Raise the Sun
The First Sunrise
by Garden
"Move over, coming through!" A light blue mini-alicorn shouted as she dashed past legions of servants. Soon after, a white one followed, taking care not to let her pink mane slip into anyone's face.
"Lulu, waaaait!" She shouted, forcing herself to stop before she crashed into the wall.
With a heavy sigh, she began to walk in the halls, calling for her little sister.
"Lulu!"
"Lulu?"
"Your highness."
Looking behind her, she saw a large, dark blue unicorn with a near coal black mane, his bright green eyes digging right into her soul. Groaning, she turned around, facing him fully.
"Yes, sir Dark Skies?"
Dark Skies grumbled something under his breath, before giving her a glare. "Princess Celestia, what have I told you about playing chase in the halls? Especially when it's still nighttime. Everyone is tired after raising the moon."
Celestia narrowed her eyes. Right. Her little sister was still too young to even raise the moon alongside the unicorns. If she did, she didn't really amount to much. But her magic would come. "Yes, but--"
"No buts! Have you fed your pet phoenix, have you gathered up your magic? You KNOW what's going to happen today! And not to mention; have you forgotten that you need to use the royal slang when talking in public?"
It seemed there would be no tuning out today. As she tried to look at him but tune him out, he bored that cold gaze into hers, snapping her out.
"Yes... I-- We understand." She finally muttered under her breath. "But... Lulu... she... ran away somewhere." Raising a hoof to her chin, she wondered whether to add "-eth" to any word. Somwhereth?
"I expect you to be ready in one hour."
"Is it that late already?"
"Yes, your majesty. Now, go get ready. And I want you on the East Balcony!"
"But sir! We thought We were supposed to go outside for this task!"
"I will explain later. Now go."
What a bossy unicorn he was. She kept her gaze level and on him as he paced away. Grunting to herself, Celestia turned around, beginning to walk through the hall, until she reached a set of doors, which were extremely large. One bore the mark of the moon, and the other, the mark of the sun. Steering towards the one with the sun, she opened the door with a large creek.
"Chirp!" A tiny chick made of living fire greeted her, sitting atop a perch inside a bird cage, constantly glancing down at the place where the young princess placed food for her darling pet.
"Hello, Philomena." Celestia smiled, grasping with her magic for something to suit the phoenix chick's ravenous appetite. Ah, yes. A mixed bag that her servants had put together. Nutritious and good enough, she hoped, as she poured it into the cage. A delighted squawk escaped that large, blazing yellow beak, and she made a cute little hop down to land on a perch right by the top-less box in which her meal rested.
"Aaaargh!" The white alicorn erupted in anger, smashing herself, back first, onto her bed. "He's so ANNOYING! Why is he the one bossing me around!?" Tossing off her golden shoes into the wall, she rubbed her hooves into her eyes. Finally releasing an aggravated puff of breath, she leaned to her side after hearing her door creak open. Huh, she must've forgotten to lock the door. And there, in the spring, stood a tiny cloudy blue alicorn, looking at her.
"Tia... did Dark Skies get mad at thee again?" She asked, innocently leaning her head to the side.
Darting up, Celestia stared at her. "Gah! Did he? Also, do not 'thee' me, please. It just reminds me of how he wants me to use royal slang."
"But... but I like using it!" Luna frowned. "It makes me feel important!" Jumping up on her big sister's fluffy bed, she stared at her in silence.
"Yeah, you're already important. You're supposed to raise the moon! And I'm supposed to go and raise the sun on my own for the first time."
Luna's frown suddenly became even deeper, as if she was thinking about something. Celestia raised her an eyebrow, but said nothing more as she pushed herself up. "I should probably be there in about... thirty?" With a sigh, she began to move towards the door. "Hey... want to come watch? I don't want you to be all alone while I'm over there with the rest of the servants..."
The frown her little sister bore on her face turn into a big grin. "Yes! I'd love to!" Bouncing up, she jumped down, hovering slightly on the ground. Catching up to her in mini-strides, Luna began to walk next to her, smiling. Celestia smiled back. At least her little sister was better company than Dark Skies, even if she could be the loudest sometimes.
The sisters trotted through the halls, passing a few servants, with Luna stopping to ask if they'd be serving moon pies and other delicacies in the morning. Of course they all agreed with the little princess, despite some sharing an odd look. Was giving her sugar a good idea?
"Why aren't we going outside?" Luna finally asked, noticing that they were steering towards one of the largest balconies located in the east part of the castle.
I'll need to have my room moved here so I won't have to walk all the time. Celestia noted silently, not hearing her sibling's voice.
"Tia? Why aren't we going outside to the usual place?"
"Huh?" Snapped out of her trance, the taller alicorn looked down. "Oh! I'm not sure. Dark Skies said he wanted me to go here... Maybe I get more power?"
Luna, however, didn't seem satisfied with the answer, and just frowned.
"Hey, cheer up." Celestia gently spoke as she raised a hoof and opened the door to the balcony.
A mix of starlight and moonlight showered right into the princesses' faces, and the shroud of night seemed to have such a positive effect on the young ruler of the night, who fluttered her way with her tiny wings on the small fence on the balcony.
