“Fair questions all. I hope you don’t mind if I summarize events briefly though, Twilight Sparkle, as it is a very long story that took place many ages ago. It starts with two regal sisters who ruled together and created a harmony for all the land that would stretch out into eternity. Or at least, that’s the way the history books told it. The truth was far more complicated and far less romantic; I would know—I lived it.”
“When ponykind first began to form clans and villages my sister, Luna, and I were already so old we had lost count of the number of seasons we’d seen. For many long years we roamed the earth flitting from culture to culture. We never stayed in one place for long, always remaining apart from the group no matter how kind or welcoming our hosts were. On occasion one of us would impart knowledge we’d gathered on our travels as payment for their generosity, in an effort to make their lives easier.
Truth be told, these first ponies were kind but terribly simple. There was little interesting about them or their works and so there was little reason to stay or interact with them for long. However, over time, as ponies began to form larger and more complex societies, they caught the attention of a being older and more powerful than either me or my sister. This entity thrived on chaos. He liked nothing more than to upend the lives of those weaker than him and sow seeds of misery and strife wherever he roamed.
When he turned his attentions onto the ponies my sister and I had spent so long observing, nurturing from afar, we were infuriated—shamefully it was not compassion for their lives that spurred us to action but rather the greedy anger that comes over a foal when their toys are touched without their consent.” Celestia leveled her gaze on the mare listening rapt with fascination. “I have started this story here so that you understand what kind of a pony I once was; I do not want to leave you with a false impression of heroism or altruism on my part.”
“For years my sister and I fought this malignant being, losing far more battles than we won. In the end, after the pointless loss of thousands upon thousands of lives, we learned of artifacts that could enhance our powers and cast the foul creature from this realm. Procuring these items was no small matter but in the end we were able to obtain the artifacts and put them to use. Beyond that it is sufficient to say that we conquered our foe decisively. For our troubles the followers we’d amassed declared us rulers of all ponykind, a post we quite willingly claimed.
I’d like to say we took this position of power to protect the lives of these good-hearted ponies but our motives were less than pure. For generations we’d been de facto rulers to ponies that worshiped us and we’d grown quite accustomed to their reverence. It was incredibly easy to say yes and so it was that the rule of the two sisters began. For years we roamed across the lands that would later become Equestria and it felt like each day we encountered another herd or village that clamored for our guidance. In no time at all the foundation of Equestria was laid with me and Luna at the helm. And it is here that our story begins in earnest.
Early on Luna and I split our duties. I, as the living embodiment of the sun, took charge of stewarding its daily path and made myself responsible for all that occurred ‘neath its light—”
“The ‘living embodiment of the sun’?” The unicorn wrinkled her nose in consternation as she tried to understand what the strange pony meant. “When you say steward its path you mean that—”
“Amongst other things I am responsible for the daily rise and setting of the sun.”
“You? By yourself?” Twilight scoffed at the idea. “It’s impossible for one pony to move the sun. It takes hundreds of unicorns working in perfect unison at minimum to complete the daily cycles. I would know seeing as I’ve completed six tours of solar duty.” The vague sense of amusement bled away from the unicorn as the alicorn stared dispassionately back. Twilight considered the indisputably bizarre situation and reigned in on her natural skepticism despite the discomfort doing so caused. The idea of any one pony with that much power filled her with equal parts astonishment and fear. “It is impossible, right?”
“Very little is impossible, my little pony.”
The alicorn continued as if she’d never been interrupted. “As I held dominion over the day so too did my younger sister claim sovereignty over the moon, the night, and much more besides.” Celestia paused and fixed a stern eye on her guest as if daring the smaller mare to challenge her account once more. Twilight wisely kept any lingering doubts to herself. “Long years passed and very little changed for the two of us. Under our rule several hundred generations of ponies were able to live their lives happy and largely at peace. Sadly nothing lasts forever. While our ponies were always quick to show appreciation to me for the role I played safeguarding the day, Luna languished in the shadows, ignored at best by the very ponies whose esteem she should have held.
