A Royal History Lesson

by crazyjw18

Homecoming

"Why can't I go see them?" Luna insisted, her tone bordering on the hysterical. "I want to see them right now!"

Celestia glumly raised her head from the grass and stared at her sister with red-rimmed eyes. "I already told you, they aren't there anymore," she said as gently as she could manage.

"You're lying!" Luna protested as her own eyes filled with fresh tears. "They wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye!"

"They... they didn't have a choice," Celestia replied, trying hard not to start crying again herself. "But Mama wanted you to know that they both love you very much."

Luna seemed to consider this for a moment. "Where are they going then?" she whined. "And when are they coming back?"

The older alicorn buried her face back between her front hooves. "Luna, they aren't coming back," she answered bluntly.

"Huh?" Luna started pacing worriedly back and forth. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what happened to the ponies in Dream Castle?"

"Yes?"

"Well, Mama and Papa have departed this plane, just like all those ponies did," Celestia attempted to explain.

"What does that mean? Are they spirits now?"

"No-... well, perhaps." Celestia conceded wearily. "I don't really know."

"I don't get it," Luna wailed.

"I don't either," Celestia mumbled as she closed her eyes tight and silently wished that she could wake up from this nightmare. That she could just open her eyes and be back in her cozy bed back home. But that wasn't going to happen.

Luna continued to cry until her throat was hoarse and her eyes burned. The worn out little filly gradually fell silent except for the odd hiccup or sniffle. The entire time the older alicorn remained motionless on the ground with her eyes closed but her mind all too active.

"Hey, Big Sister, what happened to Spike?" Luna eventually ventured to ask.

"Spike's ok."

"Did he leave too?"

"For a little while, but he'll be coming right back," Celestia assured her sister. "I asked him to do a favor for me."

"Spike's super helpful," Luna volunteered. "I was trying to follow you earlier and my wings got real tired and I didn't think I was going to make it, but then he scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way."

"Is that right," Celestia stated flatly. "I wish he had taken you somewhere safe instead."

"Don't be mad at him," Luna begged. "He said he was just following us in case you needed any help. He told me to stay up real high where it was safe, but then he got hurt and I didn't listen. So it's really all my fault!"

"I'm not mad at him," Celestia sighed as she finally opened her eyes. "If it wasn't for Spike I wouldn't even be here now." She raised her head up and looked at her mournful little sister. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "You inhaled a lot of that yucky black mist, didn't you?"

"That stuff was gross," Luna agreed as she curled up next to Celestia's side. "I was a little sick earlier, but I'm better now."

"Good. Let me know right away if you start feeling bad again."

"I will." Luna rested her head lightly again her big sister. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're going home," Celestia answered firmly. "Back to Everfree."

"So we're not going back to that castle and that grumpy old unicorn?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. I don't want anymore to do with that bunch."

---

"Well, I guess this is it," Celestia said reluctantly as the flickering lights of their tiny village came into sight. "Thank you again for escorting us all this way."

"It was the least I could do," Spike replied solemnly.

"Thank you for the lift," Luna murmured as she hopped off the dragon's back and flitted slowly over to her sister's side.

"Think nothing of it, little one," Spike said, giving the younger pony a gentle smile. His smile faded as he turned back to her elder sister. "Celestia, are you sure you two are going to be ok?"

"We'll manage," Celestia answered, putting on a brave front. "Don't worry about us."

"Yes, I have a feeling if any pony could it would be you," Spike mused. "Still, I wish that I could do something more for you fillies. My debt to you is far from repaid."

Celestia shook her head. "You've already repaid it many times over. Seriously, don't worry, we'll be fine." She flashed him a weak smile, the first one to grace her face in days. "Didn't you say you were going to broaden your horizons?"

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. "But there'll be plenty of time for that later."

"No," Celestia said firmly. "You should go look for your family. Honestly, we'll be ok. I promise."

Spike looked as if he was about to protest further but reconsidered when faced with Celestia's steely gaze. "Ok, ok, fine," he capitulated. "I'll be going then."

"Stay safe in your journeys," Celestia replied. "And good luck on finding your family."

Spike nodded his massive head. "Good luck to you as well."

"Bye, Spike," Luna said shyly.

"Goodbye, little one. Make sure you listen to your sister."

"I will," Luna promised. Her gloomy expression abruptly brightened. "If you run into Mama and Papa somewhere out there, please tell them to come back soon!"

Spike's expression fell as he shared a mournful glance with Celestia. A brief nod of his head was all the answer he could give. Without another word he turned away and soared off to the east, away from the village of Everfree.

"Come on," Celestia said as she started her slow descent. "It's past time you were in bed."

"I wish Spike could have stayed," Luna muttered as she caught up to her sister. "Why did he have to go?"

