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// Claire and Skyflare's Storytime- "Aren't They Pretty, Princess?" 
// Story: What the Future May Hold 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
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Princess Luna stood on the fluffy clouds of Cloudsdale, home of the Pegasus ponies. The sun had just been lowered and tonight a special show performed by none other than the Wonderbolts was being performed. Luna had always enjoyed watching the Wonderbolts and their aerial displays of daring tricks; Loop-de-loops, corkscrews, aileron rolls, barrel rolls and sky somersaults. 
Before the show began, she had decided to get some refreshments. Upon approaching a nearby vendor for a steamed carrot on a bun, she noticed Cloudsdale's signature treat: rainbow cloud candy. Staring at it, she laughed, no matter where you went in Equestria it seemed you would always find one of Pinkie Pie's confectionary creations. Opting for the candy over the carrot, Luna happily chomped on the sweet, sugary treat as she made her way down the paved road in the clouds towards the stadium. With her eyes closed, she savored the taste, failing to notice and ended up tripping over a young pegasus.
"Oof," grunted the filly, landing on her side. Luna lifted her head, dazed and confused. What just happened? One moment she was trotting along and suddenly she tripped. It was then she noticed the tiny pegasus by her side. Rising painfully to her hooves, Luna spoke to her: "Are you okay, young one?" 
"Yeah, this ain't nothing," came the raspy-voiced reply. Luna noticed the "nothing" which she spoke of and quickly objected, "young filly, that certainly isn't nothing! Your wing is broken!" The tiny filly's wing looked to have snapped in half, causing Luna to panic. The tiny pegasus gave a small giggle and said, "it's not broken just bruised!"
Standing up the cobalt blue pegasus filly stretched her wings. It was then Luna realized the truth; she was handicapped.
One wing was a fully formed pegasus wing...the other was half the length. What if I offended her, Luna thought darkly. Way to go, me. Seeing the look on the princess's face, the tiny pegasus laughed and said wryly, "aren't they pretty, princess?"
Worried that she had offended the young one, Luna decided to swiftly change the subject. "What is your name?" The pegasus's eyes dimmed for a moment in sorrow but brightened up again and spoke up, "my name is Claire, your majesty." Upon uttering these words the filly turned bolted towards the giant stadium in the distance, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh no, I hope she will be alright," Luna said to no one in particular as she watched the fleeing figure. Looking down, she spotted her now mangled sweet at her hooves and sighed. Picking up the spoiled treat off the street, she deposited her dropped cloud candy into a nearby waste bin as a thought crossed her mind. Was she crying?
She thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. There was nothing she could do about Claire at the moment, she decided. With this in mind, she went back to the vendor and repurchased a new one before once more starting towards the giant stadium.
Earlier that day, on a scorched desert plateau to the north
Celestia stood stock still, as her horn glowed with a golden hue. Starshine watched in awe as her mom guided the sun slowly down over the horizon. This was something that not many ponies, or herself personally, had ever have the chance to witness. The elegance and grace as the veritable eons of experience were put to work which caused the sun to gently nestle down for the night in Equestria.
"Isn't it beautiful, Starshine," Celestia spoke to her daughter in a soft, yet sorrowful tone. She continued, seeing Starshine's reaction of wide-eyed admiration. "Soon your Aunt Luna will be raising the moon, though for me the golden glow of the sun has always brought such wonder and joy. Or at least it did..."
"Dear Princess Celestia," began a gentle voice surrounding her, "today I learned as long as I have my friends, I will never be alone even when we are separated." Celestia bit her lip until a small band of red appeared. A single teardrop fell to the parched soil below. I don't have my friends, she thought bitterly. They left me. You left me. Her mane began to lose it's color once more and stopped flowing. That same voice called out, "please don't give up! I am always with you. After all, am I not your most faithful of students?"
Starshine's face fell, she wasn't sure what to say. Her mom sounded hurt but, why? Was it something she did? Perhaps it had something to do with earlier. Suddenly a strange thought took root in her mind, wasn't there a forest here? She could have sworn she had read about a winter forest on a vast mountain range right where they were standing. Something isn't right, she thought. The ground was clearly scorched and lifeless...just like the Dragonlands. It was flat and desolate even the air seemed heavier than normal.
Celestia saw her daughter's reaction and immediately pasted a fake smile on her face as she had for the past two millennia. Curse me, she thought to herself, I shouldn't be scaring her like that! Stay calm and remember, she needs to know...and you need the closure. Still, a nagging thought tugged at her heart as she stood there smiling, will she forgive me for this? 
Starshine saw the familiar smile of her mom and though she couldn't help feeling something was wrong, she too smiled. That smile had always filled her with warmth when she was scared or hurt. Her mom was there for her, no need to be afraid, come what may. The two then trotted back to a tent they had set up and nestling in under a warm blanket, drifted off to a peaceful dreamscape for the evening.
Back in Cloudsdale
Luna had made it to the stadium and as she entered she heard two voices off to her left. One belonged to Claire, the pegasus from earlier. The other was a deep male voice. Though Luna couldn't place it, she was sure she had heard it somewhere before. It was...so familiar.
"Even the princess pities me, bro, why is it whenever a pony looks at me...all they see is this?"
"Don't worry about it squirt! One day your wings will grow in and you'll take to the sky."
"Just like she did?"
"Yeah, just like she did. Remember, our great grandmare had a similar condition once. She overcame it, and I know you will soar too! Remember how mom told us about how she flew alongside the Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolts. One day you will fly alongside me just like Rainbow Dash did with her sister, Scootaloo."
"Ha, you're right! Anyway good luck out there big bro! I'll be rooting for you!"
Luna quietly trotted to find a seat, pondering what she had overheard. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo...those were two names she hadn't heard for many centuries. One was known for her fierce loyalty and speed, while the other was instrumental in chronicling the entire history of Ponyville; many of her books had ended up at the royal library. Both were ponies of which Luna had known personally as her friends. Those two ponies were apparently related to the two mares as well.
Interesting, Luna thought to herself as she took her seat, how very interesting. The lights in the stadium began to dim which indicated the nighttime aerial show was about to begin. Putting her thoughts aside for a moment, Luna happily munched on her treat and watched in awe as the death-defying acts of the Wonderbolts began in full display in the airspace over Dashie Stadium.