How Celestia and Luna came to be

by Sky painter

First published

Celestia and Luna before mlp:fim

This is my version of how Luna and Celestia became the rulers of equestria and their story before mlp:fim.

Chapter 1

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The sun and moon are raised by a group of 10 unicorns each morning and set each night, the same with the moon. This drains their magic, leaving them magicless for a week at most.

A pale yellow, almost white, unicorn, named Celestia, is 16 when she is chosen to help raise the sun for the first time. She’s excited, but nervous. After the first group of unicorns lowers the moon, she steps up with her group. They had been practicing this spell for a year, trying to get it right. Their leader, star swirl the bearded, had finally deemed them ready.

Celestia is able to help raise the sun, and because of her age, is not drained too badly, and is able to get up a few days later. Her 9 year old little sister Luna, a grayish blue unicorn, is so excited and proud of her “Tia”.

Celestia keeps this up for a few weeks, when on the day of her 17th birthday, she is the only one in her group to show up. She frantically askes what happened, and star swirl says the rest of her group was too weak, and she should go home. No pony is raising the sun today.

This empowers and inspires Celestia to raise the sun all by herself. It had never drained her like it did others of her same age, and her accidental magic had been powerful as a filly. So she decided to try.

With Luna by her side, she stood determinedly on the platform on the cliff. She took a deep breath, and lit her horn.

All unicorn magic was white and colorless. But not Celestia’s, not this time.

As she felt the sun in her Magic’s grasp, she pulled and heaved, and tried to pull the sun above the horizon.

The wind whipped around her, the clouds parted, and the sky lightened.

With the sun slowly rising above the land, Celestia was lifted into the air. Her magic swirled around her, and as she finally put the sun into place a bright flash of golden light blinded nearby ponies.

When star swirl rushed out to find the source of the light he saw a glowing ball of light slowly drifting towards the ground. Him and dozens of other ponies rushed towards it.

When the light faded, Celestia was left standing there, a brand new pair of white wings on her back; spread wide, as if on display for all to see. She remained awake long enough to shout to her teacher that she had done it, she had raised the sun all by herself.

She then fainted.

—-Line break—-

A few hours later, Celestia blinked her eyes open. It was extremely bright, and a few ponies were standing over her. It was her parents and sister. Orion star, her father, a dark blue unicorn with a purple mane. Sun dancer, her mother, a white unicorn with a pink mane.

She wakes up in the doctor’s house, and tried to sit up and ask what happened as star swirl walked in with a regal looking pony. She knew who it was.

Sombra.

A dark gray unicorn with royal attire and a flowing black mane. He was the only king in the pony lands, being ruler of the crystal empire.

She spoke with him and star swirl, and he explained what had happened to her. He told her what she had become was only a legend.

She was the first known alicorn. A pony with the strengths of all 3 pony races, destined to bring them together in peace.

—-Line break—

Star swirl brought her to the counsel of the three tribes.

She was made to raise the sun in front of them, as she had been doing on her own in her small village.

The council was in awe of the young alicorn and her golden magic.

They ordered a palace to be made for her and her family, and For Celestia to become their queen. Celestia thought she wasn’t ready to be queen yet, so they settled for princess.

Soon the castle was built. It was beautiful, perfect for a new princess. Celestia’s coronation was on a summer day, just before dawn.

A group of 10 unicorns lowered the moon, making way for the sun. Celestia rose up into the air on new wings and raised the sun. All the ponies cheered as the council declared her Princess Celestia: mare of the sun and ruler of equestria.

—-Line break—-

Everything was perfect for a year.

On Luna’s 10th birthday, her group of 10 young unicorns had to raise the moon as the older group’s magic had finally given out and killed them that morning. Her father, Orion, being among that group.

The young unicorns were not ready for that responsibility yet, and had only just learned to control their magic last week. None of them could manage so much as a spark, except for Luna.

The council begged and pleaded for her to try and raise the moon on her own, even saying Celestia would try and help. But Luna had only been taught a simple levitation spell so far. She couldn’t do it, even with her sister’s help.

