//------------------------------// // Interlude I - A Shared Loss // Story: Rise and Shine // by Skijarama //------------------------------// “But the storm would not let them go that easily. The family soon realized how completely unprepared they were for the journey ahead, and for this, the frozen world demanded a high price…” Twilight nodded along, waiting for Celestia to continue. The story she had been telling so far was scarce in detail, almost like an old foal’s pony tale, but knowing that Celestia was speaking of true events made her hang on every word. Not just because of her need for a distraction, but also because her curiosity for her mentor’s past burned just that bright. But the silence that followed was far longer than any that had come before. Confused, Twilight turned to look at Celestia beside her. The larger alicorn’s eyes were staring deep into the fire, now distant and unfocused, while her lips had quirked into a solemn frown.  Twilight suddenly got a feeling akin to when she was interfering in something she had no business in. Like Starlight’s choice in friends. Or anything to do with Trixie. “...Celestia?” she asked after several long seconds, breaking the silence. Celestia did not answer right away. Instead, she closed her eyes, took in a long, deep breath, and then let it out in a quiet, regretful sigh. “Forgive me, Twilight. It has been a long time since I last gave my old family much thought. The memory of what happened is… painful.” “Painful?” Twilight echoed, an uneasy feeling forming in her gut as an unpleasant possibility made itself known. She swallowed heavily, her ears lowering. “You mean… the high price…” Celestia pursed her lips. A moment later, she suddenly rose to her hooves, much to Twilight’s surprise. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Perhaps telling you this story isn’t a good idea.” “What?” Twilight asked in surprise, quickly following her up. She reached out and grabbed Celestia by the hoof when she turned to walk away. “What do you mean?” Celestia hesitated, looking down at Twilight. They looked into each other’s eyes for several long seconds, Twilight getting lost in those old amethyst orbs she had known and admired for so long. Every time she had looked into them in the past—almost every time, at any rate—they had been composed, calm, and collected. Her mentor had always been in control of herself, no matter what was happening. And that was still true. Celestia was still in control of herself. But the tension in her eyes, the emotion she was displaying far exceeded that which Twilight had ever truly seen before, and it gave her pause. Whatever Celestia was feeling must have been powerful to be visible through her carefully built poker face. Slowly, Twilight released Celestia’s hoof, her expression softening with realization. “...They died, didn’t they?” she asked quietly. “Your mom and dad.” “I…” Celestia’s mouth hung open, her jaw working up and down as she fished for words. When none were forthcoming, she looked away, her ears drooping. “You are grieving the loss of your own mother. I do not believe it would be wise to remind you of that by speaking of how Luna and I lost ours.” Twilight was quiet for a moment, her thoughts drifting back to Twilight Velvet. She remembered how, even in her old age, Velvet had been a spry and energetic mare, eager to leap at whatever life would throw at her with gusto. A boisterous energy and enthusiasm that Twilight highly attributed to her own impressive self-confidence, especially when she was younger. She realized with a start that her eyes were misting over from the memory. She shook her head and wiped the tears away with a hoof. When she looked back up at Celestia, she saw the look of a mare who was not surprised by what she had just seen but was no less saddened by it. “Forgive me, Twilight,” Celestia said. “But I should save the rest of the story for another-” “N-no!” Twilight cut her off, taking a hold of her hoof again. Celestia turned back to her in surprise, her brow raising. Twilight swallowed heavily. She wasn’t sure why she had blurted that out like that. Celestia had a point. Would it really be a good idea to keep hearing this story if such a tragedy was a part of it, given her current state? Though, then again, she had been keeping herself together relatively well before Celestia went quiet. But more than that, Twilight had long ago learned to read the emotions in Celestia’s eyes, and right now there was clear pain in them. The same pain that Twilight herself was feeling now. Dulled with time, perhaps, but still there, even after so many years. Decades, centuries, a thousand years, and still it was there. A moment later, Twilight released Celestia’s hoof again and took a step back, lowering her head respectfully. “I… I want to keep hearing the story. I want to know what happened next. And besides…” she looked back up, locking gazes with Celestia again. “You’ve been keeping all of this bottled up inside of you for a long time. You need to let it out, don’t you?” Celestia winced, and Twilight knew she had hit the nail on the head. After a moment, Celestia gestured for Twilight to follow her, and the two were soon standing in front of the window, staring out at Canterlot. “I was only a child,” Celestia said in a quiet, solemn voice. “Twelve years old, almost thirteen. I had no training in magic. The only spells I could cast were what I had managed to learn by pure luck. Nothing that could keep out the cold or the wind. Nothing to warm up a freezing body. Against what we faced, there was no way Luna and I could have saved them. No realistic way, at least.” Twilight looked out up at Celestia’s face. Her eyes were tracing the city’s streets intently, narrowed slightly with focus. Her tired frown was reflected in the glass of the window, barely visible. Twilight shifted uneasily on her hooves and looked up into the sky. “What happened?” “We came to a river that had been frozen over. Luna and I were sent to cross first, flying over and carrying all of our supplies with us. But there were… complications with the crossing, and we lost our supplies. Mother made it across alright, but father went to retrieve one of our saddlebags. He… fell through the ice.” Twilight’s ears flattened against her head. “Oh my gosh…” “Mother went after him,” Celestia went on. “She tried her best. But the ice broke under her, and she fell in, too. I chased them, and with help from Luna we pulled them out of the ice. But my father’s leg had been broken while he was under, and we had lost all of our supplies save for the clothes on our backs and what precious little Luna and I had in our smaller packs. We couldn’t move and we had nothing to keep the cold out.” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “The cold stole them away in the night. I… I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my father. He was gone before we awoke. Mother couldn’t stand. All she could do was tell us to go to her and father’s old home, a village called Flatstone. Then, the snow stole her away as well... and Luna and I were left all alone.” Twilight looked down, closing her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “That must have been horrible.” “It was. It truly was,” Celestia confirmed with a slow nod. “Neither Luna or I were prepared to cope with such a loss. We were lost, cold, hungry, and more scared than we had ever been. All we had left was each other.” Twilight was quiet for a moment. Then, she opened her eyes and looked back up at Celestia. “What did you do?” Celestia didn’t look back at her. Her eyes slowly drifted up to look at the clouds above Canterlot, and the gently falling snow they released onto the world. When she spoke again, she continued the story she had been telling before, but her tone had changed. It was darker, now. Solemn, sorrowful, regretful. She allowed the pain of her loss to bleed into her words as they left her lips. “The snow demanded a terrible price, and though the family fought against it with all their might, in the end, they were forced to pay for their mistakes. And so, the two sisters found themselves lost, alone, and scared. The snow had taken everything from them. Their home, their parents, their innocence. All they had left was each other. The eldest took the lead, swearing to look after the younger and keep her safe. And she would keep her promise, no matter the cost.”