The blue alicorn prepared herself for the spell about to be cast. She felt apprehensive, a little scared, but certain she was doing the right thing. She knew what the theory said should happen and so did Rainbow; their final goodbye being a very tearful event, but both agreeing it would be for the best. It had been decided that Rainbow should not be anywhere near the spell working, just in case; and to help enforce that decision, guards had been posted.
Celestia prepared herself. The room was ready. Cadence and Twilight were on hand to help out. The words and actions to be followed were written out and were secured on the stone dais.
She approached her sister who lay in the centre of the circle before her, hooves tucked neatly underneath her.
“My dearest Luna” she pleaded “I beg you; it’s not too late to reconsider.”
“No Celestia” said the blue alicorn “Whatever happens, it is my choice.”
Luna looked up into her sister’s eyes and smiled reassuringly “Thank you, Sister.”
Celestia withdrew, the die cast. She began the incantation and performed the requisite actions devised by beings from a long dead civilisation, providing offerings to the ethereal realm for their participation and the power within the circle began to build. Yellow light crackled from her horn and was joined by a blue stream of magic from one side and a magenta stream from the other as Cadence and Twilight joined in, focusing hard.
A magical vortex materialised from the air and then wrapped around Luna, building stronger and enveloping her, growing brighter. Suddenly, they all heard Luna scream from within the whirling maelstrom of light. Twilight faltered and looked at Celestia who was still pouring her magic in and realised that she couldn’t stop now, no matter what.
After a few heart-rending screams, Luna was quiet and the power slowly began to dissipate, the demand on the three alicorns outside the circle diminishing as the work was done. They all stood dazed, watching as the last of the magical essence dissipated and Luna finally reappeared from the eerie display.
She didn’t move.
Celestia broke the silence.
“Whatever the spell did to our forebears, it has now done to Luna” she announced, trickles of sweat running down her coat “May we be forgiven for our actions.” Cadence and Twilight looked at each other in response to that last statement, each sensing foreboding in Celestia’s words.
Luna twitched and opened her eyes, then one of her hooves moved as she made to rise, albeit a little groggily.
“How are you, dear Sister?” asked Celestia.
Luna opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out and she lay back down again.
“I am not quite as steady as I remember” she joked weakly.
The others all looked at her in surprise. This was Luna, but she sounded different, her voice deeper. An air of anticipation hung expectantly amongst those present.
The blue alicorn tried to put weight on her legs again and this time managed to rise, Celestia and Cadence each side to give support. As Cadence moved away to give some space, Twilight looked and gasped:
“Um, Luna” she began “I think the spell worked; you appear to be every inch a stallion from where I’m standing.”
Luna shuffled uncomfortably trying to hide the obvious difference to her anatomy. Cadence stood back to admire and raised a forehoof to cover her smile, her eyes growing wide as she allowed herself a brief fangirl moment:
“Oh my …” she gasped appreciatively.
Luna blushed, but suddenly found herself or more properly himself centre of attention.
“Would you like to see Rainbow now Lulu?” asked Celestia “She’s bound to be worried and I’m sure she would like to know you’re safe.”
“Yes, thank you Sister” replied Luna, eager to change the subject and avoid the unexpected attention.
They walked back to Luna’s chambers together, Celestia and Cadence continuing to flank her so as not to draw attention to her recently acquired appendage. Rainbow welcomed them in and kissed her marefriend, so grateful to see her again. Their escorting duties concluded, the three Princesses retired to leave the two committed partners together to get used to the recent difference that would very shortly herald a change in their relationship.
Once the shock had worn off, Rainbow and Luna got into the swing of their new partnership and both were evidently much happier than they had been for a very long time. Luna had to withdraw from public life lest other mares noticed the inescapable difference and started to demand the right to this complex and unproven spell, but she continued diligently protecting Equestria during the realm of night and did not neglect her dream walking responsibilities either.
After a few months of blissful togetherness Luna began to find it a little more difficult to get up for her evening duties and her joints ached much more than she ever remembered. Rainbow teased her that it was due to how much they had been exercising their newly aroused passions, and her marefriend accepted the explanation with a cheeky grin.
The Royal Physician had been paying regular visits to Rainbow and finally confirmed that she was pregnant. All those to whom the news was circulated were overjoyed for the couple, but the Princesses were all plagued at some level by concerns about possible side effects; if not now, then perhaps later on.
Rainbow had assumed a glow that only expectant mothers have and was less worried about her disability now as she focused more on the well-being of their foal. She was looking forward to life again with such enthusiasm that could not have been imagined in the aftermath of the accident. Luna had become even more attentive than ever she had been before and the two of them would lay together in spare moments admiring Rainbow’s swelling body and the little movements inside her. Sometimes Luna would trace shapes gently over Rainbow’s tummy with her hoof and they would both giggle like fillies when the foal nudged or kicked back.
The days rolled by in a happy unbroken sequence, but Luna was starting to find that her eyesight was not as crisp as it had once been and unwelcome patches were appearing on her coat. She put it down to not getting enough sleep, but at the next visit from the Physician, Rainbow raised the question.
