“No.”

“Luna—”

“No, sister.” Luna turned to the door leading up the tower, but Celestia blocked her path with outstretched wings. “Move.”

Celestia’s expression was firm. “You promised you would take this night off.”

Luna raised her head high and scoffed. “I made no such promise. I said I would consider it. Regardless, it does not apply to this.”

“I believe it does.” Celestia braced, as if she expected her sister to dash past like a foal eluding her parent. “A night off should include all royal duties, Luna, including this one.”

Faint, familiar whisperings taunted Luna as they had all day, but she shook off the unpleasant implications they pressed upon her. She met Celestia’s solemn expression with one of her own. “The citizens of Equestria know me for one thing, sister. One. Would you deny me even this small measure of responsibility?”

Celestia’s lips worked. Luna could almost see the gears turning as her sister sought out the most diplomatic response. The thought sickened her. At last Celestia replied, “I would deny you nothing. I am only asking for you to be reasonable.”

“‘Reasonable.’” Luna scowled. “Since when has one princess’s taking over of another’s duties been considered a ‘reasonable’ act?”

“I only intended to raise the moon for you, Luna. Just this once.”

Luna gritted her teeth. “The moon is mine to raise.”

Celestia peered at her. “You suffered a magic overdose this morning.”

“I told you, I feel fine. Look.” The guard at Luna’s side rose in the air, his eyes going wide. “See? No pain.”

“Luna, put him down.” This accompanied by an exasperated sigh. After the guard was safely deposited to the floor, Celestia continued, “One pony is not the same as raising the moon. Please, Luna, it’s going to be late.”

“Then get out of my way so I can raise it.”

“No.”

The doubt tried to press its way into Luna’s mind. It took a bit more work to push it back this time.

Celestia noticed the pause and pressed her advantage. “I know you feel as though the moon is symbolic of your place in Equestria, but—”

“Symbolic? It is my place in Equestria!” Luna sat and rubbed her temple, fighting down the ice in her heart. She refused to listen to the whispers that had plagued her in her sleep. “Please, sister. I promise, all I’m asking is that you let me raise the moon. This is… it’s all I have to retain my authority.”

Celestia’s expression softened. “What about dreams?”

“Dreams are flowing, ebbing, ever-shifting,” Luna replied. “The moon is solid, permanent.”

With a smile, Celestia relaxed. “I think you underestimate the effects of your dreamweaving.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “You presume to educate me on the value of dreams?”

“What I presume,” Celestia countered with no less certainty, “is that you really do intend to relax tonight, probably by going to visit Octavia.”

Heat rose in Luna’s cheeks and she stiffened. “The thought… occurred to me.” She glanced away at Celestia’s smirk. “It is of no relation to the current topic.”

“I think it is,” Celestia said. “You must avoid using too much magic tonight, you know that as well as I. I am trying to help you limit the mandatory use of your horn, Luna.”

“I don’t follow.”

Celestia’s smile grew smug. She turned her face away and raised it high, rubbing a hoof beneath her chin as if in careful thought. “As a responsible elder sibling, I am obligated to keep you from hurting yourself. What would you rather, raise the moon or meet Octavia?”

Luna gaped. “Are you saying you want me to choose?”

“One spell, or the other.” Celestia smirked. “I can’t possibly let you do both tonight.”

“This is ridiculous!” Luna pointed to the nearest window. “I could just walk over there, or any other window in the castle, and still raise the moon. And how do you propose to stop me from dreamweaving?”

“Luna—”

“In fact, why don’t I do that?” Luna turned and marched for the window. She stared out at the horizon and ignited her horn.

“Trust.”

The spell paused, half-prepared. Luna blinked and looked to see Celestia had her head bowed, eyes set where Luna had just been. All pretense at confidence had fled her sister’s countenance, replaced by a deep sorrow.

Luna tried to take this image in. Despite her lingering anger, the pain in Celestia’s face tugged at her heart. “Trust?”

