So Celestia discovered her true talent by raising the sun and bringing the first sunrise to Equestria. She learned that, one day, her parents would no longer be there to guide her and Luna, her younger sister, and that ruling the land would fall to them as princesses. Celestia accepted this fate and named her new land Equestria. The plants now had sun to feed them light, and with the help of Orion water was brought to let them drink. The problem became that there was no break from the sunlight for the poor plants. They started to wilt and shrivel up without any break from the heat. With no ponies to tend the skies or the ground, the world threatened to tip out of balance. Thus, my little ponies, the next chapter to the story of our land began...
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Weeks had passed since Celestia had first risen the sun over the land she’d named Equestria. Every day, she made sure to lower it again to give the land rest, but even that was not enough. There was no cool darkness, no moonlight, to give the plants they had carefully started to tend by hoof a break. It only seemed to get warmer every day, and worst of all, her time to learn with her parents was drawing ever shorter. Her mane and tail had acquired the floating sort of look that her parents’ had as she raised the sun each day, something her mother attributed to controlling a celestial body.
The family had moved into the palace on the mountainside once Orion had completed it. It was still very bare and empty, but Celestia’s father told her that over time, the stained glass windows in the throne room would begin to change.
“They’re magic,” Orion told her as he showed her for the first time, “and when something of merit happens in Equestria, that event will be forever immortalized in glass so you can show the ponies to follow of the great deeds their ancestors had done.” Already there was a large window behind the throne starting to take shape.
“That alicorn looks like me!” Celestia had gasped when she’d seen it. Half of the window was bright and warm, with an alicorn raising the sun. The other half was still blank. “Why isn’t it finished?”
“Because the other half hasn’t happened yet,” Orion had said. “Be patient, Tia, and it will appear.” So the young alicorn had nodded her head and continued her tour of the palace that would one day be hers.
Today would be her last day to raise the sun with her parents there to watch it. Celestia stood out on the balcony alone, looking up at the gray, colorless sky above her. What if she refused to raise it? Her parents couldn’t leave if the world didn’t have a sun, could they? She wouldn’t do that to her land, though. She dug her hooves in and strained to once more raise the sun, panting and gasping when it was done. She might be destined to raise it, but she was still just a young alicorn. It would be many years before she found the strength to raise the sun with ease. She turned around to return to the inside of the palace, where it was cooler. Celestia made her way to the throne room, where Luna was bouncing around her father’s legs and squealing whenever Orion tried to trap her.
“That was a lovely sunrise, as always, Celestia,” Galaxia murmured softly as she went to greet her daughter. “I’ll always remember it. I just wish I could stay to watch the moon rise one day, too...”
“You could,” Celestia mumbled, the two mares looking over at Luna. “You could help Luna raise the moon one day, Mother.”
“You know I can’t,” Galaxia sighed. “We already had this conversation, Celestia. Your father and I are needed elsewhere. If we do not return, who will hold the balance of the universe in place? No one. Then where would your sister learn to raise the moon?” Celestia sighed heavily and hung her head. She knew her mother was right. If she and her father didn’t return to maintain balance in the Cosmos, all of the universe would collapse. That didn’t mean she had to like that they were going away.
“Have you told Luna?” she sighed.
“Your father is telling her now,” Galaxia said softly. Celestia looked up and, sure enough, Luna had stopped bouncing around her father’s hooves. She was sitting down, looking like she was about to cry, while Orion said something softly to her. Then the little purple alicorn did start to cry, and she latched onto her father’s leg and refused to let go.
“You can’t leave me!” Luna wailed as Orion walked carefully towards Galaxia and Celestia. “You can’t leave me and Tia!”
“It’s for the best, my little one,” Orion said tenderly as he shook Luna off his hoof and in between Celestia’s hooves. “We will always watch over you from the heavens. Be good for your sister. Good bye, Celestia,” he added softly, pressing his muzzle to his eldest daughter’s. “Take care of Luna for us.”
“I will, Father,” Celestia promised. Tears came to her own eyes, but she refused to cry and refused to be weak. She had to be strong for Luna, who was still wailing into her leg. “We will take care of Equestria.”
“If... If all else fails, you can come home,” Galaxia murmured, touching her muzzle to both her daughters. “We wish you well.” With Luna sobbing and Celestia with tears in her eyes, the King and Queen of the Cosmos turned and walked onto the balcony before taking off into the sky. Celestia watched them until she could see their forms no longer.
