Endless Sky

by Algorhythm

Chapter 1

-1-

A light summer breeze passed through branches of the great library in Ponyville. The hollow tree inched to the left and right, reaching towards the last light of the setting sun. All of the windows were open, with the sounds of excited ponies escaping into the air. Shortly following yells of delight was the voice of another, much more tired pony.

“You can’t catch me!”

“Nuh, uh!”

“Girls! Settle down!”

A light blue pegasus darted around the library, ducking flying books and pillows as they soared through the air. Her body spun through the air, soaring through the room, landing in front of the door to the kitchen. One of the fillies careened out of the way, skidding into the wall, while the other trotted over laughing, tapping her with her hoof.

“Gotcha.” She announced. Her darker mane fell to the side, showing a wide grin. The soft glow behind her red and purple eyes brightened and faded with each laugh.

The other filly pouted, “Aw...” Her yellow-orange eyes stared up at the pegasus.

“Ok, girls. Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’ll read you a story.”

The two of them smiled and darted up the stairs. Those fillies were a handful, but they were great to have around. It kept her mind off of the past. Plus, Princess Luna had requested her to watch them while they went to school in Ponyville – something about being away from politicians.

“Auntie Rainbow! Can I borrow your hair brush?”

Rainbow Dash smiled weakly at the gesture. She had to admit; getting used to being called “Aunt” anything wasn’t easy. “That’s fine,” she answered back. The cyan pegasus trotted around the room, picking up a couple of books with her teeth. She tucked them into the crook of her wing, loading as much as she could before putting them back on the shelves.

A small smile played on her lips. Many times she had crashed unceremoniously into the same shelves that she was now meticulously fixing. Twilight was always upset when she did that, and as usual, Rainbow was reminded why.

The two fillies that made the mess were the last part of Twilight Sparkle’s memory in Ponyville, other than the library. They were twins – rare in Equestria and made rarer still because they were alicorns. Twilight and Princess Luna had performed a particular spell called a “sharing” which allowed Luna to carry their fillies. They had also inherited the Element of Magic from Twilight. All before…

Rainbow’s emotions threatened her level head once more. She forced them back into her state of calm. It had only been a few years since Twilight was killed, and she was still inconsolable at times. The twins had been the biggest factor in helping her move on. They had grown on her significantly since she had met them; she felt as though she were as much of a mother to them as Luna was.

“We’re ready!” The two twins shouted in unison.

Rainbow smiled and lifted herself off of the floor, flying up the stairs into their room. The decorations were exactly the same as when Twilight had lived in the library, save for Spike’s bed. After Twilight… died, Celestia took over for caring for him. Nopony had seen him since, but the light blue Pegasus didn’t question it. She hadn’t gone back to Canterlot since.

Rainbow shook her head slightly to get the thoughts out of her head. Her teeth closed around a small book she had read to them many times before. Turning around, she hovered over to their bed – Twilight’s old bed.

“Um, Aunt Rainbow?” The lightly spoken voice came from Dusk. While the twins had the same indigo coat, their eyes set them apart. Her eyes were a light red-purple, and her mane – which used to fade darker at the ends – was now a deep blue, with cyan streaks. She kept it long, spending tons of time brushing it before bed, and after she woke up. Rarity practically fawned over it the last time she saw her. “We wanted to hear about our other mom, Twilight Sparkle.”

Rainbow looked at her quizzically for a moment. In all the time she had taken care of them, they had never asked to hear more about Twilight. She knew Luna had told them plenty about what had happened that night, and Celestia had told them stories about Twilight’s childhood. She put the book on the floor and looked back at the two of them. Hesitantly she began, “Well… what do you want to know?”

“The story of how she saved Aunt Celly!” Her excitement boiled over at the end of every word.

