No Longer Alone

by SparkleForever

Snowball Shield

Snow crunched beneath crystalline boots and bone numbing wind tore through a starry mane. Princess Luna stopped for a moment on the mountainside, hunched over as she squinted against the blinding scenery before her. Jagged mountain peaks to her right stretched toward the bright blue sky, obscured by swirling mists. The sun shone harshly high above her, yet she felt no warmth from its rays. A coldness had settled deep into her chest. The Moon was closer to the Sun now than she had been in ages, yet they were still so far apart.

Will things ever go back to the way they were? Luna sighed. It had been months since she returned from the cruel clutches of the moon, and her silence about the experience had only grown. She had chosen to focus on the present in hopes of forgetting the past, to let it fade away and die from her memories like the tainted blight that it was. Only, Celestia didn’t seem to be taking her silence well.

She sighed again, bowing her head. Down below her, a valley housed countless snow dusted pine trees. A frozen river glinted in the light, weaving itself through the forest. A small clearing to the left caught Luna’s eye. She checked her matching winter attire, tugging her hat securely into place. Icy air filled her lungs and she paused a moment as nervous energy bubbled up inside her at what she was about to do. Then Luna leapt off the mountainside, a familiar weightlessness taking hold until she unfurled her large, bat-like wings. And she soared. The feeling of flight was foreign after being away on the moonscape for so long, and she marveled not for the first time at how her wings sliced through the air with ease.

The clearing opened up before her and she dived, the rush leaving her breathless. She alighted in the shade near the forest’s edge, eyes relaxing. The air was still, only Luna’s frosty breath breaking the silence. The snow was littered with tiny paw prints and wild grass poked through its banks. The clearing was peaceful. Boring. Luna’s eye twitched.

Where in Equestria is Celestia? Luna groused. She had not been alone in coming here. In truth, the diarchical sisters had come to explore this vast wilderness during a rare instance of respite from their royal duties. It was a risky outing, one that Luna would have turned down if she had had a say in the matter, but time in Celestia’s busy schedule opened up happenstance and the older alicorn had jumped on blocking out time for the both of them, rousing Luna from her slumber early. Much too early.

How had Celestia put it? Luna snorted, holding back a yawn. Oh, yes. Long overdue sister bonding time.

The long overdue part was an understatement. Luna could recall only a few instances where they had spent time together after assuming the throne, times when the crown had been light upon their brows. Each instance occurred years prior to Luna’s banishment. With Luna ruling the night and Celestia the day, there was very little overlap in their schedules where they saw each other, and less time still when they were not actively serving the little ponies of Equestria. Even after Luna was once again in the kingdom’s good graces, there had not been time for Celestia to question her about the past as she so openly wanted to. That is, until today. Luna didn’t want to open up to Celestia about the time during her banishment though, to give voice to her pain and suffering. She wasn’t sure she ever would.

If it came down to it, I would rather be locked up again, Luna’s dark thoughts swirled around her. I certainly committed enough crimes against equinity to be locked up for the rest of my life. I deserve to, I am a traitor through and throu--“No!” A realization of what she was doing hit Luna hard. Blinking against tears, she reigned in the guilt and self-doubt with a furious whisper. “Stop right there! These thoughts are demeaning and unproductive, and I shall not be reduced to a sniveling mess out here in the wilderness.”

Her thoughts quieted as her vision cleared and she nodded to herself; there would be time to evaluate these thoughts when she was alone and shrouded by the darkness of her Night. She had worked tirelessly to hold back her sorrow from everypony ever since her return, focusing instead on becoming the lighthearted creature that her sister and all of Equestria deserved. It was the least she could do after they welcomed her back to the throne with open hooves. Why they had, she couldn’t fathom, but she would do anything to meet their expectations.

Luna pawed at the ground, idly noting that the powdery surface concealed compacted snow underneath. Her eyes widened slightly, a smile brightening her face. She had thought of a way to make this trip memorable.

