“…stia? Celestia! Oh, please answer me!!” Celestia opened her eyes slowly, greeted by a sudden shining light. She squeezed them back shut, her head pounding. With a groan she slowly tried to rise to her hooves, but was suddenly dragged back down as Luna latched herself to her sister’s neck.
“I thought you were dead!” Luna wailed, pressing her face into Celestia’s coat.
“I’m fine,” Celestia murmured, stroking the little filly’s mane as she sobbed. Celestia finally opened her eyes to find that the sun was high in the sky. Startled, she looked around her. The entire area about them was completely flattened out, the trees reduced to splintered rubble, branches and clods of dirt flung everywhere. She pulled Luna closer, her heartbeat hastening. “What happened here?” she asked quietly, still looking around in amazement. The area that had been cleared was impressively large, as if something had taken a massive bite from the forest.
“I don’t really know, Tia,” Luna admitted, leaning back to look her sibling in the eyes, “but I think… I think you did this.”
“Me?” Celestia stood with a start, her legs wobbling. Something else could be felt as well, something strange and alien to her. Turning her head, Celestia found a pair of wings resting calmly at her sides. The filly gasped, flailing back onto her haunches. The muscles in her wings also acted, causing them to spread out as if she were about to take off. Luna’s eyes were wide in amazement as she stared at her sister. “What on earth are these doing here?” Celestia asked, feeling her head grow heavy with the immensity of the situation. She felt herself stand again and she began walking in circles, trying to get a better look at her new wings.
“That’s not all, Tia,” Luna said, trotting over to her sister’s side. “Look! Right here!” Casting her gaze to where Luna was motioning, Celestia found an image of the sun resting on her flank.
“My Talent Brand!” Celestia jumped into the air, instinctively flapping her wings as she hovered off the ground for a few moments before landing again. “I can’t believe it! My very own Talent Brand!” She jumped about on the ground before tackling her younger sister, rolling around on the ground as the two of them laughed. They eventually came to a stop, lying on their backs as they looked up into the sky. Celestia watched the clouds rolling by, joy and contentment welling up in her chest. Suddenly she stopped, sitting up and looking around. “Hey Lulu, how long has it been daytime?”
“Beats me,” she replied, rolling onto her belly. “The sun was up there when I woke up.” Celestia looked down at her flank, the image turning over and over in her mind. Her talent was… the sun? Surely that didn’t mean- Celestia’s thought process was interrupted when Luna prodded her side with a hoof.
“Sis, look. Somepony’s coming!” Celestia looked up to see an earth pony stallion trotting toward them. She stood up, raising her head high as he drew close. The stallion was a rusty red in color with a graying mane. He appeared to be an older individual, and on his flank was an image of a halfway unfurled map. Luna scooted closer to her sister, puffing out her chest as she tried to look the stallion in the eyes. The stallion looked both of them over, his eyes widening when he noticed the wings at Celestia’s side.
“You two have something to do with this, I suppose?” he asked quietly, motioning with a hoof to the flattened space where the forest used to be. Celestia nervously shifted around, looking down.
“I think so, sir,” she said.
“You think so? You don’t know?”
“No, not for sure. I’m sorry.” The earth pony sighed, turning to look up at the sky.
“S’pose you don’t know why the sun’s up at this hour either?” Celestia’s ears perked up.
“What do you mean, at this hour?” she asked, stepping forward to look him in the eyes. The stallion looked back at her, surprised.
“Why, it’s the middle of the night, you know! There was a big ‘ol flash ‘o light right around here and next thing you know the sun’s up like it’s high noon!” Celestia gasped, looking back at Luna, whose mouth was gaping open.
“That was me..?” she whispered, shaking her head. The stallion’s ears perked at this and he leaned forward.
“What wassat? It was you?” His eyes were wide with astonishment. Celestia looked back at her Talent Brand once more, feeling the dots in her head connecting. She turned back to the stallion with confidence.
“My sister and I were being chased by Timber Wolves here in the forest,” she explained. “We were surrounded, and I loosed a very large blast of magic. That magic must have been what caused the sun to rise, and what leveled the forest!” Luna was still gaping in amazement at her sister.
“And she grew wings, mister!” she chimed in. “Those weren’t there before we woke up, promise!” The stallion turned around for a moment and slid a hoof over his face, giving a sigh of pure exhaustion. Bringing his hoof back to the ground he turned to face them once more, his calm demeanor returned.
“Well then, it can’t be helped. I don’t know who you two are, but you can’t go into town now.”
“Why not?” Luna looked up at him with a confused look on her face.
“Everypony is in a real panic ‘cause of you two,” he explained, turning and starting to trot away. Celestia and Luna followed. “If you showed up now there’s no telling what they’d do.” He looked over his shoulder at the two sisters, who were covered in scratches and grime. “What are your names, kids?”
“I’m Celestia, and this is Luna.”
“Red.”
“Red what?” Luna asked.
“That’s my name. Red.”
“Ohhhhhh.” Celestia looked down at her sister and giggled a little before speeding up so she was right next to Red. She seemed to be exactly at his height. Though he was on the smaller side for an earth pony stallion, it was still surprising.
