Chapter 2- Crystals, tears, and firespitters
“My sister, though not often given to such compulsive thoughts, had sadly been too angry to think clearly. You must remember, though we were technically mares when we were thrust into this situation, we were lost. No more mares than scared fillies bravely whistling in the dark. Immature and without a clue. However, that’s when I remembered what the castle of the Crystal Empire was made of.”
***
“Tia, that’s a great plan and all, but what if we paid a visit to the Dragonlands, instead?”
Celestia seemed surprised by this and momentarily forgot her anger, to ask her sister.
“Why would we do that Luna?”
Luna’s eyes shone with a glint of malicious mischief.
“That castle is made of Sparkle Stone, isn’t it?”
Celestia blinked as she slowly put the idea together. She grinned as the realization dawned on her.
“That is so evil, Luna. Let’s do it!”
***
The Princess paused before a map on the wall of the stairway. The markings on the map showed the route the sisters had taken. She turned to the furiously scribbling Twilight, gesturing towards the faded parchment on the wall..
“Dragons. We decided to recruit the Dragons, for there is nothing a dragon loves more than devouring gemstones. And there is no more desirable gemstone for the firespitters than Sparkle Stone, of which the entire Crystal Castle was constructed. We had just one issue: Dragons hated Ponies, more specifically, the magic-using Unicorns. Or at least back then, they did.”
“They hated Unicorns? Why? Why would any creature hate us, m-Princess Luna?”
Luna noticed the fearful tears in her daughter’s eyes and smiled warmly as she told her.
“You need to remember Twilight, that the world was a very different place. Though the Kingdoms of Equus have long since buried any animosity and we exist now in Harmony, it was not always that way. Even before Discord, Harmony hung by a thread between the races. The simplest altercation could spark a lifetime of distrust, as it was between the Dragons and Unicorns.
“But why?”
“The Dragons are extremely fond of physical pursuits. And one of their greatest pastimes is an activity known as lava boarding. Immune to fire, their thick scaly hides allowed them to ride down lava flows using slabs of rocks. And many centuries before I was even born, the Unicorns attempted the sport as well at an outing.
The problem was the Unicorns out of fear coated themselves in fire-resistant magic to prevent the lava from touching them, much to the anger of the Dragons. As stated before Twilight, Dragons are very proud of their physical prowess, and because they don’t need magic to perform lava boarding, they felt no race should. Insults became refusal to back down, which in turn became distrust and that led to fights, and finally, war.”
A distant look appeared in the regal Princess’s eyes as she spoke, a long-dead excitement resurfacing in her voice.
“It was a strange and wild world, the fires of youth fueling our emotions, but there was nopony more feral than Celestia. My sister had a fiery, untamed passion to make friends with every creature and partake in all life had to offer. Anything and everything, she wanted to try it all. And it was that burning reckless desire that saved our flanks in the Dragonlands; surrounded by Dragons we were almost certainly doomed. Magic has no effect on their thick scaly hides, after all. All hope was lost, and then…”
***
Luna and Celestia stood in the middle of a circle, surrounded on all sides by dozens of Dragons; all of which didn’t look too happy to see the two Unicorns. Panicked, Luna shouted at her sister.
“Tia! What do we do?”
Celestia stood quietly as the Dragons closed in before a glint appeared in her eyes.
“Hey, wanna have a lava board race?”
Her words carried a warmth about them and the entire badlands fell silent as she asked the question. Dumbfounded, the Dragons stopped moving and stared at her in surprise. Likewise, Luna stared at her sister incredulously.
As the Dragons stood there, exchanging confused glances, Luna frantically whispered.
“Celestia, now is not the time! They’re going to kill us.”
Celestia had a strange fire in her eyes as she just stood there, grinning. Luna recognized that expression, her sister had a plan. Sighing in defeat, Luna knew there would be no talking her out of it. Luna resigned herself to see how it played out.
