Luna and I have been under the care and training of Rosewood the Enchanter for many moons now. The time has flown by very quickly for the both of us, I sincerely apologize for not keeping up with my writings. When the two of us arrived here at the beginning of autumn, I admit we had both been a little sceptical of the methods used here, but in hindsight I see that deciding to stay was the right choice. I have learned about all the different types of magic in our world and how to recognize and use them. Both Luna and I have written many reports on these matters, which I will leave in the journal for later reference.
Other than our studies, our lives have been good. We have access to an extensive and ancient library and have very powerful magical mentors. I have a safe environment to practice my magic in with as much support as I could have ever wanted. Luna has less interest in magic and more in the stars, and spends almost every night in the observatory. We have everything we could have ever wanted, and yet I still feel restless…
Nevertheless, our studies must continue on. This is, after all, what Clover wanted for us. Spring has just begun now, and everyone in Spirit Springs must play their part in
Celestia sighed, releasing the quill from the clutches of her magic, letting it drop to the desk before her. It had been a while since she had written in her journal. She walked slowly over to a nearby window, looking down out on the town below. The second floor of the town hall was very high up, giving her a good view of the street. A thin, powdery snow laid a light blanket over the roofs and trees. Only a few blotches of snowmelt could be seen on the ground. With spring coming in the air had grown warmer, and soon all of the snow would be gone. A few ponies were out and about this morning, some foals having a snowball fight between the trees.
The filly moved away from the window, facing her room. It was a small room, just next to the library. It had only a few furnishments; a bed, a bookcase, a chest of drawers, and a writing desk. There was an old tattered rug in the center of the room, faded from many hooves passing over it. Though all of the rooms were in essence the same, Celestia’s was completely cluttered, books and papers too numerous to fit her bookcase scattered across the floor. She heaved another sigh, stepping around the mess to her door, exiting into the hallway. She glanced toward the room next to hers: Luna’s room. Her sister was almost never there, always running around town doing something or other.
Making her way down the stairs, Celestia found Rosewood on the ground floor of the town hall. There were a few other groups of ponies here and there, but he was not engaged with any of them, absently wandering about. Once he caught sight of Celestia he smiled, using a hoof to beckon her over. The alicorn took flight from the stairs, fluttering down to the floor beside him. Everyone in Spirit Springs knew and accepted the fact that she had wings, and she never passed up a chance to to exercise them.
“Good morning,” she said, respectfully dipping her head. When she came back up, Celestia realized that she had grown a little taller than the stallion, and could look down onto him. Rosewood smiled, gesturing to her mane.
“You’ve got some interesting colors there,” he remarked. “Where did those come from?” The normally pink mane that she wore had begun to show streaks of pastel blue and green at its roots, though the color did not persist all the way to the end, which trailed down just past her shoulders now.
“I’m not sure, really,” Celestia admitted, swiping her hoof through her mane. “They just started appearing a little while ago. I think it might have something to do with my magic.”
“Hm, so you don’t know? I was hoping you’d tell me your secret,” Rosewood jested, gently nudging her with a hoof. “Goodness knows what I would give for my mane to turn more vibrant rather than silver!” Celestia laughed a little at this, drawing a hoof over her mouth. It was nice to be able to joke with her mentor so openly. There was a sudden outburst at the front door, and she looked up to see Luna come running in, a few old looking books levitating beside her.
“Sorry I’m late, Rosy!” she called, skidding to a halt in front of him. “I brought those books you wanted me to get from Tansy Tea though!” Luna dropped the books to the floor with a triumphant smirk, a little cloud of dust billowing out from the pages when they hit the ground. Rosewood waved a hoof in front of him to clear the dust, coughing a little.
“Ah yes, thank you,” he managed through a few light coughs, straightening himself out. “The reason I didn’t tell you why I wanted them is because I have an assignment for you and your sister.” Celestia’s ears perked excitedly, while Luna let out an audible groan. Rosewood seemed amused at the younger sister’s blunt display of discontent. “Now now, Luna, I have a feeling you will enjoy this kind of assignment, as unbelievable as it may sound. I need you two to do something very important for me.” The stallion produced a tattered letter from his cloak, holding in front of him so the sisters could see. “I just received this letter from a friend in Pegasopolis asking for a loan on one of my particularly hard to find weather books. Now, I don’t usually loan this book out to anypony, but for her I will make an exception.”