“Mister Red,” she started, still struggling to keep his pace, “I had to toss our bag with all our provisions back in the forest while the wolves were chasing us. I still have mine, but all we have now is a few maps and books.” Red cast a sideways glance at her, noticing how hard she was working to stay beside him and slowing slightly.
“You askin’ me to get you some food, kid?” he asked.
“I can pay you,” Celestia said. “Please, we won’t make it very far without food and water.” Red sighed, returning his focus to the path ahead of him.
“I’ll leave you just outside of town. It’ll take a while to gather everything, but I’ll get you what you need, don’t you worry.”
“Thank you, Red.”
The three of them had to walk a ways before they cleared the area of the forest that had been destroyed by Celestia’s burst of magic. As they went they had to climb over fallen logs and branches. It hurt Celestia to see how much she had destroyed, but it scared her as well. Had she always had that much potential? She could feel her magic coursing through her entire being, even now. It was an almost overwhelming feeling, filling her with more energy than she could bear. Once in a while her horn would sputter and emit a few sparks, providing only momentary relief from the sensation that was almost drowning her in its immensity.
Luna noticed her sister struggling and would force Red to stop once in a while. During these breaks Celestia would collapse to the ground, and she tried everything to get rid of the magical energy that had pent itself up inside her. The most effective method, she found, was to perform spells, and the more complicated the better. Celestia would levitate large objects, or teleport herself back and forth across a small distance. Red remained stoic throughout, though it was clear to Celestia that he had fear inside of him.
After some time they had reached a large river, and the group stopped to drink and rest for a while. The sun was now being lowered from the sky, undoubtedly by the unicorns back in Unicornia. Celestia watched it set while it was hastily replaced with the moon, and wondered if Clover the Clever was watching it too. Would Clover even have any idea it had been her own student that caused this accident?
“Hey, sis.” Celestia looked up to see Luna beside her. “How’s your magic? Do you need to teleport some more before we get moving again? Red says his village isn’t too far from here.” Celestia grinned, nuzzling her sister.
“I’ll be okay, thank you for asking though.” Luna leaned into her sister’s touch, only breaking away when they had to move on. Celestia could feel Luna’s fear as well. Though her sister kept close to her side, Luna was afraid. Neither of them had known the kind of power Celestia had, and it was indeed frightening, to say the least. Luna was keeping her head very well, Celestia had to give her that. The party traveled alongside the river for a while as the moon grew lower in the sky. Celestia could feel the dawn coming, and her whole body was tensed, waiting for the arrival of the sun. A light could soon be seen in the sky and Celestia stopped, focusing her attention on it. Something was off about the way it was coming up.
“Is somethin’ wrong?” Red called back, coming to a halt a little further ahead. Luna trotted up next to her sister, nudging her slightly.
“Come on Tia,” she said encouragingly. “Let’s just keep going.”
“No, wait-” Celestia kept her gaze fixed as the sun rose a little higher into the sky, then suddenly dropped slightly. Her wings flared out in alarm as she called out: “They can’t raise the sun! They used up all their magic fixing the mistake I made!” She looked frantically between Red and Luna, and then back at the sun, which was still struggling to break the dawn. “I have to raise it for them.”
“No, Tia wait!” Luna protested, jumping in front of her sister. “What happens if you lose control of your magic again?” Her sister’s face now freely conveyed her fear. This is what Luna had been worried about all along. “What if something bad happens to you?” Celestia leaned down to nuzzle her sister.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, I promise.” Celestia took a step back, giving her wings an experimental flap. “If I can get myself into the air, you two will be safe, even if I let loose too much magic,” she explained. Luna shook her head, stepping back a little.
“You just got those, Tia!” Luna said. “There’s no way you can fly!”
“I have to try!” With one mighty push from her wings, Celestia managed to lift herself from the ground. Confidence building by the moment, she flapped even harder, and looked down to see herself several feet from the ground. As she worked to stay airborne, Celestia began to focus all of her attention onto the sun, every fiber of her being fixed upon it. Magic began to flow from her horn, and she did her best to direct the energy onto the sun, though periodically waves of her magic would disperse into the air around her, causing a fair amount of turbulence. As her mane flowed back away from her face Celestia could see the sun slowly coming up over the horizon. She flapped her wings harder, keeping on its level as it rose higher into the sky. Her whole body was pulsing with power now, and she had trouble keeping the sun in a completely straight line as it rose, struggling as it wavered from left to right. It was almost righted now, and throwing her hooves up in one last push, Celestia raised the sun into its place. With that she felt her body lock up and she plummeted back toward the earth.
Celestia flapped her wings frantically, but the strain her body had undergone had left her in a weakened state. She had flown up quite high without her noticing it, and now she cursed herself for being so reckless. The ground grew close now, and Celestia tensed up her muscles as she prepared to crash. Quite suddenly, her body was enveloped in a mass of magic, and she slowed, only hitting the ground with a light thud. Though the fall had been dampened, Celestia fell to her side, wincing in pain. She looked up to see Luna bounding towards her, tears running down her face.