Within seconds, a loud grunt and snarl filled the air, with teenage Dragons being shoved out of the way as a massive female Dragon made her way to the front. She stood leagues over the two Unicorns, her hide bearing the scars and wounds of countless fights, Luna felt her heart drop, this was a brood mother. She snarled at Celestia, her rancid breath blasting the hapless Unicorn in the face.
“What would a Unicorn know of lava boarding, whelp?”
Undaunted, Celestia eagerly spent 15 minutes explaining how growing up, Luna and her would sneak away from village duties to watch the teenage Dragons surfing the lava flows, and how she always wanted to try it.
“And what, you gonna cover yourself with some anti-fire magic when it gets too hot for you?”
Before Celestia could respond, the brood mother turned to shout at the crowd of Dragons.
“We’ve all seen it before. They come here and disrespect our customs by using magic because the lava’s too hot for ‘em. Scared prissy magic-users afraid of a little fire!”
As the crowd cheered in a frenzy at these words, a fierce glint appeared in Celestia’s eyes.
***
“Those Dragons thought that because she was a Unicorn she would panic seeing the lava, like so many before her. There was one thing, however, those Dragons never counted on.”
Twilight looked at Princess curiously as Luna gently ran her hoof over the tattered map, reminiscing.
“What was that, Princess Luna?”
Luna’s eyes shone faintly with the glow of youth that she had once possessed.
“My sister’s soul burned hotter than the sun she commanded. Headstrong and stubborn, when my sister wanted to accomplish something, she would do so. Whether it was impossible or not, she would do it, no matter the extremes required. Celestia wanted to lava board with those Dragons, and nothing was going to stop her, not even her ability to use magic.”
***
“I won’t use it.”
Turning to her, amidst the roars of “Go home, Unicorn!” the brood mother snarled.
“Excuse me?”
“My magic. I won’t use it.”
The words were barely a whisper and yet, a hush fell over the shouting dragons, as they were uttered. Eyeing her warily, the brood mother spoke to her in a dismissive tone.
“Bold words, but how do we know you’ll be able to keep them? That, when surrounded by roaring hot lava, you won’t use magic because nocreature can see you?”
Luna watched as Celestia stayed silent for a moment as she considered this. Then her horn glowed, and a strange metallic ring, forged of black iron and engraved with glowing runes appeared. As this ring slid down her horn, the female Dragon growled.
“What are you doing?”
Celestia grinned as the ring settled around the base of her horn, pulsing with a deep golden light.
“I told you, I won’t use my magic and I meant it. This ring prevents the wearer from using magic until it is removed. It cannot be removed by the user or by magical means as well.”
“And what if you fall in the lava?”
“I’ll die.”
Celestia’s answer was calm and was heard across the crowd of Dragons, showing her determination. A murmur of begrudging respect for her resolve slowly rippled through the crowd. Luna couldn’t believe it as she stared at the sea of Dragon faces; Celestia was winning them over. Even the brood mother crossed her arms with a slight smile of approval on her lips. After a moment of thought, she announced her gruff verdict.
“Alright then, magic-user. You got moxie, fine. We’ll give you your race. Darg, get your scaly flank over here!”
“Huh?”
One of the teenage Dragons slowly approached and shouted out.
“What?”
The brood mother, however, was not amused.
“Don’t you what me, you scaly nuisance! Get your board and get out on the flow. Now!”
“But mom-”
“Don’t you dare argue with me. I hatched your hide into this world and I can easily take you back out of it! Get goin’. And not another word. Got it?”
Silently, the male dragon nodded and headed towards the nearby ridge. Meanwhile, turning back to Celestia, the brood mother addressed her.
“You’ve shown you got the passion, now let’s see you back it up. Win, and we’ll let you tell us why you are trespassing our lands. Lose, and you both are going for a dip in the lava pool. Let’s go.”
