears pricked up when he noticed that somepony entered the room, but other than that, he didn't move.

“And what is it now, captain?” the unicorn asked. “Another round of ‘let's torture the pony who's life is falling apart with questions he can't answer? Or maybe it's you, Princess Celestia, Your Highness. As long as you can't explain what happened, I can't either. I have told you everything I know.”

His cynicism caught Luna off guard. How dare he be annoyed by this situation? He should be chained to the wall in the lowest dungeon for what he did to my Twilight! With Celestia's excessive need to show mercy, he will probably not even be punished properly! Before Luna could say a word, he continued talking.

“If it's not about some formality for the trial,” he sighed and slowly turned around. “I don't know what else... Princess Luna! What are you d... um, I mean... Your Highness!” he stammered before he took a bow.

“There is no need for such formalities,” Luna said with a cold voice. “You and I both know why I am here.”

“But... well, um, I already told Princess Celestia everything I know and remember.”

“I am not my sister, whelp!” Luna said with a louder voice, flicking her tail.

“I'm sorry, Your Highness,” Morning Sentry said. “I just thought–“

“You will leave the thinking to me. Tell me, Morning Sentry, what made you think an attack on somepony, especially a princess, would be a good idea,” Luna continued. She took a step closer towards the unicorn.

“I didn't–“

“Furthermore, what was your plan?” Luna said even louder than before, taking another step towards the other pony.

“I wasn't–“

“And what exactly,” Luna stomped her hoof to enunciate her point, her voice bordering on screaming at the pony before her, “did you do to Princess Twilight?”

“I didn't do it!”

“'TIS A LIE!” Luna shouted.

Somepony knocked on the door and a second later, the pegasus guard peeked through the half-opened door.

“Princess Luna, is everything alright?” she asked.

“Nothing is fine,” Luna replied without turning her head away from Morning Sentry. “But what troubles me is none of your concern. You should return to your post.”

The pegasus’ ears fell flat and she said, “If you say so… Um, if you need any help, just say the word. We’re right outside.” Then she closed the door again.

“Back to you, then,” Luna said, taking another step towards Morning Sentry; she was now towering over him like a mountain over a village.

“Princess Luna, I am not lying. I didn’t attack Princess Twilight willingly,” Morning Sentry said and sighed. “For my whole life, I wanted to become a palace guard. It was my dream. I can’t even tell you how happy I was when the captain finally told me that I would go on duty to guard a princess. But then… I don’t know what happened.”

“Do not take me for a fool, Morning Sentry,” Luna said, her anger rising again. A miasma of darkness spread from the tip of her horn; ancient magic that swallowed everything it touched like a ravenous beast. As the walls faded into nothingness, Luna grew to almost twice the size of Morning Sentry. When she cast the spell, she remembered the last time she used it, she had saved Twilight from a royal adviser with a far less powerful version of it. Easier times… I will help Twilight, even if I have to break every rule! “Did you think I would believe your simple tale?”

“Your Highness, I–”

“Did you want to pull at my heartstrings, my little traitor? Oh, I think you misunderstand your situation,” Luna said with a cold voice. “Maybe you think this is a game of good pony, bad pony between my sister and I. Is that what you thought, Morning Sentry?”

“N-no! No… well, maybe a bit,” Morning Sentry replied with a shaky voice. Luna could see beads of sweat on his forehead as he cowered away from her, his eyes searching for any means of escape in the absolute darkness.

“‘Tis a wrong assumption,” Luna continued, shaking her head. “If there is but one bad pony, it is me. You are right to fear me; I am the night, and the night is full of terrors. Tell me what really happened!”

“I-I was escorting Princess Twilight through Ponyville,” Morning Sentry said, now moving a step backwards. “We were just about to reach our destination when I took a look around the next corner because I thought I had heard something. Every memory after that is blurred, and I barely remember it. It’s like I was sleepwalking, like I wasn’t my–”

“ENOUGH!” Luna shouted. “You know who I am and why I am here, but you keep telling the same fabricated story. So be it. The fate of a traitor. You will learn what fear is. You will be scared like nopony has been in three thousand years. You will not live a single second without regretting–”

“Princess Luna! You mustn’t!” The pegasus guard stormed into the room and flew to Morning Sentry. The unicorn guard slowly followed her into the room, but stopped halfway between the door and Luna. Angrily glancing at Luna for a second, the pegasus turned towards Morning Sentry.

“Are you okay?”

Bewildered, he answered, “I’m… um, yes.”

Caught off-guard, Luna said, “Who do you think you are, guards? You are interfe–”

“We are members of the royal guard, sworn to protect every pony in Equestria from harm, and we’re only following the law when we’re protecting this prisoner from you, Your Highness,” the pegasus guard said.

Causing the room to darken even more until the candles on the table and on the walls were barely enough to see, Luna said, “The law? Who do you think wrote that law? Do not think you are a match for me!”

“I don’t think we can stop you. But we can stop you long enough. Corporal, you keep at it! I’ll be back in a wink!” the pegasus said before dashing back through the door.

Luna turned back towards Morning Glory. With her magic, she let a cold breeze douse the candles. The sun had just disappeared, but there was still a tiny bit of residual light. She didn’t need it; as opposed to other ponies, she could even see in absolute darkness – it was her element. Before speaking up, she waited a moment to let the grim atmosphere do its work.

