Past Sins
By Pen Stroke
Assisted By Batty Gloom
====

Chapter 20
Judgment
====

Being imprisoned in the sun is an experience most ponies would find utterly torturous. The bright, glowing orb was pictured by many to be made of swirling fires that would singe, burn, and utterly cremate anything that drew too close.

Yet, to Celestia, the sun was as much a warm embrace as it was a prison. The magic of the banishment spell took everything that made the princess and mixed it with the arcane energies of the sun. It was like Celestia had been stitched into the sun like a patch sewn onto a piece of fabric. She was part of it, but she was still able to identify where she ended and the sun began. She could only assume the same was true for Luna, which was why the moon took on a dark silhouette of a unicorn head. The sun had probably done the same, though no pony could look straight into the celestial sphere long enough to be sure.

Escape from the sun was possible, but it took very delicate work and timing for an alicorn to free herself from such a prison. Celestia had already made a number of attempts, feeling and probing the magic that held her, but an understanding of the spell would not be sufficient. She would need help: an alignment of the planets, stars, or some other celestial event that she could exploit to hold part of the spell open while she unlocked the rest. Yes, escape was possible, but it was a tedious, drawn-out game of waiting until such an event occurred.

Unless she was freed by another…

Suddenly, as Celestia was exploring a certain aspect of the spell with her magic, she felt it starting to unlock. However, it did not feel the same as when she had been freed from the sun by the Elements of Harmony. When that had occurred, the elements had burst through the binding spell, washing over her and pulling her back to Equestria like an ocean wave pulling her into deeper water. This time the spell was unlocking itself. She wasn’t being rescued; she was being released.

Celestia could not ponder this for much longer as the last of the binding spell evaporated away. She was free and, as the spell was designed, she found herself being carried back to Equestria. In just a few seconds, Celestia felt her physical body take shape. She felt the ground beneath her hooves, smelled the clean, fresh air as it filled her lungs, and felt the cool chill of evening on her coat.

Opening her eyes, Celestia found herself smiling as she took in her surroundings. She was in a large, elegant room she did not recognize. The stone walls, columns, floor, and ceiling were made of a dark stone. The ceiling itself was dotted with gemstones in a near-perfect depiction of the nighttime sky. She had materialized facing a set of large, blown-out windows with traces of glass and metal clinging to the frames. Through those openings she could clearly see the beautiful lands of Equestria stretching to the horizon.

“Sister?”

Celestia turned her head to the side, and her smile widened as her gaze met Luna’s. Her sister had also been freed and was obviously a little surprised. That didn’t keep Celestia from moving over and embracing Luna like any worried older sister would. 

“Luna, are you all right?” Celestia asked gently.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Luna assured as she returned her sister’s embrace. “Were you the one that freed me?”

Celestia pulled back from Luna and shook her head. “No, I had no hoof in this. It would seem we were both released early.”

“You were,” a voice assured them. It was a voice that Celestia recognized; it belonged to a pony she wasn’t sure she was ready to face.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia murmured quietly as both she and Luna turned. Twilight was standing just a few feet away from them. There was nopony else in the throne room, though the princess did take notice of a pile of cushions, blankets, and pillows in the center of the floor. “I trust that it was you and your friends that defeated Nightmare Moon and freed my sister and I?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Twilight replied. “The same day you two were banished, Nyx took the Elements of Harmony away from my friends. I was trapped in the dungeon at the time, so they tried to use another mare as the Element of Magic. From what I’ve been told, it didn’t turn out well.”

“I’d imagine it wouldn’t. The connection shared between friends is what gives the Elements of Harmony their strength. It is along those lines of power the virtues are able to mix and flow together. Still, if Nightmare Moon stole the Elements of Harmony, and you and your friends didn’t defeat her, how were you able to free us?”

“We didn’t free you. Nyx let you go.”

Luna and Celestia glanced at one another, both wearing expressions of confusion before they looked back to Twilight. “Why would Nightmare Moon do that?” Luna asked. 

“Because she’s not the monster you or that cult made her out to be,” Twilight said firmly. “Now, before you say a single word about her or what she’s done, I have something I want to say. Something I need to say, and I hope you’re willing to listen.”

“I am, Twilight,” Celestia answered, neither smiling nor frowning as she spoke.

With that, Twilight began telling both Celestia and Luna everything that had happened over the weeks they had been trapped in the sun and moon respectively. She held nothing back, speaking of both the good and bad that Nyx had done, though Celestia noticed Twilight was focusing more on the good.

All the while Celestia listened intently, occasionally glancing over at Luna. Her sister’s expression ran through a spectrum of emotions: shock, surprise, skepticism, and amazement. She, however, kept her face as stoic and unreadable as a blank piece of paper. She kept to her word as well; she did not interrupt Twilight. She waited until her student was done, and only then did she speak. 

“That… is a very interesting story, Twilight,” Celestia commented, keeping her voice flat. “I am glad to hear that Nightmare Moon has come to her senses and agreed to assist in our release. However, I find it hard to believe that she was so injured that she could not manage the spell herself.”

“Well then,” Twilight began while she turned and trotted to the far end of the room, “maybe you should see for yourself.” When Twilight reached the throne room doors, she gently poked her head outside to speak to somepony in the hallway. A few moments later, she walked back towards the princesses while another pony limped gingerly in her wake.

Nyx kept her head hung low, trying to make herself as small as possible. She did not lift her eyes to meet Celestia’s or Luna’s, content to stare at the floor while keeping Twilight between herself and the princesses.

“Is… is she going to be all right?” Luna asked, unable to keep herself from staring at the bandages wrapped across Nyx’s body.

“Nurse Redheart says she should make a full recovery,” Twilight answered, directing a glare at Celestia, “but this should prove that I’m telling you the truth.”

“I never meant to imply I didn’t believe you, Twilight,” Celestia corrected. “I just found it hard to believe Nightmare Moon was in such poor condition. It would seem, however, you weren’t exaggerating about her injuries.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Twilight continued. She maintained her firm tone despite being in the presence of the mare who was both her princess and teacher. “Nyx helped me free you; I couldn’t have done it without her. She also wants to return Equestria to you. She renounced her title as Queen over a week ago and returned control of the government to the ponies you appointed.”

“If that is true, why did she not free us sooner?” asked Celestia, unable to hide the skepticism in her voice.

“She doesn’t want to go back to the moon. She was afraid that, if she released you, she’d be imprisoned for another thousand years.”

Celestia took in a breath, steadying herself before speaking. “That… may not be an unfounded fear.”

“Sister!” Luna snapped, her voice echoing with shock and disbelief. “After everything we just heard, you aren’t considering—”

“I don’t want to, Luna, please believe me when I say that,” Celestia interrupted. “It would not be for as long as before. She certainly does not deserve another thousand years. However, while Ponyville was saved, much of Equestria will be calling for justice, and it's our duty as the Princesses of Equestria to ensure justice is carried out. I’m not saying it's a certainty, but it may be what the ponies demand.”

“No!” Twilight snapped, stamping a hoof. “I am not going to let you send her to the moon!”

