When Goku began to regain consciousness, the first thing she felt was the incredibly warm feeling coursing throughout her body. A type of warmth that went beyond even her comprehension and understanding. It was one of the most amazing feelings that she ever felt in her entire life. For no words were able to comprehend or describe it. The warmth somewhat reminded of her having a big cozy blanket being draped over her as a filly whenever it was bedtime. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, much more than that cozy bed could ever bring. It was as if Goku was being wrapped in a protective sphere of warm divine light made by Lauren Faust herself, made to keep her from the darkness of everything around her. Wherever this feeling came from, and however it had formed, the tan Thestral loved it. So much so that a part of her hoped it would never go away.

Alas, that feeling was soon put to an abrupt end.

“Goku?! Goku! Goku are you there, honey?!” A familiar voice said, echoing from outside of her semiconscious state. “Come on sweetie, wake up! Please wake up!”

With a soft moan, Goku opened her eyes as she came back to the waking world. With a slight cough, her eyes finally adjusted to the multiple shapes and colors in her keen vision. When her vision fully restored, she saw a that it was her friends, and Sky Ranger. As she looked up, she found herself staring into the teal blue eyes of Fluttershy.

“Ugh…girls, Fluttershy?” The pale white Kirin asked as she put a hoof to her head, despite not having a severe headache. “Is…is that you?”

“Goku! Oh, thank Faust you’re awake!” Fluttershy exclaimed, her sigh of relief blowing right into Goku’s face. “I thought that it was going to take you longer to wake up. I really thought that there was something wrong with you, or worse!”

“Wrong with me? Why would there be something wrong with-” Goku began to ask, only to go silent as she gasped. With a burst of speed, she sat up, slamming her forehead directly into Fluttershy’s own as she shot to her clawed feet. The buttermilk mare cried out in pained surprise as she reeled back, falling right into her haunches, not noticing the other’s winces. “Oh shit, Nightmare Moon! What happened girls?! Is the fight over?! Did we win?! That wasn’t just a dream, was it?! Was it?!”

“Whoa easy there Goku!” Sky Ranger said urgently, flying in front of her and holding her by the shoulders. “You don’t need to freak out…you beat her…all of you did.”

“Yeah, you don’t need to worry G!” Rainbow Dash nodded, flashing a fanged grin. “That bitch ain’t comin’ back ever again!”

Upon hearing this, Goku let out a huge sigh of relief and fell to her haunches, only to remember that she was wearing her new armor. “Oh, thank Faust…that is a huge relief! I seriously thought that I was going to have to blast her out of here for a fourth time! I honestly don’t think my body could’ve taken it if I did, haha!”

Fluttershy giggled, reaching out with a hoof and helping the tan Kirin back up, ignoring the red mark on her forehead. “Well, luckily for you sweetie, you had the rest of us with you. Not only that, we have the Elements now, and that’s what really helped us in defeating Nightmare Moon and freeing Luna from the Miasma’s grasp.”

“We most certainly did darling, and that’s not the only thing the Elements help us with!” Rarity chirped, as she presented her newly formed tail skirt. “Look! They even restored my beautiful tail skirt to all its divine glory! And here I thought that I was going to have to wait for months for it to grow back!”

“Yaaaaay! Good for you Rarity! You got your tail back!” Pinkie Pie shouted, bouncing over and hugging the alabaster Unicorn tightly. “And it looks just as divine as ever, hmhm!”

“I know!” The fashionista cooed, hugging the party pony back and nuzzling her. “I’ll never part with it again!”

“Oh hay yeah!” Rainbow Dash boasted, looking over her new armored form. “We look totally awesome! I had a feeling that those Element things were gonna give us something cool, but I didn’t think they’d give us this sweet armor!”

“Neither did I…” Twilight said softly, looking over her suit. “They even had symbols of our Cutie Marks on them, and that’s something I really didn’t expect to happen.”

Goku chuckled. “Well, we are the new Element Bearers now, so it kind of makes sense that they’d gain something to let ponies know that we are.” She looked down at her own armor, where the golden white gemstone shone in the center. “I am confused about my own armor, and my gemstone hasn’t chance.”

“I guess it’s probably because you don’t have your Cutie Mark yet.” Sky Ranger said, looking at the gem observingly. “When the rest of your friends gained their armor, their gemstones turned into their own Cutie Marks. I suppose since you haven’t gained yours yet, your gemstone stayed the same, and it may stay that way until you do get your Cutie Mark.”

“Huh…I never thought of it like that.” Goku murmured, looking from her gemstone to her flank as she took in the Hippogriff’s words. “Oh well, I don’t really care about that right now. I’m just happy that we stopped Nightmare Moon, and saved Ponyville and all of Equestria from Eternal Night!”

“Me too G.” Applejack nodded, running a hoof through her own armor. “Ah gotta be honest, when you an’ Twilight were tellin’ us ‘bout these here things, Ah that y’all were just spountin’ a lotta hooey. But now, after what we’ve been through in this forest, and findin’ how out these Elements really worked, Ah think Ah can say with all th’ honesty in me that…we really do represent the Elements o’ Friendship.”

“Indeed, you do…all of you.”

A squeak of terror from Chenoa alerted the group to the new voice, and the readied themselves for another confrontation. However, upon seeing who it was, their postures of defense turned into bows as Queen Celestia, the Shadowbolts, Venture Vine and Zephyr all came inside.

“Queen Celestia!” Twilight squealed, rushing over and throwing her arms around her mentors neck. The swan white Alicorn smiled and returned the hug, using one of her wings instead of her hooves, since they weren’t bloody.

“Congratulations my little ponies, I knew you could do it.” Celestia said warmly as the Solar and Lunar Guards stormed in. “You fought through thick and thin and managed to find the Elements and unlock them. I knew deep inside me that you were the ponies who could bring my sister back, and you did it.”

“Yeah…we sure did.” Twilight said, looking down at the star gemstone on her armor. A confused look then came to her face as she looked back up at her mentor. “But…I still don’t understand…I thought you said that Nightmare Moon was just an old mare’s tail.”

The swan white Alicorn giggled, putting a hoof on the lavender Unicorn’s armored shoulder. “Oh Twilight, did you forget what I had told you four years ago? I never said that Nightmare Moon wasn’t real. I told you that you needed to catch up with all of the wonderful friends you made over the years, nothing more, dear. You were so focused on reading all of those dusty old books that you were becoming more and more anti-social, and that worried me, Spike, and your family greatly. So, I felt that you needed to be sent somewhere where you could be closer to your friends, especially since Goku was off at college. That’s the precise reason why I had you go to Ponyville, so you could get out and venture more…and I’m so glad that I did.”

She pulled her hoof away, and looked over at the window, at her Sun that shined through the glass. “I will be honest with you all, I foresaw the return of Nightmare Moon, but I didn’t want to tell you or Goku about it so soon. Not since neither of, or your friends were ready for the task at hoof. When we met up in Twilight’s library, I knew deep down inside that it was you, her, and the rest of your friends who had the magic within you all to defeat her.”

