A special thanks to ShadowBlades for some suggestions made in the writing of this little story! The last half would not have been possible without us picking the story apart before I decided to publish it.
Fifteen hundred years ago...
"Celestia!" cried out Luna as the Princess of the Moon trotted down one of the many corridors of the grand castle she and her sister resided in. "Where for art thou, sister?"
She was a lovely creature of dark blues and starry ethereal mane and tail. Slender, graceful and easily considered one of the most beautiful mares in the realm, Princess Luna's regalia added to her royal flair with a touch of darkness to commemorate her love for the night. Her dark three pronged tiara glittered in the reflection of the torches lighting the way before her. He regalia was silver and glossy black, reflecting the light like the winking of countless stars as she moved. It was her formal armor, covering her chest and shoulders, encircling her neck and trailing midnight blue silk about her withers and flanks. Her wings were folded neatly to her sides with not one feather out of place. Silver shoes adorned her hooves and they went tic-tac, tic-tac, tic-tac with practiced rhythmic beauty as she walked. Luna was all about appearance before her subjects, especially when passing through the areas more heavily traveled. Even those who saw her on a regular basis would often gape at the mare as she strode majestically by.
Luna was beautiful and she knew it.
The mare adjusted her wings as she tossed her head to the left and right as she passed by open doors and passage ways, sensing out for her as of yet unresponsive sister. Upon her much darker flanks of deep indigo bore her crescent moon cutie mark on each flank. The Princess of the Night was still pursued by many suitors but as of yet not selected one for reasons regarding her sister's upcoming event. This was as important to her as it was to Celestia and she would never be so rude as to try something like that.
The Everfree Castle was also known as the Castle of the Two Sisters, built shortly after they both ascended to the throne and established their diarchy. It had been their home for almost a hundred years. It was more of a keep than an actual castle, but it had plenty to offer for those who had an adventurous spirit. During the day (and even the night) it was open to the public for Equestria's subjects to visit. The many floors, passages and rooms offered many things ponies might find interesting as it felt more like a museum than the royal home to the last remaining alicorns in the world.
Luna sighed as there was still no sign of her elder sister. Tia was due within the next few weeks and the air of excitement at the impending birth had sent ripples of infectious excitement throughout Equestria. Even dignitaries from other nations had expressed their joy at the impending royal arrival. The consort was very pleased with himself and had gone to great lengths to let everypony know who the sire of Celestia's foal was. Luna thought he was a stuffy lout too puffed up with his sense of self importance, but he was not all that bad a stallion. Celestia had chosen well, but as the due date came closer and closer, the idiot was beginning to act like a strutting rooster. It was becoming insufferable. Luna tolerated him less and less each day. It wasn't the consort's fault, she reasoned when she had time for herself to think; she was really more than a little jealous at her sister's condition.
Still, she was very excited to be an aunt! The room set aside for the foal was already stocked full of toys and clothes and several cribs and strollers (gifts from nobles and ambassadors on behalf of their respective rulers). Letters poured in day after day from ponies every bit as excited for the princess. Luna often found herself sniggering at some of the letters Celestia showed her. Some of them were outrageous, leaving both sisters wiping tears from their eyes with some of the suggestions offered by those who saw opportunity in the generosity the diarchy seemed to be flaunting to its subjects. Fortunately, none of the requests were too outlandish. Assumptions were of course made. Some ponies felt the impending birth was reason enough to relax certain tax codes during what was anticipated to be a year of celebration up until the first birthday of the royal foal.
Celestia had done a lot of planning since she discovered she was with foal. Never had Luna seen her so happy! Having already set the moon an hour ago, Luna paused in her steps to ponder where her sister might have gone off to. She would be holding Night Court within the hour and she wanted to go over some of the requests her sister had forwarded for Luna's consideration. The petitioners in question made a mistake all too common in assuming the Princess of the Sun had control over matters best handled by the Princess of the Moon. Most simply did not want to bother staying up in the late night hours, preferring to be in their warm beds when the moon and stars watched over the land. It had been a trending thing over the past few centuries. As of yet, it did not bother Luna so much as made for many a lonely night holding court where few would come to speak to her.
Surely the night was as important as the day!
Celestia, in all her patience advised her sister this was merely a phase ponies would often go through. She even reminded Luna of a span of seventy years where her court teemed with ponies and visitors from other kingdoms. Celestia had gone off to observe humans in their world as she had planned such a journey for years and finally had the time to do so. Her stand-in was overwhelmed with the task of running Equestria and wound up referring most queries to the younger half of the diarchy. Luna loved it and did little to correct the unicorn in question. The poor fellow resigned after five years, leaving Luna to rule alone until her sister returned.