Celestia took a step towards her student. “Twilight—”

Shaking her head firmly, Twilight took a few steps back and lowered herself into a defensive pose between Nyx and the princesses. “NO! I won’t let you touch her! If you have to punish somepony, then punish me!”

The room fell silent, and all three of the alicorns stared at Twilight with varying levels of disbelief. “Twilight, certainly you don’t mean—”

“I do, Luna,” Twilight replied, flicking her gaze to Luna before quickly returning it to Celestia. “If Equestria demands that somepony be sent to the moon, then send me there in her place.”

“No! What about your friends? What about Spike?” Nyx argued as she stepped out from behind Twilight. “You can’t just abandon them all like that, not for me.”

“You don’t deserve to be sent to the moon, Nyx. Nopony does, but, if somepony has to go, I would rather it was me.”

“No,” Nyx said firmly. She stepped forward and put herself between Twilight and the princesses. “My actions were my own. You don’t know how much it means to me that you're willing to accept the blame, but I can’t let you do it. I’m an alicorn; you're not. There’s no telling if you’d even survive being banished to the moon, but I survived last time and I can do it again.”

“But—” Twilight tried to protest, only for her words to be cut off.

“Do you remember what you asked me a few hours ago? Do you remember asking me what kind of mare I wanted to be?” Nyx asked softly while she bent her neck down, bringing her head near Twilight’s.

“Yes.”

Nyx smiled and drew Twilight into an embrace. “I’ve thought of one more thing I want to add to that list. I want to be a mare that protects the ponies she cares about. I’ve hurt a lot of ponies, Twilight. Maybe not directly, but it's because of me a lot of bad things happened. I don’t want to hurt anypony ever again if I can avoid it.

“But I want to do more than that. I want to make up for what I’ve done. I want to do whatever I can to make sure the ponies I care about never get hurt, so that my friends and family can continue to live and be happy.

“Right now,” Nyx continued, “it's more important for you to be here for your friends, including Spike and Owloysius. You’re also the Element of Magic, and, if Equestria needs the Elements of Harmony again, you’ll need to be here.”

Nyx extended her wings, brought them around Twilight, and held her more closely. “And now, I think I’m ready to face this. Just let me take the blame, and I promise I can bear the weight. I can live long enough to fix what I’ve done wrong, to make up for what I’ve done, but I would never be able to forgive myself if I let you take my place right now.”

Twilight shook her head. “No Nyx, you don’t have—”

“Thank you for always being there for me, Twilight. You're the best mother I could have ever asked for,” Nyx whispered. She leaned in close and nuzzled the side of Twilight’s face. Her tears smeared across Twilight’s cheek, but neither of them complained.

“But I have to do this.” With that, Nyx pulled away from Twilight, turned to face Royal Sisters, and sat before them with her head bowed in respect. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Rulers of Equestria, Regents of the Sun and Moon respectively… I surrender to you. I have wronged you and Equestria, and I know that there is no way to change the past. What I have done can never be undone, so I await the justice befitting my crimes.

“All I ask, as my final request, is that you hold no ill will against your student or any ponies who were once poisoned by my magic. Lay all their sins and misdeeds upon my shoulders and allow me to bear them by myself. Let me defend them and take the punishment they should not have to endure.

“Promise me this one thing,” Nyx said before taking a breath to steady her voice, “and I will accept my fate—even banishment to the moon—without question.”

“Are you sure about this, Nightmare Moon?” Celestia asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Do you truly want us to lay all that's happened, even the things beyond your control, on your shoulders?”

“Yes,” Nyx answered firmly. “As an alicorn, I can bear the burdens no other pony can. I threw myself in the way of a lupus major to protect Twilight because, while the beast wounded me, it could have easily killed her. The pain I endured saved not just one life but lives all over Ponyville. It’s far better for me to be wounded if it means somepony, anypony, can continue to live and be happy.

“I can be bruised, battered and beaten but, as long as there is still breath in my lungs, I will continue to protect ponies. I will protect them because what can kill them, I can survive. Because what hurts them is but a scratch for me… because it’s the one thing I’ve been able to do right.”

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other before looking back at Nyx. They were silent for a long time. Luna was unable to take her eyes off of Nyx’s determined stare. Celestia, on the other hoof, noticed a small flash of light. It was quick, and it was gone before Celestia could even glance in its direction. Her gaze lingered for a moment, trying to discern some clue to what she had seen. She then turned her attention back to Nyx’s gaze, which seemed to demand imprisonment in the moon.

“Nightmare Moon,” Celestia began, her voice regaining its usual regal strength, “though it pains me, you must face judgment for your crimes against Equestria and us, the Royal Sisters. This judgment, however, shall be deferred.”

“Deferred?” Nyx and Twilight echoed in disbelief.

“Twilight has spoken on your behalf, but, before proper judgment can be laid, more voices must be heard. So I will ask my sister, Princess Luna, to seek out these other voices. I will ask her to find others to speak of what you have done here in Ponyville. Then, I will entrust her to decide your fate.”

“Really?” Luna asked in disbelief. “You… you trust me to do that?”

Celestia gave a nod. “I do, sister.”

As Luna’s gaze lingered on Celestia, a small smile formed on her lips. But, as soon as she looked away, that smile faded and a more serious expression grew in its place. “I accept the task you have entrusted me with, sister, and I will do as you suggest. I will go out and learn from Ponyville the kind of mare Nightmare Moon has been. Then I will decide what punishment, if any, is needed.”

“Can you at least promise me you won’t banish her to the moon?” Twilight asked, only for Luna to shake her head.

“I am sorry, but the only thing I can promise is that I’ll be as fair as possible. If Nightmare Moon has done enough wrong to justify being banished to the moon, then that will be her fate. However, I will not ignore the good you say she’s done.”

Twilight nodded, though the anxiety in her eyes made it clear she did not entirely like the answer she had been given. She, however, did not press the issue, and instead turned to comfort Nyx while Luna shifted her attention to Celestia.

“Where can I expect to find you, sister, while I am out speaking with the ponies of Ponyville?” Luna whispered so that only Celestia would hear.

“I will remain here with Twilight and Nightmare Moon, if only to make sure my student does not start to panic and worry about what will happen.”

“Good, because I do wish to speak with you about this before I give my final decision. Still, that is for later. Right now, what I need is a pony who can be honest with me, so I can be sure what Twilight says isn’t being tinted by her care for Nightmare Moon.”

“Then, sister, I might have a suggestion of which pony you would want to speak with first.”

===

Applejack poked her head out from behind the tree, looking in the direction of the castle before smiling and ducking back behind her chosen haven. She was in the shade of a tree a few hundred yards away from the castle and couldn’t help but stifle a yawn as she settled in for a nap. She had been working since the wee hours of the morning, keeping the ponies in the castle kitchen churning out a bunch of good, wholesome food. 