She moved further into the clearing, snow crunching beneath her hooves. A few steps in, the ground beneath her forehoof gave way with a crack, and she looked down to see she had stepped on the ice of a frozen puddle. She slowly lifted her hoof back, but then the air caught in her throat and she looked away. The broken shards reflected her shattered face perfectly.

Perhaps it was time for some company. The only problem, she didn’t know where Celestia was. How had they gotten separated? Luna paused, embarrassment rising at her own foalishness. The fault was all her own. She had jumped ahead and taken off from Canterlot without her.

Celestia just had to be stubborn, she thought. ‘No, Luna, I don’t want to scale the mountainside’ and the like. It had actually been a relief at the time that she’d have a few moments to collect herself, but now she realized that she was just prolonging the inevitable. It was time that she faced her sister with half-truths and dodged questions.

Luna briefly closed her eyes, summoning the vast, untapped magic within her. Opening her eyes she began to weave a spell, one that would allow her to send a telepathic message to her sister. Her horn glowed a familiar turquoise, the same as her eyes. As soon as the spell was complete, Luna knew that Celestia had received her message. The plan she had begun formulating took shape. There was very little time to prepare.

……….

Celestia was coming; Luna could feel it. An alicorn as ancient and powerful as her sister was hard to miss, even without a visual. The power required to move a heavenly body such as the sun rivaled all of Equestria’s unicorns combined. The very magical aura of the sun alicorn could be felt for miles around, if one knew how to look for it.

It was the moment that Luna had been waiting for. She smirked, legs splayed wide and magic at the ready. On either side of her, piles of snowballs lie ready for use. A cloaking spell hid her and the snowballs from sight. She was ready.

……….

Time dragged on. A bird’s shriek pierced the silence. Movement in the sky attracted Luna’s attention; it was just a speck of a pegasus flying over Canterlot Mountain. Luna’s joints were stiff with cold and her ears had long since gone numb. She shuddered as a strong breeze cut through her thick, navy fur. She was feeling quite the foal for standing there.

“WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!” The Royal Canterlot voice burst forth from Luna’s downturned mouth, cracking like thunder throughout the valley. A muted groan responded, steadily growing in volume. The anger drained out of Luna and she crouched down, ears pinned back and eyes wide open as she gazed up at the mountains. Winter had hit the mountainous area hard, burdening the landscape with excessive snow. High above and out of view, subtle cracks spread throughout the mountains’ white covering as the snow began to shift.

At that very moment, a golden light much like the sun lit up the end of the clearing. A whisper of magic nagged at Luna’s consciousness and tore her attention away from the sky. As she looked away, the groaning ceased. The snow loomed above her, awaiting another outburst. The valley was safe… for now.

Straightening up, Luna squinted at the light. Is it… coming closer? she wondered. Then Luna’s jaw dropped. The blinding light dimmed and Celestia appeared before her, light laughter filling the air. The golden aura surrounding her made Celestia’s pure white coat glow radiantly. Her multicolored mane rippled and swayed with the breeze and her eyes sparkled as she gazed in Luna’s direction.

“Sister, there you are!” Celestia said, deep tone resonating. “Where have you been? I’ve been searching all over for you.”

Luna stood still for a moment. She’s looking straight at me, she thought. How does she know exactly where I am? She dared not breathe, only risking a glance to verify that she indeed was not part of the visible spectrum.The silence stretched on. Finally, Celestia’s smile dropped and her eyebrows drew together. She began looking around the clearing and called, “Luna?” She took a few steps toward where Luna stood cloaked and slightly pouted, muttering, “-could’ve sworn she was right here--”

Luna chose that exact moment to strike. She dropped the cloaking spell and leapt toward her, fangs glinting in the light. Scores of snowballs hung suspended in the air, Luna’s magical aura surrounding them; they began to rain down. A laugh left her but then her jaw dropped. None of them made contact. Celestia smiled again and knickered softly into her mane as Luna glared at her.

They were closer together now. The snowballs never made it past Celestia’s golden aura--more like a shield, Luna amended-- and now they were slowly sliding down the dome’s sides. Luna sharpened her gaze, noting the water dripping inside the shield, originating from the snowballs-- “Is that a snowball shield?”