As it was, tonight was looking to be a bit busier than usual. A quick perusal of the list offered to her by her own advisers lifted Luna's spirits as to what tonight would bring. There was even a trade agreement on the dossier tonight Luna looked forward to haggling over. Celestia's current condition had made her at times irritable and a bit waspish, so on the advise of Luna (and from advisers to both princesses), she reluctantly began shifting more and more decisions to her younger sister. Luna delighted in the opportunity to debate petty details shrewdly with trade representatives.
Matters of law were also brought before her, though for some reason this was with trepidation. Luna was regarded by those who took sight of her at first glance to be a dark and foreboding mistress of strict adherent to the point of law with little leeway or quarter to be given. Every so often there were whispers she was a dark sorceress of dark magic who could not wait to turn lawbreakers into toads and squish them under hoof. This was a blatant lie, stemmed from a misunderstanding from two hundred years ago involving an uppity noble who dared in assuming courting the Princess of the Night meant he could dominate her. It might also have something to do with her explosive temper mixing with the fool's ministrations to her.
It is very difficult indeed to impose one's will when one is a frog!
Some incidents of the past reared their infamous heads in the twisted retelling of the truth as the events leading to the regrettable moment (even if the regret was only in passing). Luna would think such an incident would fade from memory, save for the diligence of scribes who recorded events as they unfolded during court. It was their job to be meticulous and accurate in their work and much to Luna's chagrin, they had been unerringly accurate on that particular evening. Naturally some pony rifling through old court documents every twenty or thirty years would always seem to come across the frog incident and start telling his or her friends about it. Something had to be said about karma being a...
"Celestia!" she cried out again, shaking the memory. Where did her sister run off to? Well, in her condition waddle would be the more accurate term.
Luna paused in her step, snorting through her nostrils. Perhaps Tia did not want to be found? Perhaps she was in one of her moods brought on by her pregnancy. The Moon Princess sighed, knowing if her elder sister was indeed grumpy, perhaps it would be better to seek her out at a later time. Besides, with the hour growing late, Celestia would no doubt be seeking her bed soon. Luna's question was quick, the loudness and near rudeness with which she called for her an indication of some urgency on the matter.
Luna noticed a servant who had bowed as she paused in her search. She smiled at the mare, digging through her memory for the unicorn's name. "Soft Cotton, hast thou perchance seen mine sister, the princess?" she asked in a stern tone of voice the castle staff had long been accustomed to.
The mare smiled nervously at the intense visage Luna glowered out of habit. "Nay, good princess! Might I suggest the gardens at this hour? 'Tis there the Princess of the Sun basks beneath your moonlight in hopes of a lunar blessing upon her foal. Perchance she desires your lunar glow to bless the child?"
Luna could not help but swell with pride at the thought. How very thoughtful of her sister to think of her thusly! Satisfied with the maid's answer, she dismissed her with a curt nod. Soft Cotton scurried on her way after a curtsy and a smile. At least she didn't seem intimidated, unlike most of the day staff.
Of course! It was something her sister had come across some months ago as it was often believed the glow of Luna's glory upon an expectant mother's stomach would bring luck and health to the foal. Luna sheepishly blushed and laughed at the maid, sending her on her way with a grateful smile. Rare indeed was it when Luna forgot some of her subjects regarded her as a goddess of fertility. It was most unexpected Celestia would resort to such a pagan display for the sake of making her younger sister smile!
Happily Luna trotted on her way, knowing where it was she intended to be. Winding her way down a flight of stairs, Luna passed more servants who bowed nervously in her presence. She ignored them, having solely focused her mind on seeking out her sister. She knew when she was close upon seeing a tired page curled up next to an arched door frame leading to Celestia's private gardens. The little white unicorn colt was dressed in a smart little white and gold smock, a feathered cap tilted over one eye. Luna smiled at the heir to the Blueblood line. This experience in serving Princess Celestia would do wonders for his character. She passed him by and went into the garden proper. He was snoring softly.
"Tired indeed!" she chortled quietly, not disturbing the little fellow.
The garden was not large, was circular and was filled with the plants and flowers Princess Celestia loved the most. There was always something blooming depending on the time of year. There was even certain arctic plants imported from the poles with steely blue leaves and bright yellow petals when in bloom. They were popular with affluent nobles during Hearth's Warming. Luna recalled them being called Snowblossoms. They only bloomed in blizzards, she recalled in passing.