“You did your Highness?” Venture Vine asked, looking over at her six friends and then back up at the Queen. “Wow…so even before they had come to this here forest and accepted your mission, you had known all along that they be the ones to be able wield the Elements of Harmony?”

“Yes, I did…well, that and some small part of me told me that they’d accept the task I was offering to them. Especially with the lives of your loved ones at stake.” Celestia said knowingly, giving a light nod. “However, unless they were able to let true friendship into their hearts, they would’ve have never been able to bring them to life. Not only that, without Goku, none of you would’ve been able to unleash their power, especially since there are seven of the Elements.”

“For some reason, I had a feeling that was the case.” Goku said giggling mirthfully. “I mean, we did read in Twilight’s Reference Guide that there was the possibility of seventh Element being present, and that it would take the other six to summon it. So, without me coming along with the girls, none of them, not even Twilight, would’ve been able to use the other Elements, and they would’ve been killed by Nightmare Moon right on the spot!”

“Exactly, my dear thestral. And because you and your friends helped each through your journey into the Everfree Forest, and you kept them together, you displayed how wonderful the magic of friendship is, and how essential it is to any pony’s lives.” Celestia said smiling down at the seven mares as the six of them smiled at a bashful Goku. As quickly as it had come however, the swan white Alicorn’s smile vanished, and she let out a sigh. “And hopefully, another one will learn that as well.”

Celestia’s pale lavender eyes looked straight ahead of her at the large gaping hole where the twin thrones used to be standing. The seven mares, seeing where their Queen was looking, glanced at the large hole, before looking back at her. It took them a few seconds to remember that there was something else that needed to be done, and once they did, they flipped.

“Oh SHIT!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her curse echoing about the room and causing most of the other ponies to wince. “Queen Luna! We completely blew her right out of this bucking room! Oh no, I really hope she’s okay and we didn’t over do it! Well, we kind of overdid it anyway when we use the Elements on her, but still! I really hope we didn’t kill her!”

“Shimmer down Dash, we didn’t kill her.” Applejack said, setting a hoof on the cyan mare’s shoulder. “At least, Ah don’t think we did. We didn’t really kill her did we yer Highness?”

“No Applejack, do not worry. The Elements of Harmony only freed her from the nightmare that plagued her, nothing more.” Celestia said calming, her tone gentle and reassuring. “They were never designed for taking the lives of ponies that were corrupted by either outside power or their own. Rather, they free those individuals from the darkness that plagued them, this giving them another chance at redemption and life, while eternally imprisoning those that cannot get free, unless said otherwise.” She looked back over to the large hole. “In this case, it was the former, and I’m glad that it turned out that way for my sister. Although, I do worry for the condition that she’s in right now.”

“Well whatever are we doing just standing around here?!” Rarity all but demanded. “We simply must check up on her! I will absolutely not have one of the divine rulers of Equestria laying bloodied and beaten while we’re looking as if nothing had ever happened!”

“Took the words right out of my mouth Rarity!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I really really really want to see Queen Luna! I’ve heard so so so so SO many stories about her, and I wanna see if any of them are true! Oh, and I wonder what she looks like too, since she is the Queen of the Night! Oh, I bet she’ll look sooooo PRETTY!”

The swan white Alicorn inwardly chuckled. 'You have no idea...'

“I’ve actually sort of been wanting to meet her myself.” Fluttershy admitted softly, gently pawing at the ground. “N-normally I would be very nervous about meeting a ruler of any land, Equestria or not…a-and I’d probably be shaking like a leaf of I did get the opportunity. I know Scootaloo would be if she were in my position.” She then took a deep breath and composed herself. “But…there’s just…something that’s compelling me to go see her. I don’t know what it is, but…I just really really do. I-I if you don’t mind that is, y-your Majesty.”

“Hmhm, not at all my little pony. I was actually having you all come to see her anyway…I can almost anticipate the reactions you’ll have once you do.” Celestia replied, smiling sweetly at the buttermilk Pegasus. She turned back to the Wonderbolts and her Guards. “Thank you for accompanying us in this journey, Venture Vine, Captain Violet Fire, you and your whole team. I am very glad that you chose to accept my notice in aiding us in finding Nightmare Moon…even if it was on such short notice.”

“I would never reject any kind of notice to help you your Highness, not me or any of the other Wonderbolts.” Violet Fire said softly, giving a respectful bow. “Anything that you need our help for we’ll do without a single moment’s hesitation.” Her soft yellow eyes went over to Goku, Twilight, and her friends, and she smiled sweetly. “Especially if it was with close friends of our own…”

“I’m glad to hear that my dear. That I could rely on ponies as dependable and reliable as all of you, both you and the Shadowbolts.” Celestia said with a little laugh. “You and your team are free to leave now and head back to your base. I’ll be sure to send your rewards over to you as soon as I get everything sorted out here. For now, I think I’d be best of you all head on out of here.”

“As you wish you Majesty.” Violet Fire said, giving the Queen a sharp salute before she flew to the door. “Come on Wonderbolts, let’s go!”

“Right, you got it Captain.” Soarin said, before turning back to the Shadowbolts. “See you and your team later Captain Violet Fire!”

“You too honey!” The ebony black mare replied, smiling sweetly at the light cornflower blue stallion. “You and your team fly safe on your way to base okay?”

“We will!” Blue Skies said, smiling warmly at the Shadowbolts. “Bye-bye!”

“See ya!” Fast Track grinned, Lightning and Storm giving them silent nods before they all vanished out of the entrance of the old Throne Room. Shortly after the Wonderbolts vanished, Celestia turned to Zephyr and Venture, who was right by her side as before.

“The same goes with you Zephyr, you are free to leave. I will also send you your payment when I have the appropriate time.” Celestia said softly, putting a hoof on the royal blue stallion’s shoulder. “Oh, and if you don’t mind, could you lead the other guards out of the Everfree Forest for me? I need somepony who can remember tracks and trails, even in an environment as big as this one.”

“Of course your Highness, I’ll get to it right away.” Zephyr replied, giving the Queen a bow before turning to the other guards. “C’mon everypony, time to head home. Our work here is done.”

The other Solar and Lunar Guards silently nodded, nodding to their third in command as he began to lead them out of the room. Just before he left though, Goku saw him leave, and quickly bid her foalhood friend farewell.

“See ya Zephyr!” she said as she waved a claw over at him. It was great seeing you again! Thanks for helping me and the rest of my friends!”

“You too G!” The royal blue stallion replied, smirking back at the pale white Kirin. “Good luck with your meeting with Queen Luna!”

“Thanks, good luck to your trek out of the Everfree!” Goku said, giggling as she continued to wave at the Solar Guard. “Say hi to my Mom and Dad if you see them okay?!”

“Sure thing, honey!” Venture Vine said winking at her fellow Kirin. “See ya!”

“Wait!” The surprisingly loud voice of Fluttershy cut through the room as she rushed over to the royal blue stallion. Zephyr and Venture stopped where they were, curious as to what the buttermilk Pegasus wanted to tell them.

“Yes Fluttershy?” The former asked softly, tilting his head to the side. “What’s the matter?”

