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Description

            The sun had begun its westward journey, readying itself for the coming night. The sky had changed from a deep cerulean to a more relaxed shade of sky. Yellow had started to creep on the horizon, signaling the descent. This made the cloudless firmament wondrous to behold. The glow from the display bathed the earth in a golden aura. Creation reveled in the beauty heaven bestowed upon it.

            On the side of a mountain sprawled a city. Its normally alabaster towers and ivory spires mimicked the same golden glow. As the sun slowly set, the city further reflected the ever-changing pallet of the sky. The sky was now an amazing shade of orange. The sky was dimming, and as it was, on the tallest tower, onto a balcony, stepped Princess Celestia.

            As she took in the fading sun, she had a sense of joy and contentment. She had performed this same task for a millennium, but now something was different. Her sister, her younger sister, had returned. This was to be Princess Luna’s inaugural night as Princess of the Night. She would resume her title and oversee her royal tasks associated with the night. As this was a historical event, there had gathered beneath the castle throngs of citizenry.

            The sun had touched the horizon, and was almost past the line. The sky had turned many a shade of blue. “Luna? It’s time.”

            Save for the noise of the crowds below, silence met her request.

            “Luna? Luna!” After a moment, slow, heavy clops could be heard, echoing slightly. A pony, not quite as tall as Celestia came into view. When their eyes met, Celestia’s heart fell. She slowed the sun so that she could take care of this most pressing matter.

            Luna’s normally bright aquamarine eyes were red, and the fur beneath was matted. “Luna, I thought we had talked about this. I forgave you. Everyone has.”

            Luna’s head drooped, and she talked down, not facing her sister. “It wasn’t them we wronged. Please, let us go. We don’t belong here.”

            “This IS your home. Our home.”

            “Our home has been eaten by time. Something that should have happened to us. We don’t belong to this time. We shouldn’t be here.”

            “Luna, please…You’re here now. Please don’t go. You’ve been gone too long as it is.”

            Celestia’s eyes had begun to water. As much as it pained her to see her sister suffer such an emotional agony, it was difficult to console her. There was something that few knew about Celestia.

            Emotion was something that was difficult for her to show. She experienced happiness, and sadness, but to genuinely express her most heartfelt emotions was something she just did not do. A thousand years of being a solitary leader meant that her strength was her people’s strength. In times of difficulty, her ponies needed a rock; somepony to uphold their lives.

            But now, her only sister, a pony whom ponies forgot even existed, needed her. But the mask was difficult to fully remove.

            “WE FAILED YOU!” The room shook as the nearly extinct royal voice echoed throughout.

            Quickly, Celestia cast a spell so that the noise would be blocked and no guards would appear. Taking several tentative steps toward her trembling sister, Celestia took a wing and touched a feather to Luna’s shaking chin. She brought her face level to Luna’s and looked into her weeping eyes. Quietly, she said, “I failed you, Luna.”

            “I never, in all the years leading up to your banishment, not once, did I truly appreciate you. I loved you, I love you, but I failed to take notice. I didn’t include your opinions. If I had, I would have noticed how you felt. I would have taken the time to ensure you knew happiness. I am truly sorry for what happened. You deserve the world little sister.”

            At the end of her sentence, she took Luna closer with one wing, and with the other, directed her to the sounds of the crowd outside. “Can we start with this city?”

            Luna looked into Celestia’s beaming eyes, which were still watering. “Princess, we thank you for this. We won’t disappoint.”

            Celestia was actually now crying. “Sometimes, I forgot how long you’ve been gone. It’s no longer necessary for us to address each other by title. We are sisters once again. We can go back to…Tia and…Lulu…”

            At this, Celestia broke down. She began to sob uncontrollably. This caught Luna off-guard, and she also began to sob. The wall in Celestia’s heart had shattered. All the emotions she had to bottle up for the benefit of her people’s strength came pouring out as each tear fell to the floor. This was the first time in her long memory that she truly showed such sentiment. A weight that never should have been was wrested from her heart.

            After a time, the sisters stopped crying. They held each other in a warm embrace. Luna looked into Celestia’s tear stained eyes. Sniffling, she asked, “Will they love us…I mean, me?

            Celestia put a hoof to Luna’s lips, and let go from the embrace. Wiping a tear from her eye, she then put the sun back into motion. “They’ll love you every bit as much as I do. Welcome home.”

