//------------------------------// // The Sisters Are Separated // Story: A Royal History Lesson // by crazyjw18 //------------------------------// Celestia looked around worriedly as she led her sister through the dark tunnel. She honestly would have rather left the younger filly outside, but out there Luna would be easy pickings for anything that might wander by. "Make sure you stay close to me at all times," she reminded her sister as they neared the massive breach in the buried castle wall. "There's no telling how safe this old place is with all that Smooze on top of it." "Ok," Luna promised. She had no intention of straying far from her older sister's side in such a creepy place. She did fall behind for just a moment in order to admire one of the bright pink stones that had been ripped loose from the wall, but she quickly resumed her pace before Celestia noticed. "Wow, something really did a lot of damage in here," Celestia commented as they left the tunnel and emerged in a spacious hallway with a high vaulted ceiling. What appeared to be large claw marks were everywhere on what had once been a flawless pink marble floor. Several of the heavy stone columns that had lined the sides of the corridor were cracked, and one had even partially toppled over. Up ahead a section of the floor was missing entirely, leaving a hole that appeared to reach deep into the gloomy depths of the castle. "This place must be enormous," Celestia murmured as she hovered over the hole. "I can barely see the bottom." "How are we ever gonna find the Rainbow of Light?" Luna asked as she peeked over the edge. "Do you even know what it looks like?" Her sister frowned. "Not exactly." "Maybe we should go back and get some help," Luna suggested. "That would take forever," Celestia replied. "Besides, Mother already said she wouldn't send anyone." She gave Luna a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Little Sister. We'll find it." She fluttered her wings as she prepared to descend into the pit. "Are we going down there?" Luna asked nervously. "We might as well. If nothing else we might be able to find some clues." Luna shook her head. "I don't like the looks of it." "I don't either," Celestia admitted, "but I'm going anyways." The two ponies descended slowly into the dark ruins. Even though they both kept their horns brightly lit, their light did not seem to penetrate very far in the suffocating darkness. By the time they reached the bottom they still had little idea of the layout of the castle. "It's all just a maze of hallways, isn't it?" Celestia murmured as she carefully touched down on the thick pile of rubble at the bottom. I guess we'll just have to check them out one by one. "This really is going to take forever," Luna sighed as she peered down one of the halls. She jumped back when she heard a faint voice say, "This way." "Who's there?" Luna whispered fearfully as she crept forward. "I can help you find what you seek, little one," the warm feminine voice told her. "Come on, you just have to follow the sound of my voice." "Now we need to come up with some sort of system to keep track of the areas we've already searched," Celestia mused out loud. "Maybe we could mark the walls or something. Little Sister, do you see anything we could use to..." She trailed off as she realized that Luna was no longer by her side. "Luna?" she called out, "where are you?" No matter where she looked, there was no sign of the little filly. In a panic, Celestia darted quickly from hallway to hallway, desperately searching for any hint of where her sister had gone. After several minutes she skidded to a stop as she belatedly realized that she didn't even know how to get back to where they had started from. "What am I going to do now?' she whined as she continued down the hall she had ended up in. After a few more moments of walking she reached the end and found herself in front of a large door with a pony's face engraved on it. Celestia was about to push the door open when an unfamiliar voice rang out. "Halt!" Celestia skidded to a stop. "Huh? Who's there?" she demanded, trying not to let her voice quiver. "You may not progress any further," a voice announced. To Celestia's surprise the voice seemed to be coming from the engraving itself. "It must be some kind of magic ward," she muttered as she cautiously pushed on the door with her hoof. Seeing that it wouldn't budge, she stepped back and tried using her magic instead. However no matter how hard she tried there was absolutely no reaction. "It is quite impossible to gain ingress via brute force," the voice explained. "If you truly desire to pass through this portal, then you must first make me laugh." "I don't have time for such nonsense," Celestia retorted. "What kind of stupid spell is this?" "Spell?" the voice asked angrily. "I am afraid that your assumption is quite fallacious." "What's that supposed to mean?" Celestia demanded. "I merely mean that it is illogical to assume that I am some simple spell," the voice replied. "It would be more correct to refer to me as something of a guardian." "A guardian? Well then, what are you guarding?" "That which you have come for, I suspect" the voice answered. "If you ever wish to find it, then you must pass through this door. Celestia narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that I'm looking for something?" she asked. "Logic dictates that you would not have come all this way unless it was important. And there is only one thing left in this castle that is