Sunlight streamed through the window, hitting the sleeping filly's closed eyes. She slowly opened them, staring out the window as if she didn't know what daylight was. Suddenly, she leaped up, scrambling across the hardwood floor towards the bedroom door. She didn't notice that her sister's things had been removed. Lighting her horn, she yanked the door open, galloping down the halls.
"How could I have slept 'till noon?" Celestia scolded herself. A grin then stretched itself across her face. "Well, no matter now. I just need to find Luna and we can spend the whole day-" She skidded to a stop, the smile slowly dropping from her face. Her sister stood a few yards way, her glowing horn holding a door decorated with images of Moon phases open. Luna turned her head to look at Celestia, a sad expression written on her face. She locked eyes with her sister for a moment before lowering her eyes to the floor, and walking through the door, shutting it behind her. There was a quiet click as the door was locked.
Celestia slowly lowered her ears and head, turning her gaze to the floor. She then bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut. A single tear slid down her face. This was the first of many tears to come.
A few days passed, and courage had returned to a certain young Alicorn. Celestia trotted down the halls, going over in her head what she would say to her sister. Since the day she saw Luna enter her new room, she hadn't seen her sister anywhere in the castle. The younger filly hadn't left her room at all. Alma Mater, her tutor, still taught her in the make-shift classroom, but Luna's lessons were brought by her parents to her room, as was every meal. The King and Queen had told everypony that Luna had said she felt ill, and that she probably would want to remain in her room until further notice. Celestia didn't buy it. She was convinced that Luna just was feeling lonely, and, since she had never felt that because they were always together, she just didn't know how to handle it, and had simply thought she was sick.
Presently, Celestia came to a window. She looked out at the snow falling to the ground. She giggled, and galloped the rest of the way to her sister's door. She knocked on the door. "Luna?" she said, trying to get her sister's attention. She then began to sing.*
"Do you wanna build a snowmare?" she bounced from hoof to hoof "C'mon, let's go and play!" she tried to look through the keyhole "I never see you any more! Come out the door. You're shut in there every day!" Celestia sat down, staring intently at the door "We used to be best buddies...and now we're not. I wish you'd at least come out to tell me why!" the filly stood again, a smile on her face, crouching "Do you wanna build a snowmare?" she used her hooves to squish up her face, then sang in a silly voice "It doesn't have to be a snowmare."
Luna's angry voice echoed throughout the hall. "Go away, Tia!" the younger filly snapped.
Celestia's smile dropped, a hurt look taking it's place. "Okay..." she whispered, turning to walk away "Bye..."
Luna sat on her cushioned window seat, reading her journal, frowning. She knew that, now, because of the curse, she would never get to see the world, like she had always dreamed. Her eyes glistened with tears. Before they could fall, however, she was distracted by the sound of her sister's voice, singing outside her door. She was asking her to come out and play in the snow. Luna, anger quickly rising, glared at the door.
"How dare she!?" Luna thought "Doesn't she think that if I wanted to play, I'd have come out already? Who does she think she is, bossing me around!?" The filly squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to shut the voice out "Just because she's older and because she'll be the Solar Queen doesn't mean she can force me into her games!" Luna had had enough. Her eyes flew open, but they weren't her eyes. No, they were Moon's eyes; dragon like.
"Go away, Tia!" she snapped in anger. The moment the words escaped her lips, she regretted them. She gasped, slapping a hoof over her mouth, her eyes returning to normal. Her sister's hurt voice reached her ears.
"Okay...bye..."
The words brought tears to the young girl's eyes. How could she have spoken so harshly to her sister? She closed her eyes, and leaned her head against the window. When her eyes opened, a second gasp emitted from her mouth. The last few trails of a dark purple aura trailed from her horn to the black splotch covered in stars etched on the window pane.
That night, when the King and Queen brought Luna's dinner to her, she told them of what had happened earlier. They were worried about Luna's new anger issues, but more concerned about her not being able to control her magic. They told her they would think of something and left her to her food. She was in the middle of her dinner when her father returned. He smiled gently, levitating a small piece of cloth from his pocket.
"What's that?" Luna asked, setting her fork down.
"A horn cover." Eclipse answered "I've enchanted it. When you wear it, it will trap any rouge magic, only allowing the power of an Alicorn your age to be of use." Luna walked over and sat down in front of him. He knelt down and slipped it over her horn. "It'll help. See? Conceal it-"
"Don't feel it." Luna finished.
"Don't let it show." they spoke at the same time.