Still, after that one apple-bucking season, the farm mare was a little more aware of her limits. She knew she needed to get some sleep, just a quick nap. Yet, the Gabby Gums article her sister and her sister’s friends wrote still haunted Applejack from time to time. If somepony caught her napping, about half the time that pony would make some joke or comment about the article, and she hated it.

She wasn’t a “lazy daisy” like that article said. She worked hard. She gave her all whenever there was a job to do, but, when the work was done, didn’t she have as much right as anypony to take a nap?

Placing her stetson over her face to block the warm glow of the distant, currently perpetual, sunset, Applejack tried to settle into her nap. The grass beneath the tree was soft and the breeze was cool; it was a perfect place to doze off. That was, until Applejack heard the patter of hooves coming up beside her.

“Excuse me, I'm looking for Applejack.”

Bolting up, Applejack scrambled to her hooves and quickly spun around. “Now before y’all start, I ain’t layin’ down on the job or bein’ a ‘lazy daisy’! I was just—” she began, ready to defend herself, only for her argument to falter when she realized who she was speaking to. “P-Princess Luna.”

“I would never accuse you of idleness, Applejack,” Princess Luna said curtly. “From what I have heard of your work in the kitchens, there are few ponies who deserve rest more than you. If you would like, I can come back in a few minutes.” 

Applejack worked to straighten her hat and brushed off a few blades of grass that still clung to her legs. “No, I can’t go turnin’ ya away after you came out here to find me. It wouldn’t be right, ‘specially since the last I heard, you were on the moon.” 

“Not really on the moon,” Luna corrected before nodding her head, “but, yes, Celestia and I were banished until a little while ago. We were just released, by Nightmare Moon if you can believe it.”

“Well, honestly, I think I can,” Applejack said. “Still, shouldn’t you and Celestia be up in Canterlot? I’d imagine you two have a lot of work to catch up with.”

“From what my sister and I have been told by Twilight, our niece, Cadance, and her husband, Shining Armor, have been trying to put Canterlot’s government back in order ever since Nightmare Moon stepped down from her throne. They have, however, only managed to keep the situation from degrading further. Celestia and I will need to return to Canterlot soon so that everything can truly be set right. Before we depart, however, there are matters we have to deal with in Ponyville first.”

Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Luna paused for a moment, glanced back towards the castle, and picked her words carefully. “Applejack, you are the Element of Honesty, correct?”

“I reckon I am.”

“Then I need you to tell me about Nightmare Moon, tell me what you honestly think about her, and, if you have time, I need your help to find other ponies to do the same.”

“I reckon I can do that,” Applejack said with a smile as she laid back down in the shade of the tree, “But, if ya don't mind, could we just talk here? I've been on my hooves all mornin’.”

Luna shook her head and joined Applejack in the shade. “I don't mind in the slightest.”

===

Normally, Nurse Redheart would have been the pony to tend to Nyx. She needed some of her bandages changed and wounds cleaned to make sure they didn't get infected. However, Luna and Celestia had come to a silent agreement that they didn't want everypony to know they had returned, at least not until they were able to decide what to do with Nyx.

Thankfully, Nurse Redheart was more than willing to let Twilight tend to Nyx herself. Redheart was still busy helping the sick and injured with Nurse Tenderheart, Fluttershy, and Dr. Stable, and she didn’t have much time to spare. They didn’t even ask why Twilight wanted to be the one to change Nyx’s bandages. She just gave Twilight the supplies and a medical hoofbook which specifically detailed the proper procedure for cleaning and changing bandages.

Nyx was laid out on her makeshift bed, though she would not allow herself to go to sleep. She was unwilling to lower her guard around Celestia despite Twilight’s assurances. Still, the exhaustion of healing and a sedation spell by Twilight got the better of Nyx, and she drifted off to sleep just as Twilight began changing her bandages.

As Twilight worked, Celestia stood by her side, offering what help she could. She held the materials Twilight needed and collected the used bandages and cotton balls as they accumulated. They needed no words and worked in silence for several minutes.

Yet, as Twilight was replacing a bandage on Nyx's side, Celestia chose to break the silence. She spoke softly, as if her words were unwelcome in the quiet that had befallen the room. “Twilight, may I ask you something?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied as she took some of the fresh medical supplies from Celestia's levitation spell.

“Who do you blame for what happened that night?”

“Which night?”

“The night the Children of Nightmare finished their spell,” Celestia replied as she took some used cotton balls and deposited them in a paper garbage bag. “Who do you blame for what happened? Do you blame the cult for finishing the spell, do you blame me for taking Nightmare Moon away, or do you place the blame elsewhere?”

Twilight placed a bandage over the wound she had just cleaned and used some medical tape to secure it in place. “I don’t blame you for what happened, and, while they were the ones that caused most of this, I don’t blame the Children of Nightmare… not completely.

“If anything, I blame myself for letting it all happen. I don’t know if I could have convinced you that you didn’t have to be afraid of Nyx, but… I don’t think I can ever forgive myself for not putting up more of a fight.”

“Is that why you were willing to take her place?” asked Celestia.

“I promised Nyx that I wasn’t going to let you take her away from me again, and I meant it,” Twilight answered as she turned her attention to the next of Nyx's bandages. She carefully peeled it away and began inspecting the wound to be sure it was healing properly.

“Twilight, I’m sorry about what I put you through that night,” Celestia said softly as she took the spent bandage and passed Twilight the disinfectant and a fresh cotton ball. “I did what I felt I needed to do at the time, but the ends did not justify my means. I can understand if you do not wish to forgive me.”

Twilight sighed, took the cotton ball she was offered, soaked it in disinfectant, and began to clean Nyx’s wound. “You’re right. I honestly don’t want to forgive you for that night, but… I do forgive you.”

“You do?” Celestia asked as she passed Twilight a fresh bandage.

“I do,” Twilight assured her. “Everypony needs to be able to be forgiven, because we’ve all done things we wish we could undo.”

===

“So, she was able to take the Elements of Harmony from you without even lifting a hoof? And then she just let you go?”

Applejack nodded, obviously a bit embarrassed. After talking for a time under the shade of the tree, the pair had gotten up and started walking towards town. She and Luna were now getting close to Ponyville.

“It wasn’t like we made it difficult. I reckoned that, as long as we found another unicorn who was good with magic, we’d be able to beat Nightmare Moon. Trouble was the only one we could find was an annoyin’ show pony named Trixie. She’s not as good as Twilight, but we hoped it would be enough. Still, even after all that magic mumbo jumbo, it didn’t look like we left a scratch on Nightmare Moon and we were plumb exhausted for our effort.”

“While it is true that the magic is an important part of the Elements of Harmony, it is but another source of power. The strength of the elements come from the ties that bind, for it is through those that the power of the virtues you and your friends represent can come together.”

Applejack tilted her head to one side in confusion. “The ties that what now? I don’t recall us bein’ tied together when we first used the elements.”

Luna chuckled as she came to a stop. “Never mind, Applejack. Now, we’re getting close to town, and there is something I need to do before we get there. Do you mind stopping for a moment?”

“Not at all, sugarcube. What’cha got to do?”