No sooner did he ask this, Zephyr found his face cupped in the warm hooves of the beautiful mare in front of him. He was only given a moment to look into her half-lidded gaze, before her lips pressed gently, yet firmly against his. Zephyr’s pupils concreted as a surprised squeak left him, his whole-body stiffening at the sudden lip contact. He then felt Fluttershy’s tongue enter his mouth and swirl around it, letting him get a full taste of it. Zephyr’s wings flared outward as his face burned from the contact, and he felt a tingling inside of his loins.

Not too far away from them, Fluttershy’s friends were having various reactions as well. Rainbow Dash’s jaw hit the ground, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. Rarity and Pinkie pie both let out overdramatic gasps, the latte’s eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. Twilight froze in place, feeling a blush coming to her face as her heart leapt in her chest. Chenoa let out a startled squeak while Applejack merely whistled, with Goku and Celestia looking like they were going to double over laughing.

The ones with the most composed reaction was Venture Vine, who was starting completely blanked faced at the scene. ‘That mare is so going to milk him dry.’ She thought dryly, letting outa quiet sigh. ‘About time too…I was wondering when my baby boy was gonna get laid…’

Then, as quickly as he began, the kiss ended, and Zephyr was left in a bit of a daze as he tried to comprehend what had happened. When he finally did, he looked back down at Fluttershy, only to find her luscious lips next to his ear as she whispered, “Don’t forget about my thank you gift for when this is all over Zephyr~. You and me are going to have some fun~.”

‘Oh yeah.’ Venture thought, a little smile decorating her face. ‘Definitely going to screw him into the ground.’

A sharp, high pitched whinny escaped Zephyr as his eyes slammed shut, shivering as Fluttershy slowly ran a hoof along his chest. He opened his eyes just in time to see a retreating Fluttershy bat her eyelashes at him and brush her tail under his chin. With that, she trotted off back to her friends, and the sway of her hips was all that Zephyr needed to hightail it out of there. As he, Venture, and Royal Guards left, Venture leaned in close to her son. “You do realize that she’s going to make you breed her until your dick is a shriveled husk, right?”

“Don’t remind me!” Zephyr whimper his face still burning as Venture laughed and patted him comfortingly on his back with a wing. While they left, a grinning Fluttershy flew back to her friends, caring not for the various looks they were all giving her.

“Uuuuh…” Rainbow Dash said, finally managing to find her voice. “What the hay was THAT?!”

Fluttershy giggled, winking at Rainbow Dash as she slowly licked her lips. “Just a little reminder of what Zephyr’s going to get from me. After all, I’m not one to let anypony go unrewarded, isn’t that right…Rarity?”

The alabaster unicorn blinked in perplexation, before Fluttershy’s words sunk in and she took gained a bit of a blush. Looking away, she rubbed her foreleg and stammered. “Er, y-yes darling…thank you for reminding me.”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa hold on!” Rainbow held her hooves out in front of her. “What is she talking about Rarity?! What is going on between you and Zephyr?!”

“Nothing that’s any of your business Rainbow.” Goku said sternly, glaring warningly at the cyan mare. “What they’re doing with Zephyr is their business only, so just drop it.”

“But I-!” Rainbow began, only to cover at the ashen face Goku shot her. Not wanting to get her mane burned off, she slumped in defeat. “Okay…n-never mind…”

With the athlete firmly put in her place, Applejack turned to Celestia and asked, “So uh, Your Majesty? Mind tellin’ us jus’ how yer gonna get us outta here an’ over t’ yer sister?”

Without a single word, the swan white Alicorn ignited her horn, encasing them, and the new Element Bearers into large golden bubbles. Spreading her massive wings, she took to the air with a single flap and soared out of the large whole, out into the open are, the encased ponies following behind her.

“U-um, Queen Celestia?” Twilight asked, the slightest bit of apprehension in her voice as she stared at the ground that she was being lifted off of. “What’re you doing to us?”

“Nothing my faithful student, I am merely giving you a ride across the Everfree to see my sister.” Celestia calmly replied, smiling over at her mentor. “Think of it as me helping you save time and energy that you’ll have to use when you get back home to survey the damage done to your home.”

Oh, please don’t remind us of that your Highness.” Rarity groaned, draping a hoof over her forehead as she floated rathe gracefully in the air. “I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of damage that was done to our beautiful town, especially to my boutique! And I don’t even want to think of what happened to my dear Sweetums! I can almost hear her calling out to her big sister right now! Oh, if I have to stay out here anymore than I half to, I’m gonna be wracked with worry!”

“Same here Rares…even now, Ah’m thinkin’ about AB an’ how she’s doin’ along with them new friends o’ hers.” Applejack nodded. “But Ah don’t think we should fret, their safe with Midnight and Snowflake, and if they were attacked, odds are they’re at th’ farm right now. So, Ah don’t think we should worry too much.”

“Jackie’s right! Those little cuties are a lot tougher than they look, even from our standards!” Pinkie Pie giggled as she rolled about in her bubble. “Who knows, maybe even my little Melon Cake’s with them putting big smiles on their faces right now!”

“Hmhm, now that’d be something that I would really like to see.” Fluttershy giggled, imagining Scootaloo’s adorable laughter in her ears. “But I think we can worry about that later girls. I think we’ve made it to our, um…destination.”

Following the line of the buttermilk Pegasus hoof, everypony gasped upon seeing a huge pillar of smoke rising from a grove of trees just in front of them. As they flew through the titan sized ones, they could see that most of the trees were burnt and charred. Small flickers of fire could be seen on said trees as the mares were carried through them, and over to where the thick cloud of smoke was. Wordlessly, Celestia landed on the ground in front of the crater, and deactivated her horn, letting the Element Bearers and the Shadowbolts out of their bubbles.

With her wings still spread, Celestia flapped them hard, sending a powerful gust of wind that blew all of the smoke away, as if it wasn’t even there to begin with. Everypony waited with bated breath as the swan white Alicorn looked inside of the crater. The silence that reigned throughout the clearing was so strong the eleven ponies felt as if they were being choked as they waited for their Queen’s verdict on her sister’s fate.

“W-well…? H-how is she your Highness?” Goku asked hesitantly. “Is…i-is Queen Luna okay?”

Slowly the swan white Alicorn turned around to look at the ponies behind her, each of them holding looks of expectancy fear and hope. A tiny smile slowly stretched across Celestia’s face as she gazed at them warmly. Then, after another long period of silence, she finally spoke.

“Everypony…” She said, her warm tone will happiness, elation, and relief. “…come and meet my little sister.”

That was all the words that they needed to hear as they galloped over to the Queen, stopping just short of the edge of the crater. Loud gasps escaped their throat as some of their hooves flew to her mouth, a couple of them even beginning to cry. Celestia smiled at their face, before looking down at the sight that meet each of their eyes took all their breaths away.

