//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Stone is Cast // Story: Princess No More // by Llyander //------------------------------// The silence following her proclamation was rivalled only by the silence she’d found on the surface of the moon during her exile.  In truth, some small part of her was amused by the look of complete and utter surprise on her Sister’s face, Celestia caught without any of her masks in place, exposed before the Court for what was likely the first time in living memory.  A hundred lifetimes of planning and scheming, guiding Equestria to where she wanted and needed it to be, a hundred lifetimes of making contingencies, of guiding bloodlines and alliances, it all came down to this. “You can’t be serious,” was all Celestia could find to say, her wings fluttering before she could suppress them.  “You can’t do that.” “We assure you we are most serious, dear Sister,”  Luna replied evenly,  “and we most certainly can.  If there is a law that says otherwise, please do bring it to my attention for I am unaware of any such proscription.” The great hall was still silent, noble and common pony alike staring nervously at each other, wondering if they should say something, do something, caught between the urge to flee and the knowledge that they were about to witness something that was truly once in a lifetime. “Equestria has always been ruled by two Princesses, Luna.”  Celestia finally pointed out, her tone measured, careful, each word picked with as much care as a Diamond Dog might sift through gravel in search of jewels.  “You’ve only been back with us for a handful of years, things are returning to normal at last.  Why would-” “Equestria has not always been ruled by two though, has it?  How quickly we forget, it would seem.”  Luna pointed out with a deadpan look.  It brought her little happiness to see Celestia shift uncomfortably in place as her barb found its mark.  “Regardless, it shall be going forward, never fear.  Your protege Twilight Sparkle has been chafing for greater responsibility, for greater purpose following her ascension.  This would seem an opportune time for us to step aside and allow her to assume the mantle of the diarchy.” “You can’t just QUIT, Luna!”  Celestia finally snapped, rising from her throne to glare down at her Sister.  That look was legendary.  It had cowed entire armies, made grown stallions soil themselves and brought peace between warring tribes without a single word being spoken.  “You are the co-ruler of Equestria!  Alicorns do not just turn their backs on their responsibilities!” Luna stared back up at her, her own expression calm and unruffled.  She waited till Celestia had composed herself and sat back down before she spoke.  “Sister mine, before we delve into the why we are doing this and the why we can do this, we have a question for thee.  Where is our throne?” Celestia blinked, pursing her lips a moment.  “Your...throne?”  she echoed.  Celestia turned to stare at the single golden chair that sat atop the dais.  Her eyes darting left, then right, then returning to her sister. “Indeed.  In our former castle we ruled equally, both with our seat of power, both taking court together.  In this castle, however, even in the years since our return, there is still only thy throne.  The one I must borrow for my Night Court.” Celestia stared at her. “You can’t be serious.  This is about seating arrangements?” “Among other things, aye,”  Luna glibly replied.  “But let us put that aside and ask thee another question instead.  What has become of the celebration of our longest night?  I see the Summer Sun celebration continues in earnest, but where is the Midwinter Moon festival of old?  Oh, forgive me, we both know the answer to that, do we not?  You repackaged it.  Rebadged it.  Stole it from me and called it Hearth’s Warming instead.  And what was this new national holiday?  A celebration of unity and harmony.  A powerful message for a lone alicorn attempting to hold a diarchy together by herself.”   Celestia sagged back in her throne, her expression once again schooled to neutrality, but Luna knew her sister too well, could see the subtle tightening of the muscles in her jaw, the narrowing of her eyes, the telltale twitch of the tip of her tail as she fought to keep it from thrashing.   “And then shall we move on to the topic of your former students?”  She didn’t wait for a reply this time, pressing the attack even as Celestia sank lower still in her seat, her expression darkening.  “Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle are only the two most recent.  Could you have been more transparent, sister?  Your desperate need for a surrogate to replace me during the years of my exile is both touching and humiliating in equal measure.  Twilight Sparkle’s recent ascension is simply more proof of thy scheming and plotting, ensuring that there would be a replacement for me should your plan with the Elements fail.” “That...that was not my intention when I took my students, Luna.  