“You made an exception for Tansy Tea, too,” Luna added. Celestia shot her sister an annoyed look, but Luna just shrugged, giggling. There was no comment from their mentor, and he continued on.
“What I need is for the two of you to deliver this book to her. You are my most trusted students, and I cannot think of anypony else I would rather have to deliver this.” It was Celestia who interrupted him this time.
“Not that we aren’t honored, sir, but it won’t be possible for both of us to make this trip. Luna is only a unicorn, it’s impossible for her to walk on the clouds!”
“Ah, never say something is impossible, Celestia!” Taking a book from the pile, Rosewood the Enchanter flipped to a certain page and handed the book over to his student, using a hoof to point out a spell on the bottom of one of the pages. “Here is a spell that grants any pony without wings the ability to walk on clouds. I had Luna fetch this book specifically for this spell.”
“Yes!!” Luna cheered, pumping her hoof. She did a little dance around the room, excitedly carrying on about how she got to go to Pegasopolis. Celestia shook her head, a smile creeping across her muzzle as she watched her sister. Rosewood tapped her on the shoulder, returning her attention to the stallion in front of her.
“Celestia, I will leave you in charge of this trip. I trust you will do the right thing if something goes awry. It should not be hard to find my friend. Her name is Stormwatch. If she gives you any trouble, just tell her you were sent by me.” Celestia stood up a little straighter, accepting the assignment with a confident smile.
“Don’t worry, Rosewood. You can count on me.”
After Luna had calmed down, the sisters went up to the library, where Celestia cast the cloudwalking spell on Luna. The unicorn was still incredibly fidgety, and it took her sibling a huge amount of concentration to accurately cast the spell. Afterwards they headed into Celestia’s room to pack for the trip. Luna made more than her fair share of passes at the condition of the room, which Celestia retaliated very weakly. There really were no excuses to be made as to why it looked like a tornado had torn through the alicorn’s room, but she found some to make nonetheless.
Celestia left her room, saddlebags strapped tightly to her side. Within them were the books Luna had brought; both the book for Stormwatch and the spellbook. If the spell on Luna began to wear off, it would be crucial to re-cast the spell as soon as possible. Along with the books were a few bits and some food and drink. Celestia didn’t know how long the two of them would be gone, and liked to be prepared. Luna carried nothing at all, and galloped alongside her sister down the stairs, completely ignoring Rosewood as she made a beeline for door. Celestia stopped for a moment beside her mentor, bidding him farewell.
“Good luck, you two,” he called as the sisters left town hall. Once outside in the spring air, Celestia spread her wings out, stretching them by giving a few experimental flaps. Once she was ready she gave a nod to her sister, who clambered obediently onto her back.
“You sure this is gunna work, Tia?” she whispered into the alicorn’s ear. “I mean, are you really strong enough to carry me all the way to Pegasopolis?”
“Only one way to find out.” Without another word Celestia gave a mighty flap of her wings. Her hooves easily cleared the ground, and with a few more flaps she began to rise higher into the air. Luna’s grip around her neck tightened. Spirit Springs grew smaller and smaller below them, and a draft of wind began to catch itself beneath Celestia’s feathers. Straightening her wings out to the sides she began to glide easily, only flapping now and then to keep her altitude steady. Once they had straightened out Luna heaved a sigh of relief, still holding tightly to her sister.
“I had no idea flying was like this,” she admitted, looking over the side to gaze at the ground below. “It’s… really cool!” Luna gave a loud cheer as they soared over a group of clouds. Celestia laughed, feeling her anxieties begin to melt away. She had admittedly been worried that Luna’s weight would have been a little much for her, but now that they were gliding it was much easier to handle.
“Why don’t you get out the map and help me navigate, Lulu?” she asked, giving a little glance over her shoulder at her sister. The unicorn nodded, reaching around her sister’s wings to reach the saddlebags. Celestia kept her wings steady as her sister fumbled around, and they were beginning to drop when she had finally secured the map. She righted herself with a few quick beats of her wings. The flapping of the map could be heard quite loudly behind her.