The next few years passed the same way. Celestia, now sixteen, didn't give up. Every day, she stood outside her younger sister's bedroom door, talking to her, trying to convince her to come hang out with her, until either one of her parents or a member of the staff came along and convinced her to let Luna rest, promising to play with her or convincing her to play by herself. Soon, though, winter rolled around again, and the eldest filly was determined to get Luna out into the first snow to build a snowmare. She ran down the hall, shaking her mane, which was now an aura of magic like her mother's, from her eyes. She slid to a stop in front of Luna's door. Knocking, she began to sing.
"Do you wanna build a snowmare? Or maybe ride a bike around the halls? I feel some company is over due. I've started talking to the paintings on the walls!" she smiled at her favorite painting. It was of her and Luna; she was six, and Luna was three. They didn't want to be still for the painter, especially not in the position he had put them in: side by side, backs straight, staring forward. They had quickly gotten bored, and soon were wrestling. They had paused for a moment, both grinning wildly, with Celestia sitting down, holding Luna in her forelegs, with her wings wraped around her. She was smiling down at the younger filly, who had her head laid on her sister's chest, eyes shut and smile wide. Their mother had used her magic to capture a temporary image of the scene and asked the painter to recreate it. Celestia continued her song.
"Hang in there, girls." she sang as if she were talking to the inseparable girls in the painting "It gets a little lonely...stuck it all these empty rooms, watching the hours tick by!" To emphasize her point, she clucked her tongue, creating a ticking sound. She got no answer. After a while, one of the maids came by and talked her into going to build the snowmare by herself.
Later that night, Luna was pacing in front of her door. The room was now covered in star-coated black splotches. She turned, visibly shaking, to her parents who were standing in front of her bed.
"I'm scared!" she said, panic evident in her voice "It's getting stronger!" Her magic had long ago become strong enough to turn her mane into an aura form. That shouldn't have happened until she was sixteen.
"Luna, you need to calm down." Eclipse tried to comfort his youngest daughter.
"Getting upset only makes it worse." Sunniva reached out for her.
"No, don't touch me!" Luna screamed, leaping away "Please..." she whispered "I don't wanna hurt you."
"It's alright, sweetheart." her mother said sympathetically.
"Just breathe." Her father added.
Luna nodded, breathing in and out, in vain attempts to calm herself.
The twenty-year-old Alicorn walked down the palace halls. She wore golden armor. She paused momentarily in front of her sister's room, wondering if she should knock. She decided against it, continuing on her way. She had long since given up on trying to get through to Luna. Besides, she had more important matters to attend to. A new enemy had arisen. A Draconequus who called himself Discord. He had brought chaos upon the kingdom. The King and Queen had declared war against him and his army of his own chaotic creations, and she was to help them lead the Equestrian Army. She walked into her parents' room, where they were finishing up with putting on their own armor,
"I'm ready to fight." she stated.
Luna levitated a helmet onto her head, completing her own set of armor.* Her parents were walking side by side down the hall. When they saw her, they galloped over.
"Luna! What are you doing out of your room?" Eclipse demanded.
"I wanna help! I mean, my powers are so strong, I could really help in defeating Discord."
"But it's too dangerous." her father spoke, trying to reason with her "Nopony can know of your strong powers. Besides, you're only sixteen. You're too young, either way. A time may come where you need to use your powers, but the powers of an Alicorn your age." Luna's face fell.
"It's for the best, dear." Sunniva spoke "We just want to keep you safe." With a sigh, Luna nodded and returned to her room.
They were now deep in battle. Earth ponies ran into the fray with their swords as the melee portion, the Pegasi swooped down as the aerial team, and beams of magic flew wildly from the Unicorns and the three Alicorns leading the army. Even with the massive personnel of the Equestrian Army, they were greatly outnumbered. While they had to have doctors and nurses on hoof, ready to react at any second, Discord's army was just creatures of his own creation; nothing more than powerful forms of magic. If one fell, he could bring up another with one swipe of a paw or claw.
Celestia was hovering in the air, firing beams in every direction. She swung her massive blade, blocking one of the enemy attacks. She dive-bombed one of Discords creations, causing the magic to dissipate. She turned her head to the sky. She wished she hadn't. The horrific scene that unfolded before her would be etched in her mind forever. Sunniva and Eclipse were helping out the aerial team. Discord, seeing them occupied, collected an orb of magic in his claw. He let it build, doubling, tripling in size. Celestia didn't have time to react; nopony did. He fired it at the two hovering Alicorns. Two agonized screams, and they crashed to the ground.
"MOM! DAD!" Celestia screeched, galloping to the fallen forms. Their armor was battered, even scorched in some places. Their eldest daughter skidded to a stop in front of them, tears welling, but eyes too wide for them to fall. The fallen royalty spoke in between ragged breaths.