They were never meant to replace you.  You’re my Sister!  How could anypony ever replace you?” “Because despite all your plotting, all your ruses and deceptions, you are far closer to the common pony than you would ever admit, dear Sister.  Your heart aches, the same as any other.  Part of me is flattered you missed me during my banishment.”  At this, Luna paused, her expression darkening, mane roiling in an unseen breeze.  “While the other resents that you thought for even a moment that another could take my place.” “Enough,” Celestia sighed, covering her eyes with a foreleg for a moment.  “You’ve made your point, Luna” “No, Tia. It is not enough. Not nearly enough for you to understand how serious I am,” Luna snarled, colouring her words with a hint of the Canterlot Voice that made the windows quiver in their frames, “This is no childish whim, no act of bad temper or ill-humour, no act of grandstanding to make a point.  Let me be most clear on the actions I take today. I abdicate my throne. I resign.  I quit.  I relinquish the crown of Equestria and all that goes along with it in favour of our newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle.  From this day forth I return to being simply Luna.  You have ruled alone for a thousand years and this great land we have forged will not collapse overnight because I am once again gone.  In truth, and let there be no lie between us on this, some will be glad to see me step down.  The taint of Nightmare Moon is not so easily swept aside.” The court remained silent until Celestia drew a slow, shuddering breath and rose from her throne, lifting a wing and levelling it at the crowd of ponies.  “Each and every one of you is forbidden from recounting anything you have just seen or heard.  There will be an official announcement in due course, should one be required, but I will not stand for gossip in the meantime.  I will remind you that we have records of every pony that attends court so should rumours begin to spread, it will be a simple matter to track down the individual responsible. Court is over for today, my little ponies.  Please leave us in peace, it seems my Sister and I have much to discuss.” For a moment, no-one moved until one of the guards stamped a steel-shod hoof imperiously on the floor, the sound ringing through the silent chamber. “CLEAR THE COURT BY ORDER OF THE PRINCESS!” Finally, as if all at once, the crowd slowly turned and funnelled out the doors held wide by the golden-armoured stallions of the Solar Guard.  They were the last to leave, turning to bow low to the two alicorns before they pulled the doors closed behind them, leaving the sisters alone. Celestia slumped back in her throne, rubbing at her forehead with a hoof.  “Luna...I’m not blind.  I know you’ve been having trouble fitting in, that we still have a long way to go before things are the way they were before but you don’t need to do this.” “But you still do not see it, dear Sister,”  Luna sighed softly as she stepped onto the bottom step of the dais, gazing up at the confused white alicorn.  “Things already are the way they were before.  You are on your pedestal and I...I am confined to the shadows once more.” She smiled sadly before she turned away to trot across the smooth, polished floor to one of the windows, gazing out over the city.  “The wonders you and your students have brought to the world.  The harnessing of magic and technology to create things we had only dreamed of in the midst of our cups.  Medicines and marvels and weapons beyond our imagining.  Creations to allow earth ponies to fly, ponies to communicate over vast distances without the need for cumbersome scrying spells, weapons that ensure no-one would ever be foolish enough to challenge us….but in the midst of all this, where is my place, Celestia?  What use am I?  A thousand years behind the times, as out of place now as I was before the Fall.”  She sighed softly as she focused on her reflection in the glass, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth before she looked back over her shoulder.  “Do you remember what it was like before this?  Before the unification of the tribes?” “I...remember a lot of sleeping on cold, hard ground,” Celestia admitted as she slipped her crown from her head and laid it on the floor beside her throne.  “Weeks of being hungry all the time and dreaming of the days we could lie in bed till noon and have a gaggle of handsome stallions bring us breakfast in bed.” Luna chuckled softly at that and nodded. “That was part of it.  But there was freedom, Tia.  I and thee against the world, forging our destinies, the sun and moon standing shoulder to shoulder, bringing the tribes together beneath our unified banner, when we truly ruled with one voice.”  She sighed softly as she turned from the window to look back at her sister.  “There is still only one voice that rules Equestria, but it will never again be mine.  