“It must have been totally cool!” The other twin was nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. Her name was Dawn, and she was the more active and friendly of the two fillies. While her sister took after her parents, becoming a studious young filly who loved books, Dawn wanted to be more like Rainbow Dash. Her mane and tail was the opposite of Dusk’s – light blue, like the sky, with darker strands spread throughout. It was unkempt, and stuck out all over the place, occasionally spiking upwards. Her eyes were a bright red-orange, much like the rising sun.

“I… I don’t know,” Rainbow stuttered. “It has some cool parts, but… I’m not sure you’re old enough to hear it.”

“Please!?” They both moved as close as they could towards Rainbow, giving her a look like Winona begging for a treat after a trick. Needless to say, she couldn’t resist that face – the twins knew it too.

“Fine,” she said. They both cheered, clapping their hooves together. Rainbow held up a hoof to quiet them down, “But just remember: you can’t tell your mom I told you.”

The twins nodded.

Rainbow cleared her throat, “It all began on a cold winter day. I was trying to keep the snow light so that there wouldn’t be a blizzard that day. Up in the clouds, I noticed that the Princess’ chariot was slowly coming down the road. Naturally, I thought it was an unexpected visit from the Princess, so I went to tell Twilight.

“When we went outside to see what it was… it wasn’t what we expected. The princess had fallen into a deep sleep. I didn’t find out until the next day, after she had helped protect your other mom from a pony named Starfall.”

“Wasn’t he the bad pony who took mommy’s place?” Dusk asked.

Rainbow nodded, “Yup. I see your mom already talked about it.” Dusk nodded. Rainbow continued, “Well, he tried to capture your mom, but her brave guard-”

“Sky Shroud! The bravest royal guard ever!” Dawn interrupted.

“Yes, Sky Shroud. He protected her from Starfall’s evil minions until they could escape. That’s when they found safety in this library.

“That night was when Twilight and I found out that Princess Celestia was asleep. So we created a plan to wake her up. We zoomed out of Ponyville the next day, and while I went to Cloudsdale, Twilight went with Luna to the ruins of an ancient city.

“They searched and searched until they found the spell they needed to wake up Celestia. They worked every day to build that spell, adding magic when they had the strength, just so that they could save Equestria.

“But it wasn’t as fast as it needed to be. Not even a week after Celestia fell asleep, Starfall came to take away Cloudsdale. Brave pegasi flew to the sky trying to stop them. But then, POOF!” The two alicorns jumped, “They used their magic to make Cloudsdale vanish forever. I was flying away so fast, that I lost my balance, and fell.

“But that’s when Luna came to save me. I was wandering around, tired and lost in the Everfree Forest, barely able to stand or walk.”

Screams ripped through the air from all directions. Pegasi clashed with one another above the cloud city, firing indiscriminately on the fleeing citizens below. Black magic spread through the clouds paralyzing anypony it touched and sending them falling to the ground below.

“But Luna flew me back to the ruins, where Twilight helped her fix me up. They bandaged my wings so I they could rest while I was there. But, even though I couldn’t fly, I could help them with their big plan to save Celestia.”

“Ooo,” the twins said.

“What did Twilight do?” Dawn asked.

“She volunteered herself for the most dangerous part of the plan. She snuck into Ponyville and acted as though she was casting the big spell. That’s when the guards showed up. Twilight needed to stop them from finding out that Luna was casting the waking spell. Her magic was her defense.”

“BAM! Her magic stopped one of Starfall’s minions, sending him onto his flanks. They fired nets at her, and she flung them away. They used their muscles to try and stop her, but she used her magic, blocking each and every one of them.” Rainbow was up on her hooves, swinging her hooves around as if she were Twilight. “Everything was going perfect until he showed up.

“Starfall came with his sidekick, Dynasty, and hurled spells at her shield. But Twilight didn’t give up. She kept blocking and absorbing every hit, even flinging her own magic back.” Rainbow reared onto her back hooves and pretended to direct magic. Dawn and Dusk were completely locked into what she was doing.

“Then the spell ended, and Twilight managed to zip part of the way to me. But Starfall’s evil magic caught her. He dragged her back to the castle. One by one, his other followers grabbed the rest of her friends – including me while I was trying to run – and brought us to be locked up too.”