Celestia wouldn’t look at her. “You told me you wanted to regain my trust. I’ve been trying to regain yours as well. Please, Luna, trust your big sister again. You once gave it to me freely.”

The cold anger swept back over Luna. She reared her head back and glared. “Do I not have your trust, sister?”

“Of course you do, but do I have yours?”

Luna ground her teeth. Through the blizzard in her mind, she focused on keeping calm. There was a temptation to ignore this blatant manipulation of her situation, to raise the moon in defiance of it! Yet she fought down the urge with everything she had. At last the aura of her horn faded, but the ice in her heart remained.

Celestia’s eyes lit up as she turned to her. “Thank you, Luna. I’m sorry, I know I can be a bit overbearing at times.”

“You’re not sorry.” Luna turned to walk away.

“I thought we made such great progress this morning.”

Luna huffed. “And that made you think I’d be okay with the theft of my responsibilities?”

She could hear hoofsteps behind her. Celestia’s voice was almost pleading. “It’s only for one night. I’m doing this for your sake, little sister.”

Luna sniffed and shot a dark glance over her shoulder. “Enjoy your monarchy. I’m sure you missed it.”

The look on Celestia’s face was like a lance through her heart, but Luna refused to acknowledge the pain. She marched away, leaving her sister behind with head held high. She went directly to the Nocturnal Wing, ignoring every guard and servant she might pass. Speech was out of the question, lest she explode at some undeserving soul.

Although it required all her willpower, Luna kept the biting cold within her until she was back in her chambers. As soon as the door closed, she knocked her crown off her head with a snarl. “How dare she use that against me, to manipulate me like that!”

Luna began to pace, steam snorting from her nostrils. “‘Trust,’ she says. What does she think I’ve been trying to do since my return? That arrogant, spoiled…” She sensed a change in the air and felt her stomach drop. Her eyes went to the windows instinctually, through which she could see the moon rising over the distant horizon. The sight made her legs buckle.

She dropped to her barrel with a groan. “She speaks of trust, and then takes away my one duty. What is that but a sign that she doesn’t trust me? Is she not aware that trust is a two way street?”

With a sigh and a pout, she rested her chin on her crossed cannons. “I’m being ridiculous. It’s just for one night, isn’t it? Celestia only wants what’s best for me.”

Her head jerked up, a sneer on her lips. “And who is she to decide that? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

She winced at her own words. “Then again, I did act like a foal a thousand years ago. I shouldn’t blame her for treating me like one.”

“Yes, we should! She’s repeating all the same arrogant mistakes!”

“So am I. It’s my fault I was exiled, so it’s my duty to repair the bond between us.”

“Why does it have to be? Why shouldn’t she give just as much as we do?”

“This is just as hard for her as it is for me.”

“It’s not even close! She didn’t spend a thousand years alone!”

“And spending a thousand years facing her guilt is any better?”

“She had it coming.”

“We had it coming.”

“She doesn’t trust us!”

“She’s trying.”

“Hydra droppings! She’s only saying what she wants us to hear.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is! Put the blinders on stupid, ignorant little Luna so she’ll trot along to her sister’s tune.”

“Celestia isn’t like that!”

“Did she not just order us to give up our charge?”

“She didn’t order us.”

“Order, manipulate, same thing.”

“N-no, it’s not…”

“How long before she stops with the pretense and takes away our responsibilities for good?”

“She won’t do that!”

“How do we know? She doesn’t trust us.”

“Stop it.”

“And she never will!”

Luna jumped to her hooves. “Get out of my head!”

Her legs shook, her breath came in gasps, her wings were half-opened and taut. She stared at the wall with wide eyes, trying to process what had just happened. Understanding dawned upon her like a fresh nightmare, and she fervently denied it. Blood pounding in her ears, she turned and ran for the lounge, kicking the doors open with a resounding bang. She rushed to the dark armor in the corner, caught it in her hooves, ripped it from its stand and flung the thing across the room with a snarl.