Celestia laughed loudly at that, wiping tears from her eyes with a feathered wing. “Of course not, Luna. Why in Equestria would I summon a shield for snowballs?”

Luna sputtered, then replied, “Then how is water getting inside but not the snow, if it’s a normal shield?”

Celestia paused for a moment, brows drawn together. “I never said it was a shield. You of all ponies should know what it is. I call it my celestial aura. It protects me from the cold every winter, kind of like a terrarium which keeps the warmth in and the cold out. Or wait, is that moisture?” Celestia pursed her lips and hummed, a light blush coloring her cheeks. “You know what, never mind. That was a terrible example. Anyway, you look a little chilled, Luna. Care to join me?”

Luna raised an eyebrow incredulously, weariness coming back. There was no way she would be swayed by the promise of warmth. They were moving into dangerous territory, the open dialogue she dreaded. It was a foals hope, but maybe if she could only keep her distracted, perhaps they’d make it through the day both happy. She shot a quick glance above her sister. Most of the snowballs remained frozen in the air, awaiting her command. Luna needed to keep Celestia talking, to figure out a way around her shield. For a shield it must be, Luna thought. Otherwise, the snowballs would have fallen right through. The snowballs blinked out of sight along with her magical aura.

“So if that’s a terrarium, then you’re a plant now, huh?” She finally replied, deflecting the question.

“Well, if I’m a plant, then you’re an icicle!” Celestia laughed, going along with it.

Luna snorted. She opened her mouth to respond but snapped it shut as she glanced at Celestia’s hooves. Her bare hooves were partially submerged in a puddle of water--no, a puddle of melted snow, Luna corrected begrudgingly-- surrounded by mud and grass. The longer Celestia stood in one place, the more snow melted around her. There was a narrow path stretching behind Celestia and something golden sparkled near her. Perfect! Luna smirked in satisfaction. A diversion. “Yes, yes, very funny. Now let’s move on to a more important topic.”

Celestia stopped laughing and a shadow overtook her features, a hint of desperation in her searching gaze that made Luna uncomfortable. Whatever she was searching for, she wasn’t going to find it.

Luna continued as if she didn’t notice the shift. “Is that one of your horseshoes over there, in the mud, Celestia? And where are your other ones?”

Just like that, the shadow disappeared. Celestia scrunched her snout and glanced behind herself, chuckling. “Oh Luna, why are you worrying about that? The ground under my bare hooves feels marvelous. Besides, I have another set at the castle.”

Luna didn’t miss the tinge of pink on Celestia’s ears. “You’ve ruined them, haven’t you?”

Celestia spun around, eyes wide and mouth gaping. “No! That is to say-I mean, uh… In a way, yes.” She cast her eyes down. “How’d you know?”

Luna was silent for a moment, surprise flickering across her face. This… is unexpected, she thought, but I must take full advantage! A playfulness overtook her. She lightly cleared her throat, then said aloud, “Oh, what is that phrase ponies use nowadays? Ah, yes, sister’s intuition! I admit it would have been hard to spot, what with your poker face and nonchalant attitude. Luckily for you, I happen to have more intuition than your average pony. You can’t save face with me around!” As Celestia barked out a laugh, Luna mercilessly barrelled on. “Sooo, how did you ruin your royal horseshoes?” Her sister’s laughter turned into a groan.
This is going exceedingly well, Luna thought, a lightness in her chest. It feels so good to jest and tease! This might not be such a terrible outing after all. I must thoroughly divert her. A plan began to form, and Luna allowed herself a small smile.

Author's Note:

This is my first ever fan fic and I’m so happy that I am finally posting something. I hope you enjoy!

View the Speed Drawing here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AYqGSJNJzKk

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Did you make the cover art?

[SparkleForever]

10078865

I sure did! I have even more like it on DeviantArt. :)

[Ice Star]

I really like your art! This story feels more charming for it. Please write more. Illustrated fanfics aren't common on here.