She was tired, and she was grieving her father’s untimely death. So in a burst of rage and grief, attempting to get them to leave her alone, her magic burst forth from her horn.

Her magic was a brilliant blue, sparkling like the night sky.

Before she could stop it, she rose into the air as the moon slowly slid into place. There was a flash of light, and Luna lay on the ground with a new pair of wings and a black inky spot with a moon on her flank.

—-Line break—-

Luna awoke 2 weeks later.

When she opened her eyes, she found Celestia and her mother by her bedside. A million thoughts were racing through her tiny head.

‘Where’s daddy?’

‘Where am I?’

‘What’s going on?’

She began to cry.

This alerted her family to her state and Celestia rushed to get the doctor.

The doctor had explained everything. Luna was numb as she was told what had happened to her. Her daddy was dead. Her dad was dead and she had never wanted this.

She never wanted to be like her sister. She wanted to own a bookshop, and help local ponies, she didn’t want to be a princess.

Luna sobbed as her dreams were crushed. She would have to raise the moon for the rest of her life, become a princess and leave all her friends behind.

Luna locked herself in her room for weeks after she got out of the hospital, only coming out to raise and lower the moon.

She was miserable.

—-Line break—-

As the years went on, Luna quickly grew into a bitter, reclusive pony.

All of her once close friends drifted away from her, believing her to not want to stay friends now that she was a princess. The ponies of equestria began to question if she even existed. The only proof they had was on her birthday, when It was night for the entire day. Every year a party was held for her, and she only stayed for about an hour before returning to her room.

It was during one of these parties, on her 25th birthday, that it happened.

—-Line break—-

Luna was sitting on her throne, something she rarely did, as ponies bowed to her and brought her gifts.

She looked on at the ponies who were having fun at a party she did not want. She grew angry, wishing she could be a normal pony again. Her thoughts swirled wildly in her head, making her fume in her seat.

Celestia came up and asked her if she was enjoying her party, expecting her to say no, like she did every year.

But Luna snapped.

She screamed about how she hated being a princess, hated being an alicorn, and about all of her frustrations. Her magic swirled around her in a frenzy, lifting things off the ground making the sky outside darken with storm clouds.

Celestia backed up as she watched her sister be engulfed by her wild magic, black as night and unforgiving. She tried calling out to her, but it was no use. Luna’s magic had already corrupted and changed her.

Her fur was pure black, mane like a galaxy of colors. Eyes, pure, blazing, cold, emerald.

She rushed at her sister, horn blazing, firing a beam of magic. Celestia blocked it, firming a beam of her own.

They fought for some time before Celestia resigned herself to the last resort.

She rushed to a chamber deep within the castle, and flung open the doors. She grabbed the magical gems inside and partially activated them.

She flew back to the throne room and confronted her sister for a final time.

She shouted at her, trying to get her to back down, but it was no use. Luna was far to gone. Celestia sighed and prepared herself for what she was about to do.

She activated the gems the rest of the way, and fired one last beam of pure magic at her sister. She focused her love and happiness for her sister into the magic, hoping to make her the sister she knew again.

But when she looked up, all she saw was a hole in the wall and a silhouette of a pony on the moon.

She screamed in anguish at losing her sister. Her scream echoed throughout the kingdom, and as one, her subjects knew, they had lost one of their princesses.

—-Line break—-

Only days later their mother died of a broken heart, and Celestia was left alone, grieving her sister and mother.

For the next thousand years she ruled alone, trying her best to stay positive and hope her sister would be able to come home one day. She took up her sister’s responsibility of raising and lowering the moon, along with the sun, each day. She sang to her every night, like their mother did when they were young.

After 1,000 years, she finds a bright unicorn named Twilight sparkle, and makes her her personal student.

Twilight looks so much like Luna, with midnight purple fur and a white mane. She sends the mare to ponyville one day. And after twilight leaves, she goes to their old castle. She uses the elements one final time to free Luna from the moon. She encases them in stone, and goes back to canterlot.

Maybe this will get her sister back.

—-end—-

*The pilot episode of my little pony fim starts here, and goes on as normal.*