//------------------------------// // New Sky // Story: Blood Moon // by Zanem-Ji //------------------------------// It had been eight days since Eternal Slumber had been slain. But to the citizens of Equestria, it had been eight days since Princess Luna had fallen into the terminal stages of an ‘unknown disease’ she had been diagnosed with far before her ascension into Princesshood. Celstia would wait a few more days before announcing that she had passed on. While it pained her to lie to them, she didn’t want the last image of her sister to be tainted by what she had done. Celestia hadn’t bother to raise the sun or the moon. Their world was stuck in a plane of existence where the sky stayed in the soft shades of purple and red, and the stars continued to glitter like diamonds. Despite knowing of the reason…Twilight still thought it was beautiful. The citizens of Equestria did not mind this strange and ethereal sky. While Celestia was taking the time to mourn her sisters death, as well as being the cause of it, Twilight took control of Equestria. She figured that Celestia would reassume control of the moon when she was ready, she would be in charge of this newly found timeframe. It would be exactly one month, before Celestia emerged from her bedchambers and take over once more. Twilight was bit…dare she say it…displease, with stepping down. But, she knew it was for the best. Celestia had millenia worth of experience when it came to ruling a kingdom. But Twilight, no longer a pony to bite her tongue, had decided to bring her idea to the table. “Celestia, I’ve been meaning to speak to you for a couple of days now, and I can’t contain my excitement any longer!” Celestia, who enjoyed listening to Twilight’s ideas ever since she was a young filly, was all (albeit tired) smiles, “What exactly do you have in mind?” Twilight’s smile faded a bit, “Before I continue, I must say this happened while you were…” Celestia nodded in understanding, keeping Twilight from continuing that sentence further. Twilight cleared her throat, “Very well then. I’ll get straight to the point. During the battle with Eternal Slumber, and the month after, there was no Sun or Moon.” she looked out the window, “But that doesn’t mean that there was no light shining over Equestria. In fact, what was created in their absence is…incredible, to say the least.” Celestia arched a brow, “What of it…” “I want to make the beautiful sky appear everyday.” Twilight replied. “For a few hours, taking just a bit of time from Day and Night to make room for it.” Celestia got a tiny frown on her face, “And what shall you name this…new idea of yours?” Twilight’s brows slightly furrowed. Celestia’s displeasure did not go unnoticed. “I plan to call it ‘New Sky’, but that’s bound to change. I haven’t really worked out the details at the moment-why do you seem so upset about it?” Celestia averted her gaze, “Twilight…I just…I don’t think its such a good idea…” Twilight stared harder, “Why not?” “It’s just….it was created from a bloody battle between my sister and I. I did not raise the sun or the moon while I mourned. That sky was…my penance. A harsh reminder of what I had done. That is not something I wish to celebrate nor recreate.” “But sometimes…wonderful things can come from terrible events. That’s simply how life works.” Twilight placed a hoof onto one of Celestia’s own. “Look, you wont have anything to do with it. You’ll have control of Day and Night…and I’ll rule during New Sky.” Celestia shook her head, “I’m sorry Twilight…but I cannot allow it.” Twilight could feel her wings start to ruffle up in irritation, “So…you’ll continue to rule as you did before…and expect me to stand by like a backup plan? Like some royal pet?” Twilight retracted her hoof and stood tall, “Where in your mind do you think that’ll be okay?” Celestia softly sighed, “There is no right or wrong when it comes to issues like this-” “Issues? This is not an ‘issue’. This is an idea that you’re shooting down before even giving it a chance!” “Is this because you wish to have greater responsibilities when it comes to ruling the kingdom? I have no objections in giving you control over the Night if you wish.” Twilight rubbed her forehead, “I don’t want to be in control of Night. I want to be in control of something that I can make with my own hooves. Something I can nurture until I perfect it…and give it to the citizens.” She looked into Celestia’s eyes, “And as for ‘allowing’ me control…please keep in mind…that I am no longer your student…” With that, Twilight walked past Celestia, keeping her gaze on her until she passed her. She shut the door behind her, leaving Celestia with her thoughts. Celestia sighed. She needed rest. She took to lying down in her bed, mental fatigue from the battle and returning to rule quickly draining her. It wasn’t long before she drifted off into a dreamless slumber. -MLP- It was soft at first, but still enough to rouse Celestia from her sleep. Her ears swiveled on her