"It's... actually really beautiful." Celestia whispered, staring around her.
"Here before it's time to raise it, huh? Good." A voice boomed behind them.
"Oh!" Luna turned around in surprise, nearly falling off, but grasped by the stallion's blue magic just in time.
"Hello, Dark Skies." Celestia replied as her mentor set down her sister next to her.
"Princess Celestia." He nodded very curtly, before finally trotting out to stand next to them. Sheesh, she was already as tall as him! Glancing down, she silently noted how much taller and slimmer her legs were. Maybe she'd actually outgrow him in a thousand years or so?
"Soooo... what do I do?" The alicorn princess asked awkwardly, her hoof patting against the ground.
Dark Skies raised an eyebrow. "For one, you're walking without your gear on. For two, you'll let the castle servants lower the moon for you. And because we're standing on the East Balcony, it is my belief that it will grant you more power as the sun will shine directly on you."
"I want to help!" Luna fluttered her wings madly, making her voice heard.
"No. You don't have enough magic." Was all the little filly got from the strict stallion as he went over to signal the start for the unicorns down there.
Many unique auras of magic begun to shine brightly and formed a link in between the channelling horns, causing a chain that would give any unicorn who lost their grip magic to get it back.
And then, the moon began to lower.
It went pretty slowly, really. The bright white that was the moon sunk lower and lower. But it felt like three eternities just watching it happen. Luna was watching intently, despite the disappointment she'd just gone through.
"Now, Celestia." Dark Skies grunted, looking to his side. "Do it."
By 'do it' she could only assume he meant the sun itself. Taking a deep breath, she felt a shiver from her spine through all her body as she grasped for the immense magical stores she still hadn't unlocked. There it was, the most powerful magic ever known since she lost her parents, stored right there inside of her. Pink mane suddenly beginning to flow, she grabbed the magic and began to channel it to her horn.
Suddenly, the normal, meek golden glow turned into a flaring beacon of golden fire, and right as the servants got half the moon out of sight, the sky began to turn orange. Just a little. Then, gradually, as the stars began to disappear one by one, a glowing ball of fire began to lift up. Princess Celestia found that even with her own, massive magical stores inside, lifting it on her own for the first time was terrible for her body. It was almost a physical task, even!
The sun rose higher and higher on the sky, and washed the servants with light to warm their bodies when they all collapsed, tired. For a normal unicorn, that task must've been terrible.
Focusing as much as she could for the last few seconds, she managed to get the sun to stand proud right in the sky. And then, she collapsed too, breathing heavily.
"What just happened to your mane!?" Luna gasped.
"What? What just happened to my mane?" Celestia soon had her question answered as a flowing lock of pink hair curled around her face.
"I heard this was a thing with alicorns or ponies with immense magical stores from Starswirl." Dark Skies muttered under his breath. "You've unlocked your magical store. It's one of the most powerful around and it was locked until now. I guess there are side effects." He almost seemed a bit happier as the sun shone into his eyes. "And you've unlocked your destiny, as well."
Celestia sat there for about a minute with a confused look on her face, until her glance went towards her flank. Oh.
There, a sun shone back at her, the image bright with rays flaring off of it.
"It's beautiful." Luna whispered, looking at it in silence.
"I think so, too." Celestia finally smiled, jumping in joy. "Yes! I raised the sun on my own, unlocked my magic and got my cutie mark! Yes! Yes!"
Luna gave her an awkward smile, gaze resting on the ground below, watching the servants. Suddenly frowning, she let out a grumble and began to walk away. And Luna never grumbled when walking away.
"I should... go after her." Celestia awkwardly excused herself.
"Of course." Dark Skies was still admiring the sun. Hadn't he noticed her lack of royal slang in the last... something... minutes?
Not daring to stay in case he woke up from his trance, she began to scour the halls for the one she called her little sister. "Luluuuu?" Her voice echoed through the castle. Maybe she had gone to her room? Taking it as he best bet, she set course for the double doors.
When there without saying a word to any servant whom had finally walked inside after lowering the moon, she opened the door with the lunar symbol on. "Luna..." She began.
Empty.
The room was just.. empty.
'Sob.' She heard a 'sob' through the wall! That meant... either Philomena could suddenly cry or Luna was there! She bet on the latter.
Turning back and ramming shut the door to Luna's room, she almost ripped up the solar door, seeing Luna curled up on her bed, crying silently.
"Lulu? Are you okay?" Celestia asked, beginning to move towards her, preparing to settle down right by her.
"I'm fine." Luna shivered as the other alicorn settled down. "Just shaken up."
"Why?"
"Did you see how gloomy the ponies were at night? When you raised the sun... they seemed to happy and... just so gleeful!"
"Does this have to do with why you just walked away."
Luna nodded slowly. "Tia... you'll never... you'd never abandon me, will you? We'll always be there for each other through thick or thin, right?"
What an odd question. Celestia thought, but of course she didn't speak those thoughts out loud.
"That's right, we'll always be here for each other."