To be executed, she thought.

Rainbow struggled against her restraints, struggling to get free. They weren’t supposed to be here, everything should have gone according to plan. She was safe!

One of the guards kicked her tender wings, a resounding crunch ensuring it stayed broken. She screamed in pain as tears fell from her eyes. Another swift kick knocked the wind out of her, silencing her agony.

“It’ll be dawn soon, mule. Save your screaming for the show,” the guard snickered.

“Twilight was brought in front of the crowd. They screamed at her, and called her a traitor. The whole crowd was filled with Starfall’s minions. But as he was chanting his winning speech…” Dawn and Dusk were now just hanging on her words, waiting for the stunning conclusion. She smiled, “CELESTIA APPEARED!”

“YAY!” The two fillies shouted. They started bouncing up and down in their bed.

“She stopped Starfall from his speech, and Luna set Twilight free!” Her momentary happiness fell from her. Rainbow faked a smile, “That is how Celestia saved the day from the evil pony, Starfall.”

“That was soo cool! Is there more to the story?” Dawn bounced up and down, giddy with excitement.

“Not that I remember,” Dash lied.

Starfall was far from finished, she remembered. He aimed his entire squad to aim their weapons at Celestia.

Crossbows hefted skyward, the tip of every crossbow bolt itching for royal blood.

“Celestia, princess of all ponies, daughter of Sol, and eldest of the royal line. I hereby accuse you of betraying your duties to the ponies of Equestria and being the cause of many innocent deaths.”
Luna loosened the bonds on Rainbow’s front hooves, letting her move a little. Twilight was rubbing her leg with one hoof, and walking over to Luna.

"I judge the proper punishment…” Starfall paused, shifting his eyes to stare at Luna and Rainbow, aiming at Luna’s unwavering focus. A smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with an unnatural glow.

At the last second, he turned his aim to Luna.

The crossbows turned to face Luna’s back. Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Lu..na…” she managed to speak over her cracked ribs. She pointed with one hoof at the crossbows.

“…is death,” Starfall finished.

Twilight looked at Rainbow, smiling briefly. A small tear fell from her eye, as she mouthed the word: Goodbye.

Rainbow could barely contain her emotions any further. Tears welled in her eyes. She felt just as she did when she saw it happen: dead and hollow – like something was ripped out of her life, that she had grown so attached to.

But her sadness ebbed away when the two twins nuzzled up to her sides.

“Aunt Rainbow?” Dusk was staring at her, “Are you ok?”

Rainbow wiped her eyes with her forehoof. A genuine smile broke over her lips.

“Just something in my eyes. It must be from the late-season flowers. Now it’s time for bed. You both have school tomorrow.”

The twins nodded and snuggled into their blankets, smiling as Rainbow ensured that they were nice and warm. She gave them each a kiss on the top of their head.

“Good night Aunt Rainbow,” Dawn responded.

“We love you,” Dusk said, hugging Rainbow’s arm.

Rainbow nuzzled against the two of them. Her leftover tears pressed into their manes, “I love you both very much. Don’t ever forget that.” She broke her embrace and walked to the door, “Good night girls.” Her hoof flicked the light switch, and she closed the door.

The charade she had been holding the whole time fell away, and she stumbled down the stairs, before collapsing against a bookcase. Her body slid to the floor, as her body shook with each silent sob. There was so much more to her feelings that she simply couldn’t or wouldn’t try to make sense of. Time had only made it worse for her… and that was the problem.

All she had was time.

--*--

Luna was out on her evening rounds, flying over Equestria to watch its citizens enjoy the warm summer night. She was exactly where she wanted to be, enjoying time to think and fly.

It was exactly where Celestia wanted her to be. The older princess milled about the castle, walking slowly through each hallway unaccompanied by guards. Those that she passed offered to join her, but she politely refused. Tonight she needed to be alone.

