Nopony Lives Forever, Twilight

Celestia opened her eyes with a gasp.

She and Luna were standing in the middle of what looked like somepony's living room. A tall yellow unicorn towered over the two. She looked at them with motherly concern.

"Did Newton tell you some bad story before you got into the box?" She asked knowingly.

"Story? No- I- You see," Celestia began, "there was a drain spell etched into the box and- Wait, how are we okay? That spell was powerful enough to kill us!"

"Oh, goddess, I'm sorry," the yellow mare rubbed her temples with her hooves, "I swear, one of these days Newton will get himself killed, I wonder, how'd he ever find a scholar like you?"

"Scholar?" Celestia was shocked. She dabbled a bit in magic, but a scholar? She could barely teleport as it was!

"Yeah, it's kinda obvious, what with that... Spell... Book?" The yellow unicorn gasped and smiled, "oh! It's you two! Your old Gramps Binding's Apprentices! I should have introduced myself sooner, I'm Lana. Newton's wife," the two fillies looked at her in confusion.

It was Luna who spoke first this time. "Apprentices? No, you have the wrong- Tia here works- at his bookstore."

"Worked," Celestia said quietly.

Lana laughed. "Oh, really? He was a bit strange... I wonder why he didn't tell you, wait, worked? As in doesn't anymore?" There was a lull in the conversation as Luna and Lana both looked at Celestia questioningly. Celestia looked at Luna sadly. She thought about lying, but decided against it.

"Green Binding- he was k-" she choked on the word kill. She took a deep breath. "That colt who was following us, he killed him. He broke into the bookstore and-" She stopped trying to talk, unable to hold back the sobs wracking her body.

Lana gazed affectionately at the younger unicorn. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have done something."

Celestia looked up at the mare. Something about her seemed... Motherly? Caring? Celestia couldn't tell what it was, but she knew she loved this mare. From the moment she had begun to speak, Celestia had felt like she was loved. Like she had a mother, that she hadn't spent most of her life alone. Like she was more than an unloved orphan, whose parents hadn't left her on the doorstop of a run down orphanage.

Luna gazed at her adoptive sister. She wanted to cry over the loss of Green Binding, but she felt oddly... detached. Raw. Not a single tear fell down her cheeks. I've just cried myself out already, she told herself, but she didn't feel sad. Why? Maybe... Maybe what? A thought had come to her, and it had scared her, but just as quickly, it was forgotten. Luna shivered. When had the room become so cold? She realized that she was laying on her back. The others' faces stared down at her. What had happened? Without another thought, she blacked out.

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Celestia was shouting, but she wasn't entirely sure what words actually came out. She said something about Lana being "irresponsible" and she was pretty sure she said something else about how to properly write a drain spell without killing a filly. Very Calm, nice things like that.

"Celestia! Be quiet and let me talk!" As Lana said these words, her heart ached. She hated conflict, and shouting at a distressed filly didn't strike her as extremely nice. Alas, she knew she had to. "Listen, that drain spell wasn't drawing energy from you, it drew the magic from me. See these magic batteries here?" She gestured at a set of four silvery candles, "these are sympathy-bound to the candles in the box. They're powered from my house. I don't know what's wrong with your friend-"

"Sister," interrupted Celestia.

"Your sist-? Oh, I see." Lana gazed into the distance, as if remembering days from years ago. She shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what happened to her. We've set up every possible fail-safe on the box. Nothing from the spell could have harmed her..."

Celestia knew she was telling the truth. She knew it, but she didn't want to believe her. She needed somepony to blame other than herself.

With a flash, Newton appeared next to Lana. He had confetti in his mane and was staggering drunkenly. "Hello sweet stuff," he grabbed Lana's flank, eliciting an angry glare. "Why the doom and gloom? And where's Luna?"

"Honey," sighed Lana, "It's Gramps... He was murdered today." Celestia was shocked at how forward she was. She watched Newton's drunken grin turn into the epitome of emotional pain. Celestia opened the door to the room where Luna slept. The least she could do for their hosts was give them some privacy...

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Luna floats in a strange void. She doesn't know why it's strange, it just... Is. Something in her brain itches, but she can't tell why. She looks everywhere at once, yet sees nothing. Her mind hurts... She realizes with a shock that she has no physical body. She wants to be back... where? She has no home... She wants to be with Tia. Find Big Sis. Luna feels a tug where her chest should be. She follows the feeling and finds herself floating over her sistet. Celestia is laying with her upper half on a bed, forelegs wrapped aroind a dark blue unicorn. Luna realizes that she's looking at herself. Celestia is crying.

"This is all my fault, I- I'm so sorry…" She sys more, but Luna can't hear her whispers from her position, maybe if she moves closer…

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        Celestia continued to hold onto Lunas comatose form for the better part of an hour. She whispered apologies into the younger filly's ears until finally she woke.

        Luna gasped as she opened her eyes. "Tia… It's never your fault. Stop blaming yourself," Celdstia opened her mouth to say something, but the filly put a hoof to her lips, "shhhhhh... You need to sleep too, it's past bedtime." When they had returned to the bookstore it had been to say goodnight to Green Binding, it had now been nearly three hours. They both needed to sleep. "How about I sing a song?" She removed her hoof from Celestia's mouth.

        Celestia smiled a sad smile. "As long as it's one that you wrote, they were always the best." Luna nodded.

Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,

hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed,

drifting, off to sleep, an exciting day behind you,

drifting, off to sleep, with luck good dreams will find you.

        Luna paused."Oh Lulu, that was beau-" Celestia began.

Tia, shush your face, can't you see I'm singing now,

What part, of hush now, don't you understand?

        Celestia giggled.

Sifting, through the sand, leaving homes behind you,

Running, through the lands, hoping they don't find you,

        "Lulu?" Celestia scrunched up her face, "what are you-"

Crying, broken heart, always look behind you,

You are, a big part, the Master always finds you.

        Celestia was scared now. "Luna! Snap out of it!"

        "What? It's just a song," Luna looked at her sister questioningly.

        "But that last part, what are you talking about?"

        "What? Mourning a lost loved one? Mr. Binding, remember?" Luna looked worried now.

        "Mourning? No, that part about 'The Master,' what was that?"

       "Tia, I have no idea what you're talking about, maybe you need sleep more than I thought..."

        Celestia almost argued, but decided to let it go. Maybe she had imagined it, but she could have sworn she had heard differently than Luna said. The two young unicorns drifted off slowly, and the soft embrace of sleep finally took them.

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        Newton and Lana were arguing in the living room. Lana sat on a couch while Newton paced back and forth.

        "They really have no idea!" Remarked Lana.

        "Should we tell them? Green didn't want us to, but…" Newton sighed, "he can't really tell them himself anymore."

        "I don't know. I didn't even know Luna was a part of it. I thought it was just Celestia, I mean, they aren't really related."

        "They're not?" Newton facehoofed, "of course not. That explains why their magic signatures were so conflicting."

        "I don't think that's why. I think they're Number One and Two."

        "No, they couldn't be... Discord's own, they would be given good homes, nopony would dare…" Newton stammered.

        "I don't think he knows, I think Harmony hid them. She put them in the streets so he couldn't find them."

        "Well how does that explain how the Society found them? If Harmony wanted them hidden, she would have made it permanent."

        "I don't know! Okay? I don't know everything. Maybe she's been weakened, or she could be conceiving another," Lana retorted.

        "You think the fourth is already coming? The third was only a year ago!"

        "Who could know? Maybe they caught the scent while Number Three was being conceived." The two shuddered at the thought. If the Society had known for a whole year…