She was... alone. She and Luna were all alone in this world. They were the sole rulers now, princesses in this new land. She would have to take care of her sister until Luna was bigger, and then she could teach her to raise the moon.
“Come now, little one,” Celestia murmured gently as she helped Luna to her feet. “Let’s go rest until I have to lower the sun. Tomorrow we will figure out what to do.” Together, the sisters walked through the palace to Celestia’s bedroom. They collapsed together on the little mattress she had, because they had not enough wood to make a bed yet. They fell asleep with Luna sheltered under her sister’s wing, the palace silent all around them.
--
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months as the sister rulers learned to cope without their parents. Celestia continued to raise her sun and set it every day like clockwork. In her free time, when she was not tending sprouting meadows or rivers, she spent her time with Luna. The young filly grew bigger each day, though so did her bigger sister. The two practiced magic together, writing down their spells in a single book that had been found in the castle a few days after their parents had left, along with a note that told them to use it wisely. One day, Luna made a mustache sprout on her sister’s face. The next, Celestia turned a new flower shoot into an orange, though only briefly. As her sister grew, Celestia knew it was growing closer and closer to her time to raise the moon. Luna whined about her cutie mark daily, admiring her sister’s blazing sun on her white flank.
“I’ll never know my destiny,” the little purple filly groaned.
“You will soon,” Celestia promised daily.
It was lonely in Equestria, with no other alicorns to keep them company. They didn’t know how to bring other ponies into the world, not yet, but Celestia had her ideas. She wrote in the back of the book while Luna slept, spells and plans she later crossed out and started over with. She wouldn’t let their land go unpopulated forever! First, though, the land had to have night.
Months turned into years, and still the two alicorn sisters practiced magic alone in their land. Celestia occasionally flew to look over the lands. Some places had begun to change naturally, without pony assistance. In the south, a great chasm had opened up, and the grasses had died and the earth had returned to hard red stone. Near their castle home, in a little meadowy place, a dark forest was starting to spring up and grow. She hoped this was a good sign. Luna grew bigger with each day, and her magic grew stronger. So did Celestia’s, but in other ways. The elder sister’s magic became more refined and gentle, yet stronger at the same time. She taught her sister all she knew, and then together they learned once Celestia could teach no more. Finally, the day came when Luna bested her in a magical duel.
“Why are you smiling so, sister?” the younger alicorn asked, confused. Luna was nearly the same age as Celestia had been when their mother had taken her to raise the sun for the first time. It was time for the moon to grace the land.
“Come to the balcony with me,” Celestia murmured. She took to the air, and her purple sister followed a moment later. Together they glided up to the balcony where Celestia raised and lowered her sun each day. Luna watched the familiar picture as the sun sank away below the western horizon and the sky returned to a dull grayish color. They were sure that they could see the stars, if only it got darker, but without a moon to block the sun, the world still had light.
“Now it’s your turn,” the bigger sister said, looking down at her sibling. “Raise the moon, Luna. Reach deep within you and find that thing that just feels right, and raise it up.”
“Me?!” Luna yelped, eyes wide. “I-I can’t raise the moon!”
“It’s hardly as big as the sun,” Celestia teased with a gentle smile. “You can do it, and I’ll be right here if you can’t.” Luna looked from her sister to the gray sky, swallowed, and took a brave step forwards. Her horn started to glow dark blue with magic, and she strained and strained, but nothing happened. Celestia watched with growing concern. Perhaps her mother had been wrong? What if this wasn’t Luna’s destiny?
Then she realized it was dark. The sky went from gray to purple to blue, and one by one she could see stars in the sky. Stars! She watched in wonder as the sky turned to midnight blue and the stars sparkled brightly. And there, by the east horizon, came a white disc that settled in the sky. The moon had come to the land at last.
“D-Did I do it?” Luna stammered, her legs shaking and her chest heaving.
“Do what?” Celestia asked as she stepped forwards. “Raise the moon, or get your mark finally?”
“Mark?” Luna snorted. “I don’t have... a... mark...” She turned her head slowly to look at her flank. There, where the fur had once been blank, a black splotch had appeared. In the center of it was a white crescent moon, gleaming in the darkness.
“I did it!” the young princess cried, leaping into her night air with joy. The air had become blessedly cool with the arrival of the moon. “I did it! I brought the night!”
“You did,” Celestia praised once her sister came down. “And now that there is night in our land, little sister, I think we’re ready to try harder magic.”
“Harder?” Luna asked. “What can be harder than raising a sun or moon?”
“Creating ponies from what the land has to offer.”