I snuggled deeper within the embrace of my sister, trying to escape the blasted sunlight streaming in through the window. I had no idea how the physics behind it worked out, but two suns were worse than just the one I woke up to on Earth. It didn't help that our window was also on the side where the morning suns rose above the horizon. Even the curtains were useless even while closed. Stupid sunlight being too strong. Stupid curtains being too thin. Stupid nonsense solar system. Stupid everything.
Seriously, what does the orbit of this planet look like? As far as I can tell with my limited understanding, the two suns rising up in the sky were impossible. That’s it. They couldn’t possibly maintain their position in the center of the solar system like that and not crash into each other. Both of them never seemed to change positions every time I observed them. Not even remotely at that. They were always exactly the same distance away from each other. There wasn’t even a change in perspective as I observed them over multiple months. Impossible, I declared defiantly in my mind. Utterly impossible.
Unless they were orbiting the planet, which was such a ludicrous idea to even consider, they were not possible. End of discussion.
Celestia glomped down on my ear, making me giggle and shriek at the same time. I struggled to get out of her grasp as she continued to happily gnaw on my appendage without a care in the world. I whined as she began to lick the inside of it, subjecting me to this disgustingly wet torture early in the morning. Like the hundreds of times that she had done so in the past. And the hundreds of times she would no doubt continue to do so.
“My, my, already up, huh? What are my little fillies doing?” the voice of our mother reached us and I squinted up at her frame, silhouetted by the suns’ rays. She looked like an angel coming to save me. I turned my big pale magenta eyes up at her in a pout, but all she did was smile at our antics.
You will regret not helping me, dear Mother. One day soon, I shall inflict my terribly cute vengeance upon you and you will die of a heart attack because I am too cute for this mortal shell to contain my true might! None shall stop me! Mwahahaha!
"Aww, look at you, my cute widdle Summer Sun!" Mom giggled, patting my head.
Shoot, she resisted my charm!
“Honey? Are the foals already awake?” the sleepy voice of our father asked, making Mom turn her head to face him. I continued my struggles futilely against my sister who held on to me with no effort at all. Damnit, foiled by my own sister! I shall have my vengeance... later.
“Sure are, sugar,” she grinned. I swear, she delighted at my suffering. A true monster, I tell you. “And you really need to see this.”
“Oh?” Argent Star said, coming up to her side. I gave him the same pout and the only thing he did was chuckle at my misfortune. Ugh. My parents are monsters. Both of them!
“Tia!” I whined, as now my other ear got the same treatment as the other one. My parents stared down at me in what I could only place as awe. Well, the secret was out, I guess.
“Her first word!” Mom bounced up and down. “And it took only nine months! Oh, look at you, my little cutie!”
I continued to glower as now my horn was subjected to the same abuse next. Curse you, Tia! You win this time.
“Now I’m sad. Here I hoped to hear her say ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’,” Argent commented lightheartedly.
“Just wait until Celestia says her first word. I’m sure she won’t disappoint you, dear,” Sky giggled, resting her head against his as they watched on as my own sister molested me. Damn you, horn! Why won’t you work when I want you to?!
Regrettably, my pleas fell on deaf ears as my horn continued to be stubborn. Okay, then no levitation... it's not like I need you! I can get out of this with my own mighty (nonexistent) strength, just you wait and see!
Alas, struggling against my sister was just as futile as getting my horn to work and my parents were total jerks today. Betrayed by those I hold dear to my heart! Oh, the horror! Why won’t anypony help me?
I let out a dejected sigh, venting out my frustration. I swear to everything I hold dear if Celestia wasn’t this cute...
Grumbling noises aside, even she wasn’t in the mood to let go of me today, it seemed. Normally I would be free by now, whether it was because I broke out of her grasp or she decided to let me go after having had her fill of molesting me.
Damn you, Catherine, for making me like it. Damn you, Celestia, for continuing where my wife couldn’t. And damn my parents for watching me squirm in her forelegs. Monsters.
It took a while, but our parents finally decided to have mercy upon me and lifted us out of our bed. Celestia was already running around as soon as Dad set her down while Mom wiped away all of the slobber my sister left on me.
“There we go, squeaky clean again,” Mother said, smiling softly as I rubbed my muzzle against her leg gratefully. “Aww, I love you, too, my little Summer Sun. Let's get some yummy food into you, hmm?”
With a quick use of telekinesis, I was sitting atop her withers admiring the view. Celestia soon joined me as we rode out towards the terrace, our mother heating up some milk in our bottles with her magic.
I valiantly defended my bottle against my twin. Although, as Celestia stared sadly at her empty bottle, I felt bad. So, being the good sister that I am, I gave her my half-empty one. It was worth the look of happiness on her face and our mother shook her head in mock despair.
“You have too big of a heart, my little one,” Sky said, taking away the bottles before Celestia decided they could be thrown around. She sometimes did that, I've got no idea why. My sister really had a short temper at times. At least I was able to calm her down most of the time by letting her chew on my ear, much to my own discomfort.
I think it was a ploy on her part, to be honest. Catherine also used all kinds of underhanded tricks so she could have her way with me. Little deviant that she was. It left me feeling slightly empty, remembering her like that. Perhaps that was why I was giving Celestia all of these things. She was so similar to my wife...
Come on, Summer. Stop that line of thought right there. There's no need to get mopey all over again. You are past that. Remember to keep your promise. Celestia is her own pony.
Maybe Mom was right, but who wouldn't dote on such a cute sister? It was almost a crime not to show her favoritism.
“Tia,” I simply answered as if that would explain my overly kind behavior and she rolled her eyes at me.
“Yes, you love your sister very much,” my mother tittered. “But that doesn't mean that you have to give her everything she wants.”
“Tia!” I shot back, trying to convey how I would do everything for her. Mom nuzzled me affectionately in response. “Tia?”