It was early autumn and some of the leaves had already began to turn. Tinges of golds and reds were beginning to show, their colors made obscure by the glow of the full moon. The garden had a spot open to the sky where the sun and moon rose. The current dominating feature in the sky glowed happily as if its attention was focused upon one being Luna was now beginning to make out through the leaves and branches artfully sculpted by a green hoof.
In a clearing was a small koi pond. Next to the water lay a wicker couch styled to fit one large body in comfort. It was painted white and gold cushions were piled upon it. Reclined on her side with her distended and very pregnant belly presented before the light of the moon reclined the alicorn known as Princess Celestia. A head taller than Luna when standing, she was an impressive living representation of the sun. Its likeness was in the form of her cutie mark upon her perfect white flanks. Her mane flowed upon mysterious ethereal flows much like her younger sister's, the colors of the light playfully dancing along the lengths of both mane and tail. Magenta eyes were reading over what appeared to be a rather important document.
Princess Celestia levitated a cup of warm tea to her lips and smiled upon seeing her sister approach. "Mine ears did catch upon the very air thy voice as thou didst call to me," she said archly with a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Didst thou expect me to roll upon mine hooves with this most precious of burdens?" A hoof rubbed her stomach lovingly, a brief moment of concern clouding her before passing.
"Thy response or a message from one of the many pony servants would have sufficed, dear sister," Luna teased as she came up to Celestia. She nuzzled her sister with affection, the gesture returned in kind. She kissed Celestia's belly lightly. "How fares the little one? As of late, thy heart seems troubled."
"It is nothing," Celestia said. "The little one sleeps and moves little as of late. Perhaps mine fears are of those many mothers to be experienced. What say you, dear Luna?"
"I know not," admitted Luna with a soft laugh and a toss of her mane. "I hath not the privilege of being with foal. I see thou hast taken to my moon in seeking comfort for thy heir-to-be." Her cyan eyes lifted to her namesake before falling upon Celestia.
Celestia laughed. "Pray tell why doth I spy upon thy visage thy pride as thy moon shines her beauty down upon me?" She set aside what she had been reading and adjusted her positioning to something more comfortable for her. Her efforts were accompanied by a grunt or two, punctuated with a glare at her sister for the sniggering that followed. "Stinker," she griped at Luna.
"I do not stink!" protested her sister. She remembered the reason she had sought out Celestia. "Oh, by the blessed moon I stymie mine own thoughts with images of thy foal to come dancing within!" Splaying her ears flatly, she tapped at her own temple helplessly.
"Thou shalt be the spoiling aunt!" proclaimed Celestia with a giggle, reaching out with a hoof and touching a dark shoulder.
"Verily," agreed Luna without a wit of apology in her tone. "But this matter is of importance and thee and thy offspring shall not prevent this discussion, Tia." She adjusted herself into a sitting position, imperious yet sisterly. "Thou art aware of mine feelings in regards to this...observation you insist upon that place?"
Celestia sighed, knowing this talk had been long in coming. Starswirl had warned her Luna would not be very open to the idea, preferring to find a permanent method of blocking the passages only recently having been rediscovered. More and more of them were coming to light and it disturbed her to no great end. For now, she was having them marked and closed with magic wards and seals. No doubt some unintended visitations had occurred already. There was some worry in her mind there might be a colony somewhere out there, in the unknown wilderness and beyond the borders of the known kingdoms of the land.
"Luna," she began, adjusting herself yet again and flicking her tail in mild exasperation, "thou art aware it is our responsibility - nay, our duty to not only safeguard our nation and our subjects from the evils both beyond and within our borders, but to keep those same evils from poisoning other worlds. Thou art aware the changelings move in the shadows and would assuredly fall upon the other world in greedy hunger for the love they wouldst find therein."
"The humans are none of our concern!" Luna said as patiently as she could manage. She always wondered how her sister could have a heated argument without putting heat in her words. It gave Celestia a distinct advantage over anypony who wished to refute her logic. "'Twas they who broke the unwritten law. 'Twas they who sought to have dominion over us! 'Twas their actions by their own reasonings of mastery over all living things which drove them from this paradise!"
Celestia calmly sipped her tea, nodding politely before replying to the little rant. "Dost thou protest then against Our eyes upon the humans to watch them? Would it not be prudent to keep among them lean eyes and eager ears?"
