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Silence. Blessed silence.

Celestia hated it.

Silence was the sound of sorrow, of mourning. The absence of joy. Darkness where there should have been light. The absence of her sister.

The day was anything but silent. The sounds of ponies filled the castle, talking among themselves, the chime of their shoes against the hard stone of the corridors, and the neverending rustle of unsigned papers. It was music to her ears, a mix of voices and background sounds that could easily compare to a choir backed up by the largest symphony orchestra in the world.

It was life, and sometimes it was the only thing that kept her sane through the years.

Not all of the ponies in the castle sang or played from the same metaphorical music, either. They would laugh inappropriately in solemn places, or run where ponies were forbidden to do more than a slow walk. And that was just the adults. Whenever the schools sent a group of students on a field trip, all of the rules got delightfully trampled. Sometimes the little scamps would even evade her trusted Royal Guards and intrude on Celestia’s personal space, once even to the point where she found a mischievous pair of them bouncing on her own bed much the same way Luna used to when she was smaller.

How ironic that two such free-willed and capricious unicorns had two quiet and unassuming children with astonishing potential, one of whom was sitting almost silently by Celestia’s side.

The hustle and bustle of what was almost laughingly called ‘Night Court’ had been over for a while, and nearly every pony had already departed the dark and silent courtroom except for the single batwinged Royal Guard by the main door. There had only been a few ponies with requests for the Crown tonight, mostly citizens with awkward problems or ones with jobs during the day, but leaving them until the evening allowed Celestia a comfortable amount of time to deal with their individual issues.

Time.

She was an immortal alicorn who had more time than any other pony in Equestria, but Celestia found herself giving from that infinite store to all of the world until she had almost none for herself. There was always one more disagreement that needed smoothing out, or some worthwhile project that needed just a little boost. Here, a charity needed her to make a personal appearance, there a diplomat begged her presence to ease the tensions between rival countries. So many things to do for so many centuries and only one alicorn to do them until recently.

The arrival of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had been an unexpected shock to her routine, an infant alicorn who needed to be raised by an ancient one, but now that the young princess was of age, she had proven herself to be an invaluable diplomat. Sometimes, perhaps a little too invaluable, as there had been more than one squabble between countries which Celestia suspected had been stirred up by both sides just to get a diplomatic visit from the Princess of Love. The time Celestia had invested in Cadence’s education was being paid back tenfold, giving her the precious time to spend with her current student in the hopes…

Celestia glanced downward from the writing table, heaped high with the inevitable paperwork she had been behind schedule in completing when she first took her place as an Equestrian princess and still was now. Twilight Sparkle did not notice the silence at first, deeply engrossed in at least three books at the same time with bookmarks in a half-dozen more to her side. After a few moments, her nearest ear twitched at the absence of the perpetual quill scratching, rotated in Celestia’s direction to double-check the unconscious auditory observation, then once several bookmarks had taken flight and inserted themselves into each perused book, Twilight Sparkle looked up at her.

“Did you need something, Princess? Was I reading too loud?”

It was so typical of her student, and triggered a small, very unprincesslike giggle. Over the decade since Celestia had taken on her second student, little Twilight Sparkle had proven so different than Sunset Shimmer. Loyalty was one thing, but Twilight took the concept to levels even the Royal Guard might consider mildly overdone.

The dark batwinged guard at the back of the room had suppressed a brief snort very similar to his Dread Sovereign, but he was just as loyal to her as Twilight Sparkle, each in their own fashion. He had sworn to lay down his life in defense of Equestria, sacrificed from his own life in order to protect others, and would die rather than see Celestia injured. If Celestia commanded it, he would fly to fight Nightmare Moon with his fellow comrades, who were most certainly friends as the Elements of Harmony would require. They could use the Elements, but they would use the ancient artifact as a weapon, and Luna would be either killed or banished again.

A wave of cold guilt swept across Celestia’s shoulders again, much like a draft in the huge stone courtroom. If anypony deserved to confront Nightmare Moon, it was the sister who had been so responsible for her fall. If anypony was to be punished for the crimes of centuries gone past, it should be the criminal.

Even that method of assuaging her guilt was unavailable. The Elements of Harmony were just as unresponsive to her touch as the day after Celestia had used them to imprison Luna in her moon. In desperation a few months ago, she had even taken Cadence secretly to the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters where the inert lumps of stone still sat and encouraged her to do… anything.

Nothing.

There was no other option other than the small unicorn pupil still looking up at her teacher from the book-nest she had made on the floor next to the courtroom desk. The signs had been impossible to ignore, no matter how hard Celestia tried. The only way to get her sister back was to trust far more than she had ever trusted before.

Trust runs both ways.

As much as she trusted her faithful student, Celestia had never told her the one thing she had fought so hard to keep a secret. Over the centuries, history books had been subtly changed, statues moved, facts turned into myths and legends. Luna’s private rooms in the castle had been sealed away behind plaster and preservation spells while the sharp dividing line between Night and Day had been blurred, smudged, and every so slowly, erased. Even Twilight Sparkle’s vigorous war against ignorance had not unearthed the truth despite the evidence of Luna’s life being right in front of her nose, from the batwinged guards to the bifurcated nature of the entire castle.