Minutes later, Luna winced as the heat of the boiling magma singed her nostrils, the harsh scent of sulfur in the air. Sharpened Dragon’s claws were placed firmly against her throat as she watched her fearless sister.
Celestia inhaled the burning air as she stood on the edge of the lava flow, the thermals whipping her pink mane to and fro. Below her, the lava boiled and popped. She grinned and looked at the muscular Dragon beside her as he held a slab of pure obsidian, sharpened and shaped to resemble a diamond-like board.
“This is so awesome! Now what?”
Darg stared at her for a moment before growling at her.
“You need to go make your board.”
Before Celestia could say a word, the brood mother, who seemed to have possibly warmed up to Celestia, roared at the hapless Dragon.
“You get your worthless hide over to that rock face and break her off a chunk. She’s a pony, there is no way she-”
Celestia smiled sweetly as she interrupted the brood mother’s tirade.
“Oh, that is quite alright. I can do it.”
Looking at the unruly teenager, Celestia inquired as innocently and warmly as could be.
“Darg was it? Could you point me to the correct rocks to use?”
A curious look appeared on his face as he pointed at a pile of solid black volcanic glass, muttering.
“Over there, but it can be a pain to break, so I’ll-”
Celestia trotted over to the rocky outcropping and examined it for a moment, before laughing.
“No, no. That wouldn’t be fair to have somecreature else make my board, would it? All Dragons make their own. Am I wrong?”
Darg seemed surprised and stammered.
“Well, no but U-unicorns aren’t very strong and you aren’t exactly muscular as you are fat-”
*Crack*
His words were interrupted as Celestia pulled back her hind leg and tensed the muscles in her thick thighs. The sinew of raw muscle glinted in the light moments before she slammed it directly into the side, resulting in a loud thunderous cracking sound, and a chunk of obsidian broke loose. Every Dragon’s maw fell open in disbelief as the slab, easily weighing a hundred pounds or more, crashed to the ground. She turned and in her sweetest voice said.
“Did you say something?”
***
“My sister was larger than most Unicorns of her age. Built more for strength than speed, her body was far from the wiry frame normally seen in our kind, Twilight. Her flank was rather large and her barrel was a bit wider than most. Naturally, many assumed she was fat, but actually, that extra weight was raw muscle.”
Princess Luna chuckled lightly.
“Celestia was never one to rely on her magic for things and preferred to do things with her own hooves. While growing up, she was more about physical pursuits, than those requiring a magical touch. Though not nearly as strong as an Earthpony, Celestia could easily hold her own in a fight. She would always carry objects on her back rather than by levitation. I still remember waking up, only to see her coming back from her morning 5k run. I miss those moments. The smile on her face as the sunlight streamed down...”
A haunted look graced the Princess’s face as she realized Twilight, having stopped her frantic note-taking, was still there, listening.
“Ahem- I-I think we should call it there for the day, my daughter, class dismissed.”
Tears streamed down Luna’s face, unbidden, as Twilight stood there, concern on her face.
“Mom are you o-”
Wiping a hoof across her eyes, Luna interrupted her daughter with an abrupt tone.
“I said class is over Twilight, why don’t you go see if Mrs. Shimmer has something for you to do?”
***
“-She started crying, Moonglow, and then sent me to help you!”
“Oh, I see. Twilight, what was the name of the tome again?”
Moonglow Shimmer, Royal Advisor to the Lunar Princess, stood on a ladder perusing a shelf of magical tomes within the Royal Library. A Unicorn mare, her fur was coal dust black, with a mane and tail of gunmetal blue and silver highlights. On her flank, a full moon, split into gibbous halves; one white waxing and one gunmetal blue waning made up her cutie mark.
Below her, stood the navy blue unicorn, Twilight Celestial Solstice, standing on tiptoe to peer up at her with a worried expression, levitating a magical scroll that listed an assortment of things to get. Looking at the scroll, Twilight read off the fifth thing on the list of nearly forty items.