Lying in the middle of the charred crater, positioned in a way as if she were merely sleeping, was the most exotic and elusive looking mare any of them had seen in their entire lives. Like Celestia and Nightmare Moon, she was an Alicorn, albeit a little less than half of Celestia when it came to size. She had a grayish phthalo blue coat that contrasted brightly with the charred ground she was laying in, with a lighter grayish persian blue and tail skirt. Her eyes were closed, but the ponies could see that she had ebony black stockings on her hooves, with fetlocks trailing behind them, like Celestia’s own. She had a set of moderate cyan regalia similar to that of Celestia’s own, with a crown to match, having a crescent moon in the center of the crown and chest regalia. At last, her Cutie Mark was of that same blotched crescent moon, except the blotch was now a deep ebony black instead of indigo.

They could also see that the Alicorn mare had traits that could’ve mad her pass for a bat pony, or Thestral. For one, she had large furry tufts on the tops of her ears, like that of a thestral’s, or Bat Pony. Along with a, slightly shorter, set of fangs that could’ve been mistaken for a Vampire Pony’s own. Her wings were also that of a bat’s, being deep ebony black in color, while still holding the feathers of a Pegasus, along with feathered tail fins to match. To top her alluring appearance off, was her figure, which was quite the eye catcher, much to a certain fashionista’s secret envy. Unlike Celestia’s own frame, which was more largely built, Luna’s was lean, slender, and sleek, with plumpness and curves in all the right places.

“Oh, my goodness…” Twilight said in a near whisper, staring in awe at the mare before her. “Q-Queen Celestia…is...is this?”

“Yes, my faithful student this is my sister, Queen Luna Nightwalker.” Celestia said, smiling down at her student. “She is quite the sight is she not?”

Fluttershy nodded gently, tears silently flowing down her face. “She’s…she’s so beautiful...m-more beautiful that I had ever thought she’d be. I…I knew that she’d be as beautiful as you your Majesty, b-but…but I wasn’t…”

“Expecting something like this?” Rarity finished, looking just as captivated. “I know how you feel darling. Even I wasn’t expecting our dear Queen Luna to be this…alluring.”

“I have no idea what that means, but I totally agree with you Rares!” Rainbow Dash said, eyeing the grayish phthalo Alicorn in amazement. “And look, she even has her own set of fangs and wings claws like me! How badass is that?!”

“It’s…something alright.” Applejack murmured. “She even has her own set a bat wings on her too, along with them tufts on her ears. Kinda reminds me o’ th’ Fruit Bats back on th’ farms…only they’re more like that of an actual bat.”

“Hold on a second!” Pinkie Pie said, holding a hoof up. “Queen Celly’s mane and tail are flowing and wavy like, but Queen Lulu’s isn’t! If they’re sisters, then why don’t they have the same flowing mane?”

Goku stared at Pinkie as if she had said worst joke in the entire world. “Really Pinkie Pie? Out of all the questions you had to ask about Queen Luna, that’s the first one you come up with?”

“What?” The bubblegum pink pony asked, frowning at the tan Kirin. “It does make sense doesn’t it? The Nightmare meanie pants had a mane that flowed like Queen Celly’s, so now that Queen Lulu’s back, shouldn’t her mane be like that of her sister?”

“Well, yes, it should.” Celestia replied calmly. “However, due to you and your friends freeing Luna from the Nightmare, I’m afraid she has lost her power for the time being. Being trapped on the Moon for one thousand hears with a dark creature’s power eating away at you can make you unable to reach out to your own power for a time. And that’s what happened to my sister now that she is no longer Nightmare Moon.” She held a hoof up. “Now, don’t take this as me saying that she won’t be able to get her power back, because she will. Luna just…needs some rest to recover her strength, both for that and for the celebration soon to take hold.”

“Oh, well that’s a relief. I was honestly wondering if she had a different form other than this, especially since me and my team had seen pictures of what Queen Luna really looked like.” Applejack murmured, sighing. “I’m glad that she won’t be like this forever, however pretty she looks like this.”

“Same here AJ.” Rainbow Dash said, grinning over at the light grey mare. “I’d take this form or some other one over the last one Queen Luna was in any day!”

“Um, pardon me everypony. I don’t mean to be rude but…” Goku said, holding a hoof up. “…Is nopony going to wake her up? I mean, we’ve been here for a good few minutes, and nopony’s bothered to try to wake her up. Are we really just going to leave her here until she does?”

“I-I will.” Fluttershy said, volunteering before anypony else could. Everypony else looked over at the buttermilk yellow mare, who still had tears falling from her eyes. “I want to be the one to wake her up…i-if you don’t mind that is your Highness. P-please…I-I-I just want to…please…”

“Of course, Fluttershy, go right ahead.” Celestia said, gesturing down with a hoof. “I would advise you to be careful when you do. My sister is quite the sensitive pony, so even the slightest mistouch will set her off.”

“Yes, your Highness, thank you so much!” Fluttershy replied elatedly. “I promise, I’ll be as gently as I possibly can.”

“Hey, why does-” Rainbow Dash began to ask, only to stop when Goku spread a wing out in front of her. Frowning, the cyan mare looked over at the tan mare, only to freeze upon the stern look she was giving her. Wordlessly, Goku firmly shook her head, silently letting Dash know to stay put, giving her a little glow in the eyes as a warning. A moment later, Rainbow crossed her legs and looked away, grumbling under her breath.

Without another word, Fluttershy spread her wings and flew down the crater, the rest of the Element Bearers following behind her soon after. The feeling of the crater’s heat washed over their bodies as the smell of burnt earth filled their nostrils, but that was the last thing on their minds, the only thing being to get to Queen Luna. Before they knew it, they were right in front of the Moon Goddess, who still hadn’t noticed any of them there, still in her sleep filled state.

Fluttershy stopped just in front of the phthalo blue Alicorn, her breaths coming out slow and shaky as her legs shook in anticipation. She looked over at her friends, and the Queen, tears still pooling from her eyes as they all looked back at her quietly. They all gave smiles of encouragement to the ebony black mare, letting her know that they were there with her, along with her team.

Nodding, Fluttershy took a deep shaky breath and turned back to Queen Luna, and, after one more moment of hesitation, leaned her head in. She brushed her cheek up against Luna’s as gently as she possibly could, feeling the comforting warmth come from it. Fluttershy pulled her head away and waited for any sign of life from the bat winged Alicorn. A few seconds of silence passed with nothing from the mare, and Fluttershy and the others worried that she may in fact be seriously hurt or worse. Then, as if proving them wrong, a soft moan escaped the fanged lips of Luna and she slowly lifted her head up from the ground.

“She…she’s waking up! Queen Luna’s waking up! S-she’s okay, she’s really okay!” Fluttershy cried, smiling widely at the ponies around her. With her body bursting with excitement, she turned back to Queen Luna who was trying to sit herself up. “Q…Queen Luna…a-are you okay? Can you hear us?”

With another moan, the phthalo blue Alicorn raised a hoof to her face, rubbing at her eyes in a way that made it look like she was coming out from a goodnight sleep. The cute yawn that she let out didn’t help her matters either, and Fluttershy found herself silently cooing at the sight of it. With a shake of her head, Luna slowly opened her eyes, revealing to absolutely captivating moderate cyan eyes, completed with slits shaped like that of diamonds.