“Alright Tia, here’s the deal. Looks like Pegasopolis is right on the other side of Unicornia Mountain, so if we head towards that and go around we should make it,” Luna explained, pointing a hoof past her sister’s head toward the looming mountain in the distance. Even though the sisters were high in the air the peak still towered high into the atmosphere, the very top completely obscured by clouds.
“Sounds good to me,” Celestia replied, keeping still as her sister put the fluttering map back into the saddlebags. “You’d better sit tight back there, it’s going to be a long ride.” The first leg of the trip was simple enough for the two of them. Luna was enjoying herself immensely, pointing out all of the major landmarks on the ground below to her sister, and often engaging her in very lengthy and detailed games of ‘I spy with my little eye.’ These merriments kept Celestia’s mind off of her fatigue, but after a while she had to admit that she needed a rest. After a little while longer of flying they reached Unicornia Mountain, and the alicorn landed on the first plateau she found to take a rest.
Once on stable ground she collapsed, her wings open and lying on the ground. Luna clambered off, a little shaky as she adjusted to being on solid ground again. Celestia removed her saddlebags and rolled over into her side, panting in her exhaustion. Luna opened them up, levitating one of the water skins over to her sister, who grabbed it and began gulping it down. The unicorn sat towards the edge, looking out over the land.
“It’s awful high up,” she started. With no reply from Celestia, she continued on. “It’s almost like I can see the whole world from up here. See, there’s the forest we got chased through, and that big hole you blew in it when you got your Talent Brand! And those are the farms we went past on the way to Spirit Springs…” She kicked a few pebbles over the edge, watching them fall down the face of the mountain. “...we should have stopped in Unicornia.” Celestia pulled the water skin away from her muzzle, gasping gently for air.
“Just because we’re on Unicornia Mountain doesn’t mean we’re close to Unicornia. The city is still several miles away, and we don’t have time to visit.” It pained Celestia to say it, but it was the truth. “It’s not like I don’t want to see Clover too, you know. I miss her just as much as you.” Luna was silent for a moment, kicking a few more pebbles over the edge. She eventually got up and walked back to her sister, plopping down on the stone beside her with a smile.
“I know. Let’s rest up and get going then, okay?” Celestia nodded, giving Luna an affectionate nuzzle. The two of them remained on the plateau for a little while longer while Celestia regained her strength. Soon enough though, they were off again, the alicorn getting a running start off the edge of the mountain, dropping down into the sky before soaring back up into the clouds.
The air around Unicornia Mountain was cold, and Celestia could feel her sister nuzzling closer into her mane. The wind was whipping past them, billowing beneath Celestia’s outstretched wings. The draft carried the two of them higher into a bank of clouds, and her body passed easily through them, tufts of cloud swirling out from beneath her wings. Luna reached over the side with a hoof, giggling in delight as the cloud swirled around her leg, leaving a clear path behind it.
“It feels cold, Tia!” she said, withdrawing her leg and wrapping it back around her sister’s neck.
“Clouds in the mountains usually are,” Celestia explained, giving a flap of her wings to send more vapor up into the air. They quickly soared back out of the cloud bank, and in the clear sky they could see the mountain once again. As they continued to make their way around the outside, something came into view on the slopes. “Look, Luna, there’s Unicornia!” Just as Celestia had said, the city of Unicornia slowly began to grow as they drew nearer. The entire city was built around the base of the mountain, Unicornia Castle being on a large hill overlooking the place with an ancient sort of authority. The sisters were still very high in the sky, and the sprawling city looked incredibly small from where they were.
“Heeeeey, Clover!!!” Celestia cringed at the volume of her sister’s shrieking. How a pony so small could create so much noise she would never know. “It’s us, Luna and Celestia!! We miss you!!!!!!!” The unicorn heaved a deep breath, clinging tightly to her sister. “You think she heard me, sis?”
“I’m sure she did, so please don’t yell again.”
They continued to round the mountain, and their home town slowly faded away from view. Despite this, there wasn’t a moment to reminisce, for in the distance a huge city of clouds appeared in the sky.