“Care and Maintenance of Magical Artifacts by Clover the Clever. What should I do about mom? I don’t want her to be sad!”
Moonglow brushed her hooves across the backings of the tomes, muttering to herself as she read the titles.
“Let's see…”Magical Hexes, The Complete Guide of Botanical Maladies, The Seven Magics of Equus, ah..here it is!”
Pulling a thick volume off the shelf, Moonglow blew on it, sending dust everywhere. Coughing, she fanned the dust away and read the gold embossed title.
“Care and Maintenance of Magical Artifacts by Clover the Clever. Perfect.”
Climbing down and stepping off the ladder, Moonglow appeared to ignore Twilight as she quickly trotted over to the door, where she passed the tome to an Earthpony stallion who seemed overly grateful to receive it.
The stallion wore a saddle with an assortment of handyman tools within. On his brow, he wore a pair of engineering goggles and his mane was unkempt and frayed.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Shimmer, you are a lifesaver!”
With a gentle smile, Moonglow responded in a soothing, yet strict voice.
“It’s my pleasure. Do make sure that the observatory telescope is back up and running by midnight, you know how her majesty enjoys staring at the stars.”
“Oh, yes ma’am.”
Without another word to the stallion, The Royal Advisor started down the hallway calling behind her tersely.
“Come, Twilight. Don’t dawdle.”
***
Walking down the Threshold of the Royal Throne Room, Moonglow stopped suddenly, almost causing Twilight to crash into her. The mare slowly gestured her hoof out in a sweeping motion; pointing it at the dozen or so stained glass windows on either side. Each one depicted Princess Luna performing some great deed or legendary feat. Her voice was strangely soft and thoughtful.
“Your mother has spent the past 10,000 years working to improve the lives of all. From uniting the races to vanquishing the monsters that once graced the land, there is not a creature in Equus who has not heard of her name. Each of these was generously gifted to her, by the many races of the world, as a thank you.”
Pausing, Moonglow shook her head sadly, as she continued.
“From the Dragons to the Griffons, not one creature in this world hasn’t heard of the deeds she’s accomplished. And even so, she feels empty, as though missing one thing to make her whole again.”
“Celestia?”
“Oh, she told you about that mare, did she?”
“Did you know her?”
As though thinking it over, Moonglow stayed silent for a moment before responding.
“I’ve heard the memories of Princess Luna, about another Alicorn, her sister performing amazing feats. Or rather a mare she believes did those things. There is no record of such a pony ever existing. In the library, you can find countless records of your mother’s accomplishments. Records of Starswirl the Bearded and his and Clover the Clever’s research into magic. You can find volumes of a journal recorded by Darg; now known as Torch, the 102nd Dragonlord, detailing the habits and life of the Dragons. Even eyewitness accounts of Discord, Chrysalis, and Sombra. But you’ll never find any on ‘Celestia’.”
“Oh. Then is mom lying?”
Her words; careful and measured, Moonglow answered her.
“Young heir, I don’t think your mother is lying; to her, this Celestia is very real and existed, but you have to remember, your mother has been fighting for millennia to better this world. Her majesty’s mind has been under intense and impossible to fathom stress. It’s only natural her majesty would develop some form of coping mechanism. Perhaps even an imaginary sister, to justify the acts she’s been forced to perform.”
Seeing the crestfallen face of Twilight, Moonglow added quickly.
“Then again, that was before my time, wasn’t it, little one? As the only still-living survivor from that war, perhaps Princess Luna knows something we don’t. After all, history is full of unsolved mysteries. I still remember interviewing Clover about a monstrosity of dark magic known as Grogar. And even though she fought hoof-to-hoof with him, there were still details she couldn’t remember.”
Clover the Clever, that’s impossible, isn’t it? Twilight blinked in disbelief. Clover the Clever had lived thousands of years ago. Confused, and shocked she blurted out.