Magic brimmed from her horn, adjusting pictures on the wall, and straightening sagging tapestries. She hummed while she walked among the artwork from all of the centuries she had ruled. It was chronological at least, covering the two main hallways of the castle. The one closest to her destination went back the farthest, leading to the days after she had banished Luna and her… baggage… to the moon.

The early days held a lot of fighting. Several wars to unite the great pony City-States of Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and Trotitsyn – renamed to Stalliongrad many years afterwards. It was peaceful for a long time – nearly a hundred years until the recent civil war.

She grimaced. While she never expected it to occur, she was partly to blame. Everypony had believed her dead when she fell into her Eversleep – a natural millennia-long sleep every alicorn went through to ensure their longevity. The ponies she had appointed to help Luna run the kingdom had brought war over Luna’s past transgressions, namely, her time as Nightmare Moon.

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason why. There was another player involved, and she had killed her prized pupil – and friend. No amount of suffering would atone for the crime Celestia felt she had committed against Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of Equestria. Not until now, at least.

She exited the hall through the door leading into the garden. Moonlight poured over the land, spilling its light onto the late summer flowers. Owls and other creatures moved quietly in the garden as she passed through the trees. A smile spread on her face as she felt the wind pick up behind her. A pleasant sigh escaped her as she turned to look at the newcomer.

“Welcome back. I trust the other dragons are keeping you well?” She asked.

A small purple dragon, roughly the size of a full-grown pony sat on its haunches, folding its wings against its sides. Green spikes protruded from its scales, and smoke billowed from his nose. The dragon smiled, “They are. But it’s better to be back home.”

Celestia smiled, “I’m glad you’re back Spike. Will you be staying here for good?”

He frowned and shook his head, “Not yet. I have to return for a few more lessons before I’m allowed to roam about. Part of that agreement you made…”

Celestia nodded. Her smile slowly faded from her face. She looked at the faded pack tucked into his scales, “I suppose that’s the reason you came back early? To drop off the exchange?”

Spike nodded. “It took the grand master years to find that book. He never told me what he went through to get it, but… I’m not really sure I want to know.”

She nodded. Magic surrounded the book inside the package, and it floated down to the ground in front of her. It was a fairly simple tome, but it shimmered all sorts of cold colors in the moonlight. They all played on the surface of the book, enticing anypony to have a look inside.

“Is it… safe?” Spike still had a concerned look on his face.

Celestia smiled, “It will be. I made a promise to you Spike; the same promise I made to myself. Every year since that war I have been searching for the answer, just as you have. I will never stop until I find the answer.” As the last words left her lips, her face became more stubborn than Spike had ever seen. It was as though a fire burned within her, threatening to consume everything.

“Just be safe. Equestria can’t lose you again. I can’t lose you again.” Spike placed a clawed hand on her shoulder. “You saved me from a horrific future. Without you, I’ll… I’ll be doomed to what it could have been.”

Celestia relaxed and looked up at the young dragon. The smile returned to her face, “I will be.”

“Then I’ll see you soon. I’ll send another letter before I come back.”

Spike took to the air, silently flapping his wings against the night sky. Celestia watched him fade into the night, heading high over the mountains. He passed into the mountain range, and dipped below a nearby peak, vanishing from sight.

Celestia’s smile turned to a determined scowl as she lifted the book into the air once more. There was much more work to be done until she was sure that it would work. Everything had to be perfect. If she destroyed the opportunity she had, it would be years until she could try again. But that would put important lives at risk. She couldn’t have that happen so soon after a war.

She turned down the hallway and headed back to her room, waving the guards to the sides. Her smile returned to her face, “No disturbances until morning. I have urgent work to attend to before tomorrow morning’s court.”

“Yes, your highness.” One of them bowed.

“Thank you, Granite, Nightwind.”

She entered the room, returning her focus to the book, leaving the two guards outside speechless and open-mouthed. Tomorrow she would work on peace.

But tonight, peace was the furthest thing from her mind.