Both Morning Sentry and Luna were too absorbed in her play to notice the spell that hit the princess, flung by the corporal. A shiver running down Luna’s back was the only reaction in the whole room.

“If you decide to continue with your lies, do it, but expect dire consequences. How do you decide, Morning Sentry?” Luna asked. “HOW DO YOU DECIDE, TRAIT–”

An extremely bright white light filled the entire room for a few seconds, then Luna found herself in another part of the castle. Unlike anypony back in the guest room, Luna knew exactly what was going on. Always lending a helping hoof… sister.

Author's Note

Don't forget to check out the new and 20% cooler chapter 4!

Sorry it took me so long. But I'll keep my promise, I'm gonna finish this story... someday.

Thanks to my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.

8: Progress

Celestia suppressed her anger while her spell finished teleporting Luna. With an adamant mien, she watched her sister materialize and waited for her to start shouting. She knew that Luna would be furious, and wanted to let her vent before having a serious talk with her. Luna, however, didn’t show the slightest inclination to react to Celestia’s rude intervention.

If Luna hadn’t been breathing she would have looked like a statue, although one of a pony with a sinister stare. She stood upright, her head high, staring in her sister’s direction with lowered eyebrows. Nonetheless, Celestia felt as if Luna wasn’t looking at her but through her. Even though Luna was smaller than her sister, in this moment any observer would have had no doubt that they were equally powerful.

Wind blew through the open window and through their manes. The cooling breeze on a warm summer evening was something everypony would enjoy… something that could even cool down somepony’s temper, Celestia thought. Luna, on another hoof, didn’t even seem to notice that a strand of her mane blew over her face and covered her eye.

Minutes passed as the sisters continued to stare at each other, both waiting for the other to make a move. When Luna didn’t show the slightest inclination to say something or even move, Celestia began to understand that her sister wouldn’t trigger the upcoming fight. Everything is always my responsibility, isn’t it? Oh Lu’, sometimes I wish you were the older one.

“Luna,” Celestia said firmly. “Tell me what happened.”

Motionless, the younger alicorn kept staring at her. Celestia had noticed that her sister’s whole body had been tensed up since she arrived, and for a moment she wondered if Luna’s muscles wouldn’t start aching soon. After waiting some time, Celestia started again.

“Lu’–” she said.

“Celestia!” Luna merely hissed, but there was a plea and a threat in this word and, above all, the assurance that Celestia would regret her words.

“...na,” Celestia said, shaking her head. The unyielding tone in Luna’s voice had brought up her anger again. “Talk to me, tell me what–”

Celestia broke off when her sister turned around in a sharp move. With a short glow of her horn, Luna opened the door to the next room and set to leave without another word. Celestia, bewildered by the sheer arrogance, used her magic to slam the door shut just a moment before Luna reached it.

“NO!” Celestia yelled at her. “I will not let you leave before we have talked this out! Tell me what happened between you and–”

“Do not pretend to be uninformed,” Luna interrupted. With trembling nostrils, she turned around and took a few steps towards Celestia. “‘Twas one of your precious little ponies who already told you. Your guards watching my every step is all but a secret to me.”

“Luna, what are you talking about?”

“Did you think I would not notice that the guards are watching me more closely than is good for them?” Luna snorted. “Am I a foal in your eyes that you could think I would ever tolerate this?”

“I would never give any order like that!” Celestia said. “You are imagining things. Our guards observing you? That is pure paranoia, sister, and I’m not willing to further discuss this. You are changing the subj–”

“You want to talk about what I just did?” Luna said. Her voice searing with fury, she started walking up and down in front of Celestia. “I was helping Twilight until you interfered. I was solving a crime, dear sister. A crime committed against a Princess of Equestria, your student and” – despite her angry speech, she gulped – “my companion. Neither you nor the guards are helping. It is solely up to me. I am leading the investigations now, and I will proceed using my own methods, whether you like it or not.”

“Luna, do you listen to yourself?” Celestia gasped. “I don’t even know where to start! I am as much worried about Twilight as you are, but are you sure you are doing this for her and not for yourself? We can’t ‘cure’ Twilight, and you will have to live with that just as I have to. You know we consulted the best psychotherapists, but they’ve only come to the same conclusion as I have: we can’t undo the magic that caused Twilight’s condition without causing more harm. If you want to help, assist Twilight with her studies, gently nudge her in the right direction.”

“You cannot expect me to sit idle while–”

“You just threatened a pony with torture, Luna!” Celestia shouted, losing her countenance. “Do you really believe I will allow you to continue like this? You violated every ideal you and I ever stood for! Did you even think about your own actions for a single moment? I have as much sympathy as possible when it comes to you – your banishment, your difficult return and now Twilight’s condition – but you've just undone everything you achieved in the last years. You went and outright shattered every spark of respect those ponies had for you.”

Celestia shook her head. “What am I supposed to do with you? Do you even remember the time we agreed on living to protect our little ponies? Think about the laws we passed together! You were the one who came up with this particular law, and we didn't even think it was necessary in those days! Now you, my own sister, are the first pony to break this law.”

When Celestia finished, she had to blink away a single tear in the corner of her eye; Luna only snorted, but continued pacing up and down. Her head still held high, she continued to give the impression of being above it all.