“Just how old are you?”
Chuckling, the youthful-looking mare replied with a playful wink.
“A tale for another night, I’m afraid. A mare must have her secrets, after all. Now, what do you say we go and check on the chef’s progress with the Dragon Fruit tea? I’ll bet if you ask nicely, he’ll even have some freshly baked cookies, just for you.”
Excited at the prospect of fresh cookies, Twilight raced towards the kitchens with Moonglow keeping pace, the moon’s light filtering down through the colorful stained glass.
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Doug, you... you cliffhanging... horse. It was getting good!
I did not expect Shimmer to have that much depth. Definitely comes off as a mare that's wise, caring, even motherly, but mysterious. Maybe since everything is about the night, it'll be some kind of theme? I do like how she and Twilight discussed the history of Celesia and whether Luna is a reliable source, since I've been looking into history a bit too, and knows a little bit about how someone researches history.
Oh, and since you talked about making a story about the life in this universe, I kinda dig how Twilight is fully raised by royalty. Hoping to see the mare known as 'Glimmer' soon
I'll let you off with the cliffhanger this time
. Royal Advisor Moonglow Shimmer's debut made me picture a kind mare that soothes me down like staring into the night sky with stars~ Would love to see her more 
10879433
<3, you are the reason I do those cliffhangers hun. Just for your reaction.
Jokes aside, this tale is far from done. This universe is vast...consider this tale an introduction to some of the heavyweights; each to have their own tale in this universe, no spoilers but I can say you'll love it.
Ooh, I like this version of Shimmer, like a night-themed Sunset Shimmer. And I guess that answers my previous question
And I just love how smug Celestia is, yet not arrogantly so. Just a sweet, confident mare who wants to play fair yet not be underestimated.
It's sweet yet tragic that Luna misses her so much.
10879835
<3, if you enjoy shimmer you'll love what i've done with glimmer.
10879978
Indeed, I see she didn't get a name change, but we'll see about her look.
I would imagine the equivalent of Sunburst has a different name and look as well, much like Shimmer.
10880592
I love how in touch you are with this work. You got it 100%, keep in mind no sun, means no bright and vibrant colors. Though I do think Starlight's character will still surprise you, not just in look.
10880715
Well, as you said, if you keep in mind that there's no sun, everything solar-related (or lack thereof) falls into place.
Say there's a pegasus in the main timeline called Sunny Skies, they're gone or fly under a different name. (Granted, I've seen on some fanfics that name is Celestia's disguise's alias)
10880730
The only canon Sunny Skies I know is from Rainbow Roadtrip and is a Unicorn Stallion with sky blue fur. Do you have a reference?
For more reference; a lot of characters have either changed or simply never existed. For example: Shining Armor was never born because velvet never met nightlight at Celestia's school of gifted Unicorns. Likewise Cadence never was born as she was Celestia's niece canon but Celestia never existed in this one, so her mother likely never existed as well.
Fluttershy never fell from Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash never performed the sonic Rainboom because no wonderbolts as established by celestia.
these are just a few examples, though there will be plenty of cameos throughout the series, many will just not be mentioned, only those that have an impact.
10880733
Oh right, I forgot about him.
I was just speaking hypothetically about the pegasus 'cause, you know, weather related name.
(And the fanfics I read with Celestia using "Sunny Skies" as an alias would've been written before Rainbow Roadtrip.)
10880739
Many names have changed but some haven't, just the origin and look of well-known characters, I tried to factor in that even though the exact character we know and love may not be born, a version of them can still exist just in completely different circumstances. So shining may not exist as you know him, but technically he does exist as an entirely new version, slight tweaks to coloring or powers will be very common.
I do hope you enjoy what I have planned. Equestria was never quite depicted like this, from what my test readers have told me when I pitched the idea on Discord. Familiar and yet, not at all.
10880744
Well I'm definitely interested in reading more!