“Oooooh…w…where am I?” The phthalo blue Alicorn asked, looking around at the incinerated she lay in. Looking in front of her, she jumped slightly at seeing the Shadowbolts and the Element Bearers with her. “Who…who are you ponies? W-w-where am I?! W-why am I not on the Moon?”

“Don’t worry Queen Luna, it’s okay.” Fluttershy said soothingly, holding a hoof out. “None of us are going to hurt you, I promise. As for where you are…you’re in the Everfree Forest.”

Luna paused, her fear and apprehension giving way to confusion. “T…the Everfree Forest? Y-you mean the forest that holds the castle that my sister and I live in?”

“Used to live in your Majesty…” Goku said gently. “…but yes, you are in the Everfree Forest, in a spot just behind you and your sister’s old castle.”

“As for who we are…” Rainbow Dash said as he hovered in the air. “We are the new Elements of Harmony, and the ponies that helped save you for Nightmare Moon!”

“The…Elements?” Luna asked, looking down at the ground as she tried to recall where she heard that name. A moment later, it began to click inside her head. “Yes…yes, I remember…it’s all coming back to me now. the fight me and my sister had, and her using the Elements to banish me to my Moon was I was about…to slay her.” She looked back up at seven mares, taking in their appearances. “I must say though, I have never seen ponies quite like you before. Has…h-has that much time really flown by so quickly?”

“I’m afraid so your Highness...a-and I’m sorry to say that…a-all the ponies you may have known are…d-d-dead now.” Fluttershy replied, lifting a hoof to try to wipe away her tears. “A lot has changed since you were last here Q-Queen Luna, a-and we apologize i-if this is all a little overwhelming for you, a-and if-”

“N-no, no…it is alright young one.” Queen Luna said quietly, holding a hoof up to silence the veterinarian. “To be completely honest with you, I was not expecting anything to truly stay the same during my exile on the Moon, the environment around me. Then again, neither was I expecting things to chance so much, even with the extended number of centuries that have passed.” She around at the giant trees around them. “I do notice one thing that has stayed the same though, and that’s the Everfree Forest. Even after spending a thousand years on the Moon, I can never forget the magic coursing through this place. Nor the scent of the leaves swaying in the trees, the sounds of the creatures prowling through the bushes, and the trees towering over me…I can remember it all on my Moon as clear as day. And now that I am back, feeling it for the first time in ten centuries…it’s…hard to describe how it’s making me feel, even now.”

Applejack chuckled. “Can’t say that we blame ya…we’d probably be feeling th’ same if we were in yer position Queen Luna. Even with th’ small amount of time we’ve spent in this forest, we still have a hard time absorbing all the weird stuff that’s in here. Our friend Fluttershy is the only one who can really stand it, and even now, I’m still wondering how she’s able to do it.” The aforementioned mare blushed looking away as she hit behind her mane. “Regardless, it’s good t’ have you back with us Queen Luna.”

Luna blushed, shrinking away slightly at the warm smiles the mares were all giving her. She opened her mouth to say something else, only to stop and snap it shut. A gasp escaped the Moon Goddess’s mouth as she shot to her hooves, as if the mere sight of the seven mares had granted her the strength to stand. Her slitted eyes widened as she stared at them, taking in the sight of their armored forms as they all looked back at her in surprise.

“Q…Queen Luna?” Fluttershy asked sensitively. “Are…are you okay? W-why are you staring at us like that?”

“Y-you…you ponies…!” Luna stuttered; her eyes wide as they could be as she pointed a shaky hoof towards them. “I…I know who you are, all of you! Y-you’re the ponies that I saw…b-back at your home! T-the home that I…that I nearly…!”

“You…remember who we are?” Goku asked, the smallest hint of surprise in her voice, which wa laced with confusion.

“Y-yes, I do!” Luna replied, lowering her foreleg. “I…I-I remember seeing you all back in the town that I had…invaded, while still in my dark state! I remember everything that happened in that town, even before I had come inside!”

Twilight’s eyes widened as Luna’s words sunk into her mind. “You…you do?” She asked softy, earning a slow nod from the Alicorn. “So…you know what you…h-had done as…Nightmare Moon?”

Tears built up in Luna’s eyes as she bit her lip, her fangs protruding out of her mouth as she nodded again. “I do…a-all of it. I remember…c-charging through the roof and d-destroying it on impact…l-landing in front of all of those t-t-terrified ponies. T-t-the fear in their eyes, a-and…what I had done afterward.”

“You mean when ya flew up t’ yer sister an’ stabbed her in th’ chest?” Applejack asked gently, yet straightforwardly. Goku, Fluttershy, and Rarity all glared at her sharply, but the tangerine mare ignored it, looking straight into Luna’s tear-filled eyes. “Yer sayin’ that ya remember that?”

“I do…all of it. I remember…f-filling her w-w-with electricity, a-and the feeling of her, b-b-blood on my horn as i…s-stabbed her. I remember the screams that she let when I had done so…a-and the feeling of her s-sliding off of my horn.” Luna replied, her eyes squeezing shut as she shook on the spot. Taking in a shaky breath, she looked back up at the Element Bearers, her slitted moderate cyan blue eyes locking straight with Fluttershy’s teal ones. “I…I even remember, what I did to you, young one…h-how I nearly…crushed you with my bare hoof.”

“You remember that too?” The buttermilk Pegasus asked gently, her hoof instinctively going over to her stomach and rubbing it.

“Every last bit of it…a-and, what happened afterword when we finally met again.” Luna replied, wiping away her tears. “The fight, me teleporting you all away in my Nightmare state, m-me…throwing you one friend around, a-and my sister coming in and fighting me…a-again.” She looked in between each of the Element Bearers. “Most of all…I remember all of you firing at me…the feeling of the Elements pulling the Nightmare out of me…me hitting something hard…and then, after that…n-nothing.”

Rainbow Dash winced, her ears pinning back. “Yeah…we figured that you would remember that, even if you weren’t really yourself. We’re uh…we’re really sorry that we did that to you Queen Luna. We didn’t mean to blast you out of your old castle like that…we were just tiring to get that Nightmare Moon bitch out of you. We didn’t mean to overdo it.”

“Especially me.” Goku said, rubbing the back of her head. “I admit, I went over the top back there when I used my Big Bang Kamehameha Wave on you. My Element’s magic, along with those of my friends really didn’t help matters for any of us either. So again, we are very sorry that you got basted out like that…a-and gave you any unnecessary injuries.”

Luna shook her head, giving all seven mares a gentle and reassuring smile. “Do not worry about that little ponies. I do not blame any of you for what you had to do to defeat the Nightmare inside me and free me from its grasp. I will admit, you did indeed get carried away in your final move, especially when sending me into the second half of the Everfree Forest, but you are forgiven for that. You were in a situation where you had to use whatever means necessary to defeat a mighty foe…even if that foe wore the coat of one of your Queens. So you are forgiven for going over the top in our final battle.” A sigh escaped her lips as she hung her head, flicking her tail skirt. “I just only hope that my sister can forgive me for what I’ve done as well.”

“Who said that I did not forgive you my dear sister?”