“'Tis of no importance, Celestia,” Luna said. “We created the law, we can change it as we please.”

“Luna! You can't!“

“I can and I will,” Luna spat.

Celestia sighed. After a moment of silence, she said, “I will not let you do this. Leading the investigation? You are biased, sister. You just proved this.”

“I will lead the investigation!” Luna shouted, bringing down her hoof on the marble floor with a crack; some sparks originated from her horseshoe while her voice still echoed through the castle. “Nothing you say or do can change that.”

“Luna, please don't,” Celestia said, resigned. “If you continue, you will only cause more harm. What good could come out of this? Maybe you find the responsible pony, but what then? If we can't undo the magic, nopony can. Go and help Twilight. Don't continue like this.”

“You do not understand. I am helping Twilight. I will find whoever is responsible, and I will make them reverse the spell. You can't stop me. What do you want to do? Banish me again, sister? 'Tis impossible. You know as well as I do that you can't use the elements anymore. Even if you bring up Twilight's friends against me, the magic of friendship is powerless without the final element. See this investigation as a service to help Equestria regain its defense if that helps you sleep.” Looking at Celestia's reproachful face, Luna paused for a moment. “Fine. I will avoid harming the traitor if – and only if – they lift the spell, but you will leave me alone until then.”

Before Celestia could breathe easily again, Luna continued, “No, do not assume this is the end. Those who fall must pay the price. It has always been like this, and I experienced it myself. I will find them. I will see him safe behind bars. I will never rest till then.” Putting all her authority into one sentence, she added, “This I swear by my stars!”

“Sister...” Celestia started, knowing there already was a winner of the whole argument. Losing a fight that was meant to be a lecture felt wrong, but now the only thing left to do was damage control – especially since Luna was already leaving, and no magically sealed door would stop her. “Please... don't get carried away again. Don't let your temper get the better of you. Promise me you'll stick to our law.”

Luna halted her movement for a short moment without turning around. “I... I promise I will try. Do not interfere with my investigations again if you do not intend to help.”

“I can't.”

“Then everything is said,” Luna said before slamming the door shut.

Celestia went towards the open window and stared at the sky as the moon slowly climbed over the horizon. She blinked another tear away. Images of days gone by tried to creep through her head, but she immediately blocked them out – if she was really good at something, it was shielding her mind from unpleasant memories.

She took a deep breath. Enough. Time to finish today’s paperwork. When she turned around, something on the floor distracted her thoughts. Taking a closer look, she found a semicircular dent with multiple cracks running in several directions. At the bottom of the u-shape, the stone hadn’t been able to give way even more which had caused a few slivers to splinter out the floor.

For the split of a second, Celestia wondered what kind of heavy object she might have dropped to damage the white marble like this before it dawned her.

“Luna…?”

“Your highness.”

“Commander Iron.”

“I heard you are investigating the attack on Princess Twilight,” Cast Iron said. “I assume you are here to talk about Morning Sentry.”

“You are well-informed, Commander,” Luna said; her voice was cold. “Maybe enough to tell me what I want to know.”

“I’m not sure if I can help, Your Highness,” Cast Iron said. He pulled a file out of a drawer and put it on Luna’s side of the desk. He shook his head and sighed. “I’ve read it over and over again, but I can’t find a single clue. He has a clean slate. Well, ‘had’, I assume. Too bad, he was a good guard.”

“A good guard?” Luna repeated mockingly. “I do not think so. Not only did he attack another pony with consequences we can not yet assess, it was royalty. He swore to protect Princess Twilight, so he did not just fail, he broke his oath. ‘Good’ is not proper attribute to describe somepony like Morning Sentry.”

“I wasn’t talking about what he did that fateful night. He did have a clean slate before, though.” He opened the file and pointed at several confidential reports. “Not a single officer has ever complained about him, not even doubted he would quickly advance in ranks. That is why he was allowed to be on guard duty for a member of royalty after all.”

“‘Twas the wrong decision.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, but I’d object,” Cast Iron said, tilting his head slightly to the side. “He has never done anything wrong, and there was no chance any officer could have predicted what he would do.”

“Could not or did not want to, commander?” Luna asked in a harsh voice. “‘Tis not unlikely somepony else was involved. If an officer has indeed helped him, then those reports bear no message.”

“Your Highness, there is no evidence that points at another officer being involved.” He shook his head again. “I know my officers; I would gladly vouch for each of them at any given time.”

“As you would have done for Morning Sentry?”

“They are good ponies, and each would give their life to protect you and every other member of Equestrian Royalty,” Cast Iron said. “One even did a while ago to protect Your Highness. I believe his name was Warding Moon.”

“Thou darest not speak of him!” Luna hissed through clenched teeth.

“Very well,” he said with a nod. “But as you can see, I speak the truth.”

“Then tell me, Cast Iron, why you haven’t started giving me names yet. Names of ponies who could be involved.”

“There are none, Your Highness,” he said. “I don’t want to interfere with your investigation, but you’d have to question every single guard. Like I said, they are good and honest ponies. You might as well start with me.”

“As you wish,” Luna said. Staring him in the eyes, Luna slowly continued, “When did you first think about high treason, commander?”