“Rainbow Dash, you have no right!” admonished her marefriend “I – I just need a bit more sleep, that is all. Besides, you are the one who needs the attention, not me; I am an immortal after all.”
“Would you allow me to take a look, your Majesty?” asked the Physician.
He ‘hmmed’ and ‘haahed’ his way through an examination under the obvious displeasure of his patient and then stood back, scratching his head.
“Well” enquired Luna “What have you found?”
“Errrm …” he attempted to reply.
“Well, speak up!” Luna demanded.
“Your Majesty” he began apologetically “You’re aging.”
Luna snorted.
“That is impossible – do not be ridiculous!” she blustered. But deep down, she started to feel scared, really scared.
Rainbow snuggled up to her as the Physician dismissed himself not particularly wanting to anger the Princess further – even if he was right.
“The two us still think you’re really cool” she said supportively, leaning in to nuzzle her neck. Luna didn’t respond, so instead Rainbow rolled onto her back showing off her bump.
“I’ve been thinking about names” she said, absent-mindedly rubbing her tummy with her forehooves “We need something that kinda stands for the best parts of both of us. Any ideas?”
“What do you think Rainbow Dash?”
“Rainbow Moon, perhaps? How about Moonbeam Dash?”
“Aurora” said Luna after a pause “The aurora is the most beautiful pageant in the night sky.”
“And it’s very rare too” said Rainbow, concurring “Like our love.”
Luna melted; her cares suddenly washed away as she focused on her marefriend and their foal.
The forthcoming months saw Luna deteriorate even faster until she could no longer deny the truth, but while she was undeniably aging, a far bigger question was whether the spell had robbed her of her immortality. This was not pleasant to contemplate, for either she would die or she would remain conscious as her body shrivelled and collapsed around her. Of the two, death was by far the kinder alternative. Only one thing was certain - time was running out to understand her condition and develop a solution to reshape her destiny.
In response, Celestia ordered historians to redouble their efforts to translate more of the ancient tome to see if there was any arcane knowledge that could help. She also arranged for Twilight to head a trawl through all the hidden vaults in the library, desperate to find some text that might offer a solution. They worked tirelessly, but each day, the answer was the same.
Rainbow was stressed trying to comfort Luna, but she was losing the battle as night by night she saw how her marefriend was weakening. The formerly active and alert alicorn, so full of the joys of living was becoming an empty husk, only her love keeping her going, and the strong desire to see her foal.
Her eyes had grown misty whilst her coat was scrawny and she had such difficulty getting out of bed and moving around. Rainbow continued to love her dearly and looked after her as best she could, reading her ‘Daring Do’ stories until she knew them off by heart and helping to feed her when her frail trembling got too bad.
One evening when it was time for Luna to rise, Rainbow went to her and gave her a gentle nuzzle and was shocked to the core. She rushed out of their bedchamber and shouted for the Royal Physician; the guards responding immediately. As an afterthought she called for Celestia too, fearing the worst. Then, she doubled over in pain as she felt something unexpected and very unpleasant within her tummy.
The Physician arrived first and found Rainbow on the floor struggling for breath and immediately set to work, believing her to be the reason for his call. She was clearly in some distress, so quickly gave her a shot to calm her, lest something happen to her foal and monitored her as her agitation subsided and she drifted out of consciousness, then gave her a thorough check over.
“It was fortunate that the alarm was raised so promptly” he whispered to Celestia “Or she may have lost the foal. She’s in a very delicate state.”
“Perhaps we should check with my sister to see if she can advise us what caused such a reaction?” queried Celestia.
The Physician nodded and they entered the bedchamber, both stopping when they saw Luna, laying inert in her bed. Quickly they recovered their composure and rushed to her side, the Physician feeling for her pulse.
There was none.
She was cold.
Celestia looked on horrified.
“No!” she shouted “No! No! NO! NO!”
She let out a scream of anguish, so heartfelt, so filled with sadness and longing that it echoed throughout every corridor and every room in the castle.
She had thought that the two of them would be together forever and share the last moments of existence hoof in hoof when time ended, but now she would have to face eternity without her beloved sister by her side.
Her sister, her dear little sister. If only she had known how her life would be cut short, she would never have banished her to the moon and she would never have cast that spell …
Regrets all reared their ugly heads whichever way she turned. She was surrounded by long forgotten echoes of broken promises she now bitterly regretted and harsh words that she had said in temper that she could now never take back. No more warm hugs, no more happy hellos. Only one more empty goodbye. She howled her pity, her sadness, her emptiness and knew that this was one wound that would never heal, not until time itself ended.
Equestria went into mourning. Whilst Luna had always been somewhat in the shadow of her elder and more outgoing sister, everypony felt they had lost something special. Some went public about Luna’s good works while others held precious memories of being helped in their dreams. The outpouring of love and loss for their Princess even took Celestia by surprise as she struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
She found herself going to places where they used to meet to talk, to laugh or to just hang out. Each place was full of memories; the happy and the sad being equally hard to face, but each time she hoped that she would see her sister there, waiting for her.
