//------------------------------//
// 1: Warmth 
// Story: Diminishing Sunlight 
// by rainwater12 
//------------------------------//

I do not own MLP:FIM all is owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro.



The Ponies of Equestria awoke to darkness and bitter cold. Looking outside their windows, there was neither sun nor moon in the sky, just complete blackness. Later that day (or night) Royal Guard soldiers were sent to pass a message throughout all of Equestria. The sun wasn't going to rise again, it was going to be cold for a very long time. No one was told why, they were just ordered to keep their fireplaces warm and that their electricity and food was to be preserved and rationed. Only a select few ponies in the Canterlot castle knew what had truly happened. 
Celestia was dead. The sun might never rise again.

Princess Luna, stricken to bed with grief, was lying alone in her room wishing not to be disturbed and refusing to reign the moon. Twilight felt similar grief, but hers had been felt for a much longer time. The Royal Council surrounding her sat in silence, bitter depression was expressed clear on their faces. A dimly lit fire was barely keeping the room warm.

"What are we going to do? Without the sun, we won't be able to grow food, Equestria will starve." Princess Cadence was the first to speak, she had come from the Crystal Empire to attend the private funeral of her beloved aunt. Celestia had done the same for her beloved Shining Armour. Small tears fell down her cheeks at the memory.

The rest of the Council looked at Twilight. Cadence had tried to take some of the attention off of her stepsister, but with Luna bedridden and Cadence's authority over the Crystal Empire; Twilight was temporary ruler of Equestria.

One of the Council ponies began to speak, "Princess Cadence is right. Without the sun, our world will die. The only reason Equestria hasn't become a frozen wasteland already is Twilight's Winter Warmth spell."

Twilight nodded, her horn was aglow with a faint, purple light. The bags under her eyes were the only indication of her massive fatigue.

More ponies from the council began to join in the conversation, "Princess Twilight can't keep the spell active forever."

"How are we going to survive without the sun?"

"What if Princess Luna refuses to raise the moon? Equestria will have no light."

"I believe that is enough said. I might have a solution to our predicament."

The entire room went silent, Twilight turned her head towards the open entryway. A look of relief filled her eyes as she saw her dearest friend walk through the archway and into the conference room. 

"General Spike, my dearest and most trusted adviser, please come join us."

The dragon nodded, his large, scaled frame shined with beautiful purple and green scales. He stood behind Twilight's throne at the head of the table, for his dragon frame too large to fit in a chair. 

"What is this so called solution that you have discovered?" The council mare's voice was wooden, General Spike had been the first dragon in Equestria history to become the lead general of the Royal Guard and a master Historian. Though not everypony respected the decision.

Spike flexed his wings, revealing a large, dusty tomb. Placing the book on the table, he began to flip through the pages.

"What is that?" The unicorn looked skeptically at the book.

Twilight suddenly leaned forward, a slight gasp escaped her lips. The magical glow around her horn slightly faltered and a biting, frigid wind swept across all of Equestria. Frantically, Twilight focused her magic and returned the world to warmth. 

Everypony in the room exchanged anxious gazes, she couldn't go on like this forever, it would eventually kill her. The same unicorn from before looked at the thick book, "What's in the book?"

Spike had opened the book to the center page, he pulled a small note out from in between the pages and placed it on the table. Looking at Cadence he asked, "Your highness, would you please?"

The pink alicorn nodded, her horn became alight with a sky-blue glow. The tomb's page began to expand to where it was visible for all the ponies to see. Recognizing the note written on the page, she put her hoof to her mouth and looked a Spike with bewilderment,

"Please Spike, don't make me read this. I could barely finish it when she was still... around."

"You have to read it again, Twilight. You never read it out loud, there's something hidden in the letter. I only found out about it because of your trust of me."

Sighing with regret, Twilight began to read the page aloud.

"My dearest Twilight, I regret to inform you that my time is coming to an end. My beloved sister, Luna, refuses to admit it; but she knows as well as I do that things are going to end soon. I am sure that you have noticed that the days are getting colder, even though the Summer Sun Celebration was performed less than a month ago.
I know the past 2 centuries have been ruff for you, the Elements of Harmony can only elongate a pony's life for so long.

