//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Legends of Equestria: The Tale of Two Sisters // by Luna Sapphire //------------------------------// It was around seven in the morning and the light of the full moon lit up a room in a small apartment. A young girl near her fourteen muttered to herself before opening her eyes. She didn't like that place. She missed the sun light, missed her freedom, she missed her parents. Unfortunately, escape from the city was out of the question. She would never risk she and her sister being caught by police and arrested, or worse, separate. She dragged herself to the kitchen to prepare a good breakfast before her little sister woke up. She stopped by a window. Examining her neighbors already up, some starting a morning cleaning, others sitting in the square, talking, walking, all used to get up early, used to the moonlight, all friends, all happy, as if the fact that they cannot come out of the city didn't matter. Sunshine put a hand to her left ear, where a silver earring with a golden sun pendant hung. She wasn't sure what it was, only that she had it since childhood and her mother said it was very important, as the medallions that she and her twin brother shared. The earring was the reason for the nickname Sunshine, originally Sun by her mother, Sunny by his sister and father and Sunshine came from her uncle, Jack. She missed him. Likewise, her little sister's nickname, Moon, was due to the golden earring with a crescent moon pendant, she also had since childhood, although in this case, she was just called Moon by her older sister, while her mother used call her Moonlight. Although, after last night, Sunny wondered if there was something else hidden in everything. Something her mother knew and never told her. Maybe something like happened to Jack. Jack. She missed her uncle too, more than anyone else, after her parents. But this was no time to grieve. She had hoped to have the whole family gathered again one day. If only there was someone to stand up and fight... But it was good that nothing happened. She didn't want to end up alone with her sister, as happened with Celestia and Luna. Tears began to form in her eyes. Think in her family hurt. She took off her earing and held it against her chest. "Morning Sunny!" She heard the voice of her younger sister to her back, when she sat at one end of the table. She did her best to put a smile on her face and her earing back before turn to face her sister. "Good morning, Moon." "Sunny! Think Daddy and Mommy will come back?" She asked innocently, but visibly upset. "I don't know, little sister. Believe they are somewhere out there. But as we can't leave, they can't return. Maybe one day this will change, don't worry. Remembers the other stories I told you? Stories that happened here, how everything ended well in the end?" Moonlight nodded. "This one will too, I promise." Then the doorbell rang, Sunshine walked to it and opened the door. "Good morning!" Said the woman standing at the door with a friendly smile. "Sleept well, girls?" "Yes miss Mery!" Moonlight joined her sister, smiling. Then she noticed the woman had brought a pie. "And to whom is it?" "Well, do we now have a little picnic at breakfast, I'd love you to come, but I know you will not, so I brought this for you. Strawberry and blueberry, as both like." She delivered the pie to Sunny. "I have to go now. Have a nice day, girls." Sunshine closed the door so the woman walked away down the hall. "It was very kind of her." Was all she muttered. "Why can't we go?" The little sister asked. "You don't want to hear the rest of the story?" "Of course!" "Then I'll make a juice for us. Continue after we finish eating." -MLP- -MLP- Celestia entered the meeting hall trying not to appear how exhausted she was. She hoped to find guards and at least one or two Council ponies there, but to her surprise there was only a gray unicorn, standing in front of one of the large windows. He turned, smiling at her and bowed. "Your Majesty!" Celestia returned the greeting cordially, that for some reason made him laugh. "I thought we had banished all this formality for a long time, Celestia. There's nobody here who we need to keep up appearances." "I was no more than a young pony like all others. Princess apprentice, if you want to put something special about it. Nobody expected anything from me and we didn't were more than simple friends even after you became king. Moreover now I'm a ruler princess and everyone expects me to behave the height of the title. Friends don't count in this war. Whatever count are allies and enemies. So, why this meeting King Illusion?" He sighed, annoyed. It wasn't common to see, Illusion was usually always in a good mood. "I fear that bad news, Princess. The Council thinks you and Luna are not able to assume the throne. They say you two are too young and had your little training for this dramatically halted due to recent disasters. They want to appoint a new king or queen to rule the kingdom." "I understand." Was all Celestia said. After she almost failed in protecting the castle, she really thought Luna was right, how long would they resist? "But I do not think they are right." Illusion countered. "You two are the most ready ponies to face this war. And it is not because you two are daughters of the last princess, not because you are the latest Alicorns living on this earth. But I know you, I know what you are capable. You are the most gentle and courageous pony I have ever met, and Luna is strong, yet sweet and the two together are the most powerful ponies already trod here. You are the guardians this land needs. and I myself was young when I was crowned last year. Okay that I was already considered an adult at the time, but I'm only two years older than you." "You argued with the Council?" Celestia asked, worried. "Not directly. I just think they are wrong. You saw how you fought today. I tried to get there to help, but I was already a little late for that. But of course, you two together had everything under control." "I don not know for how long. We were barely able to resist. And no matter what the Council decides. Rulers or not, we will always be here to protect our kingdom, whatever the cost." She replied, determined. "That's why I came. They want to ban both of you from the Circle of Hope. They said to have always been the alicorns who always attracted the shadows here. I came here because I know how to protect you, they can not do anything against you, everything, and all will continue as it is. I just hoped not to have to need a Council's thread to do it." Celestia looked at the unicorn before her, confused. "What is your plan?" She ventured to ask, but somewhat nervous. "For some time I wanted to ask you, just wish it were not this way... Princess Celestia, would you marry me?" Celestia looked at him in shock for a moment, not quite believing what she had just heard. She had imagined it for a moment, even a rebellion against the Council, but not that. "I should not have expected the death of your parents, a war and decisions of the Council to say that. We grew up together, learned a