As each year dragged on my sister’s distress gave way to sorrow, which in turn brewed resentment, and ultimately festered into a mad hatred. I was not blind to Luna’s struggles. At first I did my best to bridge the gap between my sister and our subjects, though my attempts were clumsy and perhaps transparent at best. My efforts were spurned either by my oft-capricious sister or our stubborn ponies. It seemed at times that the more Luna tried to earn their favor the more they turned away; eventually she stopped trying and withdrew from her responsibilities as ruler. The more she withdrew from the world we had helped to shape, the more her burdens fell to my shoulders. As years turned to decades, turned to centuries, so too did my compassion chill to bitter indifference.
Driven mad as much by her continued isolation as by the weight of a multitude of slights from her subjects, Luna decided that if adoration would not be given when justly earned she would take it by force. My sister brokered a deal with an ancient force for power enough to defeat me in combat and cast the world into a nighttime eternal.”
Celestia closed her eyes as an age of guilt swept over her as keenly-felt as if these events had transpired mere minutes ago rather than a thousand years. The moment passed and the white mare opened her eyes once more determined to power through the rest of her tale. “She came to me, just before dawn one night, and demanded the sun be made to rest below the horizon until she and her night were given their due. I laughed at her.”
Actual tears of mirth began to form in her eyes clouding Celestia’s vision for but a moment. The slightly smaller mare stood her ground, the sound of her teeth grinding together was easily heard despite Celestia’s raucous laughter. The Sun Princess gathered her faculties and cast a poisonous glare at her reclusive nocturnal counterpart.
“Hast thou truly come before us but to render thyself a fool? For what earthly reason would we halt the Stellar Tides—for naught save thy wounded pride? That our subjects be forced to show honor and fealty for thy paltry orb? We wonder an any living pony recalls thy name, it having been centuries by our reckoning since thou hast deigned to grace us with thy presence. Halt the Tides for thee? Nay! Our gl’rious Sun shall rise this morn as e’ry other and we shall most generously put from our mind this piteous display of madness. Get thou hence from our sight and return to thy preferred state of seclusion. As ever we shall shoulder our ownself the burdens of our ponies.” The great mare turned to the balcony, her tail flicking the air dismissively as she went. “Return to thy precious night, Luna.”
Ether, blacker than a moonless night, welled up from the floor and began to consume the Moon Princess. Celestia, sensing the strange forces at work, turned and gaped at the sight before her. Instinctively her horn surged with magic as she moved to save her sister but the oppressive Darkness railed again her light. Seconds passed in tense silence as the Ether cleared and a soot-stained Luna, taller than a moment ago, stood before her. Celestia stood warily, wings spread slightly, ready to react to whatever folly her sister had in mind.
Teal eyes with a slit pupil slid open and when at last Luna spoke it was with a voice not her own. The black alicorn mare paced the length of the room with the uneasy ferocity of a caged beast.
“Truly, She spake justly when She foretold of our sister’s refusal to relinquish even the meanest morsel of her power—not even at our own, most reasonable request would the tyrant yield! O’ Celestia the Vainglorious, Bringer of the Dawn, astride her gilt throne of noxious, ill-gotten power! All that she doth possess she garners through lies and trickery at the expense of her own sister and still Celestia the False could not be troubled as to set aside a mere day to share in the splendor she hoards in much the same way a greedy dragon hoardeth coin. Now we see the true obstacle to our destined glory! The scales hath fallen from our very eyes—it be not the fault of our beloved ponies they, being mere mortals were wickedly led astray by the duplicitous nature thou hast kept hidden from us all.” Luna wheeled on her sister and addressed her directly for the first time. Celestia watched her with all the wary calm one might bestow upon an addled viper.