Sheets of paper filled the air, quickly raining down and covering the floor with a layer of scribbled notes, official forms and pictures of ponies. The content of several files joined a collection of scrolls, a few books and the remains of what had once been a shelf. Shards of an inkpot and a puddle of ink completed the scene; a blue alicorn was panting for breath in the midst of the unfolding chaos.

“Um… Princess Luna?”

“Spike,” Luna answered; there was no kindness in her voice. “What are you doing in here?”

“I… I… um…” he stammered, ready to jump for cover. He stood in the doorframe, the door still in his claw and glanced at the chaos. The surroundings told him that it hadn’t been Luna’s first blaze of anger.

“So?” Luna asked impatiently. She walked towards him and blocked the view at the rest of the room.

“Are you are busy? I could come back an–”

“Tell me now and begone,” she said. She pushed him through the door into the previous room. “I do not intend to waste more time than necessary.”

“Is that a red string map showing your investigations?” Spike asked, pointing at the pinboard behind Luna. He noticed that there weren’t many threads, and the map didn’t look like it would show three weeks of investigations. There was a photo of a guardspony near its middle, but there were no red strings connected to it. “That’s really cool, can I have a lo–”

“No, you cannot,” Luna responded, pushing him further and slamming the door shut behind herself. “What do you want, dragon?”

“Oookay... the others and I were discussing on how to cheer up Twilight,” he said, keeping secret that their plan also involved cheering up Luna. “Applejack and Rainbow Dash came up with the idea. We want to go camping the day before Twilight’s birthday, then stay up late until we can celebrate her birthday. We’re also going to surprise her with stories about the past three years.”

When Luna stayed silent, Spike continued, “Since her birthday is in gossamer, we all thought it was a great idea. Fluttershy mentioned how nice that time of the year is. I think she said something about morning dew and cobwebs, but I didn’t really get that. I wonder what that could mean… Maybe the–”

“Spike,” Luna said. “I will not make an appearance.”

“But… I’m sure Twilight would–”

“No, she would not,” Luna said, resigning. “She does not approve of my presence. Merely seeing me has led to conflict. I do not wish to spoil the celebration.”

Spike shook his head. “Hm… Maybe you don’t have to stay. You could just come and tell her a story.”

“She does not remember a single moment of the time we shared,” Luna sighed. “I do not see how you could trigger a change. Even if a mere tale could do the impossible, I would not be of any help. Twilight does not want to see me, because she does not know me like she once did. Without that knowledge, a peaceful dialogue is improbable. It is a vicious cycle.”

Spike stayed silent for a moment, until a triumphant smile appeared on his face. “Isn’t it easy to break this cycle then?”

“Whatever are you talking about?”

“Just spend time with her. You don’t have to tell a story if you think it’s a bad idea. She doesn’t remember you, but if it’s really the worst case and nothing can ever bring back those memories, everything she knows is what she learns now. So if we don’t find a solution, she will only know you like you are now. Everything you do now is what she will remember.”

Apparently, Spike had caught Luna off-guard.

“I… had not considered,” Luna said absently. Spike thought he could almost see the wheels turn in the alicorn’s head before she continued. “Twilight Sparkle has taught you well, young wyrm. Your obsessive optimism is annoying at times, but you are still right.”

“So… you will come?”

“I will think about it. ‘Tis all I can promise,” Luna said with a sigh, but this time, it was not one of desperation.

“That’s… something, I guess,” Spike said. “Hey, do you want to tell the others yourself?”

“Off with you now,” Luna responded, nudging him in the direction of the exit. “You have my thanks.”

“Okay, um... bye then,” Spike said, already halfway through the door.

“Spike?”

“Yes?”

“I believe you will keep secret what you saw of my investigation. ‘Tis of nopony’s concern, and you will not talk about it. Understood?”

This is not right. It cannot be!

Wherever she was looking, there was nothing. Nothing was as it had to be. The focus had to be right there, but it simply wasn’t. She couldn’t find a single sharp image, not even a recognizable sound. It was as if her spell had gone wrong. Impossible!

Strictly speaking, Twilight’s dream wasn’t completely empty. Luna could see all kinds of things that seemed to be in the distance: blurry images of floors, walls, furniture, even ponies – whole rooms constantly replaced each other, but none of them were relevant. They were the extras in the play that every dream was.

Every dream but this. In her whole life, Luna had never encountered a dream like this. Not only was the main stage along with the main actress missing, even the extras weren’t what they had to be. Long cracks ran through the obscure side stages, and on each side of the crack there was a different image.

Stars, what has happened to you, my dearest Twilight?

Luna withdrew from the broken dream, not noticing the single tear on her cheek. Silently, she took a deep breath to keep calm. A huge part of her wanted to take whoever was responsible and vaporize them; the spell almost reached her lips. Seeing Twilight in her bed was the only thing that kept her from blazing up in dark flames.

Instead, she started listing the stars’ names in her mind, locking out everything around her except Twilight and the sound of her breath.

After a while, she had calmed down enough to get to work. She had to help Twilight to dream. What was of no interest to most ponies, was that dreams weren’t just a weird thing that happened now and then. Everypony dreamt, and they dreamt every single night. They would rarely remember a dream, but dreaming itself was mandatory for the mind to function during the day. It was the brain’s way of taking a break, of arranging and processing the experiences of the day. Not being able to dream was a serious health issue.