I shall not send this child into the darkness without giving her a light to illuminate her path.

“Walk with me, Twilight Sparkle.”

Princess Celestia stood, leaving the undone papers behind for the moment. Somepony else would be along eventually and move them to the Day side of the castle for tomorrow. It really did not seem that important anymore, because if tomorrow went as she wanted, the paperwork would be inconsequential.

Taking the steps down from the Night Desk slowly, one deliberate hoof at a time, Celestia strode toward the back door of the courtroom with Twilight Sparkle tagging along. It was such a normal feeling to have her small purple shadow trotting along to match Celestia’s much longer stride. If… no, when Luna was freed from that monster and returned to Celestia’s side, it would be like losing a part of herself to see Twilight go away, even if it were just a few body lengths distance.

The polished onyx hallways of the darkened Night wing passed under Celestia’s golden slippers with the slow clicks of her measured pace and the rapid tapping of Twilight Sparkle to her side. Celestia had no particular physical destination in mind tonight, but she could not for the life of her figure out just how to best teach the lesson she had put off for far too long.

“Where are we going, Princess Celestia?” asked Twilight Sparkle with a badly hidden hint of curiosity in her eager voice. “There’s an upcoming stellar conjunction if you want to go the observatory, or the night-blooming crocuses out in the garden are supposed to be exceptional.”

“You’ll see, Twilight.”

There were so many different ways to pass this painful lesson on to her faithful student that Celestia could not decide which one to use. Would it be best to tell her in the closed-off corridors and rooms of Luna’s private library? No, with that many unread rare books within reach, Twilight Sparkle might not even hear the words. So much of Luna’s previous life in the castle had been moved or stored over the centuries that Celestia had to seriously think about what was left. Even Luna’s moonstone throne had been quietly slipped into a storeroom sometime just a few years after her banishment and could require several weeks for a well-funded expedition into the archives to locate.

The stately progress of Celestia’s hooves made up her mind while she walked, directing her path in the direction of the gardens. It was a place of sustained life, even in the concealing darkness. A place where things grew and children played during the day, with statues and topiary bushes to hide behind and one particular statue which was only really appreciated once a year.

Standing beside the statue of Nightmare Moon would be a good place to tell of her sister’s fall, much as the frightening visage had been used to terrify small foals for generations. All alone with her student except for the moonlit garden and the stars all around, she could tell Twilight about how her failings as a sister led to the Nightmare, how she allowed doubt and fear to corrupt Luna until she had to be imprisoned in her beloved…

No, that would not do at all. Twilight Sparkle needed to know the pony inside, the Luna whom Celestia knew so well instead of the corrupted monster she had become.

She changed her course at random, opening a wide set of doors with her magic and strolling into the silent ballroom hidden behind them. In the darkness, the little flecks and chips of crystal scattered across the ceiling reflected what dim light they could gather, making it seem as if the two of them were striding underneath the night sky. It was some of Luna’s greatest work, but was drowned out by the bright lights preferred by the ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala. The echoing of their hooves was a far cry from those joyous sounds, with music and dancing until late at night and the laughter of the ponies under their benevolent rule as both the highest and the lowest shared a time of celebration. Laughter was supposed to be the theme, but in the countless years since her sister had been banished, laughter had gone out of her life, and so also had it vanished from the yearly celebration when the lights had been turned up.

“I recognize this place,” said Twilight Sparkle. “This is where the Grand Galloping Gala is held. It sounded like such a nice party last year. And the year before that.” The small unicorn squirmed in shame, much as if she were still the little filly Celestia had begun training over a decade ago. “I’m sorry I missed it,” whispered Twilight in the stillness of the cavernous empty room. “This year, I won’t get caught up in my studying. I promise.”

It was the same promise she had made a year ago when Celestia found her in the middle of a circle of open books, snoring like a saw and drooling a little onto the works of a magical theorist who Celestia thought deserved every drip. Still, her plaintive student had such a serious, intent air about her that it was impossible to be angered. In fact, her expression reminded Celestia of the time Luna had been caught swimming in the punch bowl right about where Twilight was standing now, and despite herself, she had to chuckle.

The cold, sterile echo of that laugh sucked all the joy away from the moment, making Celestia pause before responding in the most gentle voice she could muster. “I assure you, my faithful student, you did not miss much. However, I shall ensure you receive a pair of tickets for this year’s Gala, and expect your attendance.”

If. The word fairly cried out to be inserted into the sentence, forcefully if possible. If Luna could be freed from Nightmare’s grasp by the Elements of Harmony, the entire world would rejoice. If not…

She turned her slow pace back out into the empty corridors of the castle and continued to walk with Twilight Sparkle at her side. Celestia’s original goal had seemed so clear, and yet now it began to fade and decay. Up stairs and down quiet corridors she walked as she thought, passing along windowed walkways between castle towers and between ancient statues and beautiful vases. Without the sun shining down outside, the hallway of stained glass windows was filled with shadows of memories and the dread of the future, not worthy of even a pause. It had been her dream to immortalize Twilight Sparkle in stained glass for the courageous acts she was certain to accomplish, but it seemed her newest student had none of the driving aspirations to greatness that her previous student had in such terrible abundance.

