"Princess Celestia, why are we out here?" Twilight asked, curiously. "I mean, I love the Sculpture Gardens as much as the next pony, but they're nicer in the day." Twilight stopped as she gazed up at the stone statue of Discord, recoiling in surprise when she saw his face. "And they sure are a lot less creepy."

Princess Celestia smiled down at her young student before returning her gaze to the many sculptures that surrounded her. Twilight was only a small filly, and had yet to learn to see the beauty of the night. The light of the full moon shone brightly down on the gardens, casting a luminescent glow on the scene. Every color, although beautifully harmonized with the landscape around it in the day, was stunningly amplified by the moonlight. The leaves and grass boasted a far more full and dark appearance, and the bright colors that each flower proudly displayed with their petals flared with a vibrancy that only the soft glow of the full moon could provide. The marble statues glistened with a brilliant white hue, their mirror surfaces reflecting the soft moonlight so they could boast their true colors, not the glaring golden white they displayed in the sunlight.

In the areas of the gardens which the light of the moon failed to grace, dark shadows stretched across the ground, beckoning anypony who dared to take a step inside their boundaries. The usually clear pools that were scattered across the palace labyrinth maintained black so thick that they appeared to suck the darkness out of the air around them. So black in fact, that the bright light of the moon failed to penetrate it, and thus was brilliantly reflected of the surface of the pools.

Yet, despite the splendor of the scene around them, Celestia knew something was missing. A certain something that nopony in more than twenty generations had seen. A certain passion for the night sky that only one pony had ever held.

"I'm still not as good as you, Luna," Celestia whispered sadly as she gazed up at the moon. Rather, as she gazed at the depiction of the mare that resided inside. The Mare in the Moon, the ponies had come to call it. A fitting name, Celestia thought. Not terribly creative, but it was poetic enough. Not that the title did her sister any sort of justice. Not like the name her sister used to bear, a name that Celestia's lips still whispered every night as she raised the moon.

"The Beauty of the Night," Celestia again whispered. Longing seemed to flow from her words, as if they believed that nostalgia alone could return things with her sister back to the way they were so long ago. Consciously, she knew that it would only be a couple of more years before she could set everything right with her sister again. The wait was almost over, Twilight's presence confirmed it. Yet, even after almost a thousand years of waiting, the next seven years, the final seven years before her sister's return, might as well be a century. So close, yet so far away.

Twilight looked curiously up at her new mentor. She had only been Celestia's student for about a month, yet she had already felt a strong bond with the Princess that she hadn't known was possible. Yet, despite this incredible closeness, she still didn't fully understand the Princess. Was it normal for Princess Celestia to stare at the moon and talk to herself?

"Princess Celestia, why are you staring at the moon?" Twilight asked curiously, snapping Celestia out of her brooding. Celestia quickly collected herself and smiled down at her student. Before responding, Celestia made sure that she and her student would have a clear look at the night sky. After confirming that they would, she slowly lowered herself to her knees and lifted her wing, wordlessly offering Twilight to snuggle in. Twilight gladly accepted the offer, and Celestia gently wrapped her wing around her. Again, Celestia's gaze shifted back to the moon. Twilight quickly followed suit, wondering if this had anything to do with a lesson. Curiously, Twilight inspected the Mare in the Moon. She never understood what it meant, but surely Princess Celestia would!

"Princess Celestia, how did the Mare in the Moon, well, get in the moon?" Twilight asked curiously. "It never made sense to me."

As soon as she heard Twilight's question, Princess Celestia hit a mental roadblock. Celestia wasn't surprised that Twilight didn't know the legend of Nightmare Moon. The ponies of Canterlot deemed themselves far too "high society" to celebrate Nightmare Night like the rest of Equestria, so it wasn't a story that was often told amongst the city's denizens. Celestia counted herself lucky, as she doubted she would be able to handle the overbearing reminder of her sister's absence each year.