of any genuine importance." "So the Rainbow is here?" Celestia retorted. "Very well, then. Why do I have to make you laugh?" "This is a test." "What kind of test is that?" "Listen, are you going to attempt to make me laugh or are you not?" the voice demanded, her tone growing exasperated. "Ok, ok," Celestia replied. "Um... let's see." She tried desperately to think of something funny. "Um, well... why was the little pony tired?" "We're beginning with a joke, then?" the voice replied. "Very well then, why was the little pony tired?" "Because she had just ran a mare-athon." "A marathon?" the voice asked quizzically. "Oh, I get it now. You're going to have to do better than homophonic puns if you expect to succeed." "Well excuse me," Celestia retorted. "You're kind of putting me on the spot here." "I realize that," the voice admitted. "And I really do apologize, but I don't have any choice in the matter. Please do not become discouraged." "Forget it," Celestia replied as she turned away. "I need to find Luna first anyways. There's no telling what kind of trouble she could be getting in to in this creepy place." "Who is Luna?" Celestia cast an irritated glare back at the impassive carving. "She's my little sister." "I see. Well, in that case I do not believe that looking for her is necessary." "Why not?" "I'm sure one of my friends will have found her by now," the voice replied. "They will not allow a pony to come to any harm." "Like I can trust you," Celestia pointed out as she headed back the way she had come. "Oh, drat," the voice muttered. "She'll never locate the Rainbow at this rate. But rules are rules." She raised her voice. "I'm afraid you will not be able to find her without my assistance!" "And you've just been so helpful so far!" Celestia shot back. "You're doing great," the voice Luna was following assured her. "It's just a little bit farther now." Luna nodded as she trotted down yet another hallway. She had been scared when she first realized that Celestia wasn't behind her, but the kind voice had assured her that there was nothing to worry about. As Luna had no idea how to get back, there wasn't anything to do but keep going forward. "You never told me who you are," Luna pointed out. "What's your name?" "My name?" The voice paused for a moment. "Buttons. Yes, Buttons was my name. I haven't used it in so very long, I had almost forgotten." "You forgot your own name?" Luna giggled. "That's silly." "I suppose you're right," Buttons chuckled. "But it has been a long time." "I'm Luna." "I'm very pleased to meet you, Luna." Luna cocked her head to the side. "Why can't I see you?" "Oh..." Buttons' tone turned sorrowful. "I'm not sure why, but it seems that we can no longer be seen," she replied. "So there are others like you?" "Oh yes," Buttons affirmed. "However I haven't ran into any of the others lately." She sighed. "I do hope all the baby ponies are ok. I haven't seen them in such a long time." Luna froze. "Are you a ghost?" she whispered. "A ghost? No, I don't think so," Buttons replied uncertainly. "I haven't ever really thought about it." Luna nodded. "Even if you are a ghost, you aren't scary," she decided. "I like you." "Well, I'm glad to hear that I'm not scary," Buttons laughed as they rounded a corner. "Luna," she said, her tone abruptly serious, "I'm sure that you have some important reason for seeking the Rainbow of Light." "Yes, we do" Luna answered truthfully. "Big Sister says Mama needs it to save Equestria." "Equestria, huh?" Buttons fell quiet again. "It's been a long time since the Smooze came, hasn't it?" "Big Sister said it's been hundreds of years," Luna replied. "Really? That long? I didn't realize," Buttons murmured sadly. "Ponyland must be very different by now." She sighed. "I guess that's not important though. We're here." Luna looked up at the large door they had stopped in front of. "The Rainbow of Light is in there?" "Not exactly," Buttons admitted. "I can't give you any hints, but you will need to go inside if you wish to find the Rainbow." "Are you coming too?" "I'm afraid I can't go any farther. But I'm sure you'll be ok. Just be brave and I'm sure you'll succeed." "What do you mean?" Luna asked, starting to grow nervous. "Buttons? Hello? Are you still there?" There was no reply from her mysterious guide. Luna swallowed hard and gingerly opened the door. "Ok, I'm going in," she announced defiantly as she stepped inside. "Oh, who do we have here?" a new voice asked. "I'm Luna." "Well, hey there, sugar!" the voice drawled. "What are ya'll doing way down here?" Luna looked around the dimly lit room, but it seemed that this one was invisible as well. "I'm looking for the Rainbow of Light," she answered. "Buttons told me to go this way." "Buttons?" The speaker paused. "Oh, Buttons! My stars, I haven't seen hide nor hair of that unicorn in ever so long!" "How come? She was right there a minute ago!" "It's a mite bit complicated, honey, but we're all pretty limited in what we can do these days." "Oh," Luna replied. "I'm sorry." "It's not your fault," the voice replied. "Anyways, My name's Truly. Are you ready for the test?" "Test? I'm not very good at tests," Luna answered nervously. "Well, it won't be all that hard," Truly assured her. "At least, I hope not." "What do I have to do?" "When the time comes, you'll know. Just you follow me for now." "Where are we going?" Luna asked as she chased after Truly's voice. "I reckon you'll see soon enough," Truly answered. "Don't ask so many questions, darling."