“Twilight, have you made many friends while you have been my student?”

The words just slipped out while they walked, and Celestia had to slow her pace when Twilight nearly stumbled while struggling for a response that would hopefully pass whatever obscure test her teacher was setting forth.

“I… uh… There’s this guard who lets me into the library archives at night.” The slightly built unicorn bit her bottom lip, frantically looking through her memory for an extra credit point or two. “And… um… There’s a party tomorrow or something. Spike mentioned it. Oh! Spike! He’s a friend.”

Still, it was two more than Sunset Shimmer, even if Twilight could not remember the name of the guard and had forgotten totally about Cadence. At first, Celestia had thought allowing Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to fillysit Twilight had been a stroke of genius. Cadence could walk down any hallway or street in Canterlot and make a dozen friends in the amount of time it took Twilight to turn a page. It was only after the first few years that Celestia realized her stroke of genius was more of a stroke and less genius, because anypony who might possibly think of becoming friends with Twilight was quickly ensnared by the brilliant light of Cadence’s gift, leaving the little bookworm in her shadow just as much as Luna had been in the shadow of her far larger and brighter sister.

Six Elements of Harmony. One little unicorn. So much depending on the balance of Harmony and it would be so easy to gently bump that celestial scale just the slightest.

The idea bothered her, particularly since one of those elements would not like the concept of cheating, even when the stakes were this high. Celestia had betrayed their trust once before, and the Elements of Harmony were forever beyond her grasp now. It was time to pass that responsibility onto others. It was time for her sun to set in order to give way to a new light, which she had nurtured and encouraged ever since the day Twilight Sparkle had so dramatically passed her entrance exam to the school.

It was time.

With a flick of her tail, Celestia turned and began to stride back toward her suite of rooms, almost heedless of the rapid clatter of hooves behind her. The maze of corridors and hallways bent and twisted around her perceptions while she walked, unconsciously hurrying her steps until Twilight Sparkle was quite nearly at a gallop. After a thousand years and uncounted nights, the burden she had shouldered on that terrible long night could finally be shared. There were only hours left before Luna’s return, and Celestia was wishing she could dole out those last few fractions of her life with an eyedropper in order to use them where they needed to be used.

She drew up short on the balcony of her room, looking out across the moon-dappled city and endless stars with the frantic panting of Twilight Sparkle slowly turning into a more regular breathing behind her. Waiting as long as she could hold herself back, Celestia finally turned and regarded the alert young student sitting patiently on the floor.

“Twilight Sparkle, you have been my student for many years of your young life. You have learned every lesson I have given you and more. I am proud of you, and therefore have a critical task for you to accomplish tomorrow, more important than any I have ever given you before. Are you prepared?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia!” said Twilight Sparkle with almost a squeak of joy. A bright and cheerful grin encompassed her entire face, and her eyes twinkled in the moonlight. It gave Celestia a sudden sinking feeling in her gut as the reflection of Luna’s corrupted moon showed in each pupil of her faithful student’s eyes, much as if Nightmare Moon were lurking in the shadows, waiting to ensnare yet another innocent soul.

I cannot do this. It would be cruel beyond any measure to tell her about my sister. If anything, I’ve underestimated Twilight Sparkle’s loyalty to me. If she knows the truth about Nightmare Moon, she will be unable to use the Elements of Harmony against her. She will see the monster as my sister, and be unable to resist her commands. Unable to do what needs to be done. Unable to do what I cannot, again.

“Yes, Princess?” Twilight’s eyes were still reflecting the moon in an eager expression that made Celestia’s dark conclusion more inevitable. It took all of Celestia’s willpower to keep her emotions in check while reaching for a nearby book with her magic. She floated the thick tome over to her student and took a surreptitious trembling breath while those bright violet eyes looked down for a second.

“Predictions and Prophecies?” As expected, Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn and tried to open the aged tome, but Celestia held it closed with her own magic.

“Tomorrow, my faithful student. We have kept you up far too long this evening. Go back to your quarters and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, you may resume your studies.” Celestia forced a smile. “I look forward to your insights.”

“I won’t disappoint you, Princess.” That eager smile stayed on Twilight Sparkle’s face until Celestia nudged her out into the corridor and closed the door, and remained in Celestia’s mind while she returned to the balcony.

This far from the ground, it was almost perfectly silent. Even the faint breeze carried away whatever noises might be coming from the garden far below, and the stars spread out in all their multitudes around her did nothing but twinkle and glow in apparent anticipation. It was difficult, far more than holding a secret from her faithful student, but Celestia raised her eyes to the sky to gaze at the corrupted moon and the prison for her sister.

Even if Twilight Sparkle sets you free from that monster, can you ever forgive me for what I have done to you? Can we ever return to what we once were?

“Soon, dear sister,” she whispered through dry lips. “Soon.”