“First, I have one more question to ask. If you were given the responsibility of deciding how Nightmare Moon was to be punished for what she’s done, what would you do?”

Applejack blinked a few times then looked away from Luna, scratching the back of her neck. “Well… shoot, you had to go and ask somethin’ hard like that.”

“All I ask is for your honesty, Applejack. You don’t have to explain why, I just need to know what you would do,” Luna assured her.

Applejack pondered the question for a few seconds, continuing to scratch the back of her neck before eventually sighing. “Well, I reckon… I don’t know. She did do some pretty nasty things, but Nightmare Moon has also done more than her fair share of good, ‘specially durin’ that monster attack. Personally, I’d be inclined to go easy on her, but that’s because she's settled any debt she had with me.

“But honestly, I’m probably not the pony to go askin’ ‘bout this,” Applejack admitted.

“I only desired your honest answer, and you’ve given it,” Luna said with a thankful smile. “Now, I need to speak with other ponies about Nightmare Moon, but I would not like Equestria to know my sister and I have returned just yet. We’ve been lucky that we haven’t passed another pony on this road, but I need to keep myself hidden once we get into town, at least from the general public.”

“Well, I reckon you know better than me what’s best in this situation. Thing is, how you goin’ to be hidin’ yourself? Can you transform yourself like Nightmare Moon?”

Luna nodded. “I could, but it then becomes a matter of who I change into. If I turn into a resident of the town, then we may run into them and that would cause certain difficulties. If I were to shapeshift into a new pony, then we run the risk of Pinkie Pie trying to welcome me to town with a party.”

“Yeah, even with the town like this, Pinkie Pie would want to throw a new pony a party,” Applejack agreed. “So then, what are you gonna do?”

Luna smiled as her horn started to glow. For a moment, nothing seemed to be happening, but then she slowly faded away like a ghost before disappearing entirely. It was a sight that left Applejack a bit bewildered, and she looked around anxiously before putting a hoof out where Luna had been standing.

“Ow!”

“Oops, sorry, Princess!” Applejack apologized, quickly drawing back her hoof.

“It’s okay, you did no harm.”

Applejack leaned to one side, as if adjusting her perspective might make it possible for her to see where Luna was standing. “So are you just gonna to stay invisible like that and follow me into town?”

“Yes. When you’ve found somepony you want me to talk to about Nightmare Moon, then I’ll need you to pull them someplace private where I can make myself visible again. Oh, and it’s best not to talk to me directly when I’m like this. Ponies might think—”

“That I’ve gone and lost mah marbles,” Applejack chuckled.

Luna joined in the short round of laughter. “Yes, though I wouldn't have worded it so bluntly.”

“Well, it’s kind of weird knowin’ I’m bein’ followed by an invisible princess, but I reckon you know what yer doin’,” Applejack mused as she turned and continued to walk towards town. “Now, I think I’m goin’ to show you to Rarity first. She’s the only one of us that Twilight told the full truth to after she found Nightmare Moon, ‘cause she needed her help with Nightmare Moon’s little disguise.”

“Then please, lead the way.”

===

“Hey, Rarity, you home?” Applejack called out as she held the door open.

“Right here, dear,” Rarity answered back. She trotted out from the back room with spools of cloth floating in her magic. “I’m just making some blankets and the like for all the ponies stuck living at the castle. The blankets they got from the guard barracks keep them warm, but they’re made from such horrible, itchy cloth. I don’t know how those ponies are getting any sleep at all. So I decided I was going to use some of the old fabric that’s just been lying around in the back to make some blankets. I can’t use it for dress making anyway.”

“Why can’t you use this fabric for dresses? It looks fine to me,” Applejack asked as she approached Rarity and looked over the spools of fabric.

“It’s a matter of quality, Applejack,” Rarity explained as she set the fabric down. “The thread count on these bolts is far too low for proper, fashionable dress making. It was a little mistake by my supplier, one they rectified by sending me the correct fabric and letting me keep these. I’m just glad I finally have a use for them. They’ve been cluttering up the back room for ages. Still, I doubt you came in here to listen to me talk about fabric.”

“No, I didn’t,” Applejack said. “I got somepony that needs to ask you a few questions, if ya can spare the time.”

Rarity grinned. “Oh, I love chatting while I work, but may I ask who wants to ask me questions?”

“That would be me,” Luna replied while her invisibility enchantment faded. Rarity visibly jumped at the sound of the third voice in the room. Her eyes then went wide and her mouth hung open as her vision locked on her unexpected guest.

“Princess Luna is in my shop?”

Applejack took a few steps back and used a hoof to hold her hat on her head. “Uh oh. Princess, you may want to brace yerself.”

Luna glanced at Applejack and cocked an eyebrow. “What for?”

“Princess Luna… is in my shop…. PrincessLunaisinmyshop!” Rarity repeated, talking faster and faster before she broke into a sprint. She galloped about her shop, magic flying in all directions as she adjusted, beautified, and cleaned the front room of her boutique at speeds that would impress even Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Luna had to jump out of the way a few times as a great number of things floated about the room. Within a minute of feverish, panicked, and magic-driven cleaning, the shop was utterly spotless.

Rarity skidded to a stop in front of Luna and did her best to keep herself from panting as she bowed. “Your Highness, it’s a privilege to have you in my shop, even though I do wish Applejack had given me a little more warning.”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Applejack apologized, “but she kind of just dropped in on me too. She only got back from the moon a little while ago.”

Rarity perked her ears up with curiosity. “You only returned recently? How?”

“It was Nightmare Moon that released my sister and I,” Luna answered. 

Rarity couldn’t help but smile. “Well, that’s good to hear. I was expecting it would happen sooner or later, but I’m surprised Nyx didn’t wait until her injuries had healed. The poor dear really got beat up during the attack.”

“You knew that Nightmare Moon would release me and Celestia?” Luna questioned.

“Well, I can’t say I knew for sure,” Rarity admitted as she batted at her hair: It was a nervous habit of hers. “But… oh, how best to put this? I can say that I knew there was a very, very good chance she would do it, and I hoped that she would.”

“But you didn’t know for certain?”

“If I may be so bold, Princess, it’s my personal opinion that you can never be absolutely sure about anything, at least when it comes to ponies.”

“What makes you say that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Why, personal experience of course,” Rarity said with a toss of her head. “Remember when I made you your gala dress? I was absolutely certain you’d all love the first set of dresses I made, but… well, you recall how that turned out.”

Applejack laughed. “Yeah. I still can’t figure why I thought galoshes would go with a gala dress.”

“You’re a practical pony, Applejack, so you consider function over form. You thought it might rain, so you wanted to be prepared,” Rarity reassured her friend with a gentle smile before turning her gaze back to Luna. “Still, that wasn't the first time I’ve created something I thought my client would love, only to find out that their opinion of my work was quite the opposite. And, over time, I’ve learned that you can’t be absolutely sure of anything when it comes to ponies.”

Luna gave an approving nod of her head. “That is a good lesson. Still, while you say you can’t be absolutely sure, I would like to know how you would answer one question, Rarity.”