Luna didn’t understand what she had just experienced in Twilight’s dream. A dream without the dreamer herself being present, that was something she would have thought impossible. She didn’t even want to think about the consequences. The only thing she knew was that she had to try to fix it. I cannot bring back your memories, but nopony will interfere with my domain!

Knowing she couldn’t just cast the first spell she could come up with, she used her magic to grab a quill and a scroll from Twilight’s desk. As quiet as possible, she started scribbling formulas with notes and drew several sketches resembling the balance of magic she needed to achieve. Tampering with dreams was a delicate business, even more so since she didn’t know the cause of the problem.

Bringing the necessary concentration wasn’t easy. It hadn’t just been a long day, it had been a long two weeks. Luna had barely slept or even rested; the misuse of the revitalization spell was now taking its toll. Her lips formed a tiny smile when she thought of the time Twilight had asked her to explain the spell.

After an hour, Luna had finished the theoretical part of the spell. She realized that casting it would cost her a lot of energy, and she wasn’t sure if she could bring it up in her condition. I have to. I cannot let her suffer any longer.

When she had cast the spell, her knees gave in, and she dropped on the floor. Her coat was sweaty, and even her mane and tail had lost some of their sparks. Her head was spinning, and her stomach rebelled. I… need to rest. Just… for a moment.

A few minutes later – she had kept herself from falling asleep – she felt good enough to get up and check if the spell had served its purpose. Due to her exhaustion, it would only be a short glimpse into Twilight’s dream, but she figured it would be enough to see the major change she expected. At least dreamwalking does not require much energy. I could not even make a single parasprite disappear.

She first noticed the missing cracks. So far so good. After a quick search, she found Twilight, which caused a wave of relief flood through her. Luna couldn’t quite see what the other pony was doing before the fading magic caused her to leave the dream; she only got a small impression about what was going on.

Twilight running. A bookshelf in the distance. Huge stacks of empty scrolls following her, chasing her.

When Luna had returned to the real world, she saw that Twilight was now sleeping restlessly; she was moving around in her bed and groaning quietly. I… I gave her a nightmare! Oh Twilight, I wish I still had the power to fix it. I am sorry.

Preparing to leave, she gathered the scrolls she had used. Turning around, she underestimated the grade of exhaustion she now suffered and bumped into a nearby side table. Seeing the flower vase on it fall, she reached out for her magic to catch it, but she wasn’t able to react fast enough anymore. The vase hit the floor and shattered into several pieces while the water quickly caused the carpet to turn dark.

“Wha-uuuuaaaa-t is… Luna?” Twilight asked, yawning. “What in Equestria are you doing here?”

“I…” Luna started, without knowing how to continue. “Forgive me, Twilight. I should leave. Sleep we–”

“Yes, you should! Have you ever heard of knocking?” Twilight said. Even though her voice still sounded rough from just waking up, she quickly got louder. “Coming into my room while I am sleeping. What is wrong with you? And what did you want anyway?”

“Neither do I want to argue with you right now, Twilight, nor am I in the state to do so,” Luna said. “I am sorry for waking you.”

“What do you mean, you are sorry for waking me? If you didn’t want anything from me, why did you come here?” Twilight asked. “Oh, no, no, no, please don’t say you were watching or ‘protecting’ me.”

“Twilight, please… Forget about this. Be glad that you woke from your nightmare and just lay down again.”

“We’ll talk,” Twilight started. “Wait, how do you know I had a nightmare? Did you enter my dream? You can’t be serious! Have you ever heard of privacy? Ugh, don’t answer, I don’t even want to hear it. Just leave me and go protect somepony else.”

“Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna whispered before she left.

“Whatever.”

A few minutes later, Luna’s shaky hooves touched the balcony of her own rooms. Walking towards the bed, the map of her investigations came into her view through the half-open door.

“I cannot let this continue,” Luna whispered to herself. “I have to uncover the truth. I am missing something. Overusing the revitalization spell was reckless, it reduced my concentration. Once I get the needed rest, I will start anew. Whoever caused this: Fear me, for I will find you.”

She walked through Canterlot feeling pressured. The city faded. She was sitting on a pillow, a friendship report in front of her. She was freezing. The chimney in front of her lit itself. A roaring fire started burning. The blue flames caught her attention. Nothing seemed more important than these flames. Staring into the fire for hours, the flames filled her with warmth, a feeling of safety and happiness.

Sound asleep, the dream caused a tiny smile to appear on Twilight’s face.

1: One of These Days...

“You can't simply reject this request!”

“What I can and can't do is not your decision. You greatly overestimate your position.”

“This is outrag–”

“Enough!” Twilight shouted. Her voice echoed through the throne room of Canterlot and made her wince. Whoops! For a short moment, she feared the volume might shatter the stained glass windows. Glancing around, she silently sighed; not a single one had so much as cracked. Keep it together, Twilight! Nopony noticed your outburst. Don’t be afraid of your position.

The discussion with the noblepony in front of her, a stallion named Radiant Topaz, had now lasted almost an hour. He requested a grant for a research trip, but Twilight could see through his depictions in the first few minutes. His request was nothing more than a planned vacation at the expense of the crown. The fact that he was still encroaching on her time made her think that he was either incredibly arrogant or didn’t realize she unveiled his true intention in the first few minutes. Probably both.