Silence filled the air, interrupted only by her shallow breathing. The armor lay on the floor, immobile and innocuous. She stared at it, horn shining like some unearthly torch in the dark. “Come on, you fiendish thing,” she hissed through her teeth. “Talk to me.”

Nothing. No velvety whisper in her ear, no ominous chuckle in her mind. The world was hideously quiet. Luna would have given anything to have heard it speak to her.

Seconds passed. Minutes.

At last, the glow of Luna’s horn died and she sank to the floor. She covered her face with her cannons and struggled against the sting in her eyes and the sob in her throat. “I’m not going back,” she whispered hoarsely. “I’m not. I won’t. I’m not going back.”

She repeated the phrase over and over again. The shadows pressed in from all sides, feeling downright oppressive, but Luna didn’t dare ignite the nocturnal lanterns. She didn’t want to look at this room, this… this prison.

The last thought sent a shiver down her spine. “I’m n-not going back, I’m not going back.”

Luna knew she needed help, but what avenues were left to her? She couldn’t possibly go to Celestia, not after their recent conversation. Besides, it wasn’t as if Celestia really cared about—

She shook her head violently beneath her hooves. “I’m not going back! I’m not going back.”

Her ears swiveled about in search of that familiar, hated, desperately desired voice. Only her own shallow breathing met them. “I’m not… not going back.”

Her head rose abruptly and her eyes went wide. “Octavia. I want to see Octavia.”

Closing her eyes, Luna focused on the dreamweaving spell. Soon she could see all the colorful lines, and she sighed with relief to find only a few stray red ones out there, none of them strong enough to demand her attention. Then she recalled her unspoken ‘promise’ to her sister and scowled; she’d keep that promise, of that she felt determined. No nightmare patrol tonight.

Visiting Octavia was perfectly suitable, though. She began filtering the dreamlines, rapidly eliminating all those that didn’t belong to Octavia. By this point she knew exactly where to look, so it took no time at all to—

Luna’s heart sank: Octavia wasn’t sleeping. She shouldn’t be dreaming at all, but Luna would have seen if she were at least asleep. For the first time, Luna regretted that Octavia had adapted her sleeping habits to make their visits easier.

There was nothing for it; Luna would just have to wait. The thought brought a pout to her lips.

She cancelled the spell and opened her eyes… to find herself looking directly at the fallen armor of Nightmare Moon. Her ears folded back and the ice returned to her chest. She turned her face away and trembled once more.

She prayed Octavia wouldn’t keep her waiting long.

Octavia’s head bobbed forward. She jerked it up and shook it violently, clutching the quill in her hoof. Laying on the floor at the foot of her bed, she was surrounded by page after page of sheet music. A dozen books lay scattered about the room. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember where she was with her work, but it eluded her.

“No,” she grumbled, “I’m not done yet.” Her words sounded slow and feeble even to her.

She set her face in a determined frown and tried to focus on the sheet music in front of her. She was able to read the five previous notes, and the tune came back to her mind. It was lovely, and it sounded just right, but it wasn’t complete. A few more notes…

No ink came from her quill. She dipped it in the inkpot, silently replaying the music in her head as she did, and tried again. Still no ink. Blinking, she glanced at the jar to find it empty. A cursory glance revealed four more jars, all just as empty.

Octavia suspected she should feel angry about this, but she was too tired to muster that kind of response. She yawned and tried to take in her work, but in her growing disorganization she’d stopped tending to her stack, and now the sheets made a chaotic mess out of her bedroom. With a groan, she set the quill aside and climbed to her hooves.

She trudged into her kitchen. With how quiet everything was, the creaking of the floorboards seemed incredibly loud. A glance at the clock revealed it was well past midnight. Octavia opened her refrigerator, pulled out some milk and drank straight from the bottle. The cool liquid felt good in her throat, but did little to alleviate her weariness.

