She sighed as she raised the moon once more. It was a constant, painful reminder of everything that had happened, seeing Selene rising up over the horizon. She had tried doing it blind several hundred years ago, but it had not worked. Selene was finicky and skitterish, even with her experience, and if she wasn’t careful, the moon would end up out of position. As such, she had long ago resigned herself to the fact the she needed to watch to perform course corrections. Unlike Sol, who simply glided across the sky. Who needed no introduction. Who never needed to work for the approval of the ponies below.
But perhaps it wasn’t seeing Selene rise that upset her so. Perhaps it was seeing Sol set, knowing that she could never hope to match her sister, despite all that had transpired. But then, of course, she would never have openly stated her disapproval. No, she was not sad when things began to shift. Not entirely unhappy when ponies began to shift towards the night, rather than the day. And perhaps for a time, she had been glad for it, glad to see Selene, and the one who guided her receive some appreciation.
Unfortunately, it seemed that fate had a cruel sense of humor. Luna was no stranger to the path that Celestia had found herself now travelling down, and for a time, this had helped. Until that day. The day when everything suddenly shifted.
Celestia and Luna were no strangers to having the occasional attempt made on their lives. Largely, it was other nations-the Griffons were a regular feature. They had never entirely gotten over the war in years lost to all but Celestia, Luna and a mound of dusty textbooks. Still, immortal as the sisters were, they were not invulnerable, and as such, they had the Royal Guard. Outside threats the sisters were familiar with. They were wholly unprepared for such an attempt from inside the castle.
It had failed, of course, and the pony responsible had been caught, all the while screaming about how Luna was the ‘True Princess’. Fanaticism of this order was not new to either sister. But it had proven the vital tipping point. Luna herself thought that Celestia was still very far off the breaking point, given her occasional monitoring of her sister’s dreams. Privately, she suspected Discord was involved, but had no proof. If he had been involved, it would not be the first time the spirit had abused his freedom, and nor would it be the last. But it mattered little.
In a twisted mirror of the events of so long ago, Luna was forced to banish her sister with the aid of the Elements of Harmony. Not to the moon, no. Celestia was banished to beyond Sol, beyond the edges of the system, all the way out to the North Star.
Luna watched with a grim smile as Selene climbed higher into the sky on the Winter Solstice, the weight of a thousand years alone upon her shoulders, and high above her, the North Star flashed.
“Welcome home, sister. I’ve been waiting for you.”