"He has his own things that he needs to do," Celestia answered absentmindedly as their darkened little cottage came into view. They had been gone less than two weeks, but it seemed like forever since she had last seen their humble home.

As they landed and stepped inside, Celestia had to fight a fresh bout of tears from welling up in her eyes. The bright moonlight revealed a plethora of painful memories. There was Papa's favorite chair where he would sit and relax after a hard day of managing the clouds. Close by sat Mama's own chair. Many a night she had sat there with Luna in her lap while she taught Celestia new spells. An intermediate level spell book still sat open on one arm, right where they had left it.

"Let's try to get some sleep," Celestia said quickly as she herded her sister towards their shared bedroom. As they passed by the open door of their parents' room, she hastily closed her eyes and pulled the door to with her magic. It was impossible to stop the memories, but at this moment she just couldn't bear to see that empty room.

After tucking her sleepy little sister, Celestia wearily trudged over to her own bed. With an exhausted sigh she slipped under the covers. After a moment she tugged her blanket up over her head, something she hadn't done in years. The deeper darkness was a welcome sight to her tired eyes, but the real reason she cowered underneath was so that Luna wouldn't hear her crying.

---

Celestia woke up to the unfamiliar feeling of something warm snuggled up against her back. Sleepily pulling back the covers, she found a little blue filly had crept into her bed some time during the night. The unusual sight amused her for just a moment until unforgiving reality came crashing back down upon her.

I suppose I'll let you sleep just a bit longer," Celestia sadly murmured as she carefully slid out of bed without disturbing her sister. "Maybe I can find us something to eat." She glanced dourly at the heart shaped locket looped carelessly around one of her bed posts as she headed out of the room.

The short walk to the kitchen seemed to take forever. Now that the sun was shining brightly through the windows the quiet cottage seemed to hold a false cheeriness. The stark contrast between the beautiful day and her gloomy thoughts only served to deepen her depression.

"I wish it was raining," she muttered irritably before casting a rueful glance back at one of the golden sun cutie marks gracing her flanks. Ordinarily she would have been elated to wake up to such a bright sunny day, which made her feel even worse.

"Let's see," she mumbled to herself as she opened the pantry and took stock. Several apples looked like they were starting to rot, and the carrots were definitely showing signs of withering. A lone banana sitting far back on the shelf caught her eye, but to her disappointment it was way past its prime.

Her eyes began to quiver as she remembered Papa bringing home a small bunch of the bright yellow fruit the day before he had left town. A traveling merchant from the south had just recently introduced the curious fruit to the village, and it had been the talk of the town for a couple of days. Then the fateful news of a monster rampaging in the north had taken precedence.

"Well, this stuff is garbage," she stated matter-of-factly as she levitated the squishy fruit and the worst of the apples over to the trash bin. Luckily there was still a good supply of oats and a small bale of hay left. It wouldn't be the best eating, but it would be enough to keep them from having to eat grass for a few days while she figured out what to do next.

"What am I going to do?" she sighed as sat down heavily front of the kitchen window. The warm sunlight bathing her body felt good, but it did little to improve her mood. "How am I supposed to take care of anypony?"

The room began to dim as a stray cloud drifted lazily in front of the sun. Despite Celestia's annoyance towards the bright sunny day, this fluffy white interloper irritated her even more. She glared out the window at the cloud for a moment, halfheartedly willing it to move along.

Her eyes opened wide as a thought that was both inviting and repulsive entered her head. With Papa gone, Everfree no longer had a pegasus to help control the weather. She was far from an expert on the subject, but Celestia figured she had accompanied her father on his rounds often enough to do it herself. But the very idea of taking her father's place left a bad taste in her mouth.

But the village needed a pegasus. That was an undeniable fact. Celestia had often heard the village farmers commenting how much their harvest had improved since her father had arrived. If she didn't step forward, then they would undoubtedly hire someone else to replace him.

The very thought of some other pegasus taking over her father's job was even more distasteful. And she was going to have to do something if she was going to take care of both Luna and herself. It might as well be something that she had once found some enjoyment in.

Celestia was still thinking over what she could say to convince the village elders that she could handle the job when her younger sister came stumbling into the room.

"I'm hungry," Luna whined. "Where's Mama?"

"Mama's gone," Celestia patiently reminded her. "It's just you and me now, remember?"

Luna's expression fell as if she had been expecting everything to be back to normal by now. "Oh," she whispered as she settled down on the floor. "I really miss them."

"I do too," Celestia said as she lay down next to her sister and spread one of her warm wings over the little filly's back. "I do too."

Comments

[fluttershy97]

Omg I can't believe this story hasn't gotten more attention it amazing

[Lorthalis of Crows]

I cried at the chapter's end. The feels...