In a dark, lonely castle standing deep in the forest, a single light shone. Atop the highest tower, a dark blue alicorn stood, her magic focused heavenward, intent on completing her task. She had been working for some time, and her strength was beginning to falter. Her pale blue mane whipped wildly in the turbulence created by the magic she wielded. Her horn shone so brightly that, if it had not been for the illusionary magic surrounding the castle, the nearby ponies would have easily spotted it.
Finally perfect, thought Luna, placing the final star in just the right place, and it only took three hours this time! Whatever the townsfolk are celebrating tonight, they certainly tried harder than they ever have before. I hardly had to do anything!
She paused for a moment to catch her breath, brushing a displaced strand of her mane out of her face. She would need to thoroughly brush herself later. And after a quick whiff of herself, she decided on a bath as well. But despite her weariness, she was proud of herself. This was her most spectacular night yet! And all things considered, she wasn’t even as tired as she normally was.
Tia was right, I am getting better at this. Luna mused, Oh, she will be so proud of me!
After one final glance at her latest masterpiece, Luna entered the tower at a leisurely pace, humming a happy little tune as she descended the spiraling stairs to return to the castle. She was in no rush, as she had finished most of her share of the daily chores she shared with her sister earlier that day in order to have time to work on the night sky for tonight.
The only chore that remained for her could hardly considered as such, however. It was one of her favorites, after all. While her absolute favorite was aiding the ponies with the moon night sky if needed, there one other that came close: her garden.
Because the two sisters were more or less confined to the castle, it had proven difficult to purchase food from the local farmers. Their lack of any form of currency did not help in that regard. And there was little that grew in the forest that could be considered food to ponies, however there was much that could be used for various potions and medicines. So, long ago, Luna had set up her garden. It was placed in a section of the castle in which part of the ceiling had crumbled away (for this castle was even older than Luna or Celestia), and the room had use for little else.
As she passed through the long hallway lined with armors-which were most likely as old as the castle itself-, Luna realized that Celestia was nowhere to be found.
Where could Tia have gone? She wondered, Oh yes, she must have gone to that hilltop of hers. She’s been going quite often as of late. I hope she is feeling alright. She shook her head. What was she thinking? This was her elder sister Celestia, she was thinking about. Nothing ever bothered her. She would be fine.
These thoughts vanished as she entered the garden chamber. Oh, how she loved this room. The countless hours spend wandering about, tending these delicate plants to maturity. This garden had been the two sisters’ main source of sustenance for as long as they had been on their own. Celestia tried to her best to help, aiming the sun just so that it bathed the seedlings in the perfect amount of light, but Luna did most of the work.
Admittedly, it was rather small in comparison to the fields of the townsfolk, but it only needed to feed two ponies, so it was the perfect size for its intended purpose. Along the east and west sides, there were the food crops; carrots, tomatoes, corn, et cetera. And between the two was a small area for more…aesthetic plants. A few trees, hedges, and some pretty flowers. It was nice to have a place filled with green amongst the dull stone of the castle.
In order to gain the original seeds, Luna had been forced to sneak into a nearby town, and steal some from a distracted farmer. She never told this to Celestia, but she most likely knew anyway. Even though the elder alicorn disapproved of stealing and disobeying their parents’ wishes, it wasn’t as if Luna had done it for selfish reasons. They needed the food, and the farmer would never miss a few seeds. And after a time, the crops produced more that enough seeds to sustain itself each year.
Luna began walk amongst her fields, recasting a few spells that kept the soil hydrated here and there, and checking to make sure no pests had infested her charges. Not long ago, a swarm of parasprites had wandered past the castle’s defenses, and found their way into the garden. They had nearly destroyed everything when the little devils were discovered.
Luckily, she and Celestia had managed to drive them off before they had reached the center of the garden. Because if they had made it there, they surely would have eaten the crown jewels, so to speak, of her garden: the Moonlight Blossoms. The little flowers were her pride and joy, aside from the night sky of course. Through a combination of selective breeding and the occasional enchantment, Luna had managed to enable them to nearly entirely photosynthesize from moonlight. They also had an extraordinarily long lifespan, and stayed in bloom year round. As an unforeseen side effect, the unique flowers had developed a bluish hue, as well as emitting a soft glow. And they even gave off a special pollen that caused any living creature to glow themselves. While the effect was amusing at first, it had taken a while to create an antidote.
Tia was glowing for week after I found that little feature, Luna giggled at the memory, and she is still hesitant to go near them. Well, I did coat her favorite slide in the pollen. That may be a part of it.
The flowers seemed to be healthy, glowing in their usual shade. But something appeared to be different.
“Wait, are they glowing brighter than usual?” Luna wondered aloud. “Perhaps they are a new breed? No, that cannot be that, it is nowhere near the season for new blossoms…Could it perhaps be an omen? But what could it-”
Suddenly, a surge of pain swept over her like a wave, as if she had been trapped within a thundercloud.
What in the stupendous starry skies IS THIS!? She cried in mental anguish.
Luna was so dizzy could hardly stand, the world spun, and felt like she was about to vomit. She stumbled, almost falling onto her precious, delicate flowers, but managed to stagger away from the patch. Her teeth clenched so tightly she thought they may shatter. Again she stumbled, and collapsed, unable to stand against whatever force was assailing her. Her ears were ringing, louder and louder!
“Tia.” she whimpered, barely noticing the tears forming in her eyes, “Sister, help me…” Her wings began to flounder around on their own accord, like frightened, feathery fish.
Eventually, the ringing refined itself into a new sound.
Screams. Something was screaming.
Desperate to end this torture, she forced herself to stand, wildly turning her head from side to side, her barely focused eyes searching for the source of the cries. She saw nothing, no one. Only her garden. Where could it be coming from?
She glanced upwards, and witnessed a sight that turned her stomach, and reduced her nerves of steel to rubble. The stars, her stars, were up there, exploding into ironic, colorful displays. Each time one exploded, she felt as if someone had torn away a piece of her very soul. And with each detonation, the cries of those remaining grew louder, more desperate. Tears streamed down Luna’s face, helpless to stop whatever manner of beast or force responsible. The stars were afraid. The stars were dying.
It was horrifying.