“And what question would that be?”

“If you were given the responsibility of deciding how Nightmare Moon was to be punished for what she’s done, what would you do? How would you punish her? Or would you simply forgive her for what she’s done?” Luna asked, the serious tone of her question causing a silence to fall on the shop.

Rarity remained quiet for several moments, pressing her lips together as she contemplated the question. She began to frown a little, as if she didn’t like the answer that was forming in her head. “In all honesty, Princess, I’m torn. There is a part of me who would want to forgive Nyx. Besides Twilight, I was the only pony in town who knew what, or rather who, Nyx really was from the start, and even then I found her so darling. She’d bounce over to my shop from time to time, eager to be taught a lesson about being a proper mare, and I was more than willing to teach.

“But,” Rarity continued with a sigh, “she also locked up my sister. She locked Sweetie Belle in a cold, dank dungeon and worried me sick. My parents came and told me why Nyx had done it and that she would be returned safe and sound, but I still lay awake many nights wondering if Sweetie Belle was safe. That, and I suppose you can’t ignore all the ponies across Equestria who will want some justice…

“So I guess… I guess my answer would be that Nyx probably needs to be punished. Perhaps put in jail for a time?” Rarity finally concluded. She then scrunched up her face as if she found her own answer distasteful. “No, jail won’t do anypony any good. If anything, it will harden Nyx like some common criminal, and that’s the last thing we want to happen. Perhaps community service would be a better fit. Yes, Nyx could work to repay her debt to society, but she wouldn’t have to be locked up a horrible jail cell.

“I wouldn’t, however, have an inclination as to what you would have her do or for how long. I’m a dressmaker, not a judge,” Rarity concluded.

“I appreciate the fact you are trying to be as unbiased as a judge should be,” Luna commented with a smile. “But perhaps you would like to talk of less serious things, and I wish to know more about Nyx than just what she’s done recently. You mentioned that she used to come over to your shop to learn things from you. Would you mind telling me about that?”

Rarity perked up almost immediately, grateful that the conversation had shifted to a more pleasant topic. Soon she was telling short but energetic stories of some times Nyx had been over at her shop, either with Sweetie Belle and the other fillies or on her own accord.

===

After tending to Nyx’s wounds, Twilight had been content to just lie next to her on the bed. Nyx, however, had been asleep for a while, and Twilight needed a moment to relieve the tight muscles in her legs. Getting up slowly, Twilight stretched and walked over to Celestia, who had moved to the windows and was currently looking out at the horizon.

“I’m going to get a late lunch from the castle kitchens. You want me to bring you something?”

Celestia shook her head. “No thank you, Twilight. I’m not hungry at the moment.”

“Even after being in the sun for six weeks?”

“Being imprisoned in a celestial body like the sun or moon isn’t like being locked in a jail cell. The body knows no wants or needs beyond sleep. It desires no air to breathe, no water to drink, and no food to eat. All the body truly needs is sleep.”

“Well, good to know if I ever get banished to the moon,” Twilight joked weakly in an attempt to break the stiffness in the air. She then turned to leave, but, as she did, she glanced over her shoulder at Celestia once more. “Would you mind watching Nyx while I'm gone?”

“I will keep an eye on her,” Celestia replied. Twilight gave a thankful nod and had soon left the room. For a time, Celestia remained at the windows, but, when she was sure Twilight would not return, she stepped over towards the sleeping form of the mare she still considered to be Nightmare Moon.

She circled the bed where Nightmare Moon lay and once again looked over the wounds she had sustained fighting back the creatures of the Everfree Forest. It was a simple truth that most ponies in Equestria didn’t always appreciate. Celestia did more than rule and guide the sun. She also protected Equestria from the hydras and similar monsters that saw ponies as the perfect mid-afternoon snack, keeping them at bay with shows of force whenever one believed they could step into her kingdom without consequence.

Yet, when she could have turned a blind eye, Nightmare Moon stood to defend the ponies of the town she called home. Celestia wasn’t sure what exactly drove Nightmare Moon to such a sacrifice, but the intent behind the action didn’t matter at the moment.

What mattered was that Nightmare Moon had changed. She was the same pony physically; her origins were still in the mare that Luna had once been, but something had caused her to change on the inside. Celestia couldn’t be sure what had caused that change. It could have been the incomplete spell, or it could have been Twilight’s loving care. In truth, Celestia wanted to believe it was her student that helped Nightmare Moon become something other than the monster foals feared would hunt them in the night.

Celestia could no longer deny that Nightmare Moon was different, just as she could not ignore the part she played in what had happened. With Luna, she waited too long to act and her sister became the original Nightmare Moon. With the pony lying on the bed before her, she had acted too quickly. Her interference only made her greatest fears come to pass.

Yet, even though her own fears had been dispelled, Celestia knew similar fears would continue to exist throughout Equestria. While there were undoubtedly those in Ponyville who now looked upon Nightmare Moon with kind eyes, the rest of the kingdom would only see the mare Nightmare Moon used to be. They would see the tyrant queen that usurped the throne and the monster that stole away their sun.

Arguably, Luna would have faced the same hatred had it not been for the Elements of Harmony. The power of the ancient artifacts not only freed Luna from her jealousy but also reverted her physically. This gave Luna a chance to prove she wasn’t Nightmare Moon, that she was once more the kind, good spirited princess of the night the ancient ponies of Equestria had once known. Through the Elements and Luna’s own actions, she had been able to wash away her past. To the eyes of the public, Luna had been made innocent once more.

Nightmare Moon would not share in that level of forgiveness, and that made Celestia’s heart weigh heavily in her chest. Nightmare Moon had fought tooth and hoof to become something else. Yet, because she had never been blasted by the Elements and still looked the same, the ponies of Equestria would want to hold her accountable for what happened. Some would demand nothing short of Nightmare Moon’s banishment. 

In truth, Celestia doubted that Nightmare Moon would ever be totally forgiven. There would always be some ponies who only saw her as a monster.

Monster… Nightmare Moon would never escape that label. Her past was forever stained, and, no matter how much good she did, there would always be those who could only see those stains, like red juice spilled on a white table cloth.

Celestia heaved a heavy sigh, and she stepped away from Nightmare Moon to return to her place beside the throne room’s damaged windows. In her eyes, Nightmare Moon was not a monster. If anything, the guilt Celestia felt made her feel like she, at least in part, deserved the title.

She had done what she felt was necessary, done what she felt was best for her kingdom. She believed her intent was good and her actions right, but that didn’t change the fact she was the one who had torn a daughter from her home and mother.

===

“So, I would ask you three, what would you do if the responsibility fell to you to decide Nightmare Moon’s fate? Would you offer forgiveness or would you say she needs to be punished? And, if so, what is befitting of her crimes?”

After leaving Rarity's boutique, Applejack and Luna had gone back to the castle. With a little searching, Applejack found Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and she guided all of them to one of the castle's empty guard towers. There, Luna revealed herself, and, as she expected, the three ponies began bombarding her with questions about how she had escaped the moon. Luna cut through the questions gracefully, and finally managed to ask her own, leaving Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie glancing between one another.

