After being away for 1000 years, Princess Luna has had an extremely difficult time adjusting to the way life had changed. Because of her hard time adjusting, she often came across as rude and cross to the other ponies. Because of this misconception and false portrayal, Princess Luna's hard time finding a friend was made even more difficult. She was alone all the time and she hated it. She would go to her sister, Celestia, but she was always too busy with other things and never played anymore. It used to be that 1000 years ago, before the events with Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia would play almost everyday. Now, it was all work with no free time at all.
Luna deeply sighed as she looked up at her moon and sat down her haunches. She ruffled her hair and removed her royal crown. It was in the cool lonely nights liked this that Luna wished more than ever that she could be just a normal mare. She wanted to have friends and she wanted to have her own parties and she wanted her friends to come and have fun with her. But she was a princess; the Princess of the Moon. She continued to look at her large round moon and wished that she could hurry up and set it so she could go to sleep again. As she sighed deeply, a lone tear pooled in her eyes.
******
The Princess of the Sun, Celestia was still awake. She's been having trouble sleeping for the past week and would often wake up in the middle of the night drenched in a cold sweat. The first two days, she regarded simply it as being a random phase that would get up and go away on its own. But it didn't and she was getting tired of it. She walked out of her bedchamber, marched down the hallway to the restroom, and splashed her face and mane with cold water. That felt better. She dried herself with a towel and looked at her sister's moon through the open window. She felt a sudden twinge of guilt and sadness. She hated seeing her sister so alone all the time.
She made up mind. She was going out.
******
Princess Luna sat atop the hill, a cool breeze rustling past separated herself from everything else. It was just her and her moon. As she looked on at her very old dear friend, a tear fell down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. She was a princess; the Princess of the Moon no less. There would be no tears. She had to be strong and she had to show it. But her heart was in pieces and it was all she could do not to cry.
******
She was soaring high above the ground, desperately trying find her younger sister. Celestia spread her wings further and soared higher into the sky. She looked and looked but to no avail. She was beginning to grow scared that maybe her sister had gone off and done something rash. She was disgusted with herself. She had cast Luna away for 1000 years but now that she's finally returned with hopes of love from her sister, Celestia has gone and left her all alone. She was disgusted with herself. She hated seeing her sister so sad and lonely, and it was all her fault.
******
Princess Luna stood to leave. Her time alone with her moon was drawing to a close and the steady cool wind that whisked her away had dwindled to a tiny puff every now and then. She re-adorned her crown and walked down to the base of the tall hill. As she neared the edge of the trees, she was caught off guard by the sudden sound of large wings beating against the air. When the noise stopped, she turned around and at the top of the hill was her sister. Princess Luna did not shy away nor did she stand erect with pride, instead she hung somewhere in between the two. The mixing of the two felt incredibly awkward to her but none-the-less, she stared into her sister's eyes.
"Luna," Celestia said, folding her wings and tucking them tight into her side. Her long flowing mane was all a mess, clearly from a hectic flight. "Have you any idea how frantic I've been?"
Princess Luna said nothing as she stared down at the ground and pawed at it with her hoof.
"Do you know just how worried I've been about you?" Celestia asked again.
Princess Luna continued to paw at the ground and then raised her head, tears swimming in her large eyes. "Why should it matter? No pony loves me anymore."
Princess Celestia sighed. Her worse assumptions were proven as truth, but when she heard it from her sister, the pain of it was far worse. She felt her chest tighten and she fought for words. "Luna, that's ridiculous," she finally managed to say. "And I'm sorry."
Luna shook her head, her crown falling to the ground. "It's true and you know it! I know how the guards have been trying to distance themselves from me! They're afraid of me! Just like everypony else! And you know it!" she cried, allowing her tears to fall. "You know how everypony is afraid of me and yet you do nothing!" She fell back onto her haunches and fell into retching sobs.
"Luna . . . " her sister quietly said, also feeling the tears begin to pool in her eyes. She walked down her sister and swaddled her in her wing. "That's nonsense. I love you. Twilight Sparkle loves you. Her friends love you."
Luna sobbed and sobbed, her breast heaving as she took short ragged breaths. "But what of Equestria? What about everypony else? I used to be respected and admired and envied and I had ponies that loved me. Now everypony thinks I'm some freak who has no idea how the world is. They're all scared of me," she said before breaking into more retching sobs.
Princess Celestia nuzzled her younger sister, her best friend, and said, "Who cares what everypony thinks about you?"
"But I care!" Luna cried through her tears. "I'm not strong like you! I can't just wipe away whatever ponies throw at me! I'm not strong enough to do that."
"Luna, I'll ask it again; 'Who cares what everypony thinks about you?'"
"And I'll say it again; 'I care.'"
Celestia sighed with a sad smile. She finally sat down beside her sister and said in the most calming voice she could muster, "Luna, my little sister, the things those ponies say should have no impact on your happiness. Who cares if ponies think that you're weird and odd? You're certainly not that way to me or to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. We all hold you as a treasure in our hearts."
"But . . . " Luna said, her sobs continuing, although becoming less and less fetching.
"There is no 'but' about it," Princess Celestia said, this time a little sternly as she busied herself with tidying her sister's mane. "We all love you. Your friends love you and that's all that matters."
Luna continued to sob as her sister brushed and combed her mane with her hooves. As the hour for morning was beginning to dawn on them, the two sisters ignored its call. The two sisters sat at the top of the hill and talked and laughed at each others jokes. The two were once again their friends and Luna was happy. When the time to lower the moon and raise the sun could no longer be ignored, Luna turned to her larger sister and asked, "Are you really sure they all love me?"
Celestia smiled and nuzzled her sister's cheek. "I'm sure. All of your friends love you."