Luna stiffened. "I do. Let them lie where they have fallen. I care not what becomes of them. We must suffer ourselves to what is upon our own world and not the matters of another. We need them not and must leave them to the wayside while we build this fair land into a safe haven for our ponies."
"Dost thou hate them so?" Celestia queried as she set her tea aside. "Starswirl has gone to be among them, to discern for himself if they are capable of learning from their mistakes."
"Thy own consort?" Luna was shocked. Her voice reflected such. Her manners expressed openly the unexpected impact of Celestia's casual revelation. "Why for hast thou allowed such a thing from the sire of thy foal? Should he not be here with the birth soon to come?"
Celestia let out a little sigh. "In truth, he hath become insufferable in the light of hefting the mantle of fatherhood upon his brow. Though his grasp on friendship and its harmony eludes him to this day, the joys of becoming a father hath rendered him to thick-headed buffoonery!" She giggled and rubbed her tummy with both hooves, smiling down at it. "Canst thou blame him?" she asked shyly.
"Nay, thou shalt not shift the matter upon thy unborn!" cried Luna as her eyes became indignant saucers. "It is beyond unfair and without mercy!"
"I require belly rubs," declared Celestia as she lifted her hooves. Clearly she was ignoring her sister's protests and grinned unapologetically through them. "Attend my belly, sister mine! Thy niece doth demand it."
Luna stared at her for a moment, looking from those pleading magenta eyes to the exposed belly and back again. Rolling her eyes, she surrendered with a great sigh, hanging her head in defeat. "Cheater," she complained as she went forward to the exposed pregnant protrusion Celestia presented before her.
"Indeed," cooed Celestia as she felt her sister's hooves minister to the task at hoof. She closed her eyes and hummed, "Starswirl insists eyes be kept upon the humans, if as a precaution. I am in disagreement with thee, dear sister, but I do understand thy concern. As thus, I would ask of thee to oversee the ministrations of duties to those of whom you would deem most suitable for the task as human observers. I wouldst feel thou to be more than capable of selecting the most proper of agents."
Luna paused in her work, noting she was not feeling movement she had grown accustomed to beneath her hooves. "Hast the unborn foal moved as of late?" she inquired with a touch of worry in her tone. "She feels still."
Celestia glanced down at her swollen belly, feeling where her sister's hooves slid over her fur, searching. "Perhaps she sleeps," she stated firmly. "I know not." A worried expression slowly began to cloud her cheery demeanor. The princess looked up at Luna. "Should we send for the physician?"
"Hast thou felt ill this day?" pressed Luna as she kneaded again, perhaps more firmly as if she could entice the infant within to react to her.
"No more so than any other," replied Celestia as she sat up ponderously. Luna helped her. "Blueblood!" she called out. "Child, come to my voice. Blueblood!"
It did not take long for the sound of little hooves scurrying. The page Luna had passed earlier appeared, his face bright and eager where as moments ago he had been fast asleep. "My Lady needs me?" he asked with a little bow to Celestia.
"Fetch my physician, child," she told him with a gentle smile. Celestia did not want him to worry unnecessarily.
"Physician?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Is there something wrong, my Lady?"
Luna roared at him, "Do not question! Obey! Do as your mistress commands!"
Little Blueblood wheeled on a hind hoof and darted out of the garden as fast as his little hooves could carry him. In his wake could be heard, "Physician! The princess needs her physician!" His voice faded as the commotion began to stir the castle quickly to alarmed wakefulness. From the reactions to his shrill little voice screaming, one might have thought an army was besieging the castle.
Celestia sighed at this. "Methinks this might be overreacting."
Luna simply rubbed her sister's belly, each passing moment causing her to grow more and more worried. Please move! she silently pleaded to the unborn foal. Please!
Celestia made an odd sound. She shifted, starting down at herself, then back up at her sister, her magenta eyes wide. It dawned on her and she found herself grasping her sister with her hooves. The elder sister shuddered, gripping Luna in return. Both mares flared their wings, Celestia registering shock.
"Contraction!" Celestia noted with discomfort. She blew through her mouth and hissed in a deep breath as a second one struck. "Oh my, the little one awakens!" her laugh was broken only by another gasp of pain.
Luna blinked and stared. "What duty canst I do for thee?" she queried numbly as her hooves felt a healthy little kick. Heaving a laugh of relief, she had a mirthful reproach for her niece as she again kicked from within her mother's womb.