"Celestia..." the King started "you and...Luna...you must find a way to stop...Discord." his sentence ended with a racked cough.
"B-but...what about you guys? We...we need you!" her mother reached a wavering hoof and touched the young mare's cheek.
"Have courage, my dear...you'll be...alright." Celestia leaned her head against her mother's hoof, squeezing her eyes shut, a few tears trailing down her face.
"Please...d-don't..." she whispered.
"We love you..." Eclipse whispered.
"Both of you..." added Sunniva. With that, both the King and Queen smiled and closed their eyes for the final time.
"Mom?...Dad? Mom!? Dad!? No, no, please, no!!" tears streamed down the young mare's face. Discord, growing bored with the scene, snapped his claws, disappearing along with his army. One of the soldiers, the Captain of the Guard, Lightyear, took a few tentative steps toward the princess.
"Your Highness? A-are they...?"
"...yes." she whispered "I-I'm afraid they are."
"But, how? They're Alicorns..."
"Despite what everypony thinks, Alicorns are not immortal. At least, not entirely. We'll live forever, as long as we're not..." she paused "killed."
"What do you want us to do?"
"Leave me here for a little while. Inform the rest of the staff that the King and Queen...won't be returning home tonight." snow began fall around them, quickly blanketing the battle ground in white.
"What about Princess Luna?"
Celestia sucked in a breath. "My sister should not be informed yet. I wish to tell her myself..." She teleported a black cape and draped it over her shoulders.
Lightyear bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty." He nodded to his soldiers and headed back to the castle. Celestia remained there for a long time, just standing there, head bowed, eyes closed. Then, she flapped her wings and headed for the castle library. She didn't have time to just sit there when the kingdom was in danger. Hopefully, there would be something of use among the pages.
"So, they're really gone?" the maid questioned.
"Yeah, hard to believe, en't it?*" The guards had split up immediately after arriving at the castle, in order to inform everyone of this latest development in the War of Discord.
"Does Princess Luna know?"
"Nah, not yet. 'Er sister wanted to be the one to tell 'er. Pooer dab's had a hard life; bein' so sick she's spent most of 'er life in 'er room, then losin' 'er Mam and Da at such a young-" he stopped mid-sentence, catching sight of Luna. Tears welled in the filly's eyes as she turned and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. The guard sighed. "There's marvelous..." he muttered sarcastically.
Celestia walked down the hall, still in her cape, head bowed. Somepony had told her that her sister had found out about their parent's death. Every painting of her parents she passed had been covered with a black silk sheet. She soon came to a familiar white door, covered in faded images of the Moon phases. She reached her hoof up and knocked gently.
"Luna?" she said softly before beginning to sing "Please, I know you're in there." she forced a gentle smile "I've been wondering how you've been." she couldn't hold the smile and it quickly dropped "...They said 'have courage', and I'm trying to. You know I'm here for you. Please, just let me in." she leaned her head against the door "We only have each other; it's just you and me...what are we gonna do?" Celestia slid down, back against the door, unknowing that her sister was in the same position. She looked out the window, where the snow was still falling heavily. Her voice cracked with the next sentience she sang. "...Do you wanna build a snowmare?" she then broke into tears, quiet sobs racking her body. Luna also cried on the other side of the door.
After a good while of crying, Celestia sniffled and stood to face the door, getting to the matter at hoof. "Luna...Discord is still out there. I've spent the past hour in the library, searching for something that can help, and I think I've found it. There's something called the Tree of Harmony that contains these jewels called the Elements of Harmony. They'll be powerful enough to defeat him. But..I can't do it on my own. They can't be wielded with full power by one, only with harmony and friendship. I know we haven't seen much over each other over these past years, but, we're still sisters, and I don't think there's any stronger bond of friendship." Luna bit her lip behind the door. "I can't do this without you. Please..." The door opened and Luna looked at Celestia, taking in a shaky breath.
"Okay."
The two Alicorns stared at the statue before them. The land around them had returned to a state of normalcy. Celestia turned to her sister, a grin plastered on her face. She tried to go in for a hug, but Luna stepped away, clearing her throat.
"We must bear news of this to our subjects." she stated bluntly.
Celestia's smile dropped. "Yes, of course."
Upon returning to the castle, they gave a speech on everything that had happened. Their parents will was read. They decided to respect the will; they would wait until Celestia was twenty-four and Luna was twenty before they took over the kingdom entirely. But, they decided to honor their parents. They would stay with the title of 'Princess' instead of upgrading to 'Queen'. This was to honor their parents as the final King and Queen of Equestria. Their funeral was held the next day. Luna returned to her room imminently afterwards.