“For is it not true that when one stares too long ‘pon thy loathsome Sun one is struck blind to all else? We will open their eyes to the just glory of the night and we will begin with the end of Celestia, the Deceiver!” The mare that was no longer quite Luna reared up and lunged for her sister.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out in alarm as she batted her sister away with a buffet of her wing. “Take hold of thy senses, daft mare!”
A blue explosion of magical energy escaped the black horn on course to strike its target with all the force of a charging elephant. Celestia scarcely had a moment to redirect the blow meant to end her like toward the ceiling, completely blowing out the wall and ceiling as if the stone bore not a single enchantment. “Luna, please, hold fast. No matter what else we think thee we do not wish thee harm!”
The black mare, every bit Celestia’s equal in stature, took to the sky cackling with malicious glee. “We cannot say the same of our intent for thee, dear sister!” Another thunderous blast rent the air as—
“Celestia?”
The softy spoken word pierced the inner reaches of the alicorn’s mind and she flinched mightily. Celestia pieced together a reassuring smile which she then turned on her guest. “My apologies, Twilight Sparkle. Memory can be a powerful thing and though these terrible events occurred an age ago in some ways I can recall them as if they’d only just played out. When my sister came to me on that terrible dawn I laughed at her request and insulted her most deliberately.
It isn’t much of a defense but I feel I should explain. I had been, in effect, ruling alone for centuries. Luna missed much sequestered away in her quarters, many happy events surely but worse still she missed tragedies just the same. There was a war, nothing in the grand scheme of things but still our enemy was seemingly limitless; as with a hydra for each head we struck from the whole two grew in its place. I spent hours crying, begging, pleading to her better nature through her bedroom door but Luna would not be moved. When all was said and done my ponies and I won but at a great cost, so many more lives were lost due to her inaction. As enraged as I was grieved I posted a herald before her door to read a list naming every life needlessly lost, every murder I named her accomplice to.
To my knowledge in over three hundred years she’d never once left her room and for her to break her isolation for such a mean request? I am ashamed to say that every injurious thought I’d ever harbored against her demanded I refuse her petition with prejudice. As you can expect Luna did not take this well. Whatever ruinous calamity she’d treated with granted her stature and power enough to surpass my own. I don’t know what my sister gave up in the bargain—she seemed mad to be sure but I suspect the madness had been a companion long before their meeting.
For sunless days and moonless nights we fought, I’m not sure the exact length of time and our battle necessitated our full attention but I know it spanned several Tidal cycles. Much of our home and the surrounding city were lost in our bouts—whenever I possessed the advantage Luna would break off and endanger innocent lives to force me to abandon my efforts and allow her the time necessary to regroup. It seemed, for a while, that we would be forever caught in that stalemate; neither one of us being truly able to keep advantage in our battle long enough to dispatch the other.”
Smoke billowed upwards in great plumes as fires burned uncontested in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters; the ponies responsible for such tasks had long since fled the castle grounds and, Celestia hoped, the city proper moreover.
The Sun Princess could feel her opponent pulling energy together, rallying for another strike, and trusting in her instincts Celestia dove sharply. A blast, twisted and tainted with wild energies of Deep magic, lanced through the sky and easily cut through leeward side of the sole remaining Keep of the castle. Stone crumbled ‘neath the alicorn’s might and chariot-sized pieces of debris rained down forcing both mares to weave their way through the falling obstacles. Celestia banked a hard right and crashed through one of the Keep’s stained-glass windows. The moment she’d broken line of sight the Sun Princess teleported directly into a large plume of smoke she’d spotted earlier; if she’d timed it right she should now be directly behind her attacker. In the midst of the bizarre twilight she’d found herself locked in her white coat was a notable disadvantage; the towers of smoke were the most readily available hiding place.
The thing that both was and was not her sister took the bait eagerly, banking for the same window. Celestia’s horn glowed golden and in an instant a powerful, thin beam of magic lanced through the sky striking its target in the left wing. Perhaps the blow lacked the strength and damage capabilities of the bolts her opponent had been tossing around but it was a quicker and subtler magic—harder to detect and harder to avoid. The blow the landed counted for far more than blows that failed to find purchase.