"Hold my hoof!" said Celestia. "I shan't let a small bit of pain be intolerable."
The younger sister did just that, laughing along with her sister. "She gave me quite the start!" she told the elder alicorn in a nervous titter.
"I fear for mine daughter," Celestia admitted after several seconds of breathing. "Something does not feel as it should be. Something is amiss." Her magenta eyes met and held Luna's cyan orbs steadily and with trepidation. "It is as though my celestial charge is a great weight threatening to crush the spark of life I carry beneath mine heart."
"Hast thou had nightmares?" asked Luna, moving in and offering a soothing nuzzle. "Perhaps it is all you suffer from are the doubts within your dreams."
Celestia bit her lip and hugged her roundness protectively. "No, I feel it, Luna. It's my own power. I struggle to keep it contained for fear of harm coming to my child. Gladly would I surrender it if to but ensure her safety. It is as though my very being is too powerful and does not know how to handle something so delicate within. Does it think my child an unwanted invader? My worries grow with each passing day, Luna. What am I to do?"
Luna patted Celestia. "Why wouldst thy own magic turn against thy child? Thou art of no danger to your daughter." She smiled her best sisterly smile. "Is it not simple to bottle thy magic until thou hast come to full term and deliver?"
"Perhaps I am overly worried," the white alicorn admitted. She sighed as the last contraction finally faded. "It feels as though every time I doth raise the sun, I sense pain from within me. It is so subtle and elusive. It is difficult to tell if it is my pain or mine daughter's. I fear it is the latter."
Luna frowned, not at all liking what she was hearing. "Speak not of such evil," she snapped at Celestia. "She shall be fit and strong, just as her mother has become!" Her unhappy glower shifted to a reassuring smile. "Fret not. Are we not the Sun and the Moon? Are we not the foundations for the hopes and dreams of all ponykind? Do we not strive to be that which is good and right in our world?"
"I should feel better when my physician sees me," said the pregnant alicorn stubbornly.
Moments later, the court physician - an elderly unicorn stallion with a two toned coat of white and gray with matching mane came led by Blueblood. The colt's cries had also attracted the attention of a small army of guards and servants alarmed by his shrill and panicked cries. Luna stared at the unexpected entourage and rolled her eyes at the colt. Celestia managed somehow to giggle despite her concerns. Gathering up the very good page, she nuzzled him gently and scooted him off to bed under the escort of a smiling guard.
Blueblood was considered a court favorite as he was a very serious little page who took his duties with diligence and a maturity beyond his seven years.
Luna gave him a playful swat on the rump with her tail. "Thy diligence hath earned thee a bowl of ice cream," she proclaimed in his ear. This enticed a very wide and proud grin on his little face. He had a bounce in his step as he left beneath the cluckings of a matronly mare.
"Our little hero," giggled Celestia to those gathered as her physician attended to her.
With some assistance from Luna, she struggled to her hooves and settled her wings as the stallion conducted his tests. He smiled and began to ask her in a quiet voice the usual battery of questions for expectant mares feeling pain and discomfort. Celestia then insisted the conversation be continued on the way to her chambers while Luna dismissed the small throng of curious and worried onlookers.
Soon Celestia, Luna, and the old stallion were in her chambers where several maids busied themselves by preparing the bed for sleep and setting out some tea as well as other comforts a pregnant alicorn might desire. There were extra pillows filled with the softest goose down. A few extra blankets were readily should she require them weaved from the finest wool. A tray filled with snacks the princess was known to crave was at hoof should she desire a midnight snack. There was always a servant ready to serve at the ring of a bell set upon her night stand. Celestia was pampered more so than she would have liked, but her condition made refusing these amenities quite impossible with her doting younger sister constantly there.
There was some wonder as to which alicorn was expecting the baby more.
The question as to how Celestia's magic might be affecting her unborn foal baffled her physician. Though he was the most knowledgeable source in regards to alicorns and their magic next to Starswirl, he had no idea how it could affect the pregnancy. There was no record in the archives of previous alicorns of immortal status bearing foals. Celestia's own mother and father - alicorns themselves were not immortal. Neither were they connected to the sun. Discord's reign had destroyed most known records. The past three centuries had been an effort of gargantuan proportions to recover what had been lost. Starswirl the Bearded had rediscovered a great deal of magic thought lost and even created spells of his own design for (mostly) practical purposes.
Sadly, he was unavailable for consultation, being on another world.