Luna’s slitted eyes snapped back open upon hearing the voice she hadn’t heard in over ten whole centuries, yet still able to recognize anywhere. Snapping her head up, another gasp left her throat when she saw the swan white Alicorn slowly stepped down the crater. Every single fiber in Luna’s body screamed at her to run, to get as far away as possible from Celestia. As much as the fearful part of her wanted to, her more joyful and hopeful side kept her rooted where she was. It was only when Celestia got with leg’s length of her did she finally manage to move, but she was only able to back away half a foot before she froze again.

“T-T-Tia?” She stuttered, a squeak in her voice as she stared into the eyes of her sister. “Is…i-is that really you?”

Celestia smiled warmly, tears forming in her eyes as she looked down at her sister. “It is, my dear sister…as I was from one thousand years ago.” She said, her voice as gentle and motherly as ever. “Although, I can’t that I’m entirely the same pony that you last saw, before…your exile.”

The smaller Alicorn nodded in agreement, her eyes scanning over the changing colors in her sister’s mane and tail skirt. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted a hoof and ran it through the swan white Alicorn’s flowing mane. “Aye…you do look a little different from when I last saw you sister. Your mane and tail…they still have that pink color that they had over a millennium ago, only now, they are changing colors. This wouldn’t happen to be an effect from trying to use all of the Elements of Harmony by yourself, would it not?”

“Still as sharp as you were centuries ago little sister. Yes, this is indeed a side effect from using all the Elements of Harmony at once. Something that, even now, I wish I didn’t have to do.” Celestia nodded, closing her eyes as Luna took her hoof away. She looked over at the seven mares, who were standing just off to the side. “It is why these ponies here have the Elements with them now, and are adorned in their armor, because they are the new Bearers of Harmony.”

“I see…I suspected as much.” Luna said, looking down at the ground as she absorbed the information like a sponge.

After a moment, Celestia sighed, her smile being replaced by a guilty frown coming to her face as she began to say the words that she wanted to say for so long. “Luna, before we do anything else…I want to say, that I am sorry.”

Luna froze, slowly looking up at with wide slitted eyes. “Y…y-you what?”

“Yes, dearest sister…I am sorry, for all the pain that I have put you through over these last thousand years, even before that.” Celestia replied, looking down at Luna with eyes full of remorse. “From when I began to put my own subjects over you, to ignoring you when you needed me, and not giving you a listening ear when you wanted, pleaded, for me to talk to you. For letting you fall into the pain and despair from everything that everypony was saying about you. For letting you go to such desperate and consequential measures to find love…and for pushing you to becoming the monster you were one thousand years ago.”

The swan white Alicorn closed her eyes as her expression became more pained. “For the last ten centuries, I have watch you sit imprisoned on the very Moon that you raised, and there has not been a day that went by that I did not think about you, or the pain that I had put you through during that time. Even now, I still remember the look of pain, agony, aguish and absolute grief tha you gave me day you and I clashed, and as I raised your Moon each and every day, I still felt it. It had haunted me each and every single day for all of these countless years, even as Equestria slowly changed in your absence on your beautiful Moon. There is not a day that goes by that I did not think about what happened that fateful day, or the pain that I put you through. Not only by the Nightmares hooves, but at my own as well, and that is the worst thing that I could’ve ever done to you.” She slowly sat down on her haunches and reached out with a hoof, putting it ever so gently on Luna’s shoulder. “Which is why…I want you back by my side again, not only as my sister, but as a fellow Queen of Equestria.”

“You…y-you want me back as Equestria’s Queen?” Luna asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “A-after…after everything I’ve done, all the pain that I put you and the ponies through…y-you still…w-w-want be back as their ruler?”

“Yes Luna, I do, and I have been wanting it even after I had banished you to your Moon. It’s something that should’ve happened long ago, since our beloved mother had passed away, and it should’ve been that way the moment we both ascended.” Celestia replied, smiling warmly. “I know you may think that you do not deserve it after everythin you have done, both then and now, but believe me when I say Luna, despite everything that’s happened, you deserve to rule, and be a ruler. Not just beside me, but as a Queen yourself, even if others don’t seem to agree. There’s a reason why Mother had said that we would rule Equestria together, because we were mean to rule together as sisters. Something that, overtime, I have forgotten due to the love and admiration that many of our subjects were giving me instead of you.”

She got back up, looking down at the phthalo blue Alicorn while still holding her shoulder. “But now, that time has come and gone…you have paid for your crimes and served out your sentence, despite all that has happened today. You have a second chance at putting all of those past deeds behind you, and becoming the pony that you once were. So, I ask of you on this day, Queen Luna Nightwalker, not just as a pony, and not just as a ruler of Equestria, but as a pony. Will you accept my forgiveness for your deeds, my friendship, along with many others along the way, and come back to my side again as the fellow Ruler of Equestria?”

For the longest time, nothing was said between anypony; not Luna, not Celestia, and especially not the Element Bearers. The formers all looked expectantly at the latter, wondering whether or not she’d accept Celestia’s forgiveness and offer in friendship, and become the fellow ruler of Equestria once more. Despite what she had done, the latter could not believe that none of them held any grudges or ill will against her, especially since Luna wasn’t really. Though by what she had told them, she could still clearly see what it was that she had done…or rather, what the Nightmare made her do. Either way, they all severely hoped that Luna would accept her second chance to start anew and make new friends. Otherwise, they’d feel as if the whole trip to the Everfree was for nothing.

The phthalo blue Alicorn laid where she was, still in a state of shock and absolute disbelief at what her sister was saying, let alone offering. Luna had honestly thought that her sister would not forgive her for what she had done. Somewhere deep inside her she knew that her sister would forgive her deeds over a millennium ago, even though a large part of her believed that she wouldn’t. However, to hear that her sister had not only forgiven her for that, but for what she had done just hours after she escaped from the Moon was huge shock to her. Which only added to the looks on the new Element Bearer’s faces as they all looked bac at her expectantly.

Then, there was the offer that Celestia was giving her, to have a second chance at living as a true pony and gain the friends, love, and acceptance that she had craved for so long. A part of her, the guilty and self-loathing part wanted to decline, to reject her offer and run off never to be seen again. To not have to look into the kind, warm and forgiving faces of the ponies she had hurt, both in the past and in the current present. The larger, more elated part of Luna however, demanded that she accept, to take the chance to put the past behind her for good. It was, admittedly, a reasonably tempting offer, especially since it was Celestia of all ponies offering it, which gave Luna all the more reason to accept it, and take back her rightful place beside her sister.

As Luna continued to mull over accepting Celestia’s forgiveness and her friendship once more, another swarm of thoughts stabbed their way into her mind. Darker, harsher, and more tragic thoughts of her time on the Moon, and what had happened to lead to it. Or rather, who had led her banishment and did the one thing to finally snap the last thread of her remaining sanity and let the Nightmare take over. The more these thoughts plagued her mind, the more she found herself hesitating to accept the offer. Finally, after two full minutes of silence, Luna breathed out a long soft sigh, letting her thoughts clear as she thought up of what to say. Once she was sure everything was set, she opened her eyes and met those of her sister, giving her the most serious stern look she could give.