It would be easy to tell the simple, watered down story that had become of Nightmare Moon to Twilight, however that vague tale certainly wouldn't satisfy the inquisitive little filly. However, Celestia didn't feel that Twilight was truly ready to handle the whole story at her young age. The dark, bitter truth that had long since faded with time among the public. The story of the most difficult trial Celestia had ever faced. Celestia doubted she could even make it through the story without breaking down, and the last thing she wanted was for her young student to see her lose her composure entirely.

On the other hoof, Celestia knew that Twilight would eventually know the whole story. She would need to know, need to be prepared when Nightmare Moon returned. Knowledge is power, as the old adage went.

Could she do it? Could Celestia tell the truth to her student?

"Princess Celestia, are you alright?" Twilight asked, traces of worry slipping into her voice. Celestia realized that she had again zoned out, and this time felt a certain moistness on the fur around her eyes. Celestia blinked her tears away and cast a warm and motherly expression down at her student. An expression that Celestia had learned to wear on a whim when she needed to hide her emotional state from anypony she may be addressing that expected nothing less than perfection from her.

"I'm fine, Twilight," Celestia lied, albeit very convincingly. "I'm just...thinking about some things."

"What kind of things?" Twilight asked curiously. Celestia returned her gaze to the moon, searching her mind for the most convincing answer she could think of.

"An old friend of mine from long ago," Celestia responded, deciding it was the best way to skirt the truth without giving Twilight any real revelation. She hoped the answer would satisfy her student, but unfortunately Twilight's curious mind kept questions coming.

"Were you close with your friend?" Twilight asked again, eliciting a sad chuckle from Princess Celestia.

"Yes, Twilight. We were very close," Celestia responded, now coming to accept that Twilight wasn't going to stop asking questions until she was satisfied with her answer.

"What happened? Did she die?" Twilight asked, not realizing in her youthful ignorance the severe breach of etiquette her words carried. However, instead of reprimanding her student for asking such personal questions, Celestia simply heaved a sad sigh, again returning her gaze to the moon.

"In a way, she did." Celestia responded, her heavy heart finally showing itself through her mask of contentment. Celestia averted her gaze from the moon, unable to bear the sight any longer. Unfortunately, she found no solace in the beauty of the rest of the night sky, for it too visibly lacked that special touch that only Princess Luna had ever been able to add.

"I never could get it quite right," Celestia whispered to herself, not noticing her student's worried gaze as her mind wandered back to a time long forgotten to the common pony. A wave of bitter memories flooded her mind, threatening to overwhelm her and shatter her mask of dignity. A thousand years of pain that only a lonely heart can feel crashed down on her all at once, causing her chest to physically throb from emotional stress. She blinked once and shook her head, shaking away memories she did not care to indulge in.

"Princess Celestia, are you alright?" Twilight asked curiously, unsure of how to react. Celestia smiled warmly down at her student, doing her best to shake away the filly's concern.

"I'm fine, Twilight," Celestia answered, her false sincerity more than enough to convince Twilight. The corners of Twilight's mouth turned up, and then the energetic filly eagerly shifted under Celestia's wing.

"So, what are we doing tonight, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, making no attempt to mask her excitement. Celestia chuckled warmly and looked up at the night sky, remembering the first time she shared the activity she had planned with her sister so long ago.

"We're going to be stargazing, Twilight."

Twilight gave a curious look up at her mentor, unsure what to make of what she had just said.

"Stargazing?" Twilight asked curiously. "Weren't you going to teach me a lesson tonight?"

Princess Celestia laughed warmly at Twilight's comment.

"I will be teaching you a lesson, Twilight." Celestia replied with her ever present motherly smile. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her, as if she thought her teacher was losing it.

"How can you teach me a lesson if we're looking at stars? I mean, they're pretty and all, but I can't learn about magic from looking at them."

Celestia pulled Twilight in more tightly into her with her wing and pulled a small tea set out of a bag she had brought along with her. She then used her magic to filter some of the water from one of the pools in the labyrinth and put it in the teapot she had brought with her. She placed two silk teabags into the pot and heated it with her magic. Twilight raised an eyebrow as Celestia pulled two small porcelain cups out of her bag, setting one in front of Twilight and one in front of herself.