“Tia, you said nothing would happen!” she yelled, jumping onto her sister, front legs latched around Celestia’s neck. “You almost died!” Red ran up to their side, panting.
“Kid, you’re lucky your little sister caught you when she did!” he sputtered. Celestia looked down at Luna, who was nuzzled close.
“You did that levitation spell, Luna?” she asked in surprise. Luna only nodded, squeezing her tighter. Celestia started laughing, tearing up herself as she hugged her sister back. “I guess you payed attention during lessons after all, huh? I told you that you’d get the hang of your magic eventually.”
“You big meanie, you didn’t have to risk your life for me to get it!” Luna hit her sister with a hoof, her words muffled with her face buried completely in Celestia’s mane.
“I’m sorry,” Celestia muttered, still clutching her sister tightly. The group allowed themselves to rest for a while in the grass, still wet from the morning dew. The moisture clung to Celestia’s coat, and she lay basking in the morning light as it evaporated. Every bit of her ached from the strain it had taken to raise the sun. She no longer felt the constant burden of her magic overflowing, but Celestia could already sense it creeping back. They set off just before mid day, and before the afternoon set in a small village was in sight. Red pulled the sisters off of the path, leading them across a nearby stream and stopping them beneath a large weeping willow.
“I’ll leave you two here. Don’t move until I come back,” he said, turning to Celestia. “What all do you need?” The older filly quickly rummaged around in her bag, producing a small roll of parchment. She levitated it in the air as Red took it in his teeth.
“I wrote you a list while we were resting,” she explained. “Right after I raised the sun I had time to make one.” Red nodded, and without another word, he trotted off. Celestia felt herself collapse down into the soft grass, heaving a heavy sigh. The trip here had been absolutely exhausting, and she was more than ready to get some rest. Luna appeared tired as well, wandering towards the stream with mild interest. Celestia slid her saddle bags off, leaning back against the tree. The long branches of the weeping willow dipped down low to the ground, concealing the two sisters in a splotchy shade. Some of the leaves dipped all the way down into the stream, being pulled gently along with the current. Celestia closed her eyes, basking in the tiny rays of sun that peeked through the boughs to warm her coat. In the cool of the afternoon, she drifted off to sleep.
Celestia woke a short while later to find the sun beginning to fall lower in the sky. Luna had laid across her sister’s lap and was still sound asleep. Celestia used the time to write in her journal until her sister was roused from her sleep. The two of them waded about in the stream for a while to pass the time, and laid out in the grass to watch the sunset. Out in the open, Celestia could see the village a little more clearly than before. It appeared to be very small, with only a few very large buildings, one of them being a water mill beside the river they had traveled along. Just outside of town were golden fields of wheat, and ponies working in them, harvesting. Come nightfall, Red still had not returned, and Celestia listened to her sister point out the different constellations in the sky.
“Aw, man!” Luna said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “They messed up the trotting constellation again!” The filly pointed a hoof into the sky, connecting a few stars together. “See? There should be one more star just to the right of that one! They mess this up all the time!” Celestia giggled, patting her sister on the head.
“Don’t get too worked up about it, they have a lot to worry about already,” she told Luna. “Especially after today…” The two ponies remained quiet for a while, listening to the cicadas call out. It was a pleasant alternative to the silence between them. Luna nudged her sister, motioning toward the road.
“Hey, here comes Red,” she said, getting back to her hooves. The fillies trotted out to greet him, and he gave them a nod in greeting.
“Took a while to get everything without suspicion,” he explained. He lifted his saddlebags up and placed them on Luna, stepping back to allow Celestia to tighten them. “Everything you asked for should be in there. Water skins, oats, fruit.. I added some other things too, like bread and honey.” Celestia looked at him in surprise.
“Oh goodness, I don’t know if I can pay for all of that..” As she reached over to her saddlebags Red held up a hoof to stop her.
“No need,” he said quietly, giving her a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. You two need to save those bits.” Celestia nodded, thanking him quietly. Red led them to the outskirts of one of the fields of wheat, showing them a small path. “The farmers use this during harvest,” he explained. “If you travel all night you’ll make it to the other side before they notice you.”
“Thank you, Red, for all of this,” Celestia said, dipping her head in respect. “I wish there was something I could do for you in return.” Red chuckled, bringing up his hoof to lift her head.
“I can see you’re somethin’ special, kid,” he said, looking from Celestia to Luna. “Both of you are. I know a pony you need to see.”
“You do?” Luna asked. “Who is it?”
“I’ve heard he lives over yonder,” he explained, pointing to a mountain range off in the distance. “There’s supposedly a town at the base of the mountain called Spirit Springs. I’ve heard the ponies there know more about magic than any other pony in Equestria. If you’re lookin’ for answers about what’s goin’ on- and I’m sure you are- that’s where you want to be.” Celestia nodded, and turned to Luna.
“Come on Luna, let’s go.” Giving Red one last grateful nod, Celestia started down the trail. Luna followed close behind her, turning to wave goodbye.
“Thanks, Mister Red!” she called. Red waved back.
“Come and visit me some time, you hear?” As the sisters moved out of view, he sighed, shaking his head. “Travel safely, kids.”