“Sister, in the time that I have spent ruling by your side in Equestria, I have experienced many types of pains, inside and outside of battle.” She said softly, the silence in the clearing allowing it to echo about. “I have experience pains of the mind, mental, emotional, and psychological, pushing to the very brink of my sanity. I have experience pains of the body, broken bones, torn insides, severed limbs, snapped horns, and every other injury that would’ve left me as a mere husk. I have even experienced the pain from within the very depths of my soul, pain so great that they threatened to rip me from the inside out and destroy me forever. These pains I have felt and so much more, both from our enemies, and form the hooves of many of the ponies that we swore to protect…and from ones I know we both wish we would rather not have met.”

The phthalo blue Alicorn stared down at the ground, her tufted bat-like ears folding back against her head. “I have also felt pain from the very ponies that I was sworn to protect, the very same ones who believed that I was nothing but a monster. The ones who whispered behind my back, looked at me with utter hatred and contempt, and even tried to attack me out of fear and rage. It is a pain that went on for days, weeks, and months with no end in sight, so much so that I believed there was no other pain than this. That nothing, not even you ignoring me and rejecting me when I needed you, would make me feel even worse than I already was...until, that day.”

Luna’s lips curled back, her serrated fangs showing as her beautiful face contorted into a hideous mask. “The day that you had finally decided to pay even the slightest bit of attention to me, was the day that I finally managed to get happiness. The type of happiness that would make anypony that happiest pony on the face of all Equis, and make all else that would make a pony happy pale in comparison. When I showed you what I had, I could see something in your eyes, something that told me to protect it from you. For if I did not, I would forever lose it, and truly have nothing to make my pain go away. Alas, due to my desperation for love and admiration, and my need to make the pain our subjects was giving me go away, I ignored it. If not for my sake, then for the sake of the one that I swore to forever protect. You saying that you would let me have this and that you would support me and help me protect my secret happiness only assure the more naïve side of me even more that you wouldn’t do anything to take it away.” She let out a hiss that would’ve made even the most primal and aggressive of domestic cat’s proud. “It left me unprepared for the deed that you were going to do, that would lead me to being unable to take the pain anymore, and turn into the monster I was so long ago. To take my revenge on you, and make you pay for taking away the only one that ever brought me any TRUE happiness!”

The Element Bearers and Celestia all flinched, reeling back from the phthalo blue Alicorn’s sudden shout and change in mood. Before any of them could think more on it, Luna flared her feathered bat wings and took to the air, her fangs flashing in the sun’s light. Her moderate cyan slitted eyes blazed as brightly as her Moon as she glared down at Celestia, who merely looked back at her with remorse and guilt.

“You have done many horrible things to me sister, things that I never imagined that you of all ponies would do to me! The one pony, besides mother who swore to look after and protect me when I needed it, and it only makes the one thing that you did to me all the more painful!” Luna shouted, as tears began to spill from her eyes. “Out of all the horrible painful things that were done to me, the deed that you did to me the day before my banishment was at the top of the list! It was the one thing that I would not wish upon anypony, not even any of enemies that we have defeated over the centuries! Out of all the ponies I expected to do you had done, it was not you, and to know it was brought me even more than the one I felt when you took my precious secret away from me!” The phthalo blue Alicorn’s face contorted into one of pure anguish as she added with a heartbroken sob, “A-and…and just when I believed that I wouldn’t feel it another time…I…I-I felt it again on my precious Moon…only it was…s-so so much worse! Worse than you banishing me, and leaving me up there to rot on the Moon for a whole MILLENIUM!”

Luna’s lips trembled as she squeezed her eyes shut, the tears in her eyes flowing like waterfalls as she dropped to the ground right on her haunches. She but both hooves to her face as she sobbed loudly into them, her tears flowing in between them. Her entire body shook as she lay on the ground, her sobs echoing about the clearing as her sister and everypony else looked on sadly.

“F-for the last ten centuries, I-I have sat upon the very Moon I raised, unable to look at nothing but the stars I made dance, the S-Sun that you raised and the world that we once ruled together. Unable to d-do nothing but think of all the pain that was inflicted on you by me and vice versa, a-and…and speak to the monster that took over me.” Luna whimpered as she curled up around herself. “It is something that will forever stay with me for as long as I continue to raise and lower the Moon, and protect ponies in their dreams…and it is something that I will never ever truly forgive you for Celestia.” She looked up at Celestia again, pure grief burning in her eyes as hot tears continued to spill from her eyes. “I have tried…believe me sister, I have tried so hard, for so long during my banishment, to find it in my heart to forgive you for what you had done to me. But…I can’t do it Tia…I-I just can’t…and as long as you and I continued to watch over this universe…I don’t think I ever will.”

Throughout her entire talk and rant, Celestia said nothing, just looking down at her sister with that same guilty and remorseful expression. She knew exactly what Luna was talking about when she said that she could ever forgive her for what she had done before her banishment. It was written all over the smaller Alicorn’s face even before she began talking about it, and it did not once give her even an ounce less of the guilt that she felt back then. Luna had every right to be mad at her for what she had done, and there was nothing she could say or do that could ever make up for what she did to her.

In all honesty, she really wasn’t expecting her to forgive her for it, even if a small naïve part of her believed she would. Now that Luna said it herself that she wouldn’t, that naïve part of her died inside of her, leaving her with the cold hard truth that part of her denied for all this time. As Celestia continued to stand in her guilt-ridden state, she didn’t notice Luna rising to her hooves and walking over to her. It was only when she felt a hoof on her shoulder that she opened her eyes to see her sister looking back up at her with a calmer, yet still somewhat anguished, expression.

“Be that as it may, sister…just because I cannot forgive you for what you had done to me, doesn’t mean that I will not take my place as the Queen of the Night again. While you may be a Queen like me, you are still a pony. Even you need help form somepony who is of your status, and I just happen to be the pony to do it.” Luna said, her voice soft once more. “Which is why…I will accept your offer in ruling alongside you again, along with your forgiveness. As for us being friends once more…” She looked down at the ground. “Well…I don’t believe there is a chance of that ever truly happening again. Nor do I believe that we can truly reconcile over what had happened.”

“R…really?” Celestia asked, her eyes glazing over as she stared down at her sister. “You’ll rule by my side once more?”

“Yes Tia, I do…many centuries have passed since we have last seen each other, and I want to learn all that has changed in the world, so I will be able to help you out more once I take back my place as one of Equestria’s rulers.” Luna nodded. “It will indeed take some time for me to settle into this new Equestria, but another part of me is telling me that I will fit in just nicely. Even if there are some who may disagree…after all, as you said, we were meant to rule together, were we not, sister?”

Celestia sniffled, tears of happiness and relief streaming form her eyes as she nodded. Slowly setting herself down on her haunches, she reached over and pulled her sister into a warm tight hug, wings wrapping around her as well. Luna flinched slightly at the contact, but soon returned the hug as she nuzzled into her elder sister’s neck.

“Yes Luna, we were…we were always meant to rule together as sisters. And I’m sorry that I lead to you to believe otherwise.” The swan white Alicorn said, voice wavering as she held her sister close. “I swear, I will do everything in my power to make up all that I have done to you, and insure that you get the love you’ve wanted for so long.”