The best advice that could be offered to Princess Celestia by her physician was to use her magic as little as possible and to even let her sister assist her in raising and lowering the sun. Reluctantly Celestia agreed to this. One of the joys she had to start her day was looking forward to reaching out with her magic and touching the fiery celestial object. She regarded it as a friend and always felt renewed every time her magic came in contact with it. Only recently had she become aware of the possibility the source of her eternal power damaging her unborn child.
Luna helped her sister into bed before departing to play court for the night, assured by the physician Celestia would feel better after a good night's rest.
Over the next few days and nights, the incident in the garden was largely forgotten and dismissed as a mother-to-be making much ado about nothing. Celestia also seemed more her old self, again smiling and holding court as she always had. She was under certain guidelines concerning her condition to reduce as much stress as possible. More and more courtly duties and petitioners were redirected to Luna's night courts. This delighted the Princess of the Moon and she even suggested to her sister at their morning meal four days later she should have more foals so Luna might have something to do at night. Celestia promptly stuck her tongue at her sister and told her to mind her own business.
She used little magic now, Luna noticed. Perhaps she was taking the advice given a bit too literally, the dark alicorn observed humorously. At least the foal was lively, kicking at her mother's ribs and back and not really heeding the pleas for clemency from the surly recipient of the inner flailings. It was a good thing alicorns were made of sterner stuff!
With her panic subsided, the expectant mother handled the gentler aspects of rule and opened her court to her citizens and listened to their petitions. Some came merely to offer their congratulations for the coming joy. Celestia was presented with small tokens of love and affection. She gladly recieved them and gave something in return so long as her offer was within reason. Ponies as a whole are sensible creatures, but few took her up on her offer. For a time, court became a place of laughter as parents brought their children to see the princess.
Celestia noticed this and at one point caught her sister looking on the throne room with a playful smirk upon her. The laughter in the eyes of the Princess of the Sun reflected her gratitude at this little prank. Both sisters shared a wink before Celestia delved into the realm of fielding questions from curious colts and fillies (as well as a few of their parents).
The nobles were not amused, though some saw this as an opportunity to ingratiate themselves with the princess by playing nice with the common pony. It did not work as intended and fairly soon there was an argument between an earth pony farmer of the Apple clan threatening to break a noble's nose for losing his temper and nearly slapping her filly. The inquisitive child had only picked up a diamond horn ring dropped on accident and he blatantly accused her of theft there in front of Celestia.
The princess, having not missed a single thing with her considerable talent for casual observation spoke up and over the growing argument, plucking the crying filly from between the adults and placing her between her forelegs upon the throne. Pointedly and bluntly (while still maintaining her sunny disposition!) she informed the noble of his gross assumption and reminded the protective mare threats were not welcome on any pony in the throne room. Both mumbled apologies to her and (stiffly) to each other.
As her time to deliver drew nearer, Celestia felt it more and more difficult to suppress her power. At first she was able to quell it, but the tide within her welled greater and greater. Magic suppressors had to be applied to her regalia and magic leeching was tried. They failed as the enormity of the power within overwhelmed the pitiful attempts. Not even Celestia knew the depths of her magic, having never been put to the test since becoming the Princess of the Sun. It terrified her as the fate of her unborn daughter became uncertain. Her physician did all he could and even tried some things beyond his scope of understanding.
As the crisis grew, Luna came to take over the duties of ruling Equestria as her sister began to spend more and more time in her private chambers. Concerns for the well being of mother and child grew at a rather alarming rate as the physician discovered Celestia simply could not suppress the magic of the sun for any extended length of time. If she were to sleep, her ability to stem the flow of power through her fell away.
Celestia in desperation did all she could to not sleep. Distress grew with each passing day and the lack of sleep was doing neither her nor the baby good. After four days, she was not eating well and she could feel her baby begin to fade beneath the weight of her power. She confined herself away from public view as she knew she had become disheveled, knowing the life in her womb was in grave danger. There was nothing she could do. Her magic was rejecting her child. Nothing could be done to this point as all possible solutions had failed miserably. Droves of unicorns were conscripted to seek out any possible solution to save the foal. The archives were exhausted as no tomb's page went unturned. Who could suppress the sun? It was considered the most powerful source of magic and no spell existed could be cast against it without harming the land.
If there was anypony who might be able to provide a means to save his daughter, it was Starswirl the Bearded, consort to Princess Celestia and the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria. She sent letters to her beloved during this time, asking him to return so he might be able to seek a solution before it was too late. For some reason, she could not locate him as the distance between the two worlds was great and the portals unstable at best. Celestia was not even sure if he was receiving her pleas for help.