head, attempting to piece together what she was hearing. Was that screaming? Not quite…the sounds were loud though. Sharp whistles pierced the air. Whistles of…excitement and joy? Had she forgotten a holiday while she was in her slump? She sat up and looked out the window, immediately noticing that something was off. The sky was neither blue from her Day or dark from her sister’s Night. The sky was streaked with hues of pink and red and purple. Stars flickered and burst in an intricate light show. She jumped up and galloped to her window. She peered down, the streets filled with the colorful masses of her citizens. They were indeed cheering, but for what? She received her answer when she heard a powerful voice boom from a tower on the other side of the castles massive courtyard, “Thank you all for joining me in my creation of New Sky! Rejoice, as Day and Night are blended into a wonderful display of art, for all of you to enjoy! Please enjoy the festivities as I welcome us into the age of New Sky!” The citizens cheering reached new peaks as fireworks began to shoot into the sky and joining the stars. Twilight pointed at a stage far below, bellowing out in the ever famous Royal Canterlot Voice, “Vinyl Scratch, commence to dropping the base!!” The famous Unicornian DJ obeyed, and the partying began. Celestia looked on in shock and horror as everyone celebrated this unseen betrayal from the librarian Princess. Now, she couldn’t even do anything about it. Disbanding this without an explanation would earn distrust from the citizens, and she didn’t have the mental fortitude at the moment to lie to them again. She looked over at Twilight as the Alicorn looked on at the swathes of the masses that partied below. Even from this distance, she could see the sparkle of excitement shooting back and forth in Twilight’s eyes. However, she would not go without speaking to the other Princess. She teleported into Twilight’s bed chambers, who continued looking on at the citizens. Celestia took a few steps towards her before Twilight’s ears swiveled in her direction, “Its rude to enter without knocking…” she looked over her shoulder, “Anyway, I wanted to show this earlier, before I gave my speech. However, I was told by one of your maids that they had seen you sleeping, and I didn’t wish to disturb you.” A child-like smile began to plaster onto her face, “Isn’t it beautiful? Just look at it, its been a success! I didn’t realize that they would like it this much, but-” “Twilight, how could you?!” Celestia snapped. “How could you do this? Go behind my back and disobey a direct order from your Princess-” Her sentence was cut off by Twilight stomping a hoof. She spun around to face Celestia. “Excuse me?!” Twilight boomed. “You are blind, Celestia. Blinded by your rage, and your hurt, and your selfishness!” she pointed to the window outside. “They love it, and it’s a chance for me to rule without my hoof being held! And so far, I’ve been doing quite well!” “Twilight-” “And another thing….” Twilight continued, her voice suddenly dropping to a dangerously low tone, “You? My Princess?” her eyes glowed with a fierce violet light, “You are not my Princess, you are a fellow Princess.” She took a couple steps forward, closing the distance between them. Celestia slid back slightly. Not because she wanted to… But because the sheer magical surge that Twilight was generating was forcing her back. “You cannot, and will not continue to treat me like a child. Like I’m still your student.” The air around the lavender Alicorn began to sizzle as the magic in the air began to heat it up.” “I am no longer your student. I would even go far enough to say…that we are not equals…” The gravity seemed to shift to higher levels. Celestia struggled to keep her knees from buckling under her own weight. “I have managed to in one month, what you and Luna took hundreds of years to perfect. I have the ability to raise the Sun and the Moon. I can color the skies to match Day and Night, and have created New Sky without any assistance.” Her eyes glowed brighter as she used her magic to yank Celestia closer, until their noses were nearly touching. The weight of her power was slowing pushing the air out of the Sun Princess’ lungs. Something dark and dangerous roared behind Twilight’s eyes, “I am you superior now…” She released Celestia from her grasp, the force of her magic sending Celestia back a few feet. Twilight suppressed her magic and walked back to her balcony. A smile resurfaced on her features, acting as if nothing happened. Celestia slowly rose to her hooves and retreated to her quarters. Twilight looked back at where Celestia had been standing. ‘What right does she have to be the sole ruler? She clearly isn’t in the correct mindset to do the job. Besides…look at how they love New Sky. Look at how they celebrate in its birth and the light it gives. Its so beautiful and so amazing that-' Twilight’s grin got bigger, “Its something that they should enjoy forever…”