Come the day of the funeral, everypony across Equestria stopped what they were doing to show their respects, whether they were in Canterlot, The Crystal Empire or even in the Badlands. Protocol dictated that the service had to be a State occasion, richly attended by dignitaries from all corners of the land. Celestia and Rainbow led the mourners, Rainbow wearing a carefully designed dress to hide her bulge so as to avoid fuelling unnecessary gossip and maintain the appropriate dignity to the proceedings. Celestia held herself with regal aplomb and took the heat away from Rainbow who found she was on the verge of passing out on more than one occasion.
Rainbow’s friends were all there too, especially Twilight who knew more than most what had happened and why. She hated herself for going ahead with the spell and expected that even Cadence was now thinking similar thoughts, but she, like Celestia was maintaining a composed face regardless of what she may have been feeling inside.
“No recrimination” Celestia had said at the start of this undertaking, and they had all agreed. How easy those words had seemed at the time, but how bitter a pill they made now. Why hadn’t they listened to her when she told them that science had to be tested before it could be used on ponies? Why hadn’t they voted with their heads rather than their hearts? But it was all too late now.
“No recrimination” perhaps, but things would never be the same between her and Cadence. Never.
The hardest part was the eulogies; so many ponies speaking with such eloquence about what Luna meant to them. Rainbow and Celestia sat together and when the widowed pegasus could take it no more, she looked up at Celestia whom she could see was allowing rivulets of tears to run down her muzzle but staying respectfully still. She was now so broken up inside that didn’t care who saw; she just leaned over and buried her face into Celestia’s neck and sobbed, feeling a reassuring forehoof holding her gently, just like Luna would.
All those who met Rainbow offered their support all saying “If there’s anything I can do …” Some truly meant it too. However, to Rainbow it was all a blur, a necessary circus show at the end of which there would be no Luna to go back to, to cuddle or to love.
She struggled on throughout the rigours of the day and was glad when she could finally drop the façade she had worn for the public and just cry without anypony watching and judging her. She held a newly found respect for Celestia, the only pony on Equestria who would miss Luna more than she did, yet had maintained her composure through the torture of the day.
The next morning Rainbow didn’t show for breakfast. When it was lunchtime, Celestia began to get worried and went along to her sister’s bedchamber to check up on her sister-in-law. She knocked and went in, her eyes opening wide with horror at what she saw. She raised her forehoof to her mouth to suppress a gasp.
There were congealing puddles of liquid on the floor and across carpets, along with strewn remnants that she recognised as afterbirth. Sat up in bed was Rainbow Dash cradling her foal.
“Hushh Celestia” whispered Rainbow “Don’t frighten Aurora.”
Celestia stood mortified. Rainbow hadn’t reached term yet; the foal must have arrived in the night as a stillbirth and Rainbow had gone through the delivery alone.
“Say hello to your Auntie Celly” said Rainbow turning the lifeless head towards the Sun Princess.
“She’s very quiet because she’s so tired” said Rainbow “But she’ll say hello when she’s ready.”
Celestia got closer to confirm what she feared and almost retched.
“She’s got my mane, the same as Commander Hurricane had, and Luna’s gorgeous blue coat” said Rainbow “Isn’t she beautiful? She’s a living reminder of our love, and we will always be together.”
Rainbow’s mind had gone.
Celestia could see it.
She stayed with her sister-in-law and her dead niece for the afternoon, unable to tear herself away from Rainbow’s delusional neediness. The younger mare spoke at length about how much she loved Luna and how well she would look after their foal in her honour; every unachievable promise being like a dagger plunged into Celestia’s heart. There was no doubting Rainbow’s sincerity, but her grip on reality had been severed, never to be remade until she reunited with Luna once again.
Finally, Celestia’s Private Secretary found them around teatime, having searched everywhere when the Sun Princess had not arrived to chair a scheduled meeting. The Physician was summoned, but when he arrived Rainbow wouldn’t let him near her or the dead foal. Eventually they had to resort to subterfuge and Celestia distracted Rainbow while the Physician approached from behind and gave her a sedative shot.
She felt the needle and knew she had been tricked. She stared at Celestia accusingly and screamed:
“HER NAME’S AURORA!” before the sedative kicked in and unconsciousness mercifully claimed her.
Three lives had now been lost because of the spell.
Celestia, now numb to the tumult of loss and the grief in her life, left Rainbow in professional hooves and set off with purposeful stride for the library. She knew what she had to do. She burst into the library without observing the usual decorum, and all those within whom she had entrusted with translating the ancient text looked up, startled. She summoned them all together and once assembled, addressed them as one for her shortest but most heartfelt speech ever:
“Burn the book. Burn all your notes. Leave no trace for anypony to ever follow ever again.”
As the researchers, historians and academics all looked at each other in surprise, stunned by the sudden change in orders, Celestia turned and left with no further words of explanation. She walked away beginning to contemplate the weighty prospect of facing eternity alone, and how long it would take before she could forgive herself for what she had done.