There was a voice in the back of her head suggesting she buy more ink next time, but she shoved it down. Even if this was for Luna, she’d worked far too long at a stretch. Her friends would be questioning her sanity if she pulled something like today over and over again. They might even be right this time.

After taking one more chug of milk, Octavia put the bottle away and returned to her bedroom. She entertained half a thought to sorting an entire day’s worth of sheet music before turning out the light and collapsing on her bed. She didn’t even bother to crawl under the sheets; she pressed her cheek into the pillow and relished its cool softness.

Octavia knew she was dreaming almost immediately, which was a fairly new sensation. There was an unpleasant tingling, her coat hairs standing on end and a taut feeling in her stomach that left her nauseous. She was boxed in by white walls made entirely of sheet music, the notes all blurred together in an illegible mishmash of ink. The floor and ceiling followed the exact same pattern.

As soon as Octavia recovered from the unpleasant feelings, she grinned and turned a circle. “Luna, I know you’re here! Come out.”

At first, there was no response. Then the sheet music on one of the walls began to flap about as if caught in a wind. Piece by piece, they were blown away from the wall, leaving an opening just large enough for a pony to fit through. On the other side of this paper doorway sat Luna, and Octavia lit up at the sight of her.

Octavia trotted for the princess, but her approach slowed as she took the pony in. Luna’s mane was dim and her coat appeared disheveled. She stared at her hooves, huffing as if she’d been running all night long, and her shoulder sagged. She didn’t even have on her regalia.

“Luna?” Octavia took a tentative step closer. “Are you okay?”

The princess made no attempt to look at her. “What took you so long?”

“What do you mean?”

At last Luna looked up. There were bags under the princess’s eyes, which were bloodshot. Her chin shook as she worked her lips. “I’ve been waiting all night. Why wouldn’t you sleep?”

Octavia blanched. “I… was busy.” She moved closer and sat, staring up at Luna’s miserable countenance. “What happened to you?”

“I’ve been busy, as well.” Luna sighed and turned her face away. “I am sorry about the Garden Party. I wanted to be there.”

“Don’t worry about the party, worry about you. You’re a mess.”

Luna offered a weak chuckle. “I feel a mess. The past few nights have been arduous.” She turned, her smile frail but genuine. “It’s really good to see you again, my… friend.”

Octavia beamed at this. “It’s good to see you too. I missed you.”

“Oh.” Luna’s smile faded, her eyes doing that little dance Octavia was so familiar with. “Can you forgive me for taking away your ability to dream? I assure you, it was for your own safety.”

“I understand.” Octavia leaned forward, hoping to convey her sincerity through her smile. “You were trying to protect me from N… the monster, right?”

“Yes!” Luna nodded, her face lighting up. “That’s it, exactly. I feared you wouldn’t understand, that you would be upset.”

“Of course not.” Then Octavia frowned. “I was put off by your silence, though. Couldn’t you have sent me a message somehow?”

Luna stared at her in unblinking befuddlement, then covered her face beneath a leg. “My Goddess, how could I be so foalish? Why didn’t I think of that? I am so, so sorry!”

Octavia winced and hurried to add, “It’s okay, really! I figured you were busy and all… and besides—” she kicked at the floor, “—I didn’t go to see you in the meantime, did I?”

“I don’t think I’d have had time to meet with you, regardless.” Luna sighed and stared at her hooves some more. “But I… wanted to see you. Tonight, I needed to. It’s been so difficult lately, and you know I don’t like to complain about such things. I just needed… to see a friendly face.”

“A friendly face?” Octavia’s ears folded back as she thought of the implications of that sentence, both the good and the bad. “What about—”

“Do not mention my sister.”

Octavia leaned back, eyes wide at Luna’s harsh tone.

“I’m sorry!” Luna hid her face behind a wing, but it was too late; the fear in her expression had been as clear as day. “Th-that’s not what I… I didn’t mean it.”

“What’s wrong?” Octavia reached up to touch that silky blue wing. “Luna?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

Her tone was regal, but strained. Octavia hesitated, wondering if she’d be overstepping by asking the question. “Did you two have a fight?”

