The Story Of Celestia and Luna(TSOCAL)

by TehUltimmareFreakRobot

Rebirth

Another day, and the sun rose again on the ramshackle town that rested by the darkened forest. Its light shone down on everything and everypony that it could from so high up. Yet, there were some places that even the light of the sun didn’t reach. In the back alleys of the town, a tiny lean-to rested in the shadows. The curtain that covered the front shook, and the filly who rested within poked her head out into the world.

Things hadn’t looked bright for Celestia for years. Not since her early fillyhood where she was suddenly spirited away from her home and her family for no reason or means that she could logically think of. By then, she hardly remembered the faces of her parents, or what her life had been like before.

Behind herself, Celestia heard the rustling of her younger sister shuffling around on the mattress. She turned around and took a stale piece of bread from a ratty burlap pouch and broke it in half. Luna awoke to the sight of the rock hard hunk setting upon her blanket.

“Could you not do that? You know I hate the crumbs on my blanket,” Luna moaned.

“Oh, you’re just too much of a lazy-butt to shake the crumbs out,” Celestia replied with a weak chuckle, as she swept some of the crumbs out.

Luna rolled her eyes and started gnawing hungrily at the rock hard bread. For Luna, it was easy. She remembered nothing of their old life but vague details Celestia had told her.

“Couldn’t we get something else to eat? I could go for some fruit or mushy peas right now,” Luna said as she crunched on her bite.

“Sorry. Bread’s all ponies seem to leave out these days, and I’m still sore from the last time I was caught with something fresh,” Celestia replied.

Celestia looked at her sister, who looked as lean and frail as she had the day that they had arrived in the forest. Though she had grown, she hardly looked any stronger.

“Didn’t you say we came from somewhere beyond the forest, with good food?” Luna asked as she munched on her meager meal and stared towards the treeline.

“I told you, some big stone building, and I don’t remember much more. We were both so young at the time,” Celestia said, before she bit into her own piece of bread and harshly swallowed it, the jagged edges stinging her throat as it went down.

“Wait. You don’t mean to face the forest, do you? You know what the grown ups say about it!”

“Well, it can’t be much worse than here, with its stale bread and mean ponies. What worse can there be somewhere else?” Luna pointed out with sad eyes.

Despite her younger years, there was wisdom in Luna’s words. Celestia feebly nibbled her piece of bread, feeling the crumbs fill her stomach decently; it wasn’t her best meal, but better than the last few days.

“Fine. When we’re done with breakfast, we’ll pack up and be on our way,”

In response, Luna gorged down her breakfast more quickly than she had in months. Taking her sister’s cue, Celestia did the same, not caring for the crumbs that either of them were making. After wiping off their mouths and dealing with stomach pressure, they for a moment simply smiled at each other and hugged, feeling happier than they had in weeks.

They then rolled up their blankets and tied them to their backs, then took jars to the well in town and filled them with water, and finally, managed to sneak away with some fresh pastries from the local bakery. With their supplies packed up into their blankets, the two sisters were on their way.

They had been told their whole lives that the woods were not a place for ponies to go, that whoever went in almost never came out, and those who went in deep enough were completely forgotten about by the ponies of the town. For them, that would have been preferable, because the second that Celestia and Luna crossed the treeline, they felt somehow more free and hopeful than they ever had living in that nowhere town. And so, the two of them walked on, never once looking back at where they had come from.

Onward they walked, further along the trail through the many trees, until the trail disappeared altogether. Even then, the fillies couldn’t be stopped. They climbed over the rocks that blocked their way and continued on through the dense woods. Only once that day did they stop for lunch and rest. Along the way, they foraged for the plants and mushrooms that they knew to be safe to eat and refilled their water supply at a river they crossed.

Sooner than either one of them knew, it was nighttime. Even with just the sun barely gone below the horizon, the forest took on a completely different face. There was something ominous about the encroaching darkness, as though it came from somewhere within the very trees like some beast that had awoken for its nightly hunt.

Celestia gathered kindling and lit it with a match to get a fire going, and the sisters laid out their blankets. Luna had expressed her concerns about sleeping in the place where ponies were said to never return from, but her sister assured her that the morning would come soon enough and the fire would scare away beasts. Taking Celestia’s word for it, Luna allowed herself to lie down and try to go to sleep.

A distant howl cut through the night.

“What was that!?” Luna said, sitting suddenly upright.

Celestia’s ears swiveled around, listening for any other noises of the night
.

“It must have been a wolf,”

“A wolf!?”

“Don’t worry about it, Lulu. It probably wasn’t anywhere near here.”

“Then, why don’t I hear anything else?”