Gracelessly the dark alicorn plowed directly into the castle’s stone walls, the force of the collision rattling wall and window alike. The nightmarish figure screamed in frustration before pushing off the wall and reversing her direction of attack.
Realizing the threat at hoof Celestia exited her cover and dropped like a stone, wings pulled in tight, using the controlled dive to dodge yet another devastating blow. As the ground approached at great spread the white mare snapped her wings open and turned her downward momentum into forward momentum. She wove in between the spires of the library as her mind whirled in a frenzy seeking out a way to end the battle without killing her sister.
Her inattention was swiftly repaid when Luna caught her in the back with the same sort of quick, directed attack she’d used moments before.
However unlike before Celestia was traveling at a much greater speed and her abrupt stop put her straight through the roof and landed her midst the Hall of Harmony. So great was the blow that Celestia was left on the ground insensate for several moments on the cusp of unconsciousness.
While she didn’t want to kill her sister it was becoming apparent to Celestia that the mare would not be deterred and could not be reasoned with.
She climbed once more to her hooves and prepared to take flight once more when a tapestry captured her attention from the corner of her eye, she knew this hall. The Elements of Harmony rested a mere pony length to her right in a hidden chamber beneath the floor.
The only time she had ever used the power of the Elements had been in conjunction with her sister when they faced off against Discord but if there was any force on this planet capable of staying a power-mad alicorn it would be found in those artifacts. Yes, perhaps there would be a way out of this that wouldn’t end in one or both their deaths.
Aware that she would not have long before her sister came looking to finish that which she’d set out to accomplish Celestia acted quickly.
The stone panels glowed with the golden light of the sun for a moment before sliding out of the way as the housing for the Elements of Harmony rose from the ground. Before the platform had fully risen into place Celestia had already swept the Elements into her grasp paying particular attention to the pink, six-pointed star that had already started to glow. Fortunately Magic was one of her Elements and there was a chance that she could use it just long enough to focus the others against Luna.
Celestia rose from the wreckage of her home for the final time, wings spread, eyes ablaze with a desperate fury. The Elements of Harmony hummed as they revolved around her, waiting to fulfill their purpose.
The hateful mare she had once called sister cackled madly when Celestia’s intent became clear. “So, it is to be ruin then? To use the Elements is to invite their judgment on us both! We’ve naught to hide for our course is the noble and true one; canst the same be said for thee, Celestia?” The wretched parasite using Luna as both host and habitat circled Celestia once before angling downwards, set on a collision course with the rising Sun Princess. As she drew once more from the Deep magic energy coalesced on the tip of her horn writhing, turning in on itself and growing in strength. “The night will last forever!”
A massive corona of energy, encompassing nearly every color of the rainbow, cut through the dark and twisted energy with ease. The moment the beam from the Elements of Harmony touched the nightmare’s horn time stopped. Celestia and Luna hung in midair, both at the mercy of the Elements now.
The air grew hot and oppressive all around them and it was then that Celestia knew there was truth to that thing’s words. She would not leave this battle unscathed.
In that last moment, before the world shattered, Celestia saw her sun rise once more. Peace filled the mare and she smiled.
“What did Luna mean when she said the Elements would judge you both?” Twilight asked after she’d taken a moment to digest the incredible story she’d heard.
“The Elements of Harmony are not conscious exactly, nor do they have a will to speak of. However having used them twice I can say that their agenda is to find balance. That means when engaged they…assess actions, after a fashion, and determine a course.”
“…So, what happened after you used the Elements?”