"Princess Celestia, my mom says I can't have caffeine this late, or I'll be up all night," Twilight said hesitantly. A mischievous grin passed Celestia's features as she filled Twilight's cup.

"Then I guess this will just have to be our little secret then, won't it?" Celestia said with a wink. Twilight frowned uncomfortably, torn between indulging her mentor and obeying her mother. Then, with a mischievous grin of her own, she grabbed the cup with her magic and lifted it to her lips.

"I won't tell on you, I promise!" Twilight said in a hushed voice. Celestia giggled and lifted a hoof to her lips before taking a sip of her own beverage.

"Not too loud," Celestia responded with a conspiratorial whisper. Twilight gave her teacher a little salute, wordlessly indicating that she understood. Celestia and Twilight shared a giggle before Celestia nudged Twilight and nodded toward the night sky. Twilight sighed in resignation, still not understanding why her mentor had her looking at stars, but willing to go along with it for her sake. Twilight looked up at the stars, and for the first time in her life, she could see why so many ponies made a hobby of it. Before then, she had never taken the time to look at the night sky. It seemed like a waste of time to her, looking at stars. But now, with her mentor, just staring into the void of space...

"Whoa...They're beautiful..." Twilight whispered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After roughly an hour of stargazing, Celestia began to hear a soft snoring next to her. She looked down to see Twilight sleeping softly under her wing. Celestia looked over to where she knew her guards had hidden themselves and nodded. The guards uncomfortably stepped out of the shadows and walked over to Celestia, bowing deeply in front of her.

"What are your orders, Mildady?" The guard in charge asked, still bowing deeply.

"Make sure she gets to her room tonight, alright? And yes, I do expect you to tuck her in. Perhaps even a bedtime story for her, in the very likely event that she wakes up on the way," Celestia spoke with unconcealed displeasure at the guards. They winced at Celestia's orders. They had been trained to fight, not take care of foals.

"Princess, we-"

Celestia's glare alone was enough to silence the guard. He whimpered and nodded his understanding. Celestia lifted her nose into the air, and from the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Nothing glaringly obvious, just a shadow against shadows, but it did not escape her perception. She chuckled to herself before again staring down her guards.

"Now, next time, when I ask for complete privacy, I expect to receive it. No guards hiding in the shadows. Are we clear?"

The guards winced again before nodding their understanding. The younger of them lifted Twilight with his magic, hoping against hope that she wouldn't wake up.

"I've got you, little-"

"P-Princess?" Twilight whispered. The guard carrying her stifled an exasperated groan, but failed to hide his frustrations from the prying eyes of Princess Celestia. Celestia flashed a wry grin at the guard as he set Twilight on his back and began to trot away. Just as the guard rounded a corner and left Celestia's vision, Celestia saw a lavender flash.

"One...Two...Three," Celestia said to herself with a smile as a similar lavender flash, accompanied with an audible pop of displaced air, announced the arrival of her student at her side. Celestia smiled down at Twilight as she heard the guard's panicked voices calling for the filly.

"Princess Celestia, I don't want to go with them!" Twilight exclaimed, still shaking from the after effects of teleportation. Celestia smiled, and again began to count down.

"Three...Two...One."

As soon as she counted to one, Twilight turned away from Celestia, heaved, and vomited into the grass. Celestia chuckled warmly, retrieving a handkerchief from the tea set. With her hoof, she took the handkerchief and wiped Twilight's muzzle clean. Twilight gave Celestia a worried look, terrified that she was going to be punished.

"Princess, I'm so sorry!" Twilight exclaimed. "I swear I didn't mean to, I just-"

"It's alright, Twilight," Celestia said comfortingly. "It's hard to hold your stomach the first couple of times you use that spell." Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around Twilight and pulled her in, and Twilight graciously nuzzled Celestia's side. Celestia smiled warmly down at her student, then lifted her head.

"Excuse me, guards? I do believe you forgot somepony!" Celestia called out. Immediately, the guards rushed back to Celestia, both heaving relieved sighs when they saw Twilight wrapped securely under Celestia's wing. Twilight shifted uncomfortably next to Celestia, trying to get as far away from the guards as possible.