The revelation was disturbing to Celestia, who suddenly realized that after that howl all of the other noises of the night had stopped abruptly, with not even the buzzing of any insects or the crunch of leaves. There was the sound of a heavy step.

“What was that!?

“It…It was probably nothing,”

“Nothing doesn’t make noise!”

Another step. The sisters carefully looked around, hoping to at least see their nighttime intruder.

“The fire!” Celestia whispered.

Sacrificing the tiny bit of water that she had left, Luna doused flames and hurriedly pushed dirt on the embers. When she was done, she stopped cold at the sight before her.

“What are you looking at?” Celestia said.

Luna pointed to the trees. Up into the branches, where Celestia saw a gigantic pair of green eyes staring directly back at her. There was one last step, and the owner of the eyes revealed itself in the starlight. When it did, it kept getting taller the moment that it stepped out from beneath the trees.

The fillies huddled together at the sight of the timberwolf, its wooden body creaking like a fallen tree as it reared back its head. Its mouth opened up, revealing the dark abyss beyond its wall of teeth, prepared to swallow anything that it could bite, and a rotting stench of death followed out.

Celestia looked at the thing, then to her sister. At her hoof, there was one of the loaves of bread she had stolen that day.

“Start running. Now,”

“Then what?”

There was no time for such foolishness. Celestia shoved her sister aside and threw the bread at the beast.

The timberwolf caught it in its mouth, its teeth not even touching the bread. The moment it swallowed, it saw two fillies running in opposite directions. Between the two, it chose the one that was easier to see in the darkness.

Celestia ran, hearing the heavy steps of the wolf behind her. She knew she had to survive. Without her, there would be nopony to guide her sister back home. Except, as the green light of the wolf’s eyes began to overtake her, Celestia began to doubt if she would be there for her sister much longer.

~~~~

Luna had run just as her sister had instructed her. She scrambled up the slopes of a rocky bank as quickly as she could. When she reached level ground, she looked back over her shoulder, she saw the green lights of the beast’s eyes trampling through the trees. She couldn’t do it. Not when her own sister was in such danger.

Back at the camp, there were the matches they had used to start the fire. If the wood of the wolf’s body was as dry as it had sounded, then the plan could work. Luna rushed back to the camp, hoping that she would be in time.

~~~~

Celestia ran between a pair of closely packed trees, hoping that the timber wolf wouldn’t follow her. She was terrified to hear the cracking of wood and the crunching of earth being upended.

There was a crash next to her, and Celestia yelped as a tree landed only a few feet beside her. Without thinking, she jumped onto the fallen tree and up to the branches of another.

The snap of the timber wolf’s jaws nipped at her hooves as she scrambled around to the other side of the tree. Branches were torn out from beneath her, and the fangs of the wolf got closer with each lunge.

Celestia climbed to the next branch, and the wolf shook the tree. Her hooves slipped from their hold, and she fell back to the next lowest branch. She could see the light of the wolf’s eyes looking directly at her, and its mouth opened slightly.

Another light flared up from below. A small, reddish-orange light that grew suddenly in size, illuminating the form of Luna.

Luna winced as she quickly grabbed the flaming matchbox with her magic, her blue aura flickering around her cracked horn. She watched the wolf carefully, picking her moment. The wolf stood up on its back legs, and Luna thrusted the flaming box into its leg.

The wolf bellowed in pain as the fire spread quickly through the dry debris that intertwined with its leg. Luna dodged as it fell onto the ground and began thrashing wildly to put out its flaming limb.

The beast stood up and jumped about, trying in vain to douse the flames. Luna was caught underneath it, dodging its pounding claws.

The fire began to spread and the wolf lashed its head around, catching its own leg in its jaws. With a loud crunch, it ripped its own leg off and tossed the flaming appendage aside.

The wolf rolled over and snapped at Luna, who stepped just out of the way. Celestia hurried down the tree to her sister’s aid, until Luna ran past her.

“This way!” Luna yelled.

Celestia followed after her, all too ready to make their escape. Behind them, the beast followed. Though it was down a leg, it was only marginally slower. Luna led her sister back to the rocky slope that she had climbed before. She looked over her shoulder and saw the timber wolf still in pursuit.

“It’s still coming!” Celestia yelped.

Luna looked up the slope and saw the answer to their troubles.

“Up there!” she said.

Celestia looked and saw a very large rock that looked liable to fall at the slightest touch. The sounds of the timber wolf drew their attention.

“Go! I’ll keep it here!” Luna shouted.

“No! I’ll be the bait!” was the protested reply.

“You have the stronger magic! Now, go!”

There was no arguing that ever since Luna’s horn had cracked that Celestia’s magic was more reliable. And the quickly approaching timber wolf ended any argument she could have made.