lot together... I have always felt a connection between us. At first I thought it was our destiny to fight this war together, but then I realized there was something more, something special, much stronger. I love you my little princess." And with that he kissed her. It was only a few seconds, Celestia stepped back, breaking contact, seemed a little dizzy. "I..." she began, her voice weak and disoriented. "I..." Before she could continue she fainted. Illusion looked desperately from Celestia to the door, where he realized that a younger mare watched the scene, shocked. Luna finally came out of her shock state at seeing her sister fainted and rushed to her. "What did you do?" She asked angrily at Illusion. "I did nothing! He tried to defend himself." Luna approached her sister and the first thing she noticed was the black mark around one of Celestia's hooves. "Shadow's Poison." She murmured worriedly. "It was exactly what as I was coming to warn her, had no idea she had gotten it." "So those things are also poisonous? Nightmares can not get more dangerous. Has some antidote?" Illusion asked worriedly. "No magic antidote and the healer said that our stock does not have the necessary herbs to prepare one. Downside even without incidents the new shipments will still take days to arrive, and I doubt that will not have incidents, Nightmare is, more than ever, determined to destroy us." "Well, there was something else I wanted to discuss with you two, but you were busy and my conversation with your sister was briefly interrupted by this terrible incident, but six days ago a caravan of ponies came to my kingdom. Ponies from lands beyond this one. Maybe we should try to get help from there..." "Wait! There lands beyond here?" She interrupted. "That's what they say and I certainly never saw ponies like them here before. They said they are moving, to where they had no idea, but surely this is beyond our small shadowy world." "You think it's possible, places in this world away from the shadow of Nightmare, maybe we can get everything we need somewhere out there, it can not hinder us..." "That's what I hope, my dear princess. But first we need to find a cure to your sister. How much time we have?" "I do not know, sire. Might be hours or a few days, all I know is that we can not waste too much time, even if I have to pick the herbs myself." Luna determined. The two together got Celestia back to her room. Illusion ran in search of his books, maybe there was something in them that could save Celestia, but Luna wouldn't wait and prepared to leave. Illusion could be in charge of everything meantime, he would not leave until he had sure Celestia would be fine any way, unless some emergency arose in his own kingdom, or he received direct orders of the Council. She, on the other hand, was not even calling the Council at that time, she knew they would not approve the trip, but she did not let that orders would put her sister's life at even greater risk. She was ready to leave when a guard approached. "Your Majesty!" He bowed to her. "Where is Princess Celestia?" "My sister is currently unavailable. She was poisoned by the creatures of nightmare this morning." She said. "We knew that the disease had reached some ponies, but never thought would come to the Princess. She will survive?" "It depends on whether I get the herbs for the antidote in time. Therefore does not delay me, and do not tell anyone." "But, Your Majesty! We have a group of ponies approaching the south gate. What do we do? Could be a trap." "They are just travelers." Illusion came suddenly. "They are the group I told you, princess. I figured they would come by, but not so soon. They comes out, maybe they have what we need." Luna thought for a moment. "Alright, let's get these new visitors." She solved. Since we still had time even if she needed to go get the herbs. Princess Luna and King Illusion waited at the gate for the caravan approaching. Luna somewhat impatiently, each passing minute could be fatal. They were a group of about twenty ponies, all nicely bundled up from the cold. Nine of them were unusually taller and thinner than the others. Some pulled sleds loaded. One of the ponies who led the group finally approached, bowing to both, as is the rest of the group, then stood up and asked: "Whom I speak as ruler of this kingdom" The voice was definitely female, but it was still strong and had an unusual accent, slightly pulled to the language of dragons. "Princess Luna, co-ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Circle of Hope, the resistance against the reign of Nightmare. Whom can I contact?" The pony threw back her hood, revealing be an ice blue, almost white unicorn, with lilac eyes and silver long mane, though her eyes were more drawn to the format of alicorns eyes and her ears were more pointed, her teeth slightly sharp, certainly a strange kind of pony. The others followed the gesture of their leader, also removing their hoods. Dressed like they were, was impossible to differentiate pegasi from earth ponies, but Luna didn't doubt there were representatives of the three races. But what really drew her attention was the highest group of ponies. They were not ponies, actually. Luna tried to remember something she had had read... They looked like a group of deers. A strange group indeed. "I am Queen Sapphire Sky, leader of the Company of Flames, travelers migrating from distant lands, passing through this kingdom of shadows. These are Jasmine FoxSparkle and Oak Firewhisper," Sapphire showed a couple of deer, "leaders of the Company of Leaves, a group of lost lands not so distant, also looking for a new home. We ask for shelter from the storm approaching on this realm, if you allow us the honor, princess." She made new reverence for Luna. "Sure. We can not offer them more than shelter and some food, but we share what we have without fear." Luna replied cordially. "It is an honor for us, Princess. Many are not as gentle as Your Majesty. What we also have is not much, but if we can compensate for it somehow..." "Normally I would not ask anything for it, but you came in a dark hour for us. My sister, Princess Clestia, is very ill, poisoned by the Nightmares. We do not have herbs for an antidote and may take a long time to refill them, I would be eternally grateful if you could help us." There was a minute of silence in which the guest ponies and deer looked at each other, then Sapphire nodded at Jasmine, who stepped forward. "We lost our healer a few moons ago." She replied. "But fortunately we carry an inventory of forest herbs where we came from, yet able to use and I know how to create an antidote, perhaps a little differently than you should know, but I give you my word that works." "We do not deal with Nightmares often, but now and then they escape beyond this earth." Oak said. "We had to learn how to defend ourselves against them, but got nothing to show the Breath of Fire." Luna could only assume that the "Breath of Fire" referred to foreign ponies, or maybe dragons, but dragons were dangerous creatures and that did little contact with the forest creatures, none of them friendly.