“Of course, my little Summer Sun,” Sky giggled and turned to also give my sister a nuzzle. Said sister giggled happily at the display of love and I felt satisfied. “Now why don’t you go play a little with your sister while I get myself something to eat, hmm?”
Once more we had the pleasure of taking a ride on the back of our mother as she brought us back to our bedroom. Celestia immediately set on playing with the blocks of wood while I sat beside her and pushed the blocks back her way as one crude tower after another lost stability.
My sister seemed to be having a lot of fun with that, it was quite adorable. So, I helped her try and build a more stable construction that wouldn’t fall apart after a few seconds, feeling the joyful buzz of my golden magic help us with our task.
It wasn’t long before my sister lost interest in the blocks and instead tried to get the ball from the shelf. Our father had put it away and out of reach after the last time we had demolished parts of the kitchen with it. Too bad we couldn’t fly in our room anymore after Mom had put up some kind of magic ward to prevent us from the more riskier shenanigans we could think of.
I tried to get it to come loose with my magic while my horn still complied with me. And, as it turns out, that was a big mistake. As I poured more and more mana into the quickly flaring aura of my horn, the formerly stuck ball shot out like a cannonball and broke through the wall with a loud cracking noise.
The noise surprised me so much that I didn’t notice my magic going out of control before it was too late. The commotion attracted the attention of our parents and the eyes of my mother shrank to pinpricks as she saw what was about to happen.
“Quick, Argent! Get Celestia out of here!” she shouted, powering up her own magic as the first bolts of wild magic jumped away from me as I let out a frightened squeak. “Summer is about to have a surge!”
Tears streamed down my face as the build-up of magic made my head pound painfully as if someone had decided to crack it open like an egg... from the inside. I shrieked as I felt myself become weightless and then everything got even worse.
Magic exploded away from me, and through the pain, I was just about lucid enough to notice that my dad and sister were a safe distance away. My mom was doing her best at containing the surging power being unleashed from my body. It almost felt like the blood in my veins had been replaced with rampaging magma as the out-of-control mana rushed through every part of myself.
I was going to burn to death and everything else around me would follow suit until nothing but ashes remained...
Like the frightened child that I now was, I cried out for my mommy to come and save me. The entirety of my body crackled with magical lightning and fire as parts of the walls got scorched, toys came to life, unused diapers flew around in a hurricane around me, and stuffed animals exploded into fluffy bits and pieces, catching fire immediately. Nothing was going to be left untouched. Nothing except my mom.
“It’s too dangerous, Sky! Get away from her!” Argent shouted, fearing for the life of his wife. One of the magic bolts impacted the doorframe, scorching it a deep black while smoke rose away from it. It didn't catch on fire, thankfully.
“I’m not going to let Summer die because of this, Argent! I’m not losing another foal! Not again!” she snarled back at him. I felt the tears on my cheek vaporize as unbearable scorching heat began to emit from the core of my very being. Heat was everything that I was and there was no end in sight. The font of my power was drawing in more arcane energy from the world around us than it could safely hold, threatening to tear itself apart and me with it. Everything felt so hot and frighteningly cold at the same time.
Almost like nothing could match my heat, leaving me feeling paradoxically cold. I wanted it to be gone, for it to stop and go back to normal. But I knew nothing would ever go back to the way it was. Not if I didn't survive this.
“Mommy!” I croaked out and I felt like throwing up any second from now. Everything was swimming around in my vision and I had to concentrate to stop myself from seeing duplicates of my mom. Or seeing duplicates of anything else, for that matter.
“I’m here, my sweet little Summer child. I’m here,” her voice reached out to me and a hoof made contact with one of my forelegs.
“Ow,” I said, the sounds my mouth was able to make were still limited to very simple things. It was all I could say to convey the anguish I was feeling right now and it seemed my mother got the meaning behind my word.
“I know, sweetheart. I know. I'm here, don't be afraid,” she said and her smiling face came into focus right in front of me. All over her body were scorch marks and I felt bad for having hurt her so much. “Don’t fight my magic when I reach out to yours, okay? I know you might understand very little of what I’m saying to you right now, but I know you’re a smart little filly. Can you do that for me? Can you be brave for me?”
Oh, Mom, if only you knew. I tried so many times to tell you that I was perfectly capable of understanding you, but all you ever did was smile and think me a prodigy. I really love you, you know? You’re always there when I need you, just like now.
I gave her a nod and she looked surprised and relieved at me. And as I felt her magic prod at mine, I gave her the utmost trust I could and let her manipulate my out-of-control magic.
Slowly, the unbearable fire in my chest dimmed down to an ember of its former power and everything in the room returned to relative normalcy. As normal as it could be, I guess. There was a lot that would need to be replaced or repaired, but the house was still in one piece thankfully.
“No more magic without supervision,” Sky muttered to herself as I gave her a very grateful and teary-eyed hug. She returned my gratitude with motherly compassion and I felt Celestia nudge my side that, in a way, asked if I was okay now. So, I glomped her and did what she normally did to me.
It was slightly disgusting to my tongue, but I did it anyway to cheer her up. The taste of her ear wasn’t anything that I could wash out of my mouth anytime soon. I couldn’t understand what my sister found so great about it, or even my wife once upon a time. It felt great making her laugh and squeal, though.
Mom and Dad watched our sisterly bonding time with fond smiles and for once I wasn’t bothered in the slightest by Celestia returning the favor. It was her particular way to show affection and how could I hold that against her?
And so the days continued on and seasons changed from one to another. Celestia said her first word not long after I managed to do so, which left our father feeling quite happy that she said ‘Dadda’ to him. I could already tell she would have him wrapped around her little hooves in no time.
Not unlike how I managed to wrap our mother around my hoof. What can I say? I am irresistible. Ponies, in general, had the great advantage of looking cute no matter what and I learned how to weaponize that.
I shall take over the world and nopony will be able to stop me! Ah ha ha ha! Yes, bow down to your future mistress, pitiful mortals! I shall be queen! Mwahahaha!