Celestia climbed up the rest of the rocky slope. All the way up to where the teetering rock rested. She looked around the side of the rock and saw her sister cornered by the beast. She flared up her magic, and the rock started sliding slowly toward the edge.

Luna backed herself further away from the wolf, which eyed her hungrily. She looked up to her sister, making sure that she was clear. A growl in front of her brought her attention back to the wolf.

There was a vicious growl, and Luna felt the entire side of her body punctured by the fangs of the beast. She was shaken harshly, then thrown aside, her little body bleeding profusely.

“Luna!!” Celestia shrieked.

The wolf looked up at Celestia, and began climbing the slope.

Celestia flared her magic more strongly, pushing the rock further to the edge.

Luna’s eye cracked open, and she saw the beast slowly ascending to her sister. The moon had risen up, silhouetting the wolf’s body against it.

The moon. That wondrous orb that she had gazed upon night after night as she imagined the life that Celestia had told her about. The sight of it filled her with that same feeling. Their journey had only begun. No way was she going to let it end so soon.

Luna’s horn began to flicker its magical aura, and the rock up the slope became overwhelmed by it. Celestia backed away as her own magic was overtaken.

The wolf rose up over the ledge, and was immediately hit by the rock as it tumbled over. Wolf and boulder went tumbling back down the slope, the broken piece of the wolf’s body breaking to splinters.

By the time it reached the bottom, only half of the beast remained. It whimpered pitifully as it tried to drag its body away, until the light in its eye dimmed into nothingness and it laid still.

Celestia hurried back down the slope, where she found Luna’s bloodied form resting against one of the rocks.

“We did it,” Luna weakly smiled.

Celestia couldn’t find the words to say to her sister, who was bleeding out before her eyes. Never would she have expected in a thousand years that Luna’s life would end before her own. Even less did she think that Luna would have given her life to save her own.

Luna’s side slowly rose and fell with each labored breath. There was a smile on her face as her eyes slowly closed.

“You should…keep going…Whatever there is beyond the woods…you need to find it…"

Celestia watched as Luna released one last breath, before she ceased moving altogether. Tears flooded her eyes as she held her sister. She would have to make the journey alone now.

High above, the moon shone more brightly than it had ever before, and a ray of light touched the top of the rocky slope.

“Take your sister and ascend,” a voice bade.

Celestia looked around for the source of the voice, but saw only the beam of light that glowed at the top of the slope. There was no knowing what awaited her there, but there was one way to find out. She picked up Luna and carefully placed her on her back.

The first step up the slope was the most difficult that Celestia had taken in her entire life. In moments, she began to feel her sister’s blood trickling down her sides, and down her hooves. Still, she carried on, until she was finally at the top. What she saw there shocked her.

The creature who had greeted her on her first night in the woods stood before her. The thing looked at her, its face an emotionless mask.

“You and your sister have done well to come so far,” it said in its hollow voice.

“What do you mean? How well could I have done?” Celestia asked, holding her sister’s limp hoof.

“Better than either of you could have thought.”

Celestia saw that the first creature was joined by a second. One that was like a bird, but at once like a pony. Its entire form was solid blue with swirls of white that flowed across its form, like the clouds across the sky.

“Tonight, the two of you have proven that you would go to any length to keep one another safe. Even if it meant your life. Exactly the quality that the future rulers of Equestria need.”

“The…”

“Tia, what do they mean?”

Celestia quickly looked over her shoulder and saw her sister weakly lifting her head, her eyes barely cracked open.

“Lulu! You’re alright!” Celestia said, a smile across her face.

“Yes. And it’s not a gift given lightly,” a third creature said.

The third creature looked like a deer. At once like a fawn, but with the wisdom and years of a fully grown doe.

“A life given for another is beyond precious. You both would do well to appreciate it. Which is why I grant you both eternal life.”

“What does that mean?” Luna wondered.

There was no answer from the fawn, which disappeared as suddenly as it had come. The elk approached next.

“From the earth, there comes shelter and nourishment. Yet, there are also dangers that arise. And so, I grant you freedom from illness and aversion to injury,” it said.

“What does that mean?” Luna repeated.

The elk crumbled apart, rejoining the earth that it had come from. Finally, the bird-pony creature stepped forth.

“I suppose all that’s left is for me to grant you both flight,” it said.

“Flight!? We can fly!?” Luna said, knowing precisely what that meant.

A gentle light emanated from the creature, before it rocketed up into the sky and disappeared with a twinkle of light.

They were alone once again. Neither of the filly’s knew what to make of the sudden happenstance. While Celestia was trying to make sense of anything, Luna was climbing off of her sister’s back, and made an impressive discovery that made her yelp.