Luna still didn’t lower her wing. “I said nothing is wrong.”

“I… but…” Octavia kicked at the ground, her head low but eyes set where she suspected Luna’s face to be. “How can I help you if you won’t talk about it?”

“I don’t need help!” Luna turned away and began pacing a small circle. “It’s not my fault Celestia’s an arrogant tyrant!”

Octavia blinked. “A tyrant? Celestia?”

“Yes! And she has you all eating out of her hoof like good little fillies and colts, doesn’t she? Well, she’s got her power back for the night. We’ll see if it satisfies her for the time being, but I won’t be surprised if I never get my responsibilities back.”

Her behavior left Octavia with a loose jaw. She found herself thinking on a time that seemed so long ago, when Luna wouldn’t permit herself to speak ill of her sister. “What is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with me?” Luna whipped around to press her muzzle into Octavia’s, a fierce growl rising from her throat. Octavia hurried to back away from those harsh eyes.

No sooner had the anger come was it gone. Luna stepped back, her face going slack. She raised her shaking hooves, studying them as if they had suddenly changed color. “W-what is wrong with me?”

“No, it’s okay!” Octavia approached and caught Luna’s hooves in her own, which brought the princess’s eyes down to meet hers. For just a moment, Octavia was stunned into silence, lost in those startling blue pools. Her heart rate climbed, but then she recalled the situation and shook off her… interest.

“Everypony gets angry at their siblings from time to time. I should know, I have four of them.”

Luna blinked, but didn’t move away. Instead, she gripped Octavia’s hooves. “I’m trustworthy, am I not?”

“Of course you are!”

No smile graced Luna’s lips. Her eyes were wide and wild. “Th-then why doesn’t she trust me?”

Octavia tilted her head. “What makes you think she doesn’t trust you?”

“She took my moon!”

“She… what?” Octavia struggled to process this sentence.

Luna jerked away with another growl. “My moon! She wouldn’t let me raise it! ‘You need a break,’ she said. ‘Have to get some rest,’ she said. ‘I’m not ordering you, Luna.’ Oh, no!” She stomped, and the impact sent sheet music flying in all directions. “She just manipulates me, tells me exactly what she knows she must to get me to play along. I’m supposed to be the good, loyal, obedient little sister. Shut up and do what I’m told!”

Octavia gasped. “Luna, listen to yourself!”

“I know, I know!” Luna pressed her hooves to her face. “These damnable thoughts just keep coming. I’m trying to calm down. I’ve been trying all night! D-did it find a flaw in my defenses? Did it finally get to me? I don’t want to go back!”

Octavia didn’t even realize what she was doing until it had already happened: her hooves wrapped tightly around the princess’s shoulders. She held on, surprised at her own forwardness, and wondered if she hadn’t just made a grave mistake. Yet Luna didn’t react, so she relaxed… a little.

“I know what it is you’re fighting, Luna,” she whispered. “You won’t go back. You’re too good to go back.”

Gradually, her hooves shaking, Luna clutched her close. “H-how do you know what I’m up against?”

“I figured it out. It’s Nightmare Moon, isn’t it?”

Luna’s weak gasp blew her warm breath into Octavia’s ear. “You know?”

Octavia nodded against her shoulder. “What else would keep you so busy you had to skip the Garden Party? What else could keep you fighting in dreams?”

It took a few seconds for Luna to respond. “She’s determined to hurt me… to hurt us. She wants me back.”

The word ‘us’ made Octavia tense up, but now wasn’t the time for such considerations. “You won’t lose to her. I know it, Luna. You’re better than her.”

“Am I?” Luna heaved a shuddering breath. “Sh-she won once already. I’m trying so hard, but I don’t know if I can…”

“You’re the Princess of the Night.” Octavia leaned back to offer a confident smile. “She’s nothing but a shadow. You know it better than I do.”