Description

            The sun had begun its westward journey, readying itself for the coming night. The sky had changed from a deep cerulean to a more relaxed shade of sky. Yellow had started to creep on the horizon, signaling the descent. This made the cloudless firmament wondrous to behold. The glow from the display bathed the earth in a golden aura. Creation reveled in the beauty heaven bestowed upon it.

            On the side of a mountain sprawled a city. Its normally alabaster towers and ivory spires mimicked the same golden glow. As the sun slowly set, the city further reflected the ever-changing pallet of the sky. The sky was now an amazing shade of orange. The sky was dimming, and as it was, on the tallest tower, onto a balcony, stepped Princess Celestia.

            As she took in the fading sun, she had a sense of joy and contentment. She had performed this same task for a millennium, but now something was different. Her sister, her younger sister, had returned. This was to be Princess Luna’s inaugural night as Princess of the Night. She would resume her title and oversee her royal tasks associated with the night. As this was a historical event, there had gathered beneath the castle throngs of citizenry.

            The sun had touched the horizon, and was almost past the line. The sky had turned many a shade of blue. “Luna? It’s time.”

            Save for the noise of the crowds below, silence met her request.

            “Luna? Luna!” After a moment, slow, heavy clops could be heard, echoing slightly. A pony, not quite as tall as Celestia came into view. When their eyes met, Celestia’s heart fell. She slowed the sun so that she could take care of this most pressing matter.

            Luna’s normally bright aquamarine eyes were red, and the fur beneath was matted. “Luna, I thought we had talked about this. I forgave you. Everyone has.”

            Luna’s head drooped, and she talked down, not facing her sister. “It wasn’t them we wronged. Please, let us go. We don’t belong here.”

            “This IS your home. Our home.”

            “Our home has been eaten by time. Something that should have happened to us. We don’t belong to this time. We shouldn’t be here.”

            “Luna, please…You’re here now. Please don’t go. You’ve been gone too long as it is.”

            Celestia’s eyes had begun to water. As much as it pained her to see her sister suffer such an emotional agony, it was difficult to console her. There was something that few knew about Celestia.

            Emotion was something that was difficult for her to show. She experienced happiness, and sadness, but to genuinely express her most heartfelt emotions was something she just did not do. A thousand years of being a solitary leader meant that her strength was her people’s strength. In times of difficulty, her ponies needed a rock; somepony to uphold their lives.

            But now, her only sister, a pony whom ponies forgot even existed, needed her. But the mask was difficult to fully remove.

            “WE FAILED YOU!” The room shook as the nearly extinct royal voice echoed throughout.

            Quickly, Celestia cast a spell so that the noise would be blocked and no guards would appear. Taking several tentative steps toward her trembling sister, Celestia took a wing and touched a feather to Luna’s shaking chin. She brought her face level to Luna’s and looked into her weeping eyes. Quietly, she said, “I failed you, Luna.”

            “I never, in all the years leading up to your banishment, not once, did I truly appreciate you. I loved you, I love you, but I failed to take notice. I didn’t include your opinions. If I had, I would have noticed how you felt. I would have taken the time to ensure you knew happiness. I am truly sorry for what happened. You deserve the world little sister.”

            At the end of her sentence, she took Luna closer with one wing, and with the other, directed her to the sounds of the crowd outside. “Can we start with this city?”

            Luna looked into Celestia’s beaming eyes, which were still watering. “Princess, we thank you for this. We won’t disappoint.”

            Celestia was actually now crying. “Sometimes, I forgot how long you’ve been gone. It’s no longer necessary for us to address each other by title. We are sisters once again. We can go back to…Tia and…Lulu…”

            At this, Celestia broke down. She began to sob uncontrollably. This caught Luna off-guard, and she also began to sob. The wall in Celestia’s heart had shattered. All the emotions she had to bottle up for the benefit of her people’s strength came pouring out as each tear fell to the floor. This was the first time in her long memory that she truly showed such sentiment. A weight that never should have been was wrested from her heart.

            After a time, the sisters stopped crying. They held each other in a warm embrace. Luna looked into Celestia’s tear stained eyes. Sniffling, she asked, “Will they love us…I mean, me?

            Celestia put a hoof to Luna’s lips, and let go from the embrace. Wiping a tear from her eye, she then put the sun back into motion. “They’ll love you every bit as much as I do. Welcome home.”