“What is it?” Celestia said.

“Your wings!”

“My what?”

Both had been born as unicorns, and knew full well that unicorns didn’t have wings. But when she investigated her own sides, Celestia was shocked to find that she had in fact grown wings.

“Lulu!! I have wings!!” Celestia squealed.

“I know!” Luna said, flaunting her own pair of wings.

The sister circled one another, examining the new limbs that they had been granted. Neither knew why they were given such wonderful gifts, but knew that it was something special to be cherished. Even more was what they found on one another’s flanks.

What was once a blank space was now adorned with a mark. On Celestia, a radiant sun. On Luna, a glowing moon. The sisters slowly faced one another, their mouths agape in awe. More than their new wings, their cutie marks were a thing to celebrate. If only there were some way to do so.

A new light suddenly shone in the sky. It was no star. That much, they could tell. Especially the way that it was drifting slowly across the sky. The way that it called to them.

Luna spread her wings for the very first time. It was grand, to say the least. A wonderful feeling of freedom and renewal that she had never known before. Celestia took one look at her sister’s wingspan, and a devious smile spread across her face.

“Race you to the star!” Celestia said, running forth with her wings spread.

“Hey! No fair getting a head start!” Luna yelled as she followed her sister.

The fillies ran through the forest, trying and failing repeatedly to get liftoff as they chased after the wayward star. In time, they both managed to get off the ground, however clumsily. They flew higher and higher into the night sky, and the star seemed to grow ever closer to them. There was a light from the star, which soon filled the sky. When it was gone, the fillies found that they were no longer in the forest, but somewhere at once strange and familiar.

~~~

The night had been long for Queen Faust. Paper after paper. File after file. Stamp after stamp. Signature after Signature. The most dull, mind-numbing experience she knew. All part of being royalty, she supposed.

One more paper, and her quill trailed a line of ink across the surface as she laid her head down on her desk. How much longer could this go on?

She jolted as something deep within herself awakened. Deep in her very soul, a tug was felt. Though she had no reason to believe what it was telling her, she knew it was true. Quick as anything, the queen rounded her desk and dashed out of her office into the halls. She ran down the corridors, until she nearly plowed into her husband.

“You felt it?” King Tempest asked.

The queen nodded, her eyes wide. Taking his wife by her hoof, King Tempest ran with his wife through the castle. Neither knew where. Only with their feelings to guide them, they knew that they would find it.

“Your Highnesses! Here!” a guard called.

“What is it, guard?” the king asked.

“They’re here! Alicorns! Two of-"

Before the guard or the king knew what was happening, Queen Faust had run into the castle foyer, where a group of guards had gathered around two very familiar fillies.

“I don’t believe it. It’s real!” one guard said, examining Luna’s wings and horn.

“Wings. Horn. The whole shebang. We got some alicorns here!” another guard said.

“How’d this happen?” yet another guard asked.

“We told you. We followed a star and ended up here,”

Celestia almost went on explaining the whole thing to the guards again, when she noticed the mare at the top of the stairs. A face she hadn’t seen since she had been taken from her home all those years ago. Slowly, she gravitated toward the mare, her steps under a force beyond her own power.

“Momma…?” Celestia said, scarcely daring to believe it.

A tear leaked from the queen’s eye as she nodded.

“Momma!!” Celestia shouted as she dashed up the stairs.

Hardly any time passed from when she was at the bottom of the stairs to when she was embraced in her mother’s hooves. She was home now. And she never planned to leave again.

Luna observed from the bottom of the stairs, not knowing how to feel. She had barely ever known her mother’s face, having been an infant when she was taken from her family and home that she never knew. As Celestia showed off her wings and her cutie mark, she was joined by a stallion who she called ‘Papa.’ Whoever he was, Celestia pointed out that Luna had gotten hers as well.

The stallion’s attention was drawn to Luna, who waited below him. The second he saw her, the stallion trotted down the steps to the filly, who stepped back from him.

“You’re Luna?” he asked.

“Uh-huh,” Luna unsurely said.

The stallion smiled widely. “You’re my daughter, Luna!” he said.

Luna was unprepared for when the stallion lifted her up and twirled her around. For years, Celestia had told her how wonderful their father had been. Only now, she didn’t realize how understated her sister’s recollection was.

The natural order was to be upheld. In time, the responsibility to move the sun and moon, to rule over the kingdom of Equestria, was going to fall to the filles. For now, they were going to enjoy their time as a family. Made whole once more by the odd machinations of fate.

Author's Note:

Expect weekly updates! I'm so excited to show you guys what this story has to offer!