Ahem! Anyway, our parents managed to repair the house with no difficulties at all, even making some additions to it. One of the new rooms would be used for magic practice and was therefore especially reinforced with wards and runes. I tried my best to understand what each rune meant that Mom set up, but it wasn’t an easy task that I set for myself. The only one I figured out was a force negation rune and that was only due to seeing the piece it was on fall down to the ground and not make a dent in the floor.
Another one was apparently meant to contain my flames if they ever got out of hoof again, but I had no idea which one it specifically was. Mom really wasn't taking any chances with this and I knew I wouldn't be looking forward to what her training in regard to our fire affinity would entail. Our blue magefire was more or less harmless as long as we didn't expressly wish it to burn things, but that uncontrolled raging flame simmering inside me? It would leave nothing but ashes in its wake, I knew that with absolute certainty. Had Mom not been able to contain its power... I don't even want to think about what would have happened then.
Clearly, our magic was dangerous and we desperately needed to learn how to control it, even in stressful situations. But that wasn't everything we needed. We were sorely in need of a distraction to wind down and relax after that fiasco. Good thing there was one coming right up: our first birthday.
It was a great and momentous occasion. Celestia absolutely loved the cake, practically devouring almost all of it were it not for Mom and Dad holding her back. I had no idea where she put all of that, she wasn’t even getting the slightest bit pudgy from overindulging in her eating habits.
For a birthday present, we both got matching armbands with sun motives. It was my most cherished treasure now, and Celestia never left our bed without it. Mom even enchanted it so it wouldn’t ever get destroyed and always fit around our fetlock, no matter how much larger we grew.
Then, the weeks started to blur together more and more as our routine barely differed between days. Dad was out working our own little garden that could generously be called a small field. Mom took care of us most of the time when she wasn’t busy weaving new pieces of cloth, enchanting them while she did so. Tia still molested my ears and I continued to learn by observing my parents' work.
Mother oftentimes let us watch from the porch as our dad did his work on the small field. We were cut off from civilization by quite a distance as I learned and lived a quiet and humble life without having to bother with what little I caught between our parents about the rising tensions between the pony tribes.
Apparently, even in this world, there was racism. Or tribalism, whatever it was actually called here. I just hoped it would stay far away from us. My parents shared my view of it being a stupid thing to get riled up over, especially as we found out that my sister and I were a mix between all three tribes and not as we originally thought a hybrid between unicorn and pegasus.
It was a shocking surprise to see my sister make a sizable dent in one of Dad’s tools by accident (with next to no effort, as well!). That brought out the scientist in our mom and we found out where our limits currently were. Suffice it to say, we had the stamina of a fully grown pegasus mare, the strength of an earthpony stallion, and as we learned from my surge, the magical capacity to turn the forest into ash if we really wanted to.
That brought about a frenzied redesign of our training room to make it more sturdy in case we got even stronger as we grew up. Unless we surged on purpose, I think it was a bit overkill, but I wasn't one to argue. I'd rather be on the safe side and not wreck our home again.
Tia and I were playing around in the snow as winter arrived. Or so I thought, but my parents seemed to think that the snow shouldn’t have been possible. I wasn’t entirely sure why they thought it unnatural that it began to snow by itself.
By now we were old enough to actually speak coherent sentences and I noticed our mother gaining a little bit of weight. While I wanted to chalk it up to the preparation for winter, I noticed the warm smiles she directed at her belly every once in a while.
I didn’t know how to feel about getting a little sibling and Celestia was, as it seemed, oblivious to what was going on. On the one hoof, I felt a little bit excited about getting a little sister or brother as I only had a big brother in my previous life. On the other hoof, though, I was getting a bit anxious with what I felt was a civil war looming on the horizon.
And, as the months passed on unhindered, we noticed that the winter didn’t want to go away. All the while our stored food reserves were slowly beginning to dwindle away to nothing.
“Mom, what’s going on? When will the snow be gone?” I asked her one day, and by now, there was a sizable bump showing on her. It was unmistakable, a clear indicator that she was due any day now.
“I don’t know, my little Summer Sun,” Mom smiled reassuringly down at me and my sister. We had grown a lot over the last few years and we were learning all kinds of things from our parents now. While the farm work had practically come to a stop, we still learned things from our dad about our pegasus heritage and magic under the supervision of our mother's watchful eye.
As it turns out, pegasi can control the weather. Which kinda clued me in on the reason why my parents thought this winter was unnatural and shouldn't be a thing. Everything in this world needed to be micromanaged, even the heavens as it turns out.
Among some of the things Dad taught us was fishing. Not just fishing, though. No. He taught us fishing pegasus style.
I was not a fan of it. At all.
Apparently, some of the pegasus cloud cities floated over the ocean and the only way for them to get food was to dive into the water below and use their pegasus flight magic to swim incredibly fast underwater.
Ponies can do a lot of weird stuff, can't they? Maybe pegasi are part seals? Wouldn't surprise me.
“When will Dad be back?” Celestia asked, staring longingly out the window. We had actually gotten around to trading for glass panes with the distant village in exchange for some of the harvest we managed to bring in, so we didn’t have to worry about the snowstorm getting into the house.
Not that it helped keep the warmth in, hence the need to get as much firewood as possible. Dad had a natural resistance to cold weather, so I knew he would be okay. Hopefully.
“Soon, dear,” Mom answered, also a bit worried by how long Dad was already out there getting more fuel for the fire.
“Should we go look for him? What if he is lost? Maybe he can't see because of all the snow!” I asked as panic set in and I hopped up beside my sister at the window sill, trying to look out for the lantern he took with him. I think I saw a flicker of red and yellow, but it was gone in the next moment. Or I just imagined it, seeing that nothing happened afterward.
“Dear, I don’t think that is such a great idea,” Mom said, grunting slightly as she felt a kick in her womb. “Oh, dear, the little rascal is quite active today, huh?”