"I don't want to go with them, Princess Celestia," Twilight said nervously. "The big one is scary!"

Celestia cast a stern look on her guard captain, and he nearly buckled under it. A less disciplined pony would have.

"Have you been doing anything to scare my pupil, Captain Hammer?" Celestia asked forcefully, as if demanding an immediate response. The guard swallowed, stumbling over his words as he responded.

"N-no, Princess. N-nothing at a-all!" The guard captain took a deep breath, collecting himself before continuing. "We would never do anything to scare Lady Sparkle. If she is afraid of us, it is merely her youthful superstition." Captain Hammer paused, closing his eyes and breathing through his nose. When he opened his eyes, Celestia stood towering over him, that same stern look that nearly made him buckle while she was laying in the grass now falling down on him like an anvil. He swallowed hard, hoping against hope that Celestia wouldn't punish him severely for his explanation. To his relief and surprise, her expression returned to it's normal warm, motherly gaze, and to his greater relief she shifted it so that she was gazing down at her pupil.

"Listen, Twilight. Captain Hammer is going to take you to your room now. Don't worry, he won't hurt you. I promise," Celestia said warmly as she brought a gentle hoof to Twilight's cheek. Twilight whimpered and pressed herself against Celestia's leg, unwilling to move.

"But Princess Celestia, I want to stay with you!" Twilight exclaimed, pressing herself further into Celestia's leg for emphasis. "I don't want to go to sleep yet, I...I..." Twilight did her best, but she failed to suppress a yawn. Celestia raised an eyebrow and cast a knowing smile down at Twilight.

"Go with them Twilight, and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"But Princess, I...I...I can..." Twilight yawned again, and finally accepted her defeat. She clumsily dragged herself over to the guards, and Captain Hammer lifted her onto his back with his magic.

"Goodnight Pernsiss Culustia..." Twilight mumbled wearily. Celestia smiled and waved to Twilight.

"Goodnight, Twilight Sparkle. I'll see you tomorrow." Celestia then motioned for Captain Hammer. He nodded and stepped up to Princess Celestia, Twilight now sound asleep on his back.

"Don't wake her tomorrow morning. She's earned a chance to sleep in," Celestia whispered to him. Captain Hammer nodded and began to walk away, before Celestia stopped him with her hoof. He turned back, waiting for orders.

"Wake her up when you get to her room so she can brush her teeth. And have your trainee clean that mess," Celestia added, gesturing to the small puddle of bile in the grass next to her. Captain Hammer grinned smugly and nodded to the guard recruit that was with him.

"You heard her, Shiny. Get to work."

Shining Armor bit his lip, effectively stifling an explosive sigh. With all the dignity of the most disciplined guards, he walked over to the bile, lifted it with his magic, and then used his magic to break it down until there was nothing left of it. It was a long, slow, and difficult process.

"First, Twily doesn't even recognize me, then I get to clean up after her," Shining Armor muttered to himself. "One heck of a first day."

Celestia cleared her throat, and he nearly jumped out of his armor.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I heard that, Shining Armor. Could you speak up please?" Celestia asked kindly. Shining Armor snapped to attention, tripping over his tongue as he tried to respond.

"Err, nothing, Ma'am! Err, Princess! I mean-"

"Just finish what you were doing then," Celestia said with a warm smile. A smile that said "Just try talking out of turn again." Captain Hammer chuckled as he turned to look at Shining Armor, a smug grin stretching from ear to ear.

"I think he's just mad that he doesn't get to be flirting with your niece right now, Princess."

Celestia cast a stern look down at Captain Hammer, informing wordlessly that it was time he shut his mouth. Although she couldn't help but to chuckle at the hot blush that now adorned Shining Armor's cheeks as he finished cleaning his sister's mess. Once he finished, he turned and saluted Princess Celestia, and then walked with Captain Hammer as they took Twilight to her room. Celestia noticed with a warm smile as Shining Armor lifted his sister off Captain Hammer's back and set her down on his.

"Those two are adorable, aren't they?" Said a voice from the shadows. Celestia never took her gaze away from Twilight and her guards as she responded.

