//------------------------------//
// Mare Universi 
// Story: Mare Infinitum 
// by _twilightprincess_ 
//------------------------------//


Mare Universi


 


                The night was silent.


                Too silent.


                Luna was on her balcony, found atop the highest tower of the castle. She’s raised the moon merely an hour ago. Her brilliant blue and purple mane was carried by an unknown breeze. Her mane was speckled with stars, such as the ones in the sky. Her gaze, stern yet beautiful, powerful yet graceful, was watching over her sleeping kingdom.


                The moon shone bright, the stars her maids, and her beautiful glow was covering the whole of Equestria in a beautiful veil of silver moonlight. Candles burned, fires kept ponies warm, safe. But safe from what? Safe from the darkness.


                Luna’s expression changed. Her bright blue eyes now seemed cold, distant.


                “Humph”, she thought.” Yet another night. Yet another couple of wasted hours. I’ve spent so much time positioning the stars, making them look graceful, accentuating the moons beauty. Yet do they care? No, of course not. They never did, and they never will. But being angry won’t help, will it? It’s always been like this, ponies never appreciate my night nearly as much as Tia’s day. I…”


                She broke down, falling to the ground in a sobbing mess.


                “I JUST WANT TO BE LOVED!” she screamed. Her wail echoed through the night. It sounded like the moon itself was crying. She stayed there, ignoring the night’s duties, her sobs growing quieter.


                Sure enough, a soft knock was heard at her door. Luna couldn’t answer. She felt weak, fragile, as if made of glass. She figured it was a guard, so she permitted entrance. A white alicorn, her mane the colours of dawn. To anyone else, she was an imposing sight. To Luna, it was much more. She loved her sister. She fought her sister. She was banished to the moon by her sister. But… she loved her.


                Celestia approached the balcony, her hoofsteps barely heard. She knelt near Luna, covering her sister with her wing. She nuzzled her neck. They both stayed there, in a ying-yang formation. How long? Not certain.


                “Luna, you are loved. Ponies love the night just as much as the day. They wait impatiently so they can have campfires, so they can fall asleep next to each other, so they can watch the stars. I’ve been the one in the wrong all these years ago, sister. I let my pride overcome me. I was foolish, I forgot about you. I wish I could turn back time Luna. But the truth is, ponies love you. They love having you around for holidays, they love it when you visit their cities. Please don’t ever think you aren’t appreciated,” Celestia said. She stood up. “I love you, Lulu.”


                Luna slowly stood up. She avoided looking at Celestia.


                “Do you really think I believe yout? What you are telling me is nothing but petty lies to make me feel better! I AM NOT A FOAL! I am not anybody’s doormat, and I refuse to be called by you, who BANISHED me to the MOON for 1000 years, LULU!” Luna screamed.


Celestia watched in horror as her sister was being lifted up into the sky by the stars themselves.  Luna’s body was being covered by a veil of silver moonlight so bright, you couldn’t see her.


“I AM PRINCESS LUNA! Goddess of the night! Mistress of the moon and stars!” Luna screamed into the night. “I’ve fought angels and demons alike! I don’t fear chaos nor deception! I’ve lived for thousands of years, exterminated whole races and I will not be lied to like this! I’ve been hiding myself for far too long! You claim to know fear, Celestia? You think Nightmare Moon was as powerful as I can be? DO YOU? Well you are wrong! Without the elements of harmony you can do nothing to me! Nightmare Moon used the shadows as a source of power, yet I know better. Shadows disappear, but what doesn’t disappear is LIGHT! Not light from your precious sun, light from all the stars themselves! Your sun is merely one of the MILLIONS of stars out there that I raise every night! Do you think I’m not capable to handle another? DO YOU THINK I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO RULE EQUESTRIA ON MY OWN? The power you possess is merely a fraction of mine! Prepare to see true power!”


                Celestia’s eyes widened. Was her sister becoming Nightmare Moon again? No… she can’t be. But something happened. Something that had never happened before. Celestia, the ruler of Equestria, goddess of the day, was scared. She was scared for her ponies, scared for another millennium of loneliness, but she also realized something: she might be the one banished. It was her fault. She still thought she was more powerful. How foolish of her. Luna raised millions of stars, just like her sun every night. For the first time, the almighty Celestia realized how powerless she was.


                The veil of moonlight covering Luna was slowly fading. And Luna had changed. She was taller than Celestia, tall as their father. Her mane was endless, in it represented all the galaxies. Luna’s coat became a silvery-blue and her eyes were shining with blinding white light. Her jewelry was forged from stars themselves, with blue gems embedded in them. Luna looked a lot like their father, Osiris, creator of the moons and stars, forger of the worlds.


                Luna slowly descended, her huge wings, the tips silver, flapping. “Do you like me now sister?!” she said. Quickly Luna cast a spell, trying to get Celestia off of the balcony, presumably to her death.


                Celestia dodged the spell but she plunged, landing in Canterlot. Luna was quick to follow.


                “LUNA! NO! Please, wait!” Celestia plead, but to no avail. She was casting more and more spells, weakening Celestia. Soon, Celestia had no other choice but to start flying as fast a she could, in order to get away from her sister. Luna, knowing she would run away, was prepared. She flew as fast as she could toward her, but just as she was about to hit her, Celestia disappeared with a poof.


 


To Be Continued…