“Are you alright, Mom?” my sister and I asked at the same time and we turned to face each other with surprised looks. Celestia shot me a playful grin and I returned it with a smaller, concerned one. I was getting afraid something bad might happen with Dad still out cutting wood and Mom's pregnancy nearing her due date.
“Yes, I’m good, my little rays of sunshine,” she said, although judging by the grimace, it was a lie. My ears splayed back in worry. If our little sibling came to the world now, all she would ever know is this little house and the eternal winter.
I didn’t want that to happen at all, I thought grimly.
A thud at the door caught our attention as it opened up with our snow-covered dad stumbling in, chattering with his teeth as a small mist of air escaped his lungs. Tia and I ran over to him, asking him if he was okay and why it took him so long to return.
“No worries, my little fillies,” he answered us, shaking the snow from his body. “I was merely held up by some ponies getting too close to our home.”
Mom looked at him in alarm hearing that little bit of news and even I felt like he wasn’t telling us the whole truth about that. That was something we really didn’t have the time to worry about, and who knew what their intentions were. I could tell that Dad hadn’t really talked with them, he was more of a silent observer if it came down to it.
“Dear, I... I think the water broke,” Mom suddenly interjected and I turned around in surprise seeing a puddle forming under her. Now?! I wanted to feel happy about this, but the looming threat of what I felt could only be raiders of some kind wasn’t easing my feelings about this.
The bad feeling I had suddenly got worse. I wasn't just afraid for my unborn sibling anymore. With these strangers so close to our home, I feared for all of our lives.
“We will get through this,” Dad said reassuringly, helping our mother to her hooves. “Girls, could you be so kind as to get some towels and a bowl of warm water?”
“On it, Dad!” we shouted, already scrambling to get the requested things as he led our mom to somewhere a bit more comfortable than the floor.
I filled the bowl with as much water as I thought we would need and heated it up with one of the charms my mother taught me. As I turned around, I saw Tia already with a veritable mountain of towels in her grip.
“Come on, Tia!” I said, galloping towards where I heard our mother scream at our dad that he was at fault for ‘knocking her up’ again and I could tell that my sister understood what she meant, her cheeks lighting up in a rosy red tint. Sadly, I also knew what that phrase meant and it left my white muzzle a deep, cherry red.
Way to go, Mom, for giving me these disgusting images. I wanted to gag at the thought of them, well, doing it, but I suppressed the urge. Now wasn’t the time for that, anyway. Let's hope everything ends up being alright...
Dad wanted to shoo us out of the room after we brought him the requested items, but I was insistent on staying with Mom and helping keep her calm. Tia was a little bit scared, just as much as I was, although she stayed with us after seeing me not budge from our mother’s side.
And, as the hours passed well into midnight, pained screams turned into relieved laughs as our little sister finally came to the world. She had the hair color of our mother and a slightly lighter fur color, twinkling turquoise eyes stared out of the bundle of clothes Dad had wrapped her up in and babbling noises greeted us with a quiet fascination at what she saw around her.
“Celestia, Summer, meet your little sister, Luna Nocturnis,” Mom said, a proud smile on her muzzle as she looked down at the small filly.
“She looks just like you, Mom!” I said and giggled as little Luna took the tip of my hoof in her mouth as I held it in front of her. Celestia giggled as well at the sight, also wanting to greet her little sister.
“Continuing the trend of the family name, huh?” Dad chuckled, smiling just as brightly as we did. “She certainly fits the name quite well, dear.”
“Oh, hush,” Mom shot back. “She is a Luna through and through, don’t tell me otherwise. How can I not name her like that when she looks almost exactly like my granny?”
“I didn’t say anything!” he countered, giving her a small pout that didn’t remotely work like he wanted it to. Mom, Celestia, and I snorted at his pathetic attempt to give us the sad puppy look.
“You’re hopeless, you know that?” Mom giggled and Dad just sulked a little bit more. “Stallions just can’t pull off a good pout.”
“You’re being mean to me,” he grumbled. “I can pout. My brother, for example, can’t resist it.”
“Yeah, but he is a pansy,” Mom shot back and Dad scowled before letting out a disgruntled sigh. “And don’t even try to deny it.”
“This argument is totally unfair, though,” Dad muttered. “I can’t insult any of your siblings because somepony refuses to introduce me to their side of the family...”
“I’m... sorry, Argent,” Mom sighed, grimacing slightly. “I just... haven’t found the opportunity for that, yet?”
“It’s okay, Sky. You don’t have to introduce me to them if you don’t want to. Regardless of that, it seems our little Luna is also a combination of all three tribes, my love,” Dad said. “It seems our little fillies are destined to live no ordinary lives.”
“You might have a point there. I would have chalked it up to luck, but three cute little fillies like this? We must be blessed,” Mom commented with a grin, nuzzling both me and my sisters. I happily nuzzled my mother back, as did my sister.
The following days were wrought with chaos as little Luna had quite the pair of lungs. Celestia got a little bit jealous that all of the attention was going toward our newborn sister, but that was the least of our concerns for now.
Things were about to change forever for us and none of us were prepared for it.
The ponies our dad saw a few days ago had managed to find our residence at the most inconvenient time possible. Father told us to hide with our mother, telling us to pack up as much food and fabrics as we could muster.
I had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. Celestia and I were reluctantly doing what he told us, raiding the pantry and getting the thick blankets from our bedrooms. We stuffed them into the saddlebags we had lying around in one of the cabinets Dad had built over the years.
Tia and I tried to ignore the sounds from the front of the house as Mom ushered us out through the back of the house. Luna was getting fitful in her sleep and I feared that if she were to awaken right now, she would give us away before we could make it to our storage shed to get the last saddlebag filled with the rest of the preserved food.
The metallic sound of a sword being drawn made my heart stop instantly. There was a brief sound of struggle and then... silence.