“A shadow.” Luna bowed her head, tears barely held behind her eyes as they shifted in thought. “Yes, she’s a shadow, but a shadow of me. I created the abomination with my own envy.”

“But that’s not you!” Octavia leaned down, trying to look her princess in the eyes. “That’s not you, Luna, I know it.”

Luna wouldn’t meet her gaze. She seemed so small, her wings hanging limp, ears folded and head low. Her posture reminded Octavia of… submission. It brought a stab of pain to her heart.

“Octavia… We can’t do this anymore.”

Octavia froze, her face slack as her heart gave a sudden, terrible twist. “What?”

“It’s too dangerous.” Luna turned away from her. “You’re my… my friend. The Nightmare will target you. If it wins, your life will be in danger. I can’t have that.”

“It won’t win!” Octavia ran a circle around Luna, but the princess turned her face away. “Luna, it will not win! You’re going to beat it!”

Luna shivered. “I… I don’t know that.”

Tears stung Octavia’s eyes. She grabbed Luna’s shoulders and shook her. “You will! You just have to believe in yourself. P-please, you can’t—”

“Believe in myself?” Luna jerked away, her face contorted in a scowl. “Believing in myself is precisely what let it win last time! ‘I’m better than my sister.’ ‘I am not just a shadow of the light!’ ‘There will be only one princess of Equestria!’ Self-confidence nearly killed every pony in the world!”

“But…” Octavia flinched from Luna’s steely gaze. “B-but I know you. That was… it wasn’t your fault. It was different.”

“How?” Luna turned away, but the anger didn’t leave her face. “How is this any different? No, Octavia. I will fight the Nightmare, but there is no guarantee of success.”

Octavia’s lips worked, but only a frail whimper left them. She stared at her hooves, shaking with the effort to find something, anything meaningful to say.

“I lift your curse,” Luna whispered. “You will dream once more, and I will protect your dreams, but we can no longer meet. In fact… it may be safer for you to leave Canterlot entirely.”

Octavia’s head snapped up. Tears threatened to escape her. Her throat constricted; she struggled to breathe. Luna wouldn’t face her. If only Luna would face her!

“Thank you, Octavia. Thank you for your music, for your comfort. I will… I…” Another shiver ran down Luna’s body. She spread her wings. “Just… Th-thank you.”

She flew away. Octavia raised a trembling hoof to stop her, but it was too late; Luna had disappeared in the darkness that now surrounded her. Lips shook; tears warmed her cheeks. For a long time, her hoof just hung there, limp and weak and useless like her.

“B-but… But I believe in you.”

Luna collapsed on her floor with a gasp and covered her face. She could still see Octavia’s expression: the slack jaw, the paleness, the tears threatening to burst from her eyes. That one expression tore at her soul like nothing else ever could. Tears formed trails down her face, but she refused to make a sound. No, Luna buried her face in her cannons and, though the effort rocked her body, kept her sobbing as silent as she could.

She knew it now.

Cadance had been right.

So beautifully, horribly right.

Luna fought to control her emotions, to beat them down with some semblance of logic. She stood no chance; every time her mind began to clear, that pretty, horrible, broken visage would come back to haunt her.

“W-why did I do that? That’s n-not what I m-meant to do…”

Somepony knocked on her door. Luna’s head jerked up, her body shrinking away from the sound as if stung. She clamped her jaw tight against her own quick breathing and stared at the door, tensed as if she might bolt from whoever had come calling.

“Luna?”

The ice came back, abrupt and powerful. Luna sneered even as more tears ran down her face.

“Luna, can we talk?”

She turned her face away from the door, struggling between a desire to sob and the need to maintain a regal poise… even if nopony could see it. “Go away, sister.”

Celestia needed a moment to formulate a response. “Please, Luna. I know I made a mistake and… and I’d like to right it.”

Luna gasped, her eyes going wide. She pressed a hoof to her aching chest, eyes shifting while her mind tried to process this. An answer… she had to answer.

“Luna? Please, let me in.”