"I daresay I have never seen a stronger bond between two siblings," she said. "And might I also venture to say that you did a terrible job hiding yourself today?" Her eyes met Discord's crimson irises with vast displeasure, and the draconequus sent a smug grin Celestia's way.

"Oh, Celestia. You know almost as well as I do that you saw me because I wanted you to. After all, if you hadn't known I wanted to talk to you like this, you would have taken little Twilight back to her room on her own, and then where would we be?" Discord responded, although his voice wasn't what Celestia remembered. Although he was speaking playfully, this voice spoke with an authority that the mad draconequus never held.

"You'd probably pop into my personal quarters like usual," Celestia deadpanned. Discord chuckled, his smug grin never faltering.

"Yes indeed, your personal quarters that your subjects built with my gifts." Discord playfully flicked Celestia's cheek, drawing a sigh out of her. Her eyes scanned him in an irritated manner, as if the mere sight of him was more than she wanted to deal with.

"What's the matter?" Discord asked wryly, a coy grin adorning his face as he looked her up and down. His face lit up, quite literally, as he snapped his fingers in triumph. "Of course! It must be that boring tiara you're stuck wearing every day! Let me 'spice it up' for you!"

With another snap of Discord's fingers, the tiara on Celestia's head vanished, replaced with the more ornate tiara boasting the Element of magic. Celestia lifted her eyes and sighed, dragging a hoof down her face.

"Not really what was on my mind..." Celestia grumbled, to which Discord rolled his eyes.

"Of course, of course. It's my form, isn't it? Not really a fan?" Discord asked resignedly, his voice seeming just a little more wrong than before.

"Not so much, if I do say so myself. But you already knew that." Celestia answered flatly. Discord rolled his eyes and gave a theatrical sigh.

" Yes, yes I did know. Well fine then. How about this?"

Celestia blinked, and then brought a hoof to her face as a much younger Princess Celestia sat on her haunches in front of her. Instead of the multi-hued mane Celestia was known for now, this version of herself bore a mane of the softest pink, and an eager smile that was ready to take on the world. She looked up and noticed that Celestia's current tiara rested on her head, and the younger Celestia laughed dismissively and put it back on Celestia's head. Celestia dragged a hoof down her face, noting with some pleasure that the Element of Magic tiara had been removed from her.

"I could always use a mirror if I wanted to talk to myself," Celestia remarked sarcastically. The Celestia in front of her rolled her eyes, grunting in irritation.

"But you can't turn back the clock like I can," Celestia's image responded coyly. Celestia groaned irritably, eliciting a roll of her image's eyes.

"Well, how do you want me to appear, then?" The younger Celestia asked.

"You know exactly how I want you to appear," Celestia said with a grunt. The second Celestia "tsked" and stood, walking in a circle before facing Celestia again.

"Come now, you know I can't appear like that in this world! No better way to send a bunch of ponies into a panic than to show them a creature beyond their comprehension," Nightmare Moon responded, her teal eyes casting a condescending glance at Celestia.

"So, in order to avoid making the population of the world panic, you take the forms of the spirit of Chaos, myself, and the darkest hour of my life," Celestia said sarcastically. "And might I add that it's a little insulting that you take her form, especially after all these years." This time, Celestia's voice wavered with anger at the being in front of her. Nightmare Moon sighed, dragging a hoof down her face.

"Look, we're in the middle of the palace labyrinth, alright? The only other ponies here are a young couple who got lost on a date, and they'll be stumbling into this clearing in twenty-five minutes and thirty-two seconds. I can take any form in here, just so long as I don't poke out over the hedges."

Celestia looked around her, sighing in frustration as she realized that they had, in fact, moved to the very center of the labyrinth. There was but a single statue now, sitting in the very center of the clearing, and all around her she saw nothing else but grass and hedges. She walked slowly over to the granite statue, resting her hoof on it's base. Above the base was a statue of the sun and the moon, side by side. Celestia grunted angrily as she turned to face Nightmare Moon, her eyes narrowed and lips trembling as she aggressively stepped towards the other Alicorn.

"Remember, I'm not really her," Nightmare Moon said with that same off-voice that Discord had used. "She is only an image I am using to talk to you."