“Hmph, that's what I thought. I don't want anypony else wasting my time, so do what you must do and be quick about it. We have wasted enough time as it is, Her Ladyship is expecting results and nothing less. Find the food and get back to camp! I think I deserve a bath after this,” a muffled voice said and my heart sank further. He didn’t do what I thought he did, did he? Was... was Dad gone? Just like that? How... how could they be so mean and heartless and... and... cruel! This was not fair!
Daddy... why?!
My magic began to act on its own as it erected a tall barrier out of my blue magefire flames, the crackling spell taking on a mind of its own once it had been cast, and they slowly began to crawl up the outside wall of our house to slow our pursuers down. It wasn't enough to trap them, but it would buy us enough time to get a head start.
This really was a nightmare, wasn't it? Tears streamed down my face as I still couldn't fully believe what happened. All of our faces were wet with tears, I should say. Even Celestia couldn't stop herself from weeping as I suspected she knew perfectly well that Dad wouldn’t be coming with us.
Six years and I was already robbed of one of my parents because somepony thought it would be okay to take that which wasn’t theirs to take without asking and by force. Had they asked, I would have been happy to offer them something, but this was despicable. They were nothing but thieves and murderers, blinded by hatred and greed.
I didn’t pity the ones that tried coming after us as Mom wasn’t as kind with her magic as I was. Where I only created a barrier that would slowly consume the rest of the house, she activated one of the runes remotely and blew the entire building apart in vengeance.
She never was the same afterward. She continued to retreat more and more into herself, a former shell of her loving self. It was hard getting her to move as we traveled further down south to hopefully find a place that wasn’t perpetually set in winter. Had it not been for me and my sisters, I don’t think she would have had the will to live on for much longer.
It wasn’t like she stopped taking care of us, though. Mom’s behavior started to resemble that of a mindless zombie at most times, it was almost entirely mechanical in nature. It took me about a year to get her to talk once more and another one for us to find a place where the plant life wasn’t covered entirely in snow.
The journey wasn't an easy one, that's for sure. Mom was still sore from giving birth and couldn't walk long distances at a stretch, so we had to pause often to give her time to rest. I tried my best to keep the morale up, but it wasn't easy. Were it not for Luna, I would be no better off than Mom, too shocked to be of any help. But I had to be strong, now more than ever.
There were multiple close calls with the wildlife around us, but we managed to sneak by. It was not easy, but we had the fortune of them fighting among themselves over who would get a piece out of us. Tia and I did our best to keep Luna and Mom safe, picking off those that got their shit together.
Strangely enough, we sometimes came upon larger predators that have been slain prior by something else entirely. Despite their drained appearances, the... carcasses... were all more or less 'fresh' kills and some of the small fry happily took advantage of that to get a quick meal. I was just glad we didn't have to fight our way past some of those slain beasts, a few of them looked like even Mom would struggle against them in a straight-up fight.
It made me wonder what must have happened for dragons of all things to have lost a fight when they were, for all intents and purposes, the perfect predator. Their hide looked incredibly tough and those claws could slice even through the hardest rock if I was not mistaken by the signs of struggle. And that's not even mentioning their deadly fire breath attack. Nothing short of another dragon could have felled a foe of that proportion and it left me wondering...
What else could be in this forest that stood a chance against a mythical beast like that? I shudder to think what would happen if we were to stumble upon it while it was out on the hunt.
It wasn't like Mom was entirely catatonic, though. Anything we couldn't deal with on our own, Mom made short work of in her few lucid moments. The way she fought was almost cruel as if she took pleasure in taking her anger out on those predators that were foolish enough to stand in her way. She only ever got like that when we were in danger, thankfully. I'd rather not see her become consumed by this wrath simmering inside of her.
I guess the saying about a mare scorned is particularly true for our mother, huh? She was damn scary when she wanted to be.
Anyway! Once we were far enough away from where the conflict developed (and most importantly the perpetual winter), we found a nice spot on the edge of a forest, a moderately large pond not too far away for us to fish in.
Slowly, we rebuild. Luna was constantly asking us where our dad was and I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. My heart just wasn't in it, to be honest. Mom and Tia couldn’t do it, either.
How do you tell your little sister that no, your dad didn’t abandon you and instead gave his life for your protection? I certainly had no idea how to do that, so I just told her he would be back one day, not wanting to break her little heart so soon in her life.
I didn’t know whether this was a kindness or cruelty. Was it so bad of me for wanting to give her a little bit of hope? I had no idea. Sometimes I just wanted to tell her the truth, but then I thought about how crushed she would be. How devastated...
Never knowing your dad... that must be a hard thing for her.
As Luna turned four, she found out the truth as she listened in on one of our hushed conversations about how we should tell her, if ever. She wasn’t pleased in the slightest by the news and ran away from our new home. It took all of my stamina and will to not lose her in the dense wilderness, and as I found her, I saw some weird wooden wolf about to eat my little sister.
“Get away from her, you foul beast!” I shouted angrily, rearing up as I stood protectively over the small, huddled form of my sister after I teleported the rest of the way. I didn’t know how I accomplished such a feat, but I was glad that my sister was still in one piece.
The same couldn’t be said about me.
The abomination managed to bite down on one of my outstretched forelegs and we struggled against each other. More howls could be heard in the distance and the frightened sobbing of my sister spurned on my magic as golden lances of arcane energy ripped the monster apart in front of me.
“Are you okay, Luna?” I asked, the adrenalin I was currently experiencing a rush from kept the worst of the agony at bay, somewhat at least. My wound was thankfully not too deep, but putting weight on my leg was out of the question. I got lucky this time, had it bitten me from a different angle, I might have lost my leg from the damage of the wound.
“Summer, you’re hurt!” she cried, no doubt feeling guilty that she had been the cause of that. I didn’t hold it against her, though. She was upset and we had lied to her for so long, it should be me apologizing to her.
“Oh, my little Luna,” I smiled gently. “This is nothing I can’t recover from. More importantly, are you able to walk? Show me that leg, please.”
“I stumbled,” she whispered, holding her sprained ankle towards me so I could inspect it. I grimaced slightly at the bruise swelling on it. I don’t think she managed to break it, but better safe than sorry.