What mattered to her was he never came.
What should have been a day of joy became something very much the opposite. Luna was with her sister one evening in another one of her attempts to keep her spirits up. It was so difficult recently to keep Celestia from going mad as she knew by now what was happening to her child. Celestia went into labor at noon and Luna was shooed from her bed chambers as the physician and his staff went to work.
A silent vigil gathered outside her door, led by none other than the Princess of the Moon. All functions of the day were cancelled as the castle itself seemed to hold its breath.
Luna was terrified for her sister and her niece. Her eyes never left the door of which behind was the birthing of her niece. No happy sound came from within. No joy could be heard from Celestia's mind. There was only emptiness and sorrow.
The door opened slowly. The personal physician of Princess Celestia peered out. His expression was stoic and professional. "Princess Luna? Princess Celestia wishes to see you."
Luna nodded and stood, placing a bleary-eyed colt into the hooves of one of the maids with her magic. Slowly she approached the door as the doctor exited the room, nodding politely as his bag trailed after him. The room beyond was poorly lit with the glow of one single candle. No sound could be heard. It was as still as a grave. She had never feared the darkness in all her years, even when she was a filly. The night had always been her domain, the shadows her comfort. There was nothing to pass through the night without her notice.
Yet she trembled with fear as she spied upon the room, seeking out Celestia. There upon her bed, where the sheets were stained with her efforts lay the Princess of the Sun, cradling a tiny bundle and unable to take her melancholy eyes from it. Her appearance was disheveled and weak. Her voice came out in tiny words to the tiny little thing in her grasp. She did not look up when Luna came to her bedside. She did not notice when Luna spoke her name. She flinched only when Luna reached out for the bundle with a hoof, the tears already streaming down her face.
She pulled the bundle away from the inquisitive reach. "Thou shalt not have her!" she hissed, glaring with sudden and unexpected fury at her younger sister. It was as though she did not recognize Luna. "The sun may have taken her life, but thy moon shall not have her body!"
Luna recoiled in shock. "Sister? Of what dost thou speak?"
Celestia hugged the bundle closer to her bosom, hovering her chin protectively over the still little form. It was a heartbreaking sight to behold. "Mine power. Mine immortality. Mine curse hast denied me mine child! I can never bear children lest they die before they can take their first sweet breath!" Her words crumbled as she spoke and the tears began. The wail of anguish echoed through the room, through the corridors and passages and through the very soul of Equestria itself.
The broken mare cried and cried, not caring who heard. She was a mother denied her child, her foal, her first born. Luna did not understand exactly what she meant from her ramblings before going to pieces before her, but she was more distraught her sister would not allow her to come near to hold and comfort. She felt the pressure of her sister's magic push her away with a great deal of force behind it. Objects in the room flew from the Princess of the Sun as if a massive blast of air emanated from her being.
"Stay away from me!" Celestia screamed at Luna. "I am not fit to rule! I am not fit to be thy sister! I am not fit to be a mother! Equestria is thine, Luna! Rule for the both of us." She managed to stand in her manic exhaustion, sliding from the bed and to her hooves, her sorry state notwithstanding. Her dead foal was held close as though she still sought to protect with every fiber of her being.
"Sister!" Luna called to her, still not grasping what Celestia intended to do. "Calm thyself! Thy grief is righteous! I grieve with thee! Please, let me hold thee and comfort thee! We are family. I am nothing without thee. Please, thy patience and wisdom -"
"NO!" roared Celestia in her Canterlot Voice. "I will mourn as I see fit! I will lay my daughter to rest and I shall not return until my grief has passed. The sun hath slain my child and I must know why! What good is such a thing if it cannot allow me the simple joys of motherhood? Why must I come to understanding at the very moment of unspeakable loss? Tell me, sister. Hast thou the answer I seek? Hast thou the means to explain unto me why my immortality and my great power will not allow me to bear a foal? Canst thou be certain the same fate will not befall you? What say you, Luna? What say you, dear sister mine?"
Luna could not answer. Nor could she properly find the words to bring her sister from the brink of despair she had rapidly sunk into. It took all of her will to keep from skidding back from her sister's force rejecting her. Finally, she found the only question to come to mind. "What shall I say to Starswirl?" she asked bravely.
Celestia snorted and splayed her ears flat. "I shall go to him anon. I must tell mine consort personally. I know not when I shall return."
