Luna sighed, running her hoof through her light blue mane, looking up at her sister.
Celestia smiled, and gestured for her to try again.
"You can do it, I know you can." Her calming, warm voice washed over Luna, reassuring her.
Together, they had made the moon. It was to hold the tides of their planet, to light the night sky, already painted with Luna's beautiful stars in the shapes of stories from their parents. Infused with alicorn magic, they danced across the galaxy, whirling in beauty around the sun. They needed a moon to steady them, to tame the stellar beasts. It was to be Luna's moon, to balance her elder sisters sun.
Luna looked up at her big sister, unconsciously smoothing down her tangled mane. They couldn't look more different.
Already having reached her womanhood, Celestia stood tall and glowing, head and shoulders above Luna. Her beautiful pink mane flowed in the solar winds, already tinged with the aurora it would produce when she fully came to power. But to harness the full power of the sun she cared for, given to her by their parents, Celestia needed the moon to unleash the solar energy. Without the moon to balance the earth they both cared for, the solar energy would simply build up and explode, killing everything. The moon tempered the sun, allowing their little ponies to flourish on earth. The sun brought life, but it could also destroy it. With the moon, harmony would be instilled in their solar system.
Luna looked at herself, reflected in her sisters beautiful lavender eyes. Dark blue, with a plain blue tail and mane, she didn't look remotely like a goddess of the Great Herd. She had none of her sisters willowy beauty, instead being short, kind of stocky and awkward. Their mother said Luna would "grow into her looks", whatever that meant.
Heaving another sigh, Luna steadied herself against the earth, and focused her magic around the moon. Built from fragments taken from planet earth, it had taken the sisters almost a millennia to build, but the time was but a moment for immortal alicorns of the Great Herd, who existed in a seperate dimension.
Straining against herself, Luna began to twist and pull the moon, pushing and dragging it alternately. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt it begin to rise, shoving her horn forward with the effort. Once the moon got high enough, earth's natural gravitational pull would hold it, and allow Luna to maneuver it more easily.
Getting it up there though, was going to be an absolute bastard of a task.
Luna tossed her mane back and lowered her head again. Muscles straining, she inched forward, one hoof at a time. Her magical aura pulsed and hummed, sparking at the end of her horn. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the moon began to roll towards the sky.
"Come on Luna!! You can do it!" Celestia cheered exhubrently. This would be as much Luna's victory as it would Celestias. It would allow the sun to safely grow her power, but so too would the moon grow Luna's magic.
Gasping for air, Luna poured her strength into hauling the moon. She opened her wings, flaring in a great sweeping motion. Three flaps, then she shoved off the ground and upwards, pushing the moon as she went. Muscles screaming, sweat glistened over her body as she felt the moon nudge the gravitational circle.
'Almost!' Luna thought, not yeilding for even a moment.
Celestia bit her lip as she watched her sister struggle, wishing she could help. Her magic, however, was powerless against the moon, it would slip from her grasp and skid off into the black. Once the moon was in orbit, she could use her solar magic to guide it into waxing and waning when needed. To get it up there however, was a magic only Luna had.
Luna snarled as she felt the weight of the moon slip back towards her. She would not let this fail! Celestia, the Earth and the ponies were counting upon her!
With one final lunge, all of her muscles screaming in protest, Luna shoved the moon into orbit.
The moon shook at first in the stream of cosmic wind, before Luna nudged it towards the higher planes of orbit, allowing for the very first time, the moon to rise.
Cheers broke out from the three pony tribes, all across the land. The zebras, the horses of Saddle Arabia could also be heard, adding their shouts of joy. The night would be full of celebration. High above the planet surface, covered in sweat, Luna beamed proudly. All the noise of their precious subjects was nothing compared to the look of pride upon Celestias face.
"Well done, my sister." Celestia nuzzled Luna happily. "You have grown so much already."
Luna caught sight of herself in the great ocean, reflected a hundred times over. Her coat, slick with sweat, also glistened with the power of a goddess. Her mane, once so pale and boring, was now snapping back and forth, flowing in the cosmic breeze like Celestias. Tinged dark blue and littered with the reflection of her beautiful stars, Luna looked the part of a celestial goddess.
Giggling, she spun, reveling in the power she felt. It was only then she caught her reflection from the side, and she could do nothing but gawp.
Celestias peals of laughter rang off the stars whirling around them.
"You look so funny when you're startled!" She fell onto her side, clumsiness brought by mirth.
Luna shut her mouth and stared at her rump. There, sparkling and shimmering, was her very own beautiful cutie mark. A crescent moon upon a velvet sky.
Tears in her eyes, Luna looked over at Celestia, who was now looking back through her own tears of pride.
"You are a true goddess now." Celestia smiled, spreading her wings. "Care for a dance among your beautiful sky?"
Luna spread her own wings, happiness coursing through her body.
"Wherever you fly, I will follow." Luna bowed slightly, addressing Celestia in the proper tongue of their ponies.
Celestia looked proudly at her sister. Instead of the proper acknowledgement of her sisters deference, she chose to make this the single best night of her sisters life.
"Nay, my sister. Whither you fly, it is I who will have the pleasure of following."
Luna gave a joyful laugh, and with a powerful sweep of her wings, took off into the black. With Celestia by her side, she knew that nothing could ever take away the loving bond they shared.