“Come on, climb on top of my back,” I told her, gently lowering myself to her side. “We have to get out of here before more of these things find us.”
“Sister, look out!” Luna shouted frightened and I turned to see the thing I had ripped apart mere seconds ago reassemble itself like nothing happened to it in the first place. My eyelid twitched at the bullshit in front of me. What were those things?!
Suddenly, I wished I was fighting against a dragon instead because those things made at least some modicum of sense! I swear, this world was insane! How the fuck did those things even evolve?! How can they even reassemble themselves when they should have been dead?!
The thing let out a deep howl and others of its kind answered in return. Soon after that, we were surrounded by a whole hunting pack of these... timberwolves.
I don’t think I could fight them in the conventional way and if I were to set them on fire, it would cause more harm than good. If the whole forest were to be set ablaze we would be as good as dead. I had to think of something and fast.
Come on, come on, Summer! Think!
“This is bad...” I muttered, trying to keep these abominations away with my magic. Luna was hiding behind me as I felt my energy dwindle more and more with each prod from our adversaries. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold them off without a solution to our problem. Aside from using my blue magefire, I had no idea what to do. And unleashing my magic like I did during my surge would endanger Luna as well...
“I’m so sorry, Summer,” Luna mumbled between hiccups. “If I hadn’t run...”
“Don’t feel sorry for that,” I grunted, the adrenalin slowly beginning to lose its effect. I had to throw up a full bubble shield as one of the things managed to somehow climb a tree to ambush us. I swear, if they were part cat, I’m gonna light them on fire regardless of the risks. “It’s my fault for leading you on that Dad would come back one day. I should have been honest with you, I’m so sorry.”
“What are we going to do now?” Luna asked me, shrinking back as she saw one of their snapping faces break through a part of the shield. “We’re trapped! I don't want to be eaten!”
“And you won't. Just... let me think for a minute or two, okay?” I told her as I shoved the wolf away with a blast of magic to the face. I was sadly still coming up with blanks, unable to think of a spell that would permanently get rid of them. Not without risking a forest fire at the same time, that is. And running was as good of a death sentence as everything else I could think of. Not only were those things larger and faster than we were, but the forest would only slow us down. Not to mention, both my sister and I were injured and running on fumes. Even if I could concentrate through the pain, I couldn’t carry Luna out of here and defend ourselves at the same time. Flying wasn’t an option either, I never was that good with my wings. I could barely get myself into the air when I wanted to, I’d never be able to with the threat of being eaten alive hanging over Luna and me. My only option left was magic and I was running rapidly out of mana.
Damnit! If I just knew how I managed to cast that teleportation spell to come to Luna's aid! I could get us out of here in no time. Then again, I had no idea if I could take anypony with me and... I couldn’t leave Luna here like this. I can't leave my sweet little Moon behind! I won't! Only over my dead body!
A pulse of my mana heard my determination, tugging at my horn like I had only ever felt once before in my life. Instinctively, my core reached out to one of the wolves and raging flames disintegrated it into dust within an instant. Unlike during my surge, though, that little feat of destruction left me wheezing afterward.
And while I knew I couldn't do that more than a few times, I needed to do that again. I have to do that again, or... we might not get out of this alive. I have no time to figure out teleportation, but... I have enough time to distract them. I can give Luna the escape she needs.
I’m so sorry, sister. But this is the only thing I can do for you. You’ll understand one day, I hope.
“I don’t think we have a minute,” Luna quietly commented and I saw another timberwolf claw away at the gap the other one made. I bit my lip, feeling that my mana pool would only be able to support two more of those spells from before. Three if I felt sufficiently desperate. It would have to do.
Resignation filled me and I gave Luna one last look filled with love. “When I tell you to run, you run,” I said to Luna, my voice tired and dead serious. “Don’t look back, my little Moon. Your big sister loves you, never forget that. I'm so sorry.”
“I’m not going to leave you!” she stubbornly shot back and I glared down at her. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, Lulu. I really don’t want to fight with you over this when this is... this is going to be the last moment I have with you.
“And I’m not asking you. I’m ordering you as your big sister. Do as I say!”
In the next moment, I let the barrier fall, shot two of the bastards between the eyes with the spell fueled by my core, and then I threw Luna in the direction of our home, telling her to go as fast as she could.
I tried to kick the remaining three away as best as I could, but the exhaustion was already catching up to me. I couldn't keep doing this for much longer, I knew that with perfect clarity. I was going to die again. At least this time, I will have done something good and worthwhile with my oh-so-short life.
I'm sorry, Lulu. I love you.
One of them managed to throw me against a tree, knocking the wind out of me while a lance of sharp, piercing pain made me scream out in agony. F-fuck. I must have hit a branch or something, my breathing came out in rattles and my vision swam. I was barely staying conscious, trying to scrounge up enough strength to hopefully make it out of this alive, but I knew better what my chances were. It wouldn't take long until... until... I shook my head, blinking away the tears clouding my vision as I tried my best to reach out to the last vestiges of my mana in the hopes of at least taking one last timberwolf with me into the grave, but then I saw it.
Horror filled me as the little figure of Luna stood protectively in front of me, pawing one of her hooves over the leafy ground as she snorted wildly, likely trying to intimidate the remaining wolves and dissuade them from attacking. Her horn was sparking with light blue, almost white magic and crackling lightning danced over her feathers in an impressive display of pegasus magic. A feat neither Tia nor I ever accomplished, taking too much after Mom in that regard.
My heart sank as my ears picked up on the sound of their approaching figures. I heard the saliva dripping down from their hungry maws onto the forest floor and their mocking growls. The heartbeat in my ears got louder as it sped up frantically in my panic and there was nothing I could do about it. My body refused to listen to my commands to move.
No. Please, no. Not like this. Not my little Luna, anypony but her! No!