No. No, it was a trick. Little Luna needed to be placated. She raised her head high once more. “I have no interest in talking right now.”

Another pause. No doubt Celestia was looking for just the right words to break Luna’s defenses and earn her forgiveness. Luna didn’t want to forgive.

No, she did. She should.

“I need you to listen to me, little sister. Please.”

“Celestia, I…” Luna stared at her hooves, her throat closing as the urge to sob rose up once more.

“You have to let me in, Luna. I have to make this right.”

Because only she could?

The ice returned. Luna gritted her teeth.

“This is not something you can just ‘make right.’”

Celestia’s voice was strained. Having difficulty keeping patient, it seemed. How frustrating Luna must be for her. “I know. Believe me, Luna, I know, but we need to start trusting one another.”

“Trust?” Luna glared at the door. “Trust is earned through actions, and yours are in question. Come to me in a year, and maybe then we’ll talk.”

“Luna, please. What must I do to help you?”

Luna’s ears perked. The idea made the ice thaw… some. She stood and turned to the door. The question danced on the tip of her tongue, but the odds of Celestia accepting were so low… should she even bother? “L-let me…” She paused to swallow the lump in her throat.

There was a trace of hope in Celestia’s voice. “Yes?”

Oh, so eager to get this over with.

Luna’s tone grew hard. “Let me see your nightmare.”

Silence. Luna pawed the floor, her eyes narrowing as she awaited a response. The air felt thick, pressing in on her. She moved a little closer to the door.

“Please, Luna. Ask me anything else.”

The ice expanded, freezing Luna’s entire body. She reared her head, lips pulled back to bare her teeth. “No.”

“Sister—”

“No! You speak of trust, but you know nothing of it. All you want is for me to behave.”

“That’s not true!”

The horror in Celestia’s tone was like a slap in the face, and Luna reeled. The ice melted as fast as it had come, and she collapsed to her knees with a gasp.

Celestia’s words pushed through Luna’s chaotic mind. “Sister, you must believe me, I never intended anything like that! I swear, I only meant to look out for you. I’m sorry if I seem controlling. I… I only ever wanted to help.”

Luna swayed as though drunk, a storm of conflicting emotions making the world spin. She closed her eyes and sucked down a long, slow breath, then released. The repeated this a few times: inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. By the fourth time, she had steadied herself. She looked at the door. At the moment, it seemed more akin to a great wall separating her from her dear sister.

Yes, her dear sister. She wouldn’t let the Nightmare mislead her. Luna reaffirmed the fact: she loved her sister, and she would never forget that fact again.

Even so…

“Celestia?”

A long, horrible pause.

“I’m here.”

Luna winced at that quiet tone. “Please, forgive me. I… my emotions are powerful, and have tainted my words. I don’t believe I can have this conversation now. I beg of you to give me time.”

“Time.” Celestia’s sigh was heavy. “Do we have time, Lulu?”

“I…” Luna chewed her lip and stared at her hooves. “I don’t know.”

Another of those hideous pauses.

“Very well. I will trust you, Luna. In the meantime, will you please forgive my rash decision?”

A weak smile formed on Luna’s lips. “I think I can do that.”

“G-good.” A moment’s hesitation. “Goodnight, little sister.”

“Goodnight, dear sister.”

Luna waited, just in case. Her body felt heavy, her breathing came in a long, slow rhythm. Despite everything, her mind had at last steadied. When certain Celestia had gone, she turned and walked for the window. Her eyes drifted over the city of Canterlot, to a certain familiar district.

“Forgive me, Octavia,” she whispered. “I know it hurts. It hurts… like I can’t believe.” She pressed a hoof to her chest, taking in the pain. “I will fight this demon. For my sister and Equestria, but for you more than anything. I won’t give up, not yet.

“And maybe, when it is at last vanquished, I will hear your beautiful music once more.”

Author's Notes:

As of this chapter, we are officially in the downward spiral to the climax. So glad to finally be here!