Celestia’s ears pinned back against her skull. “I don’t know. At least I have no way of knowing with any measure of certainty.” The white mare stood and made her way back to the altar where her journal lay. “I’ve had no contact with the outside world since that day. I can neither leave this place nor expand my senses to see beyond its walls. What I’ve had in excess, though, is time to reflect. While my sister’s actions that night may not have been entirely her own she is not blameless, but then again neither am I. Doubtless there was more I could have done to bridge the gap between my sister and our subjects. I could have shared my duties with her and placed her in situations to shine as I know she was capable of doing. I could have shared the admiration and devotion lavished upon me but instead I largely did nothing content to leave her to her own devices.
As a result of our action and inactions alike I believe the Elements saw fit to remove us both from Equestria, most likely in a manner befitting our sins. I was very much a meddler in the days of old; I had a vast network of informants supplying me with information on allies and enemies alike, while I may not have acted I did try to at least be aware of the goings on. Therefore as my punishment I believe I was cut off from my ponies deliberately, unable to observe or influence the course of history.
The bulk of my time since then has been spent rejoined with my sun, cut off from the world at large in a manner very similar to a dreamless sleep and any time not spent there is spent here, in this space that allows me to stretch my legs and reflect on the past. Luna’s punishment is more than likely similar by and large.”
“That sounds pretty terrible.” Twilight said, trying to imagine how she would cope with such a punishment. Not well was all that came to mind.
“Perhaps, but I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on worse punishments.” Celestia said with a shrug. By her best estimation it had been more than a thousand years since that night, and while that was a very long time it was definitely not as long as it could have been has one such as Twilight Sparkle not come along. “Besides, a very clever, adventurous mare has single-hoofedly rescued me from my fate. I’d like to think I’m a very lucky pony.” The former princess nudged the mare seated beside her with a teasing smile.
Twilight flushed a brilliant red, turned her head, and cleared her throat needlessly three or four times in quick succession. “Yes, well, we should, um,” she made the mistake of turning back and caught Celestia stretching her expansive wings, “we-should-probably-get-going-it’s-been-a-pretty-long-day-for-me-and-I-need-a-bed.” Twilight blurted out the words so quickly they didn’t really sound like Equish anymore. A heartbeat later her brain caught up with her mouth and her eyes widened. “Sleep! I meant I need sleep, which would ideally involve a bed, but the primary reason I would want a bed is to sleep. Sleep being a bed’s primary function.” She finished lamely.
Idly Twilight wondered if there was a bottomless pit she could hideaway in for an eternity or two. Eager for the conversation to end the scholar quickly led the way through the doorway and back into the corridor she’d traversed only a short time ago.
Celestia took pity on her new companion, deciding not to tease the mare relentlessly instead she followed her guide in silence with a minimal amount of smirking.
Her guide had only just passed the door’s threshold when she came to an abrupt halt. Twilight slowly turned and fixed Celestia with a look that was, bizarrely, equal parts apology and suspicion. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Celestia. I do believe you and I want to trust you but it’s that same instinct that makes me want to not trust you. It’s complicated and contradictory, I know.” While her gut told her the alicorn was trustworthy her brain needed more confirmation. “How do I know you’re not some sort of ancient being of unspeakable evil that I’ve accidentally freed that’s now going to plunge the world into darkness and suffering?”
“Is there an assurance I could offer that would lay your mind at ease?” Celestia asked, her voice ringing with mild amusement.
“Nothing comes immediately to mind.”
“Then I suppose you’re going to have to trust that everything I’ve told you has been the truth.”
Twilight was unmoved. “That’s exactly what a conniving ancient being of unspeakable evil would say.”
The mare bowed her head and held her massive horn in a horizontal line just touching Twilight’s chest. “I, Celestia, do hereby affirm that everything I’ve told Twilight Sparkle is the absolute truth as I know it. Furthermore I do solemnly swear on my life, my magic, and my soul that I am not an ancient being of unspeakable evil.”
The Oath hung in the air and made Twilight’s horn tingle in discomfort as the magic invoked settled. “Yep, that’ll do it.” She said, allowing Celestia to pass her.