The pitiful last amounts of my mana reacted to my panicking self and I hoped beyond hope that a miracle would happen. I didn’t want it to end like this. I refused to let my sweet Luna die here. I can't let that happen!
In my desperate moment, I dredged up even more mana from our surroundings and forced a part of my very being into my horn, probably shaving off years of my life all for the chance I might save my precious Moon from an early death.
If I was going to die, then at least with the knowledge Luna would be safe and sound. It was a small price to pay, knowing she would grow up into a strong and beautiful mare. I could rest easy knowing I did my best.
A moment later, a flickering light answered my call and my sister was whisked away in a brief flash, bringing her toward safety. I laughed in exhaustion and relief, resignation filling me. I did it. I saved her. My sweet little sister is safe.
Now I knew how it works. By the twin suns, I feel so dumb now. Passion was the key to opening the way to a place well-known, determination was the link between here and there, and desire was the trigger to cast the spell. A teleport spell of my very own design. I would have been proud of that little realization, but... it was too bad that it was the last thing I could do before my vision began to darken. My mana was spent and my exhaustion was too great to do anything else.
Just as everything went black on me, I saw a blurry figure that looked so much like Luna, I almost forgot that it was my mother. Funny... I didn’t know she had wings...
A storm of mana followed in her wake, and the next moments that I could remember were a blur, but they were all back at home with my family safe and sound. Luna played the little nurse as my feverish self was confined to bed rest. I could have sworn Mom had wings, but they were gone the next time I saw her. I must have been hallucinating before I passed out. Whatever was in that saliva from the timberwolves really didn’t agree with my body. At all.
Celestia constantly made me soup, spoon-feeding me on every occasion she got. It was kinda cute how my sisters fought over who would do what to help me recover from this sickness. I just wished they would stop being so loud about it, and judging by the irritated expression of our mother, she agreed with me on that.
“Say ‘Ah!’,” Luna said while she held the spoon aloft in her light blue magic aura. One of her hooves was shoved into the muzzle of my twin, keeping her away so she could have me all to herself.
If I could, I would have laughed at the sight. As it was, everything felt sluggish and heavy, my body aching too much to make a sound. It probably was a combination of the timberwolf saliva and my drained mana recovering only sluggishly.
Both of them had wrestled for control over the spoon (thankfully not the soup itself) and Luna used a dirty trick to win against my twin. Flicking somepony’s horn while they were casting magic was not a pleasant experience, seriously.
I rolled my eyes tiredly and opened my mouth, swallowing the rest of the soup with a little bit of difficulty. I had to admit, Tia was a great cook.
And Lulu... made for a very cute nurse, not gonna lie. I will have to get bitten by timberwolves more often if that's how they are treating me.
“Now, let her rest, Luna. She needs the quiet just as much as I do,” our mother said, taking the bowl and spoon from my little sister. Luna pouted, although she did hop reluctantly off the bed as a stern stare from our mother told her to do what she said or there would be no cookies come the next morning. Mom made the best cookies, so whenever we felt like she threatened us with not making more of them we quickly became obedient. The power of sugar... it cannot be underestimated. “Sleep well, my little Summer Sun.”
I nodded tiredly, absentmindedly noting that Celestia stayed at my bedside watching over me with a small smile. Sleep overtook me not soon after and it wasn’t a very restful experience. Sweat poured from my body in rivers and the few moments that I found myself slightly awake I felt the eyes of my twin staring at me as I shivered a lot from the fever. Her strong legs held me tightly against her chest and the aura of her magic stroked slowly through my mane in a calming effect.
She always treats me so nicely...
The nightmares themselves always confronted me with the same scene. The timberwolves were about to eat me while I was desperately trying to protect my sister from their dripping teeth. Despite that, Mom never showed up in any of them. All of them ended the same way and they repeated themselves throughout the night. Even the few times I managed to get some shut-eye during the day, my rest never lasted for long.
The mornings blended into each other as I sometimes felt better and on other days even worse than before. I was lucky to have such doting sisters and a loving mother, even though sometimes their concern for me felt a little bit over the top, in my opinion. I don’t know why both of my sisters felt like they needed to compete over who took care of me, so I just silently bore with it to keep them happy.
It was starting to get weird, though. They continued to act like this even as my fever went away and we got older. Both of them offered to do the most menial tasks for me so I wouldn’t ‘strain myself’ as if I was unable to do those things myself. That certainly managed to make me feel useless at times. Thankfully, Mom helped me beat that mindset out of them by the time Celestia and I turned thirteen.
Our education picked up soon after that. Once we had managed to reconstruct our little training chamber, Mom taught us how to fight for real. I had no idea where she had learned most of this stuff from, as some of it seemed eerily efficient in subduing, or rather, killing other ponies with the least amount of movements needed.
The past of our mother was shrouded in mysteries, and ever since Dad was gone, she didn’t seem particularly keen on opening up about it. She knew a whole plethora of spells that could be repurposed for going to war with a small nation. Heck, she even taught us how to use anything as a makeshift weapon.
I was concerned about why she knew so many ways to 'incapacitate' somepony. The only ponies, or rather people, that I knew of that had such a particular set of skills didn’t use it for good. Although Mom never seemed like the type to be an assassin, I also never thought that she would have been so well-versed in the craft.
Dad’s passing made her rethink having kept that side from her family for so long. And as it turns out, our family wasn’t some super-secret spy family or any other such nonsense. No, on one particular evening, I learned the truth from her as she had partaken in a little bit too much alcohol.
“You know, I ran away from home to be with your dad,” Mom slurred, not turning from her seat at the window as I entered her room to check up on her. Every year on the same day she would lock herself away in her own room.
Today was the day Dad sacrificed himself to buy us enough time to escape the raiders on that fateful day. Had I been old enough, I’m sure I would be sitting beside her. But seeing my mother stare out forlornly into the distance changed my mind about the usefulness of alcohol.
