//------------------------------// // Raising the Moon // Story: The God Empress of Ponykind // by iowaforever //------------------------------// Raising the Moon A power sword had been added to the Empress’ arsenal. It was an impressive weapon, finely crafted and well balanced, and She had actually found a way to infuse small crystals to act as a conduit for the energy field that made the power sword a deadly weapon. She had no real need to protect herself (the only living things besides Herself and Philomena being crustaceans and primitive fish), but She had forged the sword as a reminder of Her past and to keep Her skills honed. Shrubs and small trees dotted the land, and the number of active volcanoes had decreased. Cloud banks had begun to form, and the Empress was glad She could breath actual air again. Her armored boots sank slightly into the dirt as She walked, small rocks being crushed to dust under their heavy weight. She continued walking until She found a rock nearly twice Her size. It was a massive slab, left over from when the planet was formed, and a layer of moss had grown over one side. She inspected the rock closely, poking and prodding to see if it would suit Her purpose. “It is sufficient.” She said, stepping back and raising Her sword with Her telekinesis. The power sword activated, blueish energy running down the length of the blade, before She let out a cry and charged, swinging the sword in a wide arc. Stone met metal as the Empress struck Her target. The energy field around the power sword, originally designed for cleaving through heavy armor, allowed the blade to easily split the rock as if it were no more than damp paper. Combined with the force that the Empress struck the stone, the upper half was knocked forty feet away from Her, shattering once it hit the ground. “My forging skills are still sharp.” She said, deactivating the sword and attaching it to the mag-clamp on Her flank. “If the Ruinous Powers were still active, I would have loved to have seen how well this form functions in combat against them. I suppose I shall have to wait until my creations get bigger before I can better hone my combat skills.” “On the subject of creations...” She focused more of Her Warp Energy until there was a pop and She was standing next to Her genetics lab. To cover more ground, She had added several more genetic manipulators and a second incubator, and was currently in the process of creating more advance aquatic forms and (hopefully) amphibians before the year was up. But the crown jewel of Her genetics program lay in the center: the artificial womb that held Luna, the pony that would be Her sister. It had been almost eight months since the Empress had started the project, and signs were looking good: Luna’s organs seemed to be working alright, and her wings and horn were growing strong. She still lacked a mane, but she had a thin coat of blue fur, and from what Her preliminary scans told Her she had a fine set of turquoise eyes. “Well, you seem to be doing well.” She said, pacing around the tank. “I’m not detecting any signs of abnormalities or mutations... your potential to tap into the Immaterium is slightly lower than I expected, but still strong for someone so young.” She paused, noticing a small dent in the rear of the chamber. “And it appears your physical strength has increased as well. I’m sure that was a fine kick.” a quick push with the Warp removed the dent. Luna squirmed a little, but otherwise did not react. “A fine specimen indeed... I wonder if this is what normal beings go through when they have children.” the Empress paused, looking out over the landscape. “Once I create my followers, I shall ask them.” She sighed, shaking Her head. “Look at me. I sound like some magos that just found the original blueprints to the Baneblade. She is my sister, not some knick-knack to bribe an Inquisitor with.” She chuckled and looked back at the chamber in which Her sister grew. “But... how am I suppose to handle this?” She approached the chamber and knelt down, bringing Herself as close to the head of Her sister as possible. “Um, if you can hear me... I’m sorry for treating you like a subject. I mean, after all, you are my... sister, I guess. But... well, there’s nothing much I can do while you grow, and rushing the process may expose you to potential corruption, and I can’t let that happen.” She closed Her eyes and hung Her head. “That’s what happened to some of my sons in the past, although they fell in different ways... you won’t know them, hopefully; it was not pleasant in the slightest.” Pleasant doesn’t even begin to describe it. “But you shall not be like them; I shall teach you kindness, and generosity. You shall create and explore, and-” She stumbled mid sentence before sighing and laying her head against the chamber. “I can’t do this. I am an Empress, a commander of legions and conqueror of planets. I can’t teach and raise a foal.” She heard a muffled bang and looked up. Somehow, either she had heard Her distress or had acted on nervous input, Luna had placed her right hoof next to the Empress’ head. She smiled and placed Her own hoof against the glass. “Perhaps you could help me.” ... More time passed. The Empress had tasked Philomena with monitoring Luna while She worked, the phoenix more than happy to watch the growing foal. Luna seemed to be less active during the day (inputs using the Warp helped), and thus required less time for the Empress to