"Thou canst not leave thy subjects and thy nation!" protested Luna, stamping a hoof. She had finally recovered and was calling upon her own magic to allow her to stand before the pulsating gale of her sister's sorrow. The room had long since been shredded, the walls now bearing the brunt of inconsolable grief. The Princess of the Moon cast a spell to reinforce them, before half the keep collapsed from the weakened stone and mortar. "Thou must not go to the world of the humans!"
Celestia's face streamed renewed tears. "I cannot bear the touch of my own sun, sister. I hate it so! It hath taken that which is most precious to me. Dost thou not understand? I must go, lest that which grants me myself drives me unto eternal suffering. Thou hast the power to raise and lower it. I should care to leave it below the horizon, for I hate it now. I am sound enough to know I cannot do that to my beloved ponies. Thou must rule for the both of us. I shall return, but I know not when."
With that, her horn surged with her magic as she sobbed again over her foal. The last thing Luna saw of her sister before she vanished were the eyes of a haunted mare, broken and shattered from her ordeal.
Luna was left alone and in the darkness. She was at a loss. Her mind was a jumble of confusion and hurt. Her teardrops fell to the floor, making a small pool after a while. All she could do was mourn. There was nothing else. For what seemed like hours, she stood there, staring at where Celestia had been. The room felt more like a tomb now. The dark alicorn tossed her mane when she heard the door creak open. Glaring at the intruder who dared to enter this sad sanctuary, she snorted. Her gaze fell upon little Blueblood who had dared among the adults to brave the ire of his princesses.
He could not see her in the darkness, but his hoof kicked gently at some of the debris before him. His little face scrunched in amazed shock as his eyes slowly adjusted to the din. He remembered his light spell and cast it, his horn tip flaring to a bright little ball of light, like a tiny white sun...
"Extinguish that!" snarled Luna, reaching out her own magic an snuffing the ball out. Blueblood recoiled and whimpered from the sudden harshness. Forcing calm upon herself, the princess spoke in a gentler tone, "Do not enter this room, child. Away from here! We shall emerge shortly."
He obeyed without a word, his tail tucked between his legs.
Sighing, Luna closed her eyes and composed herself as much as she was able. Celestia was gone, perhaps to one of the portals. She had more than enough magic to open it herself and be away from home within minutes. Her younger sister dared not follow as it would leave Equestria without a ruler. There would be much confusion, much sorrow. Aggressive nations would no doubt see the departure of the Princess of the Sun as an opportunity to move against the relatively young nation. Few took into account Luna was every bit as capable as Celestia as a ruler. She was less known because the night was her domain, the shadows her solace.
Casting one last look at the room, Luna slowly walked from the door, holding her head high and proudly. Quietly she forced her own grief aside and assumed a cold mantle of determination. As she emerged from Celestia's room, she was already casting about the room for certain ponies. She found who she was looking for, but addressed the members of the council already there. Most of them were present.
Most, she noted and ground her teeth.
"Three days mourning to begin at sunrise," she started, her voice low but clear. Her gaze went to each individual pony as she spoke, lingering just long enough to ensure she had each individual's undivided attention. "The foal has died and mine sister mourns. She will return when she no longer mourns the loss of her daughter."
She could hear one of the maids already sniffling. Most ponies had already figured out what had happened, but some only began weeping when they heard Luna admit it.
"Where has she gone to?" queried one of the council members.
Luna sighed. "We cannot say. She goes where she feels she can properly mourn the loss of her daughter. We know not the mind of mine sister at the present. She hath filled her heart with sorrow and self loathing. We shall rule in her stead and assume the duties of the day as well as the night. There shall be a meeting in the morning. For now, let us seek our beds. There is much to be done and our enemies might see this as a moment to strike."
There were nods in agreement. Not all were convinced, but none could deny Celestia simply was no longer among them. Confusion clouded their minds as the ponies shuffled off in groups of two or three. Some stayed to console crying maids and servants. Even some of the stoic guards lost some of their impeccable bearing and wept in silence.
Luna was soon left with little Blueblood to ponder how she was going to run a country without the wisdom of her sister. The brave little colt peered up at her expectantly, as if she would have all the answers to the questions swirling unspoken within his little mind.
"What can I do, Princess Luna?" he asked her in a little voice filled with fright, but big on bravery.
"Thou?" she asked, turning her muzzle down to him. "Thou canst be brave and thou canst be a friend unto Us." Luna sighed and offered him a half-hearted smile. "We hath need of one now."