This wasn’t her, this drunken mare wallowing in self-pity. This was a broken mare that put on a brave face for her daughters for the rest of the year. Somepony who blamed herself for not having stood beside her husband when he needed her the most. I didn’t blame her, I sometimes felt just as bad as she felt now. Especially today.
“Why would you do that?” I asked her gently. My mother gave out a scoff, snorting in amusement at whatever she found so funny about my question.
“Come on, my smart little filly, you can figure it out,” she grinned, but her eyes looked so empty in contrast to her smile that it managed to send shivers down my spine. “Why would somepony run away from home?”
“Your parents...” I whispered, narrowing my eyes in thought. “They didn’t approve? No... that is just part of the reason. If they didn’t approve you didn’t have to run away...”
“Getting there, warmer and warmer,” Mom commented, taking another swig of whatever poison she decided would make this day more bearable for her. To my nostrils, it smelled quite strong and sweet. “Go on, my little Summer Sun.”
“I... always found it strange that you never told us you were so skilled in the art of war, scarily good even...” I muttered, thinking back to all of the long and grueling hours we had spent in the new training room by now. Luna was already getting curious about what we did in there for so long. A few more years and I’m sure she will find out firsthoof. Not that I wanted her to find out, per se. She was far too cheerful for such a grim fate. “Normally I would attribute this to someone having been trained as an assassin.”
“Ah, getting colder again, my dear,” my mother told me. “I’m no assassin if that is what you were wondering.”
“Then... what else could it be?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, dear Summer... my little Sunshine...” Mom giggled, nudging my horn with a hoof. “Think a bit harder, I know you can.”
“It has something to do with that tribalism going on up north, hasn’t it?” I stated, not asking for confirmation. I didn't need it. “That could explain the running away, but what about the combat knowledge?”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” she slurred, drinking once more from her beverage. “That is part of the answer, so what is the rest?”
“I don’t think any ordinary pony can just learn what you have learned, what you’re teaching us...” I said, connecting a few more dots in my head. I had a working theory, but that would mean...
“Go on...” Mom prodded, smiling wistfully now. I gulped at the thought of voicing my theory. She waited patiently for me to continue as I thought of more possibilities, but I knew those were just half-baked attempts at avoiding the truth.
“You... are part of the nobility, aren’t you?” I asked, not enjoying the bitter taste it left in my mouth. Earth was a great teacher in that those of ‘noble’ descent couldn’t be trusted with power and the ongoing conflict up north was just further proof of that. The first few generations of nobility might still uphold the ideals that got them their position in the first place, but the longer they hold such a position, the greedier they always get.
Not that all of the nobility was like that on Earth (and possibly here in this world), but those were sadly only a minority. Arrogance was like a disease that plagued those with wealth and far too much power, lacking the kindness and generosity I held so dear to my heart. Perhaps the saying of those reluctant to rule being the best at it is true after all. Someone of humble origins lacking the drive to subjugate their peers was a better fit for the position than the one that got everything handed to them, feeling no compassion for those around them.
“But... why the excessive need to know how to”—I had to gulp at the thought, not liking it one bit—“...kill somepony? In what way is that needed for a noble?”
“The crux of the matter, isn’t it?” my mother commented. “Why, oh why, would Mother dearest know how to kill anything that stands in her way?”
“I...” stuttering, I looked upon her with horror. “I don’t believe this. There is no way that could be...”
“Oh, but it is exactly as you think it is, my dear,” she answered, her voice darkening with hate. “I never told your father because I thought he would look at me in a different way. And I never wanted to tell you, either, but here we are.”
“...but why would your own family?”
“You see, my little Summer,” she began. “My family was a poisonous bunch, the only ones with a lack of greed had been my cousin as well as my grandmother, Lunaria Solitas. She was the rock I desperately clung on to as my own 'parents' fashioned me into a weapon to take the throne with. I'm not an assassin... I'm a one-mare army, a killing machine, a... a failure that couldn't even protect the stallion I loved.”
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” I whispered, embracing her in a tearful hug. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have protected us and distracted the raiders at the same time. You gave birth, Mom. There's nopony to blame but those monsters."
“There, there,” Mom said, patting my back as I fought with my breath to not start sobbing like the not-so-little child I still was. “It’s in the past now and you're still here with me, are you not? Argent would be so proud of you. I know I am.”
I smiled before I remembered a particular thing she said. “So, you named Luna after your grandmother?” I asked after we stayed like this for a while.
“Well, yes. But also after me, or have you forgotten the name of your own mother, my little Sunshine?” she answered, a little mischievous glint in her eyes. I tried to deny her accusation, but not a moment later, I was already on my back laughing uncontrollably as she tickled me with the help of her magic. “Whatever shall I do for your punishment?”
“St-Stop! Please! I-I beg you!” I continued to laugh, my breathing coming in gasps and wheezes.
“What does one say when they apologize?” she teased me and I begged on, trying to crawl away from her. “I’m certain it was along the lines of ‘I am sorry’, or am I wrong?”
“N-no! Please!” I giggled, feeling some of my discarded feathers join in on the assault. “Tia! Tia, help me!”
“Oh, no you don't. No calling for help, tsk tsk. I taught you better than that,” Mom told me, booping me on the muzzle with a hoof. The door to her bedroom opened and the inquisitive head of my twin sister appeared in the doorway.
“What is going on?” Celestia asked us, confused. I sent her a pleading gaze as my mother continued the feathery torture, hoping that she would come to my rescue.
“Oh? Another one for the tickle goddess?” our mother cackled and quickly captured my struggling sister with her magic.
“No! Summer, why!?” my sister sent me a glare before she, too, was at the unmerciful touch of our captor. “I’m never, *snerk*, coming to help you again!”
“I-I’m sorry!” I whined, exhausted from all the laughing. At least Luna was spared from this embarrassment.
It took a bit of time, but eventually, Mother got bored of hearing us plead for mercy. Our foalhood days were coming to a close and with that came the most embarrassing and confusing time in all of my life.
Being a teenager again going through puberty, ugh. Fuck my life.