“Well…um, it may just be me, but… uh, I would forgive her,” Fluttershy quietly admitted.

Rainbow Dash flared her wings and looked at Fluttershy in disbelief. “After all she’s done, you can’t seriously say you’d just forgive her!”

“Then may I ask what you believe should be done, Rainbow Dash?” Luna asked.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong. It was cool how she helped us out during the attack, but I saw what her eternal night was doing to a lot of ponies. When Applejack said we should try and find Trixie, I was the one that flew out to nearby towns to see if anypony had seen her. I gotta tell ya, there were a lot of ponies that were taking the whole ‘eternal night’ thing pretty hard.”

“Would you, if you could, banish her to the moon then?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “Well… not exactly. I mean, that’s kind of harsh. It would probably be better to just lock her up in a dungeon or jail or something for a few years.”

“Years?!” Fluttershy voiced in disbelief. “Rainbow Dash, you only lock up a pony for that long if she’s done something really horrible like setting some other pony’s house on fire or… or… deliberately hurting another pony!”

Dash’s lips tightened, preparing for the coming argument. “And bringing two weeks of endless night to Equestria isn’t really horrible?”

“Well… okay… that is pretty bad,” Fluttershy admitted weakly before forcing some strength back into her voice, “but she hasn’t hurt anypony. I mean… she did have the chance to hurt us, after we tried to use the Elements of Harmony with Trixie, but she didn’t do anything. She didn’t lock us up; she didn’t hurt us. She just let us go and took the Elements.”

“But what about Twilight?” Dash argued. “Nightmare Moon kept her locked up in the castle dungeon for weeks, and Twilight didn’t do anything wrong. Oh, and by the way, I still say we should have used one of my awesome escape plans to rescue her.”

“Rainbow, those plans were half-baked and you know it,” Applejack snapped.

Pinkie Pie nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, and half-baked plans are like half-baked cakes; nopony likes them because they’re all soggy in the middle and—”

“Anyways,” Dash continued, cutting Pinkie Pie off before she could go off on one of her wild tangents, “while I admit Nightmare Moon did a lot to help Ponyville, she also did a lot of things that hurt all of Equestria. Even if you only made her stay in jail for one minute for every pony in Equestria, that would still add up to years… I think.”

Fluttershy shook her head firmly, and, while her voice was at its normal quiet volume, she was still showing more fight than she usually did. “No! No no no! You punish bad ponies, but you forgive good ponies who make a few bad decisions. Nyx isn’t a bad pony.”

“Fluttershy, she threw Equestria into what could have been an eternal night. She locked up Twilight and three little fillies, and she stole the Elements of Harmony from us. She banished Celestia and Luna to the sun and moon,” Dash said coldly. “That’s a lot of bad decisions.”

“But you’re ignoring all the good decisions she’s made,” Fluttershy pointed out. “She brought back the sun, she saved Twilight, and she defended Ponyville. She’s earned our forgiveness.”

“But Fluttershy—” Rainbow Dash tried to argue, only for Fluttershy to shake her head furiously from side to side.

“No, she deserves to be forgiven. Besides, have you thought about Twilight? How do you think she would feel if Nyx was locked up for years?”

Dash lowered her ears while her strong stance deflated. “I… didn’t think about that.”

“Rainbow Dash brings up a valid point, Fluttershy,” Luna said, defending Dash’s side of the argument. “There are many in Equestria that undoubtedly want to see Nightmare Moon punished, if only for the crimes we have laws for.”

“And stealing a princess’s pet phoenix is probably against the law too, but Celestia forgave me for that,” Fluttershy argued with a rare firmness in her voice. “Nyx is not a bad pony, she just made a few bad decisions, and she’s fixed everything she did wrong without anypony asking her. We should forgive her.”

“One who wields unmatched compassion, wishing only to grant forgiveness,” Luna commented as she looked at Fluttershy before she turned to face Rainbow Dash, “balanced by one who embodies loyalty, not only to her friends, but to all of Equestria. I am beginning to truly see why you ponies were able to bring such power to the Elements of Harmony.”

Luna looked to Pinkie Pie, who was wearing her usual smile. “We, however, have not heard your opinion yet, Pinkie Pie. Would you forgive Nightmare Moon or see her punished?”

“I’d forgive her,” Pinkie Pie chirped without a second thought.

“And might I ask why?”

“Well, if I locked her up or banished her, then Nyxie couldn’t come to the super fun-eriffic ‘Thanks-For-Saving-Ponyville-From-A-Bunch-Of-Scary-Monsters’ party!”

“You planned a party for her?” Dash asked incredulously.

Pinkie Pie nodded. “You bet! After all, my special talent is throwing parties and making ponies happy. That, and I wanted to ask if Nyx would try turning me into a cake.”

Luna lifted an eyebrow. “Turn you into a cake?”

“Oh yeah. See, Nyx turned Fluttershy into a tree, and it was so cool, and I wanted her to turn me into a cake, but then Twilight took Nyx away to get lunch, and I figured, now that Nyx is all big like Nightmare Moon, she has to be even more wonderful at magic and turning me into a cake would be easy-peasy.”

“But would you not be worried about somepony trying to eat you?”

Pinkie Pie blinked a few times, confronted with an aspect of cake-ification she hadn’t considered. “I never thought about that. Huh… I wonder what I’d taste like.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but snort. She put a hoof to her face and did her best to keep herself from laughing while Luna, Fluttershy, and Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie with utter confusion.

===

Nyx groaned, waking up to her still-very-sore body. She didn’t know what had woken her up at first, but, after a moment of lying there groggily, she noticed something was bothering her eyes. She opened them to see what it was, but soon regretted the decision and squeezed them shut.

There was a light shining in her face, and it was bright enough that it was irritating her eyes, even when they were closed. Nyx lifted a hoof to shield her face and tried opening her eyes a second time.

The light that had awoken her was a reflection, a shimmer from the sun that was being directed into her eyes by something. That something was Celestia’s crown. Celestia was still lingering by the throne room windows, though she had moved since Nyx had fallen asleep.

Nyx wanted to get up, to move so the light wouldn’t be in her eyes. However, as she tried to shift her weight, she realized two things. First, she was really, really sore. Second, Twilight was sleeping next to her.

Smiling a little, Nyx couldn’t blame Twilight for dozing off. She also found it comforting. Twilight had nestled herself into the crook of Nyx’s neck and was sleeping like a filly curled up in a parent’s embrace. It was reversal of their situation, but Nyx still found comfort having her adoptive mother so close.

Still, because of Twilight she was unable to move, and because of the light she was unable to get back to sleep. That left Nyx with only one option.

“Um… Princess Celestia?”

Celestia turned her head abruptly, as if she had been startled out of her thoughts. She recovered her composure quickly and looked over at Nyx. “Yes?”

“Could you move a little, please? Your crown’s making the light shine in my eyes.”