In the course of the conversation, Twilight had more than once given him the opportunity to withdraw and let the tall tale rest, but now she reached a point where she only wanted to get rid of him. It was one of these days that didn’t seem to end. Although Twilight was slowly growing accustomed to her role as a princess, she felt extremely uncomfortable in imposing her authority; she always worried about her decision for days afterwards. However, today it was probably her only chance to go to bed without a headache.

“Your request is hereby rejected. This is my last word.”

“We'll see about that,” Radiant Topaz grumbled. “This isn't over yet.”

He turned around without another word and walked out of the throne room, holding his head high. Twilight leaned against the back of the throne and rubbed her temple with a hoof. She had been close to letting that noblepony get thrown out by the guards, but she wanted to avoid a scandal – especially since she had not had her new post for a long time. She took a deep breath and turned towards the guard standing at the bottom of the throne’s pedestal.

“Please tell me he was the last one.”

“No more visitors today, Your Highness,” the guard responded.

“Oh thank Celestia and Lu– I mean, it’s certainly great to hear nopony else has a problem I can help with,” Twilight corrected herself, glancing back at Stiff Britches. She blushed and hoped the seasoned royal advisor didn’t notice her minor slip in formality, but she was sure he had: he had overseen her court sessions for months and knew her quite well. He raised an eyebrow and scribbled down a note on his clipboard; she knew what that meant. There goes the chance of not getting a headache. Good job, Twilight.

She slowly rose from the throne, and another guard’s voice echoed through the hall, announcing the closing of today’s court. She sighed and recalled why she had agreed to take over this task in the first place. A year ago, after Twilight's coronation, Princess Celestia had talked for hours with her about the founding of the Twilit Court.

“It is a wonderful opportunity, and I know you are more than able to lead your own court, Twilight,” Celestia said with a smile. “You wouldn’t have the responsibility that comes with ruling. You would just help.”

“But Princess Celestia, I'm just a regular uni–” She cut herself off, rolling her eyes. “Okay, you have a point there, but I still can't decide somepony's fate. I don't have any experience!” Twilight answered. “I haven't even read all the books on how to be a princess,” she added, blushing.

“I told you, you do not have to address me as ‘princess’ anymore, Twilight. You have all the knowledge you need. Every time you helped your friends with their problems, you did the same you would do in court. You will help other ponies.”

“I...” Twilight looked down in resignation. “You're right, of course. I will do it. I really want to help as much as I can, but I'm afraid of failing you,” she said, her head hanging low.

“You won't fail anypony, Twilight. Have faith in yourself.” Celestia put a hoof under Twilight’s muzzle and gently pushed her head up. “I am glad you finally agreed, and I'm sure Luna will be happy, too. Between you and me, she really likes to sleep late, that's why her court isn't tied to fixed times. Although I hope it will be once we set up yours.”

“Speaking of organization, how could all of this work at all? I can't move to Canterlot and leave my friends! And I can't spend all day sitting in the train. It’s far too slow.” Twilight was already creating checklists in her head.

“I’m sure your friend Rainbow Dash can come up with something,” Celestia said with a knowing smile.

Twilight smiled, thinking of the flying lessons Rainbow Dash had given her. Twilight had indeed been given wings, but that didn't mean she had become a strong flyer. At first, she couldn't fly more than a few hundred meters without having to land. Even though Twilight had managed to talk her way out of Rainbow's exercises for all kinds of stunts, she had taken some speed and endurance lessons, and she had improved considerably. Despite the long-lasting muscle soreness after the intense training, she was grateful to her friend – after the lessons, she was able to travel daily between Ponyville and Canterlot.

Today, however, she was too tired to fly to Ponyville. As she passed the small door on the side of the throne room, Stiff Britches joined her. She laid back her ears and rolled her eyes. Here we go.

“Your Highness, even though your popularity is obviously growing since you seem to get more and more visitors during these court sessions, I simply must point out some issues with your etiquette that are not becoming of a princess.”

“You really need to do that?”

“I insist.”

“If you insist...” Twilight said, waving a hoof to make him go on.

“Firstly, even if somepony puts your royal patience to the test, you mustn’t show your fatigue in court. I suggest a reduction of whatever it is Your Highness does before the court sessions to a minimum.”

“You want me to reduce my studying? What do you think enabled me to uncover those lies Radiant Topaz just told?” Twilight asked. Don’t argue with him, Twilight, it leads only to more headaches. Just agree and get rid of him.

Stiff Britches continued, “Although a good preparation is certainly desirable, I’m sure there are other activities that have an impact on your schedule. Please refrain from wasting time on those in the future. Secondly...”

He spoke more as they were walking down the corridors towards Twilight’s rooms. She yawned and realized that she could barely keep her eyes open. She had taught herself several new spells in the afternoon before attending the sitting of the Twilit Court. Radiant Topaz had not been the only pony who had caused that much trouble this evening. Instead of arguing with Stiff Britches, she switched to nodding now and then while pursuing her own thoughts and staring into space.

Twilight shook her head, trying to get rid off the negative memories of today's meeting. It was over, and she only had to get rid of Stiff Britches before she could get something to eat. After that, she would send a note to Spike telling him not to wait for her and go to sleep. Oh, maybe I’ll meet Luna on the way! Just the thought created a smile on her face – it always made her happy when she could meet the Princess of the Night in the evening. After they had started seeing each other frequently due to Twilight's new duties, they quickly became close friends. Their evening meetings – due to Luna's random sleeping patterns – had been irregular, much to Twilight's dismay. She has been waiting for me almost every day lately. I wonder if… No, it’s just a coincidence. Although it would be nice… Stop these thoughts, Twilight! It’s Luna, for Pete’s sake!