“Is that Pegasopolis?” Luna asked, a hint of awe in her voice.
“It must be,” her sister replied, feeling a rush of excitement pulse through her entire being. “What are we waiting around here for? Let’s go!” Celestia heaved a mighty flap of her wings and she sped off toward the city. She hadn’t felt this kind of enthusiasm since she had first left home all those months ago. Luna clung to her sister for dear life, still whooping and hollering. This only spurred Celestia on, and they closed in on the city within minutes.
The architecture of Pegasopolis was nothing short of amazing. Columns of clouds towered high into the air, and everywhere that Celestia looked she could see expertly sculpted classical-looking cloud buildings. She landed on what appeared to be a large pathway, and all around were pegasus ponies trotting along the clouds and flying around. Luna still clung tightly to her sister, not making any moves to get off.
“Lulu, you need to get off,” Celestia said, turning to look at the unicorn filly. “Remember, I cast the cloudwalking spell on you, so you’ll be fine.” Luna gave a ginger nod, and slowly slid off her sister’s rump, clinging to the alicorn’s tail as she set her back legs onto the cloud. After a few seconds of standing she lowered her front legs down as well, and took nervous steps up to stand beside Celestia.
“It feels like I’m sinking into it,” she admitted nervously, taking a few more experimental paces this way and that. By now a few pegasi had noticed the newcomers and were giving them strange looks. There was no doubt that the sisters looked very out of place in the floating city. This was quite unnerving to Celestia. She had never been out in public with both her wings and horn in plain sight, and it was not turning out to be a very pleasurable experience so far.
“Come on Luna,” she whispered, starting to walk away. “Let’s just find this Stormwatch pony and get out of here.”
Pegasopolis was much, much larger than Celestia had anticipated it would be. Despite the unique architecture, she found that everything looked the same to her, and the sisters spent quite a long time wandering about the streets. Moving about wasn’t as easy as she had thought, either. There were many places where the path would simply end to give way to open air, and lots of the buildings were floating above street level on their own personal cloud banks. Luna almost wandered off the edge a few more times than Celestia would have liked, though her younger sister didn’t seem to mind much at all. Celestia suspected that she had always dreamed of coming to Pegasopolis, and the filly was practically giddy with excitement.
Pegasus foals would stop their parents to point out the strange tourists in their city, much to the discomfort of their caretakers. Celestia almost felt unwelcome here, though it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Pegasi were the only type of pony that were supposed to be here, after all. She personally felt that it would have been strange if they hadn’t been alienated.
“Excuse me, miss?” Celestia came to a stop, turning around to see a pegasus guard approaching her. She was dressed from head to hoof in very impressive looking armor, a huge mohawk of fake hair crowning the helmet on her head.
“Oh, great,” Celestia muttered under her breath, straightening herself up when the guard came close. “Yes? Is there something the matter?”
“Well… not particularly, but…” The guard hesitated. Did she look nervous? “Are you and your companion here lost?”
“Uhm, yes we are. How could you tell?”
“You’ve walked past this same spot three times…” Celestia felt a blush grow on her cheeks. Had they really been walking in circles this whole time? Luna came up to the guard, finally having noticed that her sister had stopped.
“Woah, cooooool!” The filly walked all around the guard, marveling at her armor. “You look awesome!” The pegasus seemed rather uncomfortable at all of the attention she was recieving, looking to Celestia for help. The alicorn noticed this soon enough and withdrew her awestruck sister, holding Luna back with a hoof as she continued to gawk.
“I’m awfully sorry to have bothered you,” Celestia said, dipping her head apologetically. “If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask one small favor of you?”
“But of course. What is it?”
“I’m looking for somepony named Stormwatch. I have a delivery for her from Rosewood the Enchanter, but I have no idea where to find her, truthfully.” The guard gave a little ‘ohhh’ of understanding.
“That explains a lot,” she admitted, giving a flap of her wings. “Come, follow me, and I’ll take you right to her. She’s been expecting you.” Celestia levitated her sister onto her back, spreading her wings out as well.
“Thank you ever so much! Lead the way!”