They weren’t graves. At least, not in the traditional sense.
No, they were simply unmarked mounds of dirt to most ponies. Four barrow-mounds, unmoving, by a small river, clouded by the banks of rolling fog. Above them, drops of water rolled down the drooping branches of a willow tree. The grass was long and verdant, kept green by the constant flow of the stream as it ran off into the south, to parts unknown.
History cared not for those who were buried there; they had no names that were remembered. Every mention of them was lost to the unending ravages of time, and even ancient stone tablets bore no carvings of them. They simply didn’t exist to the current age of ponies.
Yet in the past, they had done so many things, accomplished so much. And they would never truly be forgotten.
A flash of white-gold magic erupted near the willow tree, suffusing the fog with light and causing it to glow in a remarkably beautiful way. It was followed in rapid time by a black void that opened through the world. From each emerged a pony, tall and lithe. The undisturbed grass was trodden underhoof for the first time in many centuries as they approached the burial mounds. Their faces were mournful, long muzzles set resolutely against the tears that threatened to spill from their eyes.
A few words passed between them as they deliberated something in muffled voices, and the smaller one leaned briefly against her companion as though she sought support. Resting her chin gently upon the smaller one’s mane, the larger one stood up straight and proud, her horn glowing with a golden radiance. All at once, the air parted above their heads, opening through the world to admit four small obelisks of gray stone. They were plain and undecorated, bar the small diamond-shaped gemstone laid into the front of each. In one, it was a fire opal that flickered with a gentle radiance. In another, it was an emerald, cleverly cut with a channel through the middle, into which was set a sliver of brown diamond. Dappled light swam just beneath the surface, giving a vague impression of movement. In the third rested a sapphire, light reflecting and refracting off it as though it were water, casting light through the air. Finally, the fourth proudly displayed a swirling slice of smoky quartz.
Wrapped in the brilliant golden aura, they navigated towards the mounds, each one planting itself into a raised piece of soil. The two onlookers watched solemnly, the only sound the faint rushing of the stream as it flickered by, and the occasional mournful cry of a dove that dared leave its nest in the cloud, rain and mist.
The smaller spoke first, in a voice that sounded far too loud for the world around them. “…Do you still remember the first time we met them, sister?”
Chuckling past the lump in her throat, the elder replied. “Of course. It’s not the kind of thing that somepony forgets in a hurry, Luna. Who was the first of them…?” For a moment, the air once again went still as she contemplated. “Ah, that’s right. It was Pyrrha. We met her atop the Cliffs of Clover.”
A bittersweet smile leapt to Luna’s muzzle. “Do you remember the Siege of the Cliffs, Tia? Remember when General Bastion called for a battle formation and we had no idea what that even was?”
A shudder ran through Celestia’s body, her white coat standing up ever so slightly. “So many died that day, Luna. So, so many. Even more when Trottingham fell. Sometimes in my dreams, I can still see the gate smashing open, you know. I can still hear Bastion trying to hold the line before he was cut off by that arrow. I can still feel the stones underneath my hooves during the desperate flight as the city burned.” She swallowed. “We were cowards, Luna. We could’ve stayed, we could’ve fought. We just ran. We were cowards.”
Laying a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, Luna shook her head. “It was necessary, Tia. You know that as well as I. There were simply too many of them, and what we were doing was too important for us to die.”
“I know, Luna, I know.” Replied Celestia wearily. “Even still, such loss of life and hope…so many ponies silenced in such a short time…it pains me to think about, Luna.”
The smaller alicorn’s response was instant, and not without a hint of vindictiveness. “Yet you still came out here with me quite willingly. Care to tell me why?”
A sigh. “I…feel as thought they deserve better, more than four unmarked mounds under a willow tree. What we did would never have come to pass without them.”
Luna spread a wing over Celestia's back in a gesture of comfort and dropped her head. "I know, Tia. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."
They stayed like that for a long time, before Celestia coughed out a tiny laugh. "Do you...do you recall when Pyrrha got lost in the brambles of Running Rock Ridge?"
A smile leapt to Luna's face. "Of course; she nearly burned the entire forest down with that fire magic of hers. Terra thought it was the funniest thing when Pyrrha finally stumbled out. Said she looked like a filly who'd gotten lost in the woods behind her house and decided to burn everything to the ground." She gave vent to a dry chuckle. "I never did understand her sense of humor."
Celestia smiled faintly. "It's not as though humor was her strong suit. Do you remember what we ate before we found her and realized that she could actually cook with some degree of competency?"
"I'm not sure I want to," Luna replied with a grin. "I think I'd prefer those memories to never resurface."
"Oh, come on, Luna," Celestia protested, "it wasn't quite that bad..."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "You mixed firespice and sweetroot together and put them in our trail food."
"I was just trying to...spice it up a little, that's all. It seemed boring!"
The younger sister sniggered. "Spice up? I think you mean sabotage. I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for weeks!"
They shared a quick laugh before they once again sank beneath the subdued mood, sitting beside each other in pensive silence. After many minutes, it was Luna who broke it. "Tell me, Tia, why did we bury them here and not in Canterlot? They would have a tomb of the highest honor, after all. it seems a shame."
Without turning, Celestia replied, "I...I cannot quite remember. I remember a particular fondness for the willow tree between Terra and Aqua, though, so perhaps that has something to do with it. I never enjoyed them all that much; they seem so melancholy, the way their branches droop." A distraught expression spread over her face, and she buried it in the crook of a white leg. "I can't remember their faces, Luna. It's been so long and we've seen so much that I can't even remember what they looked like." Glimmering droplets of water rolled down her face, falling to the ground with muted plips.
Luna smiled slightly. "Would you like to remember?"
A cool blue glow spread from her horn, delineating a precise square in the air in front of her. Slowly, it began to cloud over, bleeding into an opaque array of wild colors, which began to morph, arranging themselves into a still frame.
Feeling the magic in the air, Celestia looked up, peeking out from behind her leg. As soon as she saw the image portrayed in the small box in the air, that same leg flew to her mouth and fresh tears began to leak liberally from her eyes. "Oh, Luna..."
It was an image of six mares laughing together on a wooded trail, young and sleek, with bright, happy eyes. In the back was a bright green earth pony mare with brown eyes, mane and tail, her coat rippling with pronounced muscles. Standing next to and in front of her, partially blocking the shot, was a slim, small pegasus, coat, mane and tail varying shades of gray. She was jumping exuberantly in the air, seemingly unable to keep still. Beside her stood a brilliant orange unicorn, her face sitting between unamused and irritated, partially due to the bright blue earth pony that was tickling her neck with a white feather. Finally, standing in front were two smiling sisters, one a navy blue unicorn with a powder-blue mane, one a snow-white pegasus with a mane pink as the first kiss of dawn, talking and laughing together.
Celestia stepped tentatively forward and reached out a hoof to the image as though she could touch it, memories of long-passed days clawing at her mind. Yet as her hoof made contact, it simply passed through the insubstantial frame. "I...How long have you kept this?"
With a mournful smile on her face, Luna stepped up to her sister, placing a hoof on her back. "Since that day. I never let this memory go."
WIth that, Celestia broke down into open sobbing, throwing herself at her sister and wrapping her forehooves around her as she wailed. Luna softly enclosed her with hooves and wings, murmuring an old lullaby into her elder sister's ear.
They remained as such for many hours, simply locked in a sisterly embrace. At last, Luna decided that it was time to go back. Opening another gap in space like the one she first entered by, she led her still red-eyed sister through. She stopped for a moment as she put her hoof into the portal, gazing back at the picture as it vanished.
"See you later, old friends.