Celestia walked through a dark forest, The light from her horn dimly showed the way down a long path as far as She could tell. She walked on, The ominous forest easily deterring her. Her hooves tapped the stone path, a familiar feeling. Celestia walked on, only to stop at deafening scream of ponies, all crying out in agony. Celestia crumpled to the ground, squeezing her eyes shut.
I don't want to open my eyes, It's just a dream, It's just a dream! I'll wake up! Mommy and Daddy will be there! I'll be fine... Celestia thought
The filly opened her eyes to see everything was on fire. The dark quiet forest transformed into a roaring blaze. Dark figures appeared in the flames, ponies running about terrified. Celestia's legs refused to move another step forward or backwards. She looked upwards to see Galaxia and Nebulis circling, fighting off the flames with spell after spell. But the flames were too much. They came back, more and more engulfing the forest, it felt like all of Equestria would burn. A defeated expression grew across the ruler's faces. They hung their heads, but refused to lose. They charged through the forest, dispelling the flames to let ponies through and into safety. But they were then surrounded by flames themselves. They fought on though, only to grab a small grey foal. It was an alicorn. Celestia felt a presence next to her, it was a small blue alicorn, like before except different. It was terrified and the horrifying feeling it gave before gone. It cowered and hid under Celestia, watching Galaxia and Nebulis leave them behind. Celestia watched them fly away, leaving her and the alicorn behind.
"Mommy don't leave me!" Celestia cried
Galaxia looked back, then gave Nebulis the small alicorn
She flew down, but then it all faded black.
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Celestia woke up, no pony there.
Again... Mommy must be busy with having the foal and all... Celestia thought. It was still night, which seemed strange. Celestia stepped out of bed and groggily walked down the torchlit stairs. Then she heard the scream of her mother and bolted up the stairs not wanting to see what on ever was going on down there. Celestia stepped back into bed to hear a familiar light tap of hooves. She slightly opened one eye to see Nebulis walk in, though tired, smiling slightly. He bent down to give his daughter a kiss, then turned around to go back.
"I see you Celestia, you little peeper." Nebulis quietly said as he walked down the stairs once more.
"Is Mommy ok?" Celestia said as she lifted her head up
"Well, I wouldn't say she's not in any pain. But she's fine." Nebulis's voice echoed down the hall.
Celestia then nodded off to sleep, no longer plagued by nightmares.
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Celestia leaned over the cradle. A dark blue alicorn slept in it, her lighter blue mane tucked into back of her blanket.
"She seems so... squishy..." Celestia squinted her eyes at the sleeping foal
"Yes... that's how most babies are..." Galaxia said with a tired tone
"So, what's her name?" Celestia looked over at her tired looking parents, who returned to their non ethereal forms, letting their normally flowing manes become hair and their wings become feathered. A long day of the court and caring for two children had tired them out.
"Her name is Luna..." Galaxia said as she rolled over to looked at Celestia
"Cool!" Celestia excitedly said, but quietly.
"Yes now... Now time to go outside, get some sun... it's good for you..." Nebulis groaned as his hip cracked.
Celestia nodded and flew out. Galaxia rolled over again to look at her husband
"Are we old?" Galaxia jokingly said
"Yes. Very." Nebulis grinned as soon as he had said it.
Galaxia, invigorated, pushed Nebulis, he pushed back until they playfully sparred each other. Galaxia won like most of the time, but they still had fun. Not that Nebulis was weak but he was a bit slow and would often use too much power in one strike. Galaxia was quick to get and get out, but often left herself wide open. Two different fighting techniques made them deadly force. But looking back on the days of battle, Nebulis sighed and chuckled at what he said once.
"I can rarely ever think I'd be able to have a family life."
Galaxia sighed as she leaned on Nebulis.
"You know, I'm worried about these two." Galaxia said as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"That's good. If you weren't I'd be frightened." Nebulis looked over at Luna, who slept soundly.
Galaxia looked at her husband with a strange look.
"Well, if you weren't worried then that would mean you wouldn't care. And I know something would be wrong if a passionate pony like yourself just stopped caring about her own children." Nebulis thoughtfully said
"And I know you for being a pony I can rely on." Galaxia lifted her head up to kiss him for a brief moment, only to have a guard pop through the door mid kiss.
"Er um... Sorry your highnesses..." The guard uncomfortably said as Galaxia blushed bright red. Nebulis cleared his throat and stood up.
"Ehem, What is it? I requested no pony bother us..." Nebulis looked back at his wife, who stood up next to him.
"A kirin that called herself Levier has arrived. She said she'd like to speak with you..." The guard looked down.
"Alright, I will be there in a few moments..." Nebulis sighed and his mane and wings flowed with the stars once more.
