The Burdens I Would Bear

by Zephyscribe

Dark Tears

Tears streamed down her dark face adding a layer of deep emotion to her firm expression. "Isn't this what you wanted, this is how it was supposed to turn out, right?" The dark princess cried out over the great clamor surrounding her. Balls of light and uncontrolled bolts of electricity whipped out, renting the grassy green fields in all directions. There came no reply from the brilliant white figure that stood erect against her power.

Celectia stood unmoving in both expression and posture. She held her spell with ease, while Luna struggled to control massive energies pushing forward towards her. Their eyes met for a moment as Luna gave her sister a final pleading look.

"Than so be it," Luna shouted narrowing her eyes. "I won't hold back." she bent her knees and stretched her mighty wings, releasing the magical energies and shooting forward. She straightened like an arrow as she dodged the flying rocks and debris flung adrift by the rupture of magical energies. Within seconds she was only a hairsbreadth away from her sisters throat. Time seemed to slow as her speed propelled her forward too fast for the untrained eye to see. Her eyes met with her sisters once more and she remembered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tia! Tia!" The Filly shouted. A young Luna stood atop the stairs of the tallest of Canterlot's towers. "Celectia! are you okay."

"Am I okay?" Celectia replied excitedly from the bottom of the stairs. "I'm not okay, I'm amazing!" the young Celectia jumped up and down with great excitement. "That was the most fantastical thing ever! Loony Loon, you need to try this."

"I told you not to call me Loony Loon," Luna stomped her hooves and puffed out her checks, pouting.

"Loony Loony Luna is too afraid to even slide down a few stairs." Celectia teased and stuck out her tongue.

"Stop it Tia, that's not fair, I am not as big as you. I will surely get hurt."

"You won't get hurt, I promise. Look that's what the sled is for, so you don't hurt yourself. Come on, just try it." Luna shook her head in response. "Look if you do it I will teach you the levitation spell."

"Really! You promise Tia."

"Yes, promise. Stick a cupcake in my eye." Celectia furrowed her brow and stuck her tongue out in concentration. Her horn glistened and gleamed with golden luminescence, and the heavy little sled was lifted up and flown to the top of the stairs where Luna sat. "Just ride down the stairs and I will teach you how to do that."

"Ok, I will do it!" Luna excitedly hopped onto the sleigh and edged herself forward to the edge of the stairs. "Okay here goes." The sleigh bumped down the stairs at great speed. The wind rushed through Luna's hair and she closed her eyes. She could hear Celectia cheering for her far below. She grinned with excitement despite herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gentle nights breeze caressed Luna's face, yet brought her no comfort. Her heart twisted with apprehension as she watched her sister pace back and forth on the balcony of the tallest tower in Canterlot. She stood frozen, watching her sister mutter in a state of great distress. She wanted nothing more than to help, but what could she do?

"How could this happen, how could I have done this?" Celectia's voice wavered and broke. "How can I possibly fix this. I just don't know what to do." She lay down suddenly defeated. "The sun hasn't risen in weeks food is running out. Creatures are dying, the whole world is in an outrage. I have failed. Failed my people, failed myself, and failed even you, my dear sister."

"Will you try one more time to raise the sun." Luna's voice cracked from being silent for so long.

"It wont work. There is no way I can do it. I shouldn't have trusted the elements to Discord and Sombra for safekeeping. I should have known that they wouldn't be able to handle their power." Celecita lightly hit the railing in frustration.

"Sister no, you couldn't have know they would be driven so mad."

"No, there is a price to pay for wielding the elements. I was careless, greedy even. This prosperity could never have lasted. I alone am to blame for this grievous error and must take the fall. My subjects will never trust me again. Definitely I will cease to be their princess, and they can't be blamed for casting me out. How foolish I have been." Celectia rested her head on the rail of the balcony and look once more out unto her kingdom shrouded in night.

Luna slowly moved beside her sister and looked up to the moon. All was silent for a time. Luna's heart ached and her mind raced with confusion. It hurt so very badly in the depths of her heart and the pit of her stomach. "I will take the blame," she suddenly interjected. Celectia looked up at her sister. It was like a huge weight had been suddenly lifted off of Luna's chest and she could breath easy once again. "I will fix this."

"Luna no, you cant do that. It was my folly to begin with. I should be the one to-" her dark sister suddenly interrupted.

"I'm doing this, sister. If I leave the planet, the astral displacement will surely set the sun back to it's position in the sky. And I can raise the night from the moon myself later."

"But to raise the night from the moon would be extremely painful. The proximity would mean that you could not use the planet as a fulcrum point to lever the moon into place. You would have to take the full weight of the moon on your shoulders every time it moved. And it would take hundreds, maybe even a thousand, of years for the natural displacement to recede and put everything back to normal."

"I will bear that burden, I will take the blame in your stead. It may be painful but I wont take no for an answer, Tia. Luna moved forward and hugged her sister.

A tear rolled down Celestia's bright check. "Stay safe Loony Luna."

"You said you wouldn't call me that anymore." Luna suppressed her tears, it was her turn to be the strong one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A bright flash of deadly energy graced the side of Luna's cheek, renting her armor with a great gash and exposed her face. Her eyes never left her sister's as she flew forward. The great battle had lasted many days leaving the decimated landscape exposed to the open night air. Celectia had not spoken a word in all that time or changed her implacable expression of determination. Yet as Luna watched her sisters face intently, she saw a single tear form on the edge of Celectia's eye and roll down her cheek.

Luna's heart was once again reassured and she closed her eyes smiling slightly. She took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Tia."

I sudden explosion of movement occurred. Celectia flashed and teleported away from Luna's assault and unleashed great whips of burning light into the night air. Knocked out of the air by Celectia burning blades, Luna's momentum slammed her into the ground. She skidded along the for a while, bounced once and came to a stop at the far end of the field. Celectia teleported and was instantly standing over her. A mighty heave of her head and a bright flash of her horn was all it took to send Luna into the air. One second she was there and the next she had gone to orbit. The sisters would not meet again for a thousand years.

"Thank you Luna."

Comments

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

A very nice story, I enjoyed it immensely, but it was far to fast pace. I could easily see this spanning 3-5k words rather than 1k.

[Journeyman]

There is promise here. I liked it, but I agree that it was too fast.

[Dergmann]

Wait, the battle was staged?! Hey, everypony! The princess is a big fat phony! In all seriousness this was a pretty good story. Keep up the good works.

[Zephyscribe]

2509684
Awww thank you :)

[Zephyscribe]

2239500
Super late. But thank you so much :)

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

2510223 Np, I really enjoyed the story.

P.S. If you don't mind me asking: What made you comeback and reply to a 7 week old comment? I'm just a tad bit curious.

[Zephyscribe]

2510611

[PoniesAreBrilliant]

2514557

[Zephyscribe]

2515518

[Eagle Heart]

I really enjoyed this, but I feel it could have used some set-up. I couldn't help but feel slightly lost while reading this. But for what it is, it's good.

[Zephyscribe]

2575495
thanks a bunch