“What?! How? Why?” You exclaim, your eyes are wide and startled. The thought of some kind of political turmoil and worry at the princesses disappearance had kept you awake on more than one occasion, but Equestria’s destruction? That was a bit more than you’d ever imagined.
Luna smirked darkly, a shadow passed over her eyes as she thought back to the day they had been ‘banished’. “You didn’t think we left on purpose, or of our own will, did you?” She glanced at Celestia, who was now pouting adorably and at the same time seemed to be thinking furiously. “We were ‘banished’” The dark alicorn waved her hooves in the air as airquotes while you just stare, “By court order in fact. It was all quite legal actually.”
“What? But how? You’re the princesses, how could anyone legally banish you?”
“We were, quite ingeniously, framed. You must know that Equestria isn’t all just daisies and shenanigans as that show we saw.” Her eyes were dark, and she looked to be on the verge of growling, actual growling. “We were blamed for the near-destruction of Canterlot during Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding. Some ponies twisted the fact that I didn’t show up when the changelings attacked, and that Celestia so easily ‘fell’ to Chrysalis’ attack, to us being in collusion with them.”
“Seriously? That’s stupid! I mean, I myself wondered where you were during the attack, but... I don’t know... I just assumed you were sleeping or something.” You rub your chin in thought, absentmindedly noticing that you needed a shave. “Or just held up somewhere else.”
Luna blushes and looks away embarrassed. “I was asleep... I had been up all the day and night prior, keeping watch for anything suspicious. I was exhausted, and nothing could wake me up. Apparently there had been a scuffle right outside my door, and I slept right through it...” She locks eyes with you once again, scowling. “But enough of that. A pony named More-than-tardy brought it up to the courts, and managed to find out that we had dealings with them in the past.”
“You had dealt with changelings before?” You ask incredulously.
“Yes. Some five hundred years before... the whole Nightmare Moon incident, we had a working relationship with them.” Her face twisted into a sour expression at the mention of her little... fit. “They were allowed to live in our cities and gather the love they needed to survive. In exchange we used them as spies, and they were marvellous craftsponies. They were able to construct almost anything in under half the time normal ponies would need. Of course, they didn’t look quite as... frightening back then. Being well nourished they looked a lot more like normal ponies, some of them even formed working, fruitful relationships with our subjects.” She looks wistful at the memory. “Then incidents started cropping up like weeds. Ponies being found drained of their emotions, forcefully emptied until nothing but a husk remained. It was a fate worse than death, the ponies were unable to recover, and became more like automatons than anything else, not being able to think for themselves or take in nourishment. Most of them perished within days, while others lived longer under the ministration of their loved ones. Eventually they started openly attacking and pony-napping ponies in the streets, it almost lead to war before we were able to banish them to the deadlands. We never really figured out why it happened, but I still remember Chrysalis herself leading a covert attack on the old castle.” A tear rolls down her face. “I still remember her as the good friend she was, and then the snarling beast that threatened to enslave us right in our own throne-room...”
You reach out and wipe the tear from her chin, and she smiles sadly at you. “I’m sorry...”
She chuckles darkly and smirks at you. “Thank you.”
“Chrysalis sounds like a big meanie pants if you ask me...” Celestia piped in, scowling in a the adorable way she does when she tries to be serious.
“She was not always so, dear sister. She was once one of our most trusted advisors, and friend. What drove her to such... madness still boggles me. Anyway. More-than-tardy found the records, and managed to convince the courts that we had let them in. He managed to make it sound like it was something we did to cull any thought of rebellion or dissonance through a display of our authority. Nothing we said could dispel his accusations, and in the end we almost believed it ourselves.” Luna stomps her hoof hard. “He knew he couldn’t have us executed for treason, and merely dethroning us would be too mild. The show never told this, but a lot of ponies perished in the attack, and Canterlot itself were nearly in ruins after the attack. Many innocents were drained, and more were outright killed.”
“He sounds like even bigger a meanie pants than Chrysalis...” Celly muttered, scowling at the floor.
“But how did he manage to banish you here? And how in the world can that have been a fair punishment?” You sigh deeply and stroke Celestia’s mane.
“The law states that any pony found in collusion with the enemy must be either imprisoned or executed depending on the severity of the treason. We are immortal, and cannot die by any normal means, so it was decided that we were to be banished. Twenty seven unicorns, lead by More-than-tardy built an arcane circle, and through it they opened a portal to another reality. It was unknown where it lead, but it was ensured that we would never be able to return. Our magic were stripped from us, and we were put in a state that would ensure that our memories would be locked away. That’s why we were so young when you found us, and why we didn’t have our cutie-marks...”
“How did you regain it? Your cutie-mark I mean” You briefly glimpse down at the crescent moon on the dark background of Luna’s flanks.
She motions to a book lying open on the ground near her. You pick it up and read the title ‘Jules Verne: Journey to the Moon’. “I found that in the library, and I was so fascinated with the whole idea of travelling to the moon. I was able to imagine the moon so vividly, almost as if I had been there myself. Then, almost like opening a door, memories started surfacing, and well... here we are.” Luna smiles a bit sadly. “I almost wish I hadn’t read it... You’ve been so kind to us, and...” She chokes up, and looks at you with eyes brimming with tears. “I... you remind me so much of father...”