At this line, Twilight stopped reading and took several deep breaths. Tears began to stream down her cheeks and her breath became ragged with sorrow.

"Twilight, don't forget. I'm still here, and I'll be here for a long time still. Please continue reading."

The purple unicorn looked up at her dragon friend, a sorrowful smile on her face. Taking a deep breath, she continued to read.

"I wish I could have done more for you in the many moons that I've known you. I feel that I have given you more grief than happiness. In the many millenniums that I have lived through, I have had a lot of time to think. Yet I still make the same mistakes time and time again.

Tears had begun to stain the page, some were Celestia's, others were fresher, Twilight's tears fell onto the parchment as she read the note, 

"Twilight, the day I made you a princess was such a joyous day for you and all Equestria, but such a bittersweet day for me. I knew that the magic of an alicorn body would make you practically immortal. Luna knew it as well, but we were waiting for the right time to tell you. 

The Elements of Harmony would make your friends' lives exceptionally long, but it is so short in comparison to that of an alicorn's. When your friends began to age while you remained fresh and young, I began to realize and regret what I did. Your full potential is quite a powerful one, and you have come a long way over these many years. But a life without your closest friends isn't a life that you wanted. 

And as each of your companions died while you lived on, I watched the grief eat away at you. I heard you crying every night and whenever you were alone. The choice I made for you, I realized, was the worst choice that I have ever made. Nopony should ever have to suffer like you did. Nopony should have to watch her friends and family age and die while she continues living. You are an amazing princess and a great role model. But I shouldn't have made it a full time position. And I am sorry for all the suffering that I have caused you.

And now, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and the magic of bonds, I bestow my last gift to you."

The parchment began to glow a beautiful gold, the same gold as Celestia's magic. A bright light flashed, temporarily blinding the ponies. As the stars began to clear from all of there eyes, an impossible sight beheld them all.

Princess Celestia, the embodiment of the sun beheld them all. Warmth filled the room, and the World of Equestria warmed up slightly. All the council ponies gasped and bowed down before her. Tears began to fill both Twilight's and Cadence's eyes.
"P-princess Celestia...."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Luna was crying, horrible choking sobs filled her every breath. Lying down on her bed, she had covered herself in sheets and blankets, desperate for the warmth of her beloved sister. A meeting was being held in the great hall. Equestria was trying to find a way to survive without the sun, but Luna knew that, even with Twilight's Winter Warmth spell, the world would eventually freeze. Even the light of her moon couldn't keep Equestria safe for long.

She'd never raise the moon again anyway, not without her sister to raise the sun at dawn. Another fit of horrible weeping overcame the nighttime-blue mare. No, the moon shall never rise again, just like the sun. Both celestial bodies are dead.

Luna rolled deeper into the covers. A small fireplace was alight and kept the room warm, but the heat was small, lifeless, heartless. Celestia never made her heat so dull, her love had seeped in through homes across Equestria, even on cold winter days. The moon princess gasped in another flow of tears. She tossed and turned in her bed.

Then, the sound of an opening door made Luna's reddened eyes look up from her tangle of blankets. A guard stood in the doorway, a tray with a glass of water and food was held in his telekinetic magic.

"Your highness? Do you wish to meet the council and princesses?"

Luna froze, a sudden wave of guilt exploded in her chest. She had let one of her own guard see her weak and helpless. There was no worse shame than letting this pony see her so undignified. Pulling herself from the covers, she sat up and said, 

"Did you not notice that we sleeping? We do not wish to join the meeting, nor do we want to be interrupted again. Tell the guard to not enter this room unless we-"

Another guard came barreling down the hallway, he held out his wings to slow himself and stood panting in front of the doorway.

"Your highness, the council says that you must join them immediately."

"We do not wish..."

Luna paused halfway through her order. She could feel it. Warmth, she felt Tia's warmth. Luna leaped up from her bed. She pushed herself past the guards and began to sprint down the hallway. Her sprint turned into flight as she spread her wings and soared towards the council room.