Celestia stopped in her tracks, opening and closing her mouth soundlessly before turning away from the image in front of her.

"I...I know," Celestia forced out, her voice now void of it's usual smooth, motherly tone. She then wheeled around, poised as if she were ready to strike, her eyes narrowed and face twisted with rage. "How dare you use her image! You don't have the right!"

"I have the right to do as I please!" Nightmare Moon's image shouted back, entirely unphased by Celestia's wrath. Celestia winced, knowing she had stepped out of line. She lowered herself into a respectful bow. The act of bowing in of itself was somewhat alien to Celestia, but she knew her place.

"I...I'm sorry. I-"

"Please, there's no need for that," Nightmare Moon's image responded with a warm smile as it offered a hoof to Celestia. "If I wanted you to bow at the moment, I wouldn't let you speak to me as you are."

"And how am I speaking to you at the moment?" Celestia asked as she lifted her head. Nightmare Moon's image gave Celestia a playful roll of her eyes, drawing a circle in the air with her hoof to reiterate that Celestia take it.

"As a mare speaks to her friend, you silly filly. How did you think I was speaking to you?"

Celestia smiled, took the hoof and stood, looking Nightmare Moon's image up and down. Even while knowing that she wasn't actually looking upon the most difficult struggle she had ever faced, she couldn't help but lose herself to the conflict of the most bitter loneliness she had ever felt and the purest wrath she had ever known. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that she didn't have the words. She turned away from the image, shifting her gaze to the moon.

"How much longer?" Celestia asked. Her voice shook, laced with nearly a thousand years of loneliness. Princess Celestia's image sat beside her, wrapping a wing around her back.

"Nine more years," it responded, and Celestia sighed sadly. She looked over at the image of herself, shaking her head.

"Might as well be another millennium," she muttered. Celestia's image pulled Celestia closer, and Celestia gladly accepted the comforting gesture.

"They will pass before you know it," Celestia's image responded, to which Celestia gave a bitter laugh.

"I'll have to take my word for that," Celestia responded sarcastically. Celestia's image smiled, and it rubbed it's wing up and down Celestia's back.

"Yes, indeed you will," it said. Celestia closed her eyes, focusing on the dull ache in her chest. A very real, very physical ache that plagued her every time she so much as thought about Luna. Now, speaking to a being using her own lonely image, she could hardly focus on anything else. An ache so powerful, that she didn't even notice that the wing her image had draped across her back was gone. Celestia opened her eyes, and looked down at the image of Twilight Sparkle. Not the filly she knew now, but of a young mare, full of life but with eyes that held the wisdom of the ancients. Eyes that certainly did not belong to Twilight Sparkle.

"Is she the one you told me about? The one who would save her?" Celestia asked, to which Twilight's image dragged a hoof down her face.

"No. She only showed you the most magnificent display of magic you will ever see from a pony, and now she's your personal student at exactly the age I told you she would be. Of course she's the one I told you about! You ponies are so dull-witted sometimes..." Sarcasm flowed from the mouth of Twilight's image, and Celestia sighed in response.

"Of course," Celestia responded, her voice one of weary resignation. "It was a stupid question."

"Indeed it was," Twilight's image responded without hesitation. "You should worry less about the circumstances and trust that I'm going to follow through with what I promised you."

Celestia absently nodded an agreement and returned her gaze to the moon. She blinked, and stray tears began to roll down her cheeks. She didn't sob, nor did her lips do so much as quiver.

"She's been away for so long..." Celestia said, still absently as if her mind were elsewhere. And it was. All she could think of were days long passed, days where she and her sister lived side by side, inseparable by any force the world could offer. She felt a wing drape itself across her back again, and looked up to see Luna's teal eyes gazing down at hers. A gentle smile adorned the image of her younger sister, a smile that promised everything that Celestia would ever want or need.

"It will be over soon," Luna's image responded warmly as it rubbed a wing up and down Celestia's back. "She'll be back home soon." Next Chapter: Chapter One: Imperfect Harmony Estimated time remaining: 27 Minutes