You get up and envelop her in a hug. The sobbing alicorn shakes against your shoulder as you hold her tightly. “He... He died when we were nothing but foals. H-he gave up his life to ensure that we would survive..”
You decide to ask about it later, right now comforting the sobbing mare brought tears to your own eyes and you could do nothing but hold her tight and stroke her mane.
Luna pulls back, her eyes still filled with tears, yet hard. “We need to get back, we need to stop him.”
You wipe your own tears and hers before asking. “But what about the destruction of Equestria? I understand that he’s a horrible pers... pony, but how can your banishment lead to Equestrias destruction?”
“It’s the Sun. Without Celestia’s touch it will fade, and eventually die out. Our duties does not just include moving the celestial objects, that can be done with enough unicorns working together.” She sighs. “But they are bound to us, like a flame to a candle. The moon will eventually darken and even dissolve without me, but it won’t come crashing into Equestria. But without Celestia there to keep the suns flame alight, it will slowly falter and burn out.”
“How much time would that take?” You ask, thoughts of eternal darkness running through your head.
“They must be feeling it already. The days will be dimmer and colder, as winter come early. Within the span of only ten years Equestria will be in a new ice-age, and crops will wilt.”
“Then why didn’t that stop them from banishing you? I mean, they must have known...”
Luna makes a grimace and looks down. “We tried telling them this. But we are only two ponies in the end, and they believed it was just our way of securing our power.”
Your face settles into a determined expression. “Then we need to get you back.” You turn to Celestia, and your expression softens when you see the hurt in her eyes. “I know it’s hard, but they need you more than I do. You know I will always treasure you, even after you leave, I will always remember you.”
Celestia cries and throws her forelegs around you and holds you tight against her. “But... I don’t want to leave. I don’t care! I don’t want to leave you!”
You run a hand through her mane and brings her face around to look you in the eyes. “I will never leave you. And you will never leave me.” You smile, and pokes her in the chest. “I’ll always be in here, and you will always be in my heart.”
“B-but...”
“No buts.” You interject. “This is too important. You’re needed elsewhere, and even if it pains me to say it... You have to go.”
Celestia’s eyes are brimming with tears, and you feel a tight grip on your heart.
“It’s so unfair...” She mumbled and press her head against your chest. Then she suddenly brightens and a grin forms on her face. “Why don’t you just come with us? Yes! That would be perfect! We wouldn’t have to leave then, not really!”
The thought brightens you mood a bit, until you look at Luna, who again is tearing up and refusing to look at you.
“Y-you can’t...” She mutters, her voice trembling.
“Why not?!” Celestia nearly yells, looking at her sister with fury in her eyes. “Why can’t he come with us?”
“He would die.” She answers simply. “The transition would almost certainly rip him apart, and he’d come out the other side as nothing but mist.”
“But why?!” Celestia is now shouting. She has let go of you and is standing in front of her sister, her eyes ablaze.
“Because he doesn’t have any magic. The transition is dependent on the innate magic of alicorns to pull us back together once we’re through. He would simply dissipate into the air.”
“We could hold him together! I know we can!” She states intently, but her voice is tinged with doubt.
You reach out and put a hand on her back. She tenses at the touch, and looks back at you, her eyes red and bloodshot. “No. I don’t want you to risk it. You wouldn’t be able to live with it if you failed.”
“He’s right. We would blame ourselves for his death.” Luna says and looks at you with sad, but determined eyes. “Now I need to talk with my sister. I need to try to awaken her memories.”
With only a nod you rise from the floor and start to leave the room. You pause at the door and look back. “I’ll be in the study if you need anything.”
With that you leave the two distraught alicorns and head downstairs. Within the study you pull open a drawer in the large desk and pull out a small brown book.
You sit down in the leather bound chair and sigh deeply while running a hand over the worn spine of the book. It has no title, but the front has an embossed image of a man with two small ponies at his sides.
The book opens without a sound, and you leaf through the pages until you reach the date you’re looking for. It’s a diary. It holds all your memories the three of you have formed since you found them. Small pictures of the three of you through the years. In it you have documented nearly everything that has happened during the six years you’ve been together.
The page you’re looking at contains an image of Celestia and Luna sitting in front of the television in the study, intently watching the first episode of a certain cartoon.
February 14. Today came the day I’ve dreaded for so long. A day I knew would come, but that I’ve tried to avoid none the less....
A/N: The next chapters will be the Our Years chapter I promised. It will contain short stories from the five year jump. And I’m sorry for the long wait, I’ve been on vacation and moving to a new city for work. From now on I don’t know how often I’ll be able to update, but I’m aiming on finishing the story soon. I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter ;)
Then... who knows. I.. might be thinking of a sequel...
Oh, and the name More-than-tardy is borrowed from Karon's story Machinations of a Trickster. I've asked for permission, but I might change it if he doesn't want me to use it. Or if you guys think it's horribly stupid or something.