Celestia turned her head to one side and took notice of the intense white spots of light, the reflections cast by her crown, that seemed to dance around the room as she moved. She then smiled, nodded, and moved to the other side of the windows, where she would not be in direct sunlight. Celestia then looked back at Nyx and asked gently, “Is that better?”

“Much, thank you,” Nyx replied before laying her head back down and stifling a yawn. Before she drifted back to sleep, she bent her neck down a little, allowing it to wrap more tightly around the sleeping Twilight.

“She just fell asleep,” Celestia said before turning her gaze back to the horizon. “She only left your side for a moment, when she had to go fetch lunch.”

“What was for lunch?” Nyx asked, her curiosity caused more by hunger than anything else.

“She brought back some celery soup. She thought you might like some when you woke up. It’s lying there by your head.”

Nyx shifted and took notice of the bowl of cold soup that was sitting on the floor beside her bed. The sight of it made her smile. “I wish she would have woken me. I would like to have eaten it while it was warm… it’s one of my favorite meals.”

“I find it interesting you count such a simple, plain soup among your favorites. Did you not eat finer things as Equestria’s Queen?”

“I did, but the reason it’s my favorite isn’t because of how it tastes. This and a daffodil sandwich were the first things I ever ate. It was what Twilight gave me when she first brought me back to the library. It… it always reminds me of her.” Nyx’s gaze shifted from the bowl back to the sleeping Twilight, and she nuzzled her once more. “It’s not the most delicious meal… but it has—”

“Sentimental value?” Celestia finished softly as she glanced at Nyx again.

Nyx nodded her head and would have gone back to sleep right then. Yet, after a laying there a few moments, Nyx began to smell something. She could smell the soup, but the odd thing was that it smelled warm. Lifting her head gingerly once more, Nyx saw some trails of steam gently rising up from the soup. She also noticed a few lingering bits of magic fade away from the edges of the bowl.

Nyx looked at Celestia, and she wore a gentle smile as the last sparks of magic faded from her horn. Celestia then turned her attention back to the horizon, staring at the perpetual sunset as the gentle clatter of a spoon against a bowl began to fill the room.

===

After leaving Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, Applejack had let Luna stay in the castle guard tower while she brought other ponies to talk about Nyx. Some spoke well, and, at times, Luna requested that Applejack find ponies that would speak poorly of Nyx, if only so she could hear a proper range of opinions.

Like Rainbow Dash, there were ponies that felt Nyx did need to be punished in some way, though a majority of them felt that such a thing also needed to be tempered with mercy. Cheerilee was among such ponies. She thought of the situation as she would a student breaking a rule in the classroom. The rules applied to everypony, and thus everypony needed to accept the consequences of their actions.

There were also those like Fluttershy, who wished only to offer Nyx leniency and forgiveness. Ditzy Doo was almost as adamant as Fluttershy that it would be better to forgive Nyx.

Finally, there were those who were in no way swayed by what Nyx had done, who blamed her for the monster attack. They believed that banishment to the moon was a just reward for the pony who usurped Equestria's throne. Those ponies also made it a point to mention that, unless Nyx was banished, nothing was stopping her from trying to take over Equestria a second time.

After one such harsh pony had said his two bits, Luna thanked him and allowed him to leave. As the stallion departed the tower, Applejack glared at him coldly while making a mental note to charge him extra the next time he came to her apple stand.

“Well, he was certainly adamant, wasn't he?”

“Bull-headed if you ask me,” Applejack retorted with a huff.

“His opinion is still valid, Applejack,” Luna lectured, “even if you don't agree with it.”

“I ain't sayin' his opinion isn't valid. I'm just sayin’ he has rocks for brains.”

Luna laughed a little. “Well, I suppose you are allowed your opinion as well. Still, I do believe I have heard enough. Thank you for your assistance, Applejack.”

“Ah’ shoot, I was glad to help. If you don't mind me askin', have you decided what you’re gonna do?”

“No,” Luna admitted with a sigh. “If anything, I feel that I am more unsure than I was this morning.”

Applejack cursed under her breath and kicked at the dirt on the floor. “Well, shoot. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“No, Applejack, you were very helpful. The fact this decision has become difficult for me is a sign that I have come to understand Nightmare Moon. I just… don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll think of somethin’. After all—”

“Hey Applejack!”

Hearing her name, Applejack snapped her head around and looked towards the steps of the guard tower. Four fillies came running into view, each wearing a Cutie Mark Crusaders cape. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and, the group’s latest addition, Twist scampered up into the tower, barely giving Luna time to make herself invisible.

“Well hey there, sis, what are you four doin’ out here this late?” Applejack asked.

“Pinkie Pie told us that we should come talk to you, that you were askin’ a bunch of ponies about Nyx,” Apple Bloom answered.

Applejack chuckled and nodded her head. “Well, I reckon I was.”

“Well then why didn’t you come talk to us?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, we’re Nyx’s best friends! Why wouldn’t you come talk to us about her?” Sweetie Belle added.

“Sorry. I guess y’all just didn’t cross my mind,” Applejack said before she glanced to where Luna had been standing a few moments before. “I reckon I should go ahead and let you four get yer word in since you went through the trouble of chasin’ me down. Now, what would y’all want me to know about Nyx?”

With nothing but that single question, the four fillies were off. They talked about everything that they could about Nyx, as if they had been thinking about that very question the whole time they were looking for Applejack. They told of how good she was at games, how smart she was, how she and Twist helped the other three with school work when it got hard, and how awesome she was at magic.

It was an endless stream of things, each some small event or nuance about the filly that the four called their friend. Through it all, Applejack felt the smile on her face slowly growing larger.

“And…” Apple Bloom tried to continue a few minutes later, looking at her friends anxiously. “I can’t think of anything else.”

“I can think of something,” Twist said cheerfully. “Nyx is a really good friend.”

“Personally, I reckon that all you little fillies are really good friends,” Applejack stated. “And thank you for runnin’ me down to tell me all of this, but it’s gettin’ late. You four should be gettin’ back to yer families, and that includes you, Apple Bloom. I don’t want to get back to the farm and hear from Big Macintosh you were late gettin’ back.”

The four fillies hung their heads but did as they were told. They made their way to the stairwell that led down from the top of the guard tower. Applejack stood and watched the four cape-wearing Crusaders leave, and, once she was sure the fillies were out of earshot, Applejack gave her hat a nudge as she smiled.

“If you wanted to know about Nightmare Moon, sugarcube, those are the four fillies that‘ll give you the honest truth,” Applejack said, assuming that Luna was still hiding invisibly nearby. “The others and I, we knew her because of Twilight. Those four, they’re her real friends, and real friends are the ones that know ya the best.”

===

Celestia’s horn began to glow gently as she shut her eyes and stretched out her magic. She had been watching the clock carefully, and, when the time was right, she reached out to the sun. While she and Luna wanted to keep their return a secret, it was important that the sun and moon were put back on schedule.