“...and it is important to always take into account the influence a rejection will have on the relations between the nobility and…”

While the royal adviser continued lecturing her, Twilight turned around a corner before a thunderbolt made her cry out. Eyes opened wide and her horn already glowing, she looked around, searching for the source of the disturbance. Seconds later, when she couldn’t find anything in her immediate surroundings, a suppressed laugh called her attention to a dark storm cloud above her with a midnight blue alicorn on it. Luna couldn’t hold back any longer while sitting on the cloud, and Twilight went from heavily panting to bursting out in a hearty laugh that made her pat her chest and sit down; the Princess of the Night loved to play pranks on her friend. How did she get that cloud in here?

“Luna! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Good trick,” Twilight said, still laughing. “What are you doing here? Aren't your chambers in the other direction?”

“We could... I mean, I just could not pass up the opportunity to scare my best friend,” Luna said.

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof to stifle her chuckle as the Lunar Princess almost fell back to the royal 'We'. “Still can’t get rid of old habits?” she asked.

“‘Tis not something one could overcome quickly after using it for millennia. How was your day?”

“Ahem.”

The two princesses both raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Stiff Britches, who now took a step towards them to attract their attention.

“If I may interfere, I was just talking with Princess Twilight about her behavior during the Twilit Court,” Stiff Britches said. “Princess Celestia ordered me to improve the manners of our young princess.”

Luna gave him a stern look. "As it happens, I tend to be quite familiar with the orders given. In case it had eluded you, there are some who would consider me part of the diarchy, after all,” she said, emphasizing every word. “Though, granted, I may have missed a note, so one can never be too sure.

“On another note, I know my sister ordered you to help Princess Twilight with any problems she might encounter, not to lecture her, as I have repeatedly reminded you. Lastly, be assured that she will keep your advice in mind. That will be all.”

“But Princess Celestia said–”

Luna took a quick step towards him and stamped her right hoof, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him. Twilight wasn’t sure if Luna used magic to intimidate him; her horn wasn’t glowing, but the room still seemed to darken while she was towering above the adviser. Knowing he had gone too far, Stiff Britches’ eyes widened. He caved in, bowed deeply and left as fast as he could. As soon as he turned around, Luna’s appearance changed again; she looked as cheerful as before.

“Wow, thank you! I thought he was never going to shut up. How did you do that? Looks like you have a version of Fluttershy’s Stare for nobles,” Twilight said.

“I may not be up to date with some things, but I do know some tricks ponies have not seen in centuries. Anyway, where was I? How was your day?”

“Until a few hours ago, great. I've read three chapters of 'History of Griffica', and then I decrypted some spells from the book of Starswirl the Bearded. I probably forgot half of everything because of Radiant Topaz and all the other nobleponies.” I definitely need to reread those chapters tomorrow. “He cost me a whole hour! I could have worked through a complete chapter in my current book! All the nobleponies in this city are crazy! How can anypony be so…”

“...arrogant and unbearable?” Luna finished her sentence. “Believe me, Twilight Spa... Twilight: although Radiant Topaz is a very stressful contemporary, he cannot keep up with the nobles of a millennium ago. I would at all times prefer ten of his kind over one from those days. Shall we go eat?”

“Sure. Hoping to meet you was the only bright spot during the last few hours,” Twilight said, whereupon Luna smiled sheepishly. That has to be the cutest smi– Woah, where did that come from? Twilight thought. She quickly turned her head and pretended to look through the nearby window to hide her blushing face. Luna landed next to her friend and, with a short glow of her horn, banished the cloud.

“You have to show me how that works,” Twilight said. “Is it possible with every type of cloud? Does it need a lot of preparation? How much energy does it cost?”

Her interest awakened and, despite her obvious fatigue, she had almost instantly fallen into her 'learning mode', as Spike called it. Luna, however, noticed the dark circles that were building up around Twilight’s eyes and didn't make any effort to respond to the questions.

“Another time, perhaps. You look quite tired. Did Spike wake you too early, again?”

“No, this time it was Pinkie Pie's Singing Telegram. That pony always finds a reason to throw a party. I can't attend… again,” Twilight said with a sigh, her good mood dwindling. “Since I'm spending so much time in Canterlot, I just don't have as much time for my friends in Ponyville anymore.”

They had arrived at a smaller dining room. In contrast to her sister, Luna didn't put much emphasis on representation – also most ponies still didn't see Equestria as diarchy, so it seemed unnecessary to her to spend all her time in public. It also had the advantage of providing a place where she could talk to Twilight without any disturbance. She was Luna's only close friend, even if she was reluctant to admit it. It was easy for her to to speak with Twilight about everything that came to her mind, and it was similar vice versa.

When they finished eating, they continued talking for a bit until Twilight’s yawning became more and more frequent.

“Twilight, forgive me, but you look terrible. I should not have kept you awake,” Luna said.

“I’m not that tired; it’s the headache I got from the court and Stiff Britches,” Twilight answered. “I hope I can get to sleep with that at all.”