"May I stay here with Luna? I'd rather not leave a foal here..." Galaxia said as her gaze shifted to the sleeping foal.
The guard nodded, and let Nebulis through. Nebulis looked back at her, then continued walking once more. Nebulis continued down the long stairwell.
"I wonder if this is really Levier... No that's impossible, She'd have to be a kirin, and other than Ventus we've not seen a kirin in a long time." Galaxia said as she looked towards the forest.
A warm breeze flowed through the room. She examined her room. It was a domed room, made out of tinted marble. Windows lined most of the walls, only to be stopped as it neared the doorway. Her bed was in the corner, Luna's cradle opposite of her. Celestia's bed was closest to the Balcony, which had only a vale covering it. During the winter however there was an actually door and the windows were sealed up. The room was comfortable enough. It was small enough to be cozy but large enough so it wasn't suffocating. Luna woke up and glanced over at her mother, then cried for food. Galaxia carried the small foal down the stairs. Galaxia walked out of the castle, a basket floating behind her. She walked down a long path to a sunny hill, today Celestia would learn how to actually fly. Though she could hover and glide she couldn't fly well. A dark figure came overhead, on it's back was a small white alicorn with light pink hair. The two landed and Celestia stepped off Nebulis's back. She seemed a little nervous about flying.
"But what if I fall?" Celestia uncomfortably said, sinking down
"Then I'll catch you." Nebulis said as he flapped his wings slowly
Luna looked at her sister and smiled brightly, then tugged on her hair.
"AGH!" Celestia pulled away then clutched her hair
"Ok. I'll go flying now!" Celestia said stepping away from Luna
Nebulis picked up Celestia in his magic, lifting her up into the air.
"Just keep flapping!" Nebulis said joyfully.
"DAADDDY!!!" Celestia said as the magic orb dissipated and she fluttered her wings quickly.
Celestia noticed she wasn't falling but still felt uncomfortable without the ground under her.
Celestia then gained her confidence when she was able to fly without straining herself.
"Ok, now try moving forward." Nebulis said with a smirk. Celestia's expression dropped and she kicked her legs forwards, like she was trying to swim, only moving a bit.
"You have to fan your wings and lean Celestia." Nebulis explained as he showed an example
"The more you lean forward and the more you fan them out the faster you go." Nebulis said as he flew upwards again.
Celestia did the same and after a few tries she got the hang of it. She dived down then hovered a bit to land softly, Nebulis followed behind. Luna fell asleep once more, eyes tired of watching her sister and father flutter their wings. Or in Nebulis's case teaching the new flyer how to use her wings.
"So how was the meeting?" Galaxia said as she laid down.
"Well, no pony was there." Nebulis looked over at the sun.
"What? She showed up just not to say anything?" Galaxia said with slightly annoyed
"All there was left was a green feather." Nebulis sat down.
"Oh well..." Celestia replied as she chased after a butterfly.
Galaxia nodded then picked up a carrot from the basket. Her aura glowed around the carrot until it dropped into her hooves. She split it up and gave a piece to Celestia. They sat quietly with each other, enjoying each other's company. Galaxia then lowered the sun, As the light faded, Nebulis put the tired filly on his back, and Galaxia carried Luna home. A few hours off were special treat for the family.
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Celestia sat quietly with Luna.
"Hey... Do you think they'll come back?" Luna, only a filly, asked her sister. Though Celestia was older, only by five years.
"Of course... they have to..." Celestia uncomfortably said.
Luna nodded slowly, not assured by Celestia's tone.
"Don't worry... remember they're really tough right? Able to take down Ventus!" Celestia said with a bit more confidence.
Only a month after her first actual flight her parents had leave for war. It was started by the Griffons, they proclaimed they needed more land, but the nation of Griffania was only slightly smaller than Equestria. It was not much older either. But most of the land was cold and covered in tall pine trees, the ground at one time said to be fertile but now a layer of permafrost made it almost impossible to grow substantial crops, especially how their government worked. The high king was apart of the House of Stone Claw. His name was Lion Heart the Viscous, but to his subjects he was the Magnificent. He used propaganda to show that Nebulis and Galaxia were somehow monsters. And that they "hogged all the land." Lion Heart would hold feats often, yet his subjects starved. Galaxia had tried to reason with him, but his stubborn pride got in the way and he angrily stormed away yelling,
"THEN IT'S WAR!"
Right in the middle of the meeting. At first Galaxia and Nebulis thought he wasn't serious. Then an army showed up and took the Pegasus city of Veirne. Nebulis and Galaxia refused to sit idly by and Lion Heart sent more soldiers to kill their ponies.