monitor her. The oceans had started to become slightly overcrowded, so She had had to flood several valleys and break down land bridges to allow for expansion. She was now focusing on large fish, primarily based on tuna that She had encountered during Her previous life. “How is my sister doing?” She asked. Philomena chirped and flew over to Her. “That’s good. I’m glad that she’s doing well.” There was a chirp from Philomena “Well... I’m not exactly sure how. I suppose I could just teach her by experience, or I could construct some kind of learning material for her to-” She stopped when the entire world went black. Puzzled, She looked up and saw the moon high in the sky, surrounded by a soft blue glow. A soft blue glow coming from Luna’s horn. Celestia stared at Luna for a moment before she was nearly knocked over by a pulse in the Warp. “Dammit, I should have seen this coming!” She rushed over to the chamber, Philomena flying after Her. “She’s already reaching out into the Warp!” the Empress circled the chamber, Her horn glowing bright in the dark. Even with the Empress acting against her, Luna’s powers would not cut out. “Such control, even for an infant. If it wasn’t jeopardizing the entire planet I would be proud.” Philomena squawked as the Empress worked. “No, she still has one month left of development; I don’t want to risk anything happening because I was impatient.” Philomena tilted her head and chirped. “Crustaceans and fish can be replaced; she cannot. Provide me some better light so I can fix this without hurting her.” Philomena nodded before she was consumed by flame, illuminating the entire facility. “Thank you, Philomena.” the Empress tapped Her horn to the chamber, reaching out to Her unborn sister. Luna did not take kindly to the intrusion, and the Empress met a large amount of resistance as She reached out. “Please, don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you. But your powers are interfering with the natural cycle of this world, and if you keep reaching out then you may kill everything. Please, let go.” the resistance dissipated, and the Empress was able to retake control of the moon. “Thank you.” a quick push and once again the sun was back in the sky. The Empress sighed and sat down. “The first thing I want to teach you is how to control your powers.” Philomena squawked and flew off. The Empress looked at the foal, sleeping silently in her chamber. For a brief instant She thought She saw the foal smile, but passed it off as merely a twitch in Luna’s still developing muscles. “I must go and see what kind of damage your outburst caused.” ... Most of Her original creations were either dead or severely reduced in population as a result of Luna’s show of power, most of them killed by the sudden shift in the tides. It would take anywhere from a month to half a year before She could bring the ecosystem back to full strength, but now that She had a blank slate She could begin to get creative with Her creations. She had set aside Her work for a moment to monitor Luna, the filly very close to being fully grown. “You are much stronger than I realized, Luna.” She said, placing a hoof against the chamber. “Of course, I don’t think you’ll ever be as strong as me, but you are still strong. Yes, causing a mass extinction was terrible, but most psykers never generate more than a fraction of that power in their whole lives.” the filly twitched, causing the Empress to smile. “I know on some level you can understand me, and that is good. If we make these connections when you’re young, then our bond will be much stronger once you’ve grown.” She sat in silence before a small beeping came from the chamber. You are ready. She stood and backed up. “Philomena, come.” the phoenix appeared and landed on the Empress’ shoulder while the chamber continued to beep. Luna squirmed some more as the fluid inside the chamber was drained, piped away to other parts of the Genetics lab. An antigravity field caught Luna while her umbilical cord was severed, and once that task was complete the filly was gently placed on the ground before the Empress. She lowered Her head and waved Her horn over Her sister, using the powers of the Warp to dry the filly and wake her. Luna stirred and looked up, massive turquoise eyes gazing up in wonder at the white being clad in golden armor standing over her. “Hello, Luna.” the Empress said, keeping Her tone as soft as possible. Luna squirmed some more in an attempt to get up on her hooves while the Empress kneeled down, bringing Her eye to eye with the newborn. “You are my sister, and together we shall rule this world. Will you accept my love and friendship?” Luna wobbled on her hooves before falling, grabbing onto the Empress’ neck for stability. “Easy, Luna; you are weak and need to rest.” the filly looked up at the Empress and smiled a toothless grin, strengthening her grip around Her neck. “Rest, my sister; I shall always guard you, no matter what.” ... Luna’s strength increased dramatically over the course of the next few months. She never tapped into the Warp in such a way as she had before she was born, but physically she was maturing much faster than the Empress had anticipated. The little filly spent her days running around the length of the genetics facility as fast as her stubby legs could carry her, giggling as Philomena followed her. She poked and prodded and licked almost everything in sight, and almost made a meal of the hilt of the Empress’ power sword before Philomena intervened. The Empress had shortened the amount of time She normally spent creating, using the rest of it to watch over and play with Her little sister. However, foals do not obey the schedules of gods; they have needs and wants that they cannot express themselves, and in not understanding transfer them to others until they are satisfied. The Empress was working on engineering a primitive amphibian when a ear-splitting scream broke the air, startling Philomena from her perch and causing the Empress to drop the vial She had been holding. She turned and saw Luna sitting on the ground, a pool of tears collecting around the filly. “Did you do something I didn’t know about?” She asked, glaring at Philomena. The bird chirped in protest. “You almost tried to eat my first sharks when I wasn’t looking; I have every right to believe you may be up to something.” Philomena’s response was drowned out by Luna’s crying, the little filly having rolled over on her back and started waving her legs in the air. The Empress set aside Her work and rushed to Luna, scooping the filly up in Her forelegs. “Shh, Shh. Your sister is here for you, please stop crying. Please.” Luna would not listen, her tears dripping down the sides of the Empress’ armor. “Maybe there’s some way to cheer you up...” What do mothers do when trying to cheer up children?... Sing, that could work... But I don’t think I know of any songs. She shifted through Her memories before coming to one She had learned from viewing the memories of a psyker sacrificed to Her during Her time on the Throne. ... No, that won’t work; I doubt she’ll know what a Land Raider is, much less why someone would spend all day crushing heretics with it. She frowned and continued thinking while Luna’s crying got louder. Then She stumbled on one, something She had remembered from Her time wandering Holy Terra, before the Age of Strife, before the Iron Men, even before humans had first taken to space. She could not remember the exact time or place, only that the song would serve Her purpose. She took a breath and began to sing. “Hush now, Quiet now, It’s time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, Quiet now, It’s time to go to bed.” Luna stopped crying, blinking slowly as the Empress continued. “Drifting off to sleep, The exciting day behind you. Drifting off to sleep, Let the joy of dreamland find you.” Luna’s eyes began to close and she snuggled into the crook of the Empress’ foreleg. “Hush now, Quiet now, It’s time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, Quiet now, It’s time to go to bed...” the Empress stopped when She heard the sound of snoring. Luna fluttered her wings and snuggled closer to Her chest, a small line of drool running from her mouth. “Sleep well, Luna.” Philomena returned to the Empress’ shoulder and chirped. “... Yes, I do feel better for this.” A series of chirps. “That is a valid point; it would be no good if we were sisters and all she knew me as was the Empress... But what kind of name? I am a ruler of nations, a commander of legions, a lord over the celestial bodies; I haven't gone by a proper name in millenia.” something in Her mind clicked. “She shall know me as her sister, Celestia. Not as an Empress, not yet, just Celestia.” Smiling, She rose to Her hooves, Luna still tucked in the crook of Her foreleg, and returned to Her work. ... Amphibians now populated the small swamps and lakes that dotted the coastline. The largest were about the size of Her foreleg, and to prevent them from becoming too overpopulated larger species of fish had been created to prey upon them. As the fish could not distinguish curious foals and amphibians from one another, Celestia had made sure that Luna never wandered too close to the swamps. The little filly protested, but the indomitable will of her sister made sure she stayed in place. Still, she liked to cause mischief, and more often than not Celestia would find some of Her equipment misplaced or filled with dirt and slime, a giggling foal sitting next to them. It was not as bad as it could have been, even when Philomena started teaming up with the infant. Celestia finished disposing of a Pederpes that Luna had snuck into the lab and looked at the filly. Luna looked back, a goofy grin on her face, before her sister sighed. “I know at your age it’s irresistible to grab everything and bring it back to show me, but I must ask you to stop.” Luna cocked her head to one side, confused. “I am working right now, and I don’t want to deal with some amphibian running around here and possibly breaking something. Can we agree on this?” “Ma.” the filly squeaked, her grin returning. Celestia blinked at what She had just heard. “What... What did you say?” “Ma.” “But... I am not your mother.” “Ma.” Luna said, sounding a bit more harsh. “I am not your mother; I am your sister.” “Ma!” Luna jabbed a hoof at Celestia. “No.” She planted Her hooves and looked down at Her sister. “I am not your mother, and I will never be your mother. I am Celestia, and I am your sister. Do you understand that?” the filly blinked before her grin returned. “Tia.” she said, turning towards something scurrying across the ground. “Tia Tia Tia!” Luna giggled, clapping her hooves together. Celestia smiled, kneeling down next to Luna. “Tia!” Her sister giggled again and hugged Her neck. She reached up and stroked Her sister’s back, Her armor clicking as She moved. “I love you too, Luna.”