//------------------------------//
// Chapter I  
// Story: The Royal Sisters 
// by Bessa 
//------------------------------//


The Royal Sisters
 
Chapter I


On the following years we built our house next to a clearing, inside a large oak. My father used to grow most of our food on a garden nearby, I've never seen another unicorn who had an special talent for growing plants and cooking like him. While he was out taking care of the crop my mother used to take care of me and the house, she liked to write on some hoofmade books. I liked the stories she read to me before bed and soon she taught me how to read and to write.
Luna born on a full moon night when I was six years old. The first time I saw her she was trying to grab some toys that my father made, she heard mt hoffsteps and stopped what she was doing, turning at me. She had a light blue mane that contrasted with the darker shades of her coat, her indigo eyes looking at me with curiosity. I got closer to her [--------]
Since that day we became very attached and used to do almost everything together. We took this way of life for a long time. Most of our day was spent in many games and receiving lessons from our parents about almost everything possible, many years passed following this slow pace.  Until that one day that everything changed.
Our adventure started in a season where the days were hot and there were few clouds in the sky, some days were so hot that we used to spent most of the time outside. Luna was starting to develop her magic, and she was eager to show me all her achievements.


~N~


My mother was napping in the grass beside a fallen tree on the edge of the clearing, the sun highlighted the many shades of her red mane, that fell freely over her white coat. She liked that  place because she could see me and Luna while we were playing, but that day Luna dragged me near to the pond where we like to swim to show me that she was starting to have the control of her levitation, she was confident that she could lift a small rock. I helped her choose an rock smaller than her hoof, that would be easier to her to lift. but she wasn't having much success.

"Lulu, you need to focus on the shape of the rock"

"I'm trying, but it doesn't move". Her fur was covered in sweat and her eyes were fixed on the rock, even with all her might it did not move an centimeter. After some seconds she broke the concentration with a grumble and an audible 'dumb rock'. Her motivation losing space for sadness. That was a heartbroken sight.
I got approached her and spoke in a low, soft way. "You are almost there, but you need to concentrate more in your magic. Close your eyes," She did as I said. "Now use the magic in your horn to feel the world around you. Now focus of the rock in front of you, feel its shape, make your magic flow around it," the rock started to glow with a faint blue light. "Now use your magic to lift it, you can open your eyes if you want." She opened her eyes slowly and the rock began to rise unsteadily, stopping at her eye level and falling after a couple of seconds.

Luna was motionless, with her eyes fixed on nothing. She stayed completely silent for some second, I was starting to get worried when she gave an big smile and started jumping in circles around me. " I did it Tia. Did you see?"

"Of course, now you just need to keep training and you'll be able to lift anything you want with almost no effort." I still don't know how, but her smile got even larger. The sun that was high in the sky was replaced by the moon in a blink. Everything around us became dark and we could to hear the small animals of the forest searching for a place to hide from predators. " We should go back home now," I knew that the forest was dangerous at night. "When the sun returns we go back here".

"Aww. But the sun will rise again in some minutes, can't we stay here?" before I could say anything she gave me an puppy eye that almost made my heart melt. It was so cute I couldn't resist. "Okay, but we should-" A loud crack came between some trees near us. It was too dark to see what caused that noise but I felt I was being observed, even though the night was warm I felt a cold chill ran down my spine.

"L-Luna, we should go home," we started to turn toward our house when I saw a glimpse at the edge of my vision, I turned my head and saw a pair of glowing green eyes focusing on me and my sister and an row of razor sharp teeth came to sight.

"RUN!". Luna noticed the danger followed me quickly, I heard the sound of branches cracking behind us, I was running the fastest possible between the trees. Luna quickly got ahead of me, her smaller legs helping her avoid the obstacles more easily. Even though it was dark I could see even the smallest detail ahead of me. I turned my head and saw thing that was chasing us, it form resembled the one of a wolf, but it was made made almost entirely by wood and was dangerously near us.

The trees in front of us opened in a clearing, but we had to stop because right in front of us was the base of one of the mountains of the forest, its base was too steep and a slippery gravel was covering the ground, the vegetation around us was too closed to escape. Our only exit was now blocked by that creature, it was a matter of seconds before it reached us.

I felt Luna hugging tightly my leg but I couldn't move a muscle. In my mind there was only one thought -to save us- and it was the one I was clinging with all my might. Something new emerge from the depths of my mind, it was some kind of magic I've never seen before. It took control of all my body, giving me strength and making me cast an strange magic that circled both of us in an golden force field. I felt some sort of pressure in my mind, the pressure started to hurt and the pain got stronger at each passing second. 

I felt like I've been ripped from my body and my mind was being dragged to the sky. I was being dragged up and soon stars dotted the sky all around me, more than I've seen in all my life. A strong light forced me to shield my eyes, when my eyes adjusted to the light I was astonished, the sun was less than a meter away from me, filling half my observable sky, so close that I could touch it if I extended my arm. 

The star was emanating a warm glow.Curiosity overtook me and I extend my hoof to touch the star-

My word exploded in pain.

I lost the track of the time, I don't even know how if it were few seconds or hours, but there was only pain. I felt as if my blood had become lava inside my veins, waves of energy flowing through by my body, each bringing a wave more pain that got stronger each cycle.

The pain began to soothe, but it was still a strong headache. I opened my eyes slowly. I was lying on the ground with Luna unconscious at my side, we were in the center of a blast radius, around us the grass was burnt and flattened and there were some trees that were torn from its roots. Trying to think about what happened only made my headache worse. I tried to get up but my body was limp and the corners of my vision darkened.

I heard a shouting and turned up to see my parents running toward us with worried expressions. I saw their mouths moving but I did not understand what they were saying. Without warning the ground approached me and I blacked out.