Be proud of what thou hast achieved, Sister.  You have made Equestria strong, prosperous and peaceful, but your destiny is no longer mine.” “Then what is?”  Celestia sighed as she descended from her throne.  “What are you going to do, Luna?” “Travel, I think.”  She gathered her magic and before Celestia could say a word, the two alicorns vanished from the throne room, reappearing on the balcony outside Luna’s suite, gazing out over the roofs of the city, over the rolling green plains to Ponyville and the mountains beyond. “The direction is yet to be decided on,” Luna mused, waving a hoof to the south as she moved to prop her hooves on the parapet. “Perhaps we will travel North, or perhaps South to see what lies beyond Zebrica.  There are still unknown shores and untamed wildernesses beyond the borders of what we know, lands that we have not set hoof upon since before we ascended. I think I would like to know what has become of them in our absence.” Celestia moved to stand beside her sister, almost touching, lifting her forelegs to mirror her sister’s stance. Even in the tower, high above the streets, the sounds of life in Canterlot reached the two and Luna allowed herself the tiniest smile as she gazed down at the city’s inhabitants. “Look at it,” she whispered, her wing lifting and coming to gently lay over her sister’s back. “Look at what you made, ‘Tia. What you made. When I was banished we but ruled the wilds of the Everfree and Canterlot was naught but a village with dreams of one day becoming a town. You took it and turned it into the crown jewel of Equestria. Without me.” She let her wing fall away as she turned to face her sister. “You were fine without me, sister. You will be fine. I know it for sure.” Celestia didn’t say anything at first, didn’t even look at Luna, her eyes fixed on the horizon. This felt like a conversation that should be had at night, twilight at least, not under the blazing morning light of her sun that left no room for dissembling or evasion. She tried to find words to argue with her sister, to dispute the claims she’d made, but… “I’ll miss you,” was all Celestia could find to say in a voice suddenly thick and unsteady with barely contained sadness. She turned, wrapping Luna up in a desperate hug, smothering the smaller pony beneath her wings, burying her face into that star-filled mane in an attempt to stifle the sound of her sobs. “I’ll miss you,” she repeated. Each time somehow sadder than the one before. Tears of regret for opportunities squandered, for not seeing what was right before her nose, for failing her sister once again, for losing her all over again so soon after getting her back. How long had it been? A handful of years. What was that when you measured your lifespan in centuries? A blip. Luna wrapped her wings about her sister in turn, nuzzling against Celestia’s neck as she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. The right thing to do? Certainly. But that didn’t make it any easier. “I will keep in touch,” she promised. “I will…send postcards. And knick knacks from my adventures. You will need to dedicate a room to storing all the tourist kitsch I will send back to you. Thou wilst need to open a new wing for all the stained glass windows I will need to catalogue my feats and heroism. But…” She stepped back to cup Celestia’s chin with her hoof. “They will be the feats of simply Luna. Not of a Princess.” She smiled and leaned in to press a kiss just under Celestia’s horn. “Now. You must speak with Raven, yes? Thou hast much to prepare. Arrangements to make. Announcements to compose. Letters to write to Twilight and to Cadance. Mine own departure will be quiet, on this I insist. No fanfares, no pomp or ceremony. Tomorrow I shall leave the castle and the city to begin my journey. I have already spoken with the Night Guard Quartermaster and he shall see me adequately equipped and provisioned.” Celestia shook her head with a wry smile. “How long have you been preparing for this?” “Some weeks now,” Luna admitted. “With the aid of some of the castle staff I have been quietly wrapping up my affairs. I am, I believe, quite able to support myself for some time before I need worry about finding additional funds.” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “I should be comfortable for a number of centuries of modest living, I believe.” Celestia blinked, not able to hold back a quick laugh of surprise. “You never did do anything without preparing first, sister,” she marvelled. “I…” She trailed off. What to say? So much unsaid. So much of it didn’t seem to matter in this moment. Instead Celestia returned the kiss, brushing her wing along Luna’s cheek as she stepped back. She schooled her features, a quick flash of her magic banishing the tearstains from her coat. “Travel safe, Luna. I love you.” “As I love thee, ‘Tia.” Luna replied as she lowered her head in a bow to the now lone ruler of Equestria, “Rule wisely and well.”