The princess’s bond with the sun made setting it as simple as reaching out to an old friend, or perhaps to a child. The sun would, on some days, be willing to slip off to its slumber beyond the horizon. On other days, it would fuss and refuse, but every day Celestia found a way of coaxing it down so that the moon could rise. She had done so for a thousand years, and did it again tonight… even if she could feel the lingering magic of Nyx, who had tended the sun in her absence.

The sun was willing this evening. It was ready for a rest after being in the sky for so much longer than usual. It began to sink below the horizon with only the slightest guidance.

Celestia’s attention was drawn away when she heard the doors to the throne room open. For a moment it looked as if nopony was there, but she could hear hoofsteps against the floor. Once the door was closed, Luna slowly bled back into visibility and crossed the room to sit by her sister.

“I see that they are sleeping,” Luna whispered as she motioned to Nyx and Twilight.

“Nightmare Moon needs her rest, and Twilight has been so worried I would be surprised if my student hadn't exhausted herself. Though, in honesty, her concerns of what we might do aren't unwarranted.”

“Despite our powers, Celestia, we are still just ponies, and at times we make mistakes just like any other. Our emotions get the better of us, and we make bad decisions. It was my jealousy of you that, a thousand years ago, led me to make the worst decision of my life, and, once that decision was made, it took the Elements of Harmony to set things right.”

“That does not excuse my actions.”

“I never said it did,” Luna corrected, “but you know you did something wrong, sister, which means you can work to make it right.”

Celestia nodded as she watched Luna raise the moon as her sun continued to set. “Perhaps I can. So, were you successful?”

“I was. I learned much about both the filly she was before and how Nightmare Moon is currently viewed by the residents of Ponyville.“

“Have you decided what you are going to do?”

“I believe I have,” Luna answered gently as she grew quiet. “I think it's for the best, but I can’t be sure. I actually wanted to talk with two more ponies first before I really decide.”

“And they are?”

“I need to speak with Nightmare Moon, but only after discussing this with you, Celestia. You've been with Twilight and Nightmare Moon all day. Surely you have noticed a few things.”

A cold sternness took shape on Celestia’s face. “I have. Much like Twilight and her friends, I am one of the few who has seen the true Nightmare Moon. I have seen the mare that I was forced to banish, who desired the night eternal, and who banished me to the sun during that fateful Summer Sun Celebration. I knew the monster and I feared her.

“Yes… I have seen the true Nightmare Moon,” Celestia continued before a smile started to form on her lips while her eyes softened, “and, while the alicorn who lies in this room is the same mare, she is no longer a monster. She is the same in form, in power, and in history, but she has also changed. She is not like what she once was, and I can now truly see that for myself.

“For while you have come to know Nightmare Moon as she was seen by Ponyville, sister, I have come to know how she is seen by the pony that cares for her the most,” Celestia said, looking over her shoulder at the sleeping form of Twilight Sparkle.

“To my faithful student, she has only known Nightmare Moon by another name. Through her eyes, she sleeps beside a mare that is not a monster and was never a queen. To Twilight, Nightmare Moon… no, Nyx is a daughter, one that Twilight is willing to do anything to protect. I have, honestly, never been prouder of my student.”

Celestia heaved a weary sigh. “Though, perhaps it is better to say my former student. I cannot be sure Twilight will ever be able to look upon me as her teacher again, considering what has transpired between us.”

“I think, sister, that an action is only unforgivable if we choose to make it that way,” Luna corrected softly as she leaned against Celestia's side. “By calling something we’ve done unforgivable, we do nothing to try and change it. We let the mistake we made define who we are, even if it’s not the pony we want to be.

“But everything is forgivable in time. Anypony can earn redemption. They have to be willing, and sometimes they need help and a lot of time… but anything can be forgiven.”

Celestia bent her head down, bringing it next to Luna’s as she smiled. “Forgiveness. Truly, if there were meant to be a seventh Element of Harmony, it would be the Element of Forgiveness. I will work to earn my forgiveness for what I’ve done.”

“You will not work alone, sister,” Luna replied. “It was my past, my bad decisions, and my wrongs that turned me into Nightmare Moon. This alicorn inherited all of my sins, whether she wanted them or not, and it is a burden that I intend to, at least in part, take back.”

===

Nyx glanced anxiously over her shoulder. Twilight was being shown out of the room by Celestia, who whispered something to her before sending her outside and closing the door. Celestia then sealed the door with both physical locks and magical barriers, something that made Nyx swallow nervously before turning her head forward. The bed she had been recovering on had been removed, she was standing where it had once been, and Princess Luna stood before her.

Luna, despite being smaller in stature than Nyx, stood with her back to the room’s broken windows with her wings spread and a firm, serious expression on her face. In all, Luna gave off an aura of leadership and power. Every part of her body language shouted that, at the moment, she stood not as a younger sister or a friend. No, in that moment, she stood as a Royal Sister of Equestria, as the Regent of the Moon, and as the one about to pass judgment on Nyx.

“Nightmare Moon, you stand accused of high treason against Equestria. You have committed crimes against the ponies of this kingdom as well as my sister and I, the High Princesses of Equestria. You have brought about two weeks of constant night to this land. You unjustly imprisoned one adult mare and three young fillies. Your agents, the Children of Nightmare, spread fear throughout the land and almost succeeded in executing an innocent unicorn. Above all, you usurped Equestria’s throne by imprisoning both me and my sister in the moon and sun respectively.

“Do you deny these crimes as I have spoken them?” Luna asked.

Nyx hung her head as everything she had done was verbally thrown back in her face. “No… I do not.”

“Before I pass my judgment, Nightmare Moon, I would ask you one question. Are you willing to answer it truthfully?”

Nyx replied with a simple nod.

“Earlier, just before you surrendered yourself to Celestia and I, you said something to Twilight Sparkle. What did you say?”

“I simply told her that I had decided what kind of mare I wanted to be.”

“And what kind of mare are you? Who are you? Are you Nightmare Moon, or are you Nyx? Are you the filly Twilight took care of, or are you the mare I used to be?”

Nyx swallowed, glancing over her shoulder to the closed throne room doors, beyond which she knew stood Twilight Sparkle. “I cannot deny my past nor my origins. I was born of a spell meant to resurrect Nightmare Moon. In power, in form, and in memory, I am the same mare you once were. And, in truth, if it were not for that past, I would not have had the courage and determination to protect the ponies I care about.”

Nyx then smiled and turned her eyes towards Luna as they filled with a firm conviction. “But I am now much more than your twisted shadow, Princess Luna. As Nyx, I learned what it was like to be cared for by a mother, to have friends and play in the sunshine. As Nightmare Moon, I was born into your jealousy and hatred. Yet, I was given a chance to know happiness, and that has left its mark on my soul.

“I am both Nightmare Moon and Nyx, because they are one and the same. They are both me, but the name I choose as my own is Nyx.” She finished with a stomp of her front right hoof. The last echoes of that proclamation lingered in the air before dissipating into the night.

Luna nodded in understanding, and shut her eyes as she listened as the last traces of Nyx’s words faded. She then took in a deep breath, and, when Luna next opened her eyes, both they and her horn were glowing.

“Then, Nyx, I lay my judgment upon you.”