Little Moon Princess

Chapter 1: Luna’s Return

The silence was suffocating.

Dust hung thick in the cold dawn air, lit by a single shaft of light filtering through the shattered roof of the ancient throne room. Broken stone and scorched banners littered the floor like battlefield remains. The clash had ended abruptly and now nothing stirred.

Luna stood where Nightmare Moon had fallen, trembling.

The dark magic was gone. Torn from her in a single, brilliant burst of rainbow light that had seared through her mind. Where nightmare moon had once coiled around her like a chain, now there was only silence. She gasped, and it felt like breathing for the first time in centuries.

The armor that had once covered her darker form lay scattered around her in twisted, broken pieces. Her body was small, not quite fully grown, it was as if she hadn’t aged at all since she was banished.

The sound of hooves broke the silence and Luna’s ears flicked forward. She turned to see who or what was approaching.

Celestia stood at the edge of the ruins, framed by the pale dawn. Her mane billowed in soft auroras, her expression unreadable. She looked regal and still, like a statue.

Luna’s chest tightened and her legs threatened to buckle. “I…” Luna started, but her voice cracked. “Sister…”

Celestia didn’t answer. She stepped forward. “You’re free,” Celestia said softly. “At last.”

Luna’s mouth opened, but no words came. Shame surged up like bile. She couldn’t look at her sister, at the quiet grief in her eyes. She wanted to speak, to apologize, but all the words tangled in her throat.

“I didn’t…” she whispered, barely audible. “It wasn’t… I didn’t mean…”

She hadn’t meant for it to go so far. At least, that’s what she told herself. The rage, the cold clarity of vengeance, it had felt so justified then. Now, standing small and bare beneath her sister’s gaze, those reasons felt distant, childish, like the echoes of a tantrum stretched across a thousand years.

Celestia stopped in front of her, close enough to touch. “I know,” she said, those two words held more weight than Luna could bear.

She dropped her gaze, and her wings sagged. “You should hate me.”

“Never.” Celestia answered, without hesitation.

That struck harder than any blade. Luna felt herself sinking, guilt, fear, the overwhelming relief of being seen  again. Her legs gave out and she slumped forward.

Celestia caught her before she could hit the ground. No magic. Just wings wrapped gently around her. Celestia folded her sister against her chest as if nothing had ever been broken between them.

Luna stiffened, instinctively, but she didn’t pull away. “You came back,” Luna said, voice hoarse.

“I would have come sooner,” Celestia replied, “if I could.”

The forest outside was waking. Birds began to call. Wind whispered through the trees. For the first time in a thousand years, morning in the Everfree came without Nightmare Moon.

Luna was quiet. Her wings trembled against her sister’s side. “What…what happens now?”

Celestia looked up, eyes scanning the crumbling castle walls around them, the ruins of their old home. “We go home.”

Luna didn’t move, but she realized she wasn’t sure where home was now. Luna looked up at her sister then, and for the first time saw something unfamiliar. Weariness. Grief. But also a gentleness she had forgotten Celestia could carry.

The two mares stayed like that for a moment, before Celestia rose, and helped her sister to her hooves. Luna stumbled once, unused to her own balance. Celestia’s wing was already there, steadying her without a word.

The gesture stung with kindness. Luna didn’t refuse it, but her eyes were wet.

Together, they stepped out of the castle of the two sisters, reunited. The morning sun just perking above the horizon ahead of them, golden and soft. Birds scattered from the trees as they passed.

Six figures stood a short distance away, hesitant to approach. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

They looked uneasy, clustered together near the broken gate. Twilight Sparkle’s ears perked forward, concern etched across her face. Her mane was singed at the edges. Dirt dusted her coat, but her eyes were clear but concerned.

Celestia turned slightly, not releasing her hold on Luna. “Thank you,” she said to them, voice regal but warm. “You’ve done more than I can ever repay.”

Twilight’s mouth opened, then closed. She nodded, visibly uncertain whether to speak. But when her eyes met Luna’s, she did not flinch.

None of them bowed. None of them backed away.

Luna’s breath caught, her chest tightening. They should hate her after what she’d done, but instead, the only thing she sensed from any of them was a strange sort of…welcome.

She couldn’t meet their eyes.

Celestia must have sensed the shift in her, because she pressed her wing more firmly over Luna’s back.

“We will return to Canterlot,” Celestia said gently. “Twilight, you and your friends should remain here a short while longer. Guards will arrive soon to escort you home safely.”

Twilight nodded again, more firmly this time. “Yes, Princess.”

As Celestia turned, she guided Luna forward with quiet insistence. Neither of them spoke as they walked past the six young mares who had brought the night to its knees.

None of the bearers said anything aloud, but Fluttershy dipped her head as they passed, and Pinkie Pie offered a small, uncharacteristically gentle wave. It was kindness, and it bewildered her, Luna wasn’t ready for kindness.

Celestia’s chariot awaited them in a clearing just beyond the gates, sleek and white with its gold trim dulled by dew. The pegasus guards bowed, eyes fixed straight ahead. They did not look at Luna, and Celestia helped her aboard.

The flight was quiet. From above, the Everfree Forest looked deceptively peaceful. Morning light draped itself across the treetops in ribbons, and the river cut a soft gleaming path through the green. Luna watched in silence.

Soon, Canterlot rose from the mountainside like a vision out of memory. Its white stone towers gleamed, the banners atop them fluttering gently in the wind.

When they landed, castle staff quickly cleared the path, bowing, eyes lowered. No one spoke. No one asked questions but even if they had, Celestia offered no explanations.

Inside, the air was warm and still. Luna stumbled once in the entrance hall. Celestia steadied her wordlessly.

“Come,” she said. “You need rest.”

Luna opened her mouth to argue, to but the protest died in her throat. The truth was, she was exhausted. Every part of her ached.

Celestia led her down winding halls to a quiet chamber in the east wing, once a guest suite, now prepared and ready for her. The bed was large, the curtains drawn to keep the light soft. A basin waited beside a towel rack, warm steam still rising.

Celestia waited by the doorway as her sister warily entered. “I’ll be just down the hall. Ring the bell if you need anything.”

“Tia…”

Luna’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I don’t deserve this…”

Celestia didn’t hesitate. She pulled Luna close, warm and steady. “You belong with me.”

Luna swallowed hard. “Even after everything?”

“Especially after everything,” Celestia said softly. “You’re my sister. That’s never been in question.”

Luna didn’t speak, but her weight leaned into the hug, just a little more.

Celestia left without closing the door fully behind her. The silence that followed was heavy, but not empty.

Luna sat on the edge of the bed, mane tousled and eyes distant as she stared at the wall, trying to feel what had changed.

Luna’s eyes drifted toward the tall window, where sunlight spilled across the floor in golden slats. Her body was weary and her thoughts drifted away. She shifted onto the bed, not bothering to crawl beneath the covers, and curled into herself atop the plush blanket. The familiar weight of stone and silence pressed in on her, but it was softer now, dulled by exhaustion. Her eyes slipped closed. Just for a moment, she told herself. Just long enough to forget how lost she felt.