“I know you will…you always did manage to keep your promises, even if there are some you can’t keep entirely.” Luna nodded, leaning into her sisters embrace. With a sniffle of her own, she buried her face in Celestia’s neck, staining her coat with her tears. “I’ve missed you so much big sister…”

“And I you, little sister.” Celestia whispered, tears continuing to spill from her own eyes. “And I you…”

Nothing else was said after that, just the sisters hugging each other and rejoicing in their reunion after one thousand years away from each other. The Element Bearers all stared off to the side, smiling warmly at the scene in front of them, with more than a few of them shedding tears. They could’ve stayed there and watched that tender moment between the two goddesses forever, but all good things had to come to an end. Eventually, the two sisters separated, and, after nuzzling each other briefly, turned to look at the other ponies around them.

“I can’t thank all of you enough for what you’ve done for me and my sister today my little ponies.” Celestia said, looking at both groups of ponies with utter gratitude. “I don’t know how I can repay any of you for putting your lives on the line for what you did today. This means more to many than you can ever know, and no words can express my thanks to all of you. I promise you, you will all be repaid in full for bringing my sister back to me.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that Queen Celestia.” Goku said kindly, waving a dismissive claw. “We’re just glad that you’re reunited with your sister after so long. It’s one of the main reasons why we agreed to your mission and become the new Elements of Harmony, other than kicking Nightmare Moon’s ass all over the abandoned castle.” She glanced over at Luna. “No offense to you, Queen Luna.”

“No offense taken my little pony. I understand completely how you feel.” Luna said softly, giggling as she put a hoof to her mouth. “I was in your position, I would indeed be wanting to freeze the hide of the fiend that took over me and turned me against everypony that I loved. Alas, that was your job, and not mine…still, I am nonetheless happy that she is gone, so I thank you for that, all of you.”

“You are most welcome your Highness.” Rarity said politely, giving a respectful bow. “Now you won’t have to worry about that ruffian bothering you anymore. And you can come back with us and start anew with us and everypony else around you!”

“Got it in on that one AJ’ Rainbow Dash said, grinning over at the farmer and then at Luna.” “Who knows, you may even get a few new friends along the way! Well, other than the ones you’ve made now.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I think so too~.”

A squeal suddenly resounded around the crater, and everypony looked over to see Pinkie Pie bouncing around them with the biggest grin on her face. She stopped right in between her friends, looking in between the with eyes that sparkled with mirth and joy.

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my GOSH! This has to be the biggest, craziest, most awesomest day that we have ever had in our LIVES! First, we go onto an adventure through the most dangerous forest in Equestria, then we get these new cool and shiny suits of armor, and now we meet the Goddess of the Moon!” She squealed again and trotted in place, giggling in a way that made some of the ponies want to hug her. “We should totally have a HUGE party for this, bigger than any other party that I’ve thrown in Ponyville EVER! Oh, I can only imagine just how big it will be!”

“As much as Ah would like to agree with ya on that sugarcube, Ah don’t think that’s gonna be an option.” Applejack said, smiling solemnly at the bubblegum pink pony. “If Ah recall, that Nightmare Moon varmint had all but destroyed the Town Square and hurt a lotta ponies in the process. Now, Ah’m not sayin’ that we won’t be able to have the Summer Sun Celebration, at least not now. Ah’m just sayin’ with how much damage that’s been done, that may have to wait fer a lil’ bit…we kind o’ got a lotta cleanin’ up t’ do.”

“Applejack’s right Pinkie Pie.” Twilight nodded, smiling gently. “There’s also the fact that Queen Celestia herself was the one to plan the Summer Sun Celebration, and that Queen Luna is her sister. So you’ll have to ask both of them if it’s okay for you to throw a party in honor of Queen Luna and her return from the Moon.”

“As much as I appreciate your offer my dear, I am afraid I’m going to have to decline.” Celestia smiled, speaking up before Pinkie Pie could even open her mouth again. “So much has already happened today, and a party, as enjoyable as that would be for my sister, is the last thing that she needs right now. As she said, she is still a bit shaken up from her experience as Nightmare Moon, so she needs some time to recover from this before anything else.”

“Oh…okay, I understand Queen Celly.” Pinkie Pie said, looking down as she deflated slightly. A moment later, she perked back up, looking at the swan white Alicorn hopefully. “We still get to be there at Queen Lulu’s celebration, right? You know, for when she is ready for a party and to meet new ponies?”

Celestia nodded, giving the bubblegum pink pony her reassurance. “Of course you will…all of you.” She said softly and warmly. “I will let you all know when I am going to continue the Summer Sun Celebration, and where I will be holding it, though it’s gonna be a while before I do. For now, I have other matters that I need to attend to.”

“Don’t worry Queen Celestia, take all the time that you and your sister need together.” Twilight said softly, smiling at the sight of the two sisters smiling at one another. “We’re all kind of beat ourselves, and I really just wanna head back to my library, crawl into by bed, and sleep for the rest of the day. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this tired in a pretty long time.”

“Same here Twi…I can’t remember a time where I’ve felt this exhausted, not even when I’m training.” Rainbow Dash said, chuckling as she stretched her wings. “I cannot wait to get back to my cloud house…the sooner we get back to Ponyville, the sooner we can all snuggle up in bed and sleep like logs.”

“Hey, I was gonna say that!” Goku frowned, flicking the cyan mare with her tail. “Damn mind reader…”

“Well then, I guess we’d better get a move on.” Applejack said stretching her legs as she hiked up the crater. “We got a lotta work t’ do b’fore we git back t’ the celebration, so Ah don’t think we’ll be able to really relax jus’ yet. Although Ah am lookin’ forward t’ seein’ AB an’ th’ rest o’ th’ Crusaders again…that’d be more than enough t’ git me through any rough day like this.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself AJ!” Goku replied, spreading her feathered bat wings and joining the tangerine mare's side. “I’ve been wondering how my sisters and little brother have been doing ever since me and the girls left, and I can’t wait to see them all again! I have a feeling that when we get back, they’re gonna have quite the story to tell us all!”

Author's Notes:

Well...here it is you guys...the emotional if not slightly overextended reunion between the two Royal Sisters, after a whole millennium of being apart. Now, one of the biggest changes that I made to this chapter is cutting out the Wonderbolts and adding Venture Vine to this chapter. Other than changing who is saying the dialogue and shortening some sentences and paragraphs, the rest of the chapter is pretty much the same as it is last time. Other than Zephyr getting a mouthful of Zephyr's lips and the promise of something fun happening with her!!! Oh that, and changing some parts where I had stated that Goku was a full blooded Pegasus! Just saying right now, this was one of the chapters that I really anticipated the most, along with the last one and the sequel that comes after the one I'm planning to finish. I won't say that it'll be but...let's just said that a certain draconic stallion will get it on with a certain gentle mare.

Well, that's all for this chapter...next time will be the celebration of the return of the Queen of the Night! Along with a very important author's note that will be made at the very end, so keep an eye out for that.