“Well, I cannot...” Luna trailed off. “Ah, to the sun with that! Stand still and relax for a moment,” she said, walking over to Twilight. Luna closed her teal eyes and her horn began to glow. The blue aura enveloped Twilight for a few seconds, caused a shiver to run down her spine, then faded out while Luna opened her eyes again.

“What did you do? My headache is gone! And I feel incredibly recovered!” Twilight said. “I’ve never even heard of that spell, can you teach me? Oh, what I could learn without getting exhausted!” Just the thought made her eyes widen in anticipation. That’s already the third spell I didn’t know. And that Stiff Britches wanted me to reduce my studying time!

Luna chuckled. “‘Tis for this reason, Twilight, that this spell is not taught anymore. A pony’s body and mind will always require sleep, and no spell can change that. What I cast was merely an illusion to befool your mind. You are still tired and your headache is not gone,” Luna said. She continued and now looked directly into Twilight’s eyes. “The spell will wear off once you are asleep, since I limited the duration. Promise me to not use the effects to stay up late. It will do you no good.”

“I promise. Oh, and thank you.”

Luna looked to the side, hiding her face and quietly said, “I would be grateful if you would refrain from telling anyone. My sister and I chose to not use it anymore, and you can look upon this as a one time only exception.”

“You can count on me, Luna,” Twilight said with a smile. “So I better get to bed then, I guess.”

“Indeed. Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. She took a step closer and gave Twilight a hug.

“I wish you a peaceful court session, not like mine,” Twilight said, hugging Luna back. For a moment, it seemed like neither of them wanted to part. What am I thinking? Oh, I shouldn’t have done this! Twilight withdrew and looked down sheepishly, her ears laid back and her wings rustling; even a year after her 'promotion' she didn't have her new limbs under enough control to hide her emotions.

“Good night, Luna.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

Some minutes later, Twilight had sent a note to Spike, and arrived at her bedroom. Putting away her diadem and regalia, she set the alarm on her clock and laid down on the bed. Even with Luna’s spell still active, she fell asleep almost immediately.

Despite the busy day, it was a restless sleep. Twilight had a confusing dream, which somehow mixed up all the events and feelings of her day. Cloudy images of nobles were followed by the feeling of a heavy burden pushing her down while her friends in Ponyville slowly disappeared in a dark mist.

After a while, the overwhelming darkness around her changed. It was still dark, but now she was at ease. Memories of her time with Luna came up, and her sleep got calmer. Twilight remembered how Luna used forbidden spells just to make her feel better, how she stood up for her against the adviser, and how they laughed together. That smile...

“NO!”

Despite her fatigue, Twilight woke up abruptly. “What in...” she mumbled. Was that Luna’s voice? She quickly got up to check what was going on. She had only taken a few steps, when the entire castle seemed to shake and made her trip. I must still be half-asle– Wait, it doesn’t stop shaking!

“Wha-a-a-at i-i-is go-o-i-i-ng o-on?” she stuttered.

As quick as it started, the shaking stopped. Twilight stood up, hastily put her diadem and regalia back on – the royal advisers had 'suggested' more than once that she had to wear both, even in a crisis, which she had only accepted under protest – and set out in search of the next guard to get information about the situation.

On the way to the castle courtyard, from where voices originated, she felt Celestia's now-familiar magic in the back of her mind, a simple but seemingly urgent nudge sent to wake her, should she still be sleeping. All the corridors she came through were swept empty, causing a strange feeling in her stomach.

Where is everypony? Where are the guards? And what requires three princesses to be present in the middle of the night? These thoughts only worsened the already unpleasant feeling in her stomach. Almost panicking, Twilight ran now, looking left and right into every corridor she came along in search for other ponies, her wings rustling at her side.

It wasn't until she had almost arrived at the courtyard that she met a squad of guards galloping hastily in her direction. It was led by Stainless Blade, a young and dedicated sergeant, whom she knew through her brother. He had a terrified but determined expression, which changed at least partly to relief as he recognized her. Once he stopped, the other guards took positions around Twilight and shot glances in every direction, apparently searching for anything suspicious.

“Sergeant, what's going on?” Twilight asked him and took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

“Princess! Thank Celestia, you're unharmed,” he sighed with relief. “We were just on the way to you to provide protection. We were ordered to accompany you to the throne room. There was an attack on Princess Luna.”

Twilight's heart skipped a beat and her knees seemed to stop holding her weight. “I-is Luna...”

“I don't know anything specific,” he continued. “According to my first information, there have been several injuries... and two deaths.”

“My Lord, we have gained access to another section. This one looks promising.” She bowed deeply while giving the report.

“What about the safeguards?” a stern voice demanded.

“I believe we were able to lift the alarm spell.”

“You believe?” The voice started to sound angry. “Do I need to remind you of what happens when she is notified?”

“Forgive me, my Lord,” she said, her voice trembling. “I am sure the alarm was neutralized in time. There is no danger. In addition, we have obtained enough knowledge on the seal to fix it. In case of an emergency, there would be no trace.”

“Did you uncover any clues through which we can find it?”

“Unfortunately nothing so far, my lord. However, we expect the discovery in this section.”

“Do not waste time. It will begin soon.”

Author's Note

I would like to thank my proofreaders and every user of the IRC channel of 'The Writer's Group' who helped me.