Chapters
Pg. 54
After Luna got her Talent Brand, things in Pegasopolis became somewhat of a blur to me. There was a lot of activity in the weather factory as they tried to recover from all the damage that was done. Everypony in the city was concerned about the sudden oncoming of night and the explosion of magic at the factory. Stormwatch hid us in her home for the night, playing off the damages to the factory as a malfunction from the cloud machine. She hasn’t said anything about Luna’s transition to alicornship. I hope she stays quiet about all this.
The only thing she did say is that Luna’s coat will probably be stained black for the rest of her life. She said that her tail hairs would grow out, but the color on her body will have seeped into her skin and colored all of her fur forever. She did say that if we had been able to wash it out immediately it might have been prevented, but there wasn’t any time. Luna doesn’t seem too upset about it. She said something about it looking like the night sky. I’m glad she can see the bright side of things.
Pg. 57
We came home to Spirit Springs today. Rosewood was very worried. He had seen the sun and moon last night and figured we had gotten involved. He wants us to lay low for a while so that things can clear up back in Unicornia. The ponies in Spirit Springs are the only ones who know about our powers. They’ve all sworn to keep our secret safe, but I can’t help but feel worried. I still remember what it was like for everypony when I got my Brand and accidentally raised the sun in the middle of the night. It took a long time for things to even out. I’d imagine this would take even longer, especially for Pegasopolis. For now Luna and I will stay in the town hall, just to be safe. I don’t really mind since I have plenty of studying to be doing, but I’m sure Lulu isn’t as content as I.
Pg. 70
It has been a few weeks since Luna’s incident, if I can call it that. She has been experiencing the same surges of magic that I did when I first got my Brand. She has a lower understanding of magical spells than I do, so it is difficult for her to expel it all, but I’m glad to say I am taking the opportunity to teach her more complicated spells. She seems more eager to learn now that she has so much energy pent up inside. Rosewood seems proud. We’ve been getting some flying lessons in, but not a lot. Even though the spring is coming to an end there is still a chill in the air. I suppose that comes with living in the mountains. I have a feeling we will have ample time to practice come summer. With the closing of spring, I must review the basic principles and topics covered in our seasonal curriculum. Starting after the New Year, we began with…
Pg. 112
Summer is now upon us. Life has become more routine than ever. When we first began our stay here, I was so sure that this was where I was meant to be, but now…. I think I’m going to have a talk with Luna and see what she thinks. I may be able to rest easier knowing her side of the situation.
Pg. 113
I have spoken with Luna. We have come to the conclusion that staying here would not be in our best interest. I’ve never felt more conflicted over anything in my life. I love it here in Spirit Springs, but we simply cannot stay. I don’t want to disappoint Rosewood… We’re going to tell him tomorrow. I hope he can understand.
Pg. 115
Rosewood is the most kind, understanding pony I have ever met. I mean that sincerely. He was so open to everything we had to say… I must admit I shed a few tears saying my goodbyes. Luna and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to continue on our journey across the land. We’ve already packed, and Rosewood has given us so much. Books from the library to further our studies, plenty of bits to keep us afloat until we find where we want to settle… He’s even made us traditional Spirit Springs cloaks to hide our wings as we go.
He told me that his only regret is that he wasn’t able to help us figure out why we became alicorns. He had only heard legends of them before, and had never even thought twice about looking into them any further. He wished us luck on our journey. I wish we didn’t have to leave. Luna has been asleep for a while now, but I’m still restless. I need to get my rest so that I’ll be ready for an early start tomorrow. Goodnight.
Pg. 126
Lulu and I have been traveling for a few days now. We only recently made it out of the woods. It was decided that we should head to the east to visit Earthton. I’ve always wanted to go, personally. Luna agreed with a little convincing, but I’m sure she’ll enjoy it there.
Pg. 134
Earthton is the largest place I have ever seen in my life. The whole city is built on the coast of the sea. You can see the ocean from the higher points of the city. There are so many ports! I can only imagine what kind of foreign countries and races do business with our kingdom from this hub. To the north are miles and miles of rolling farmland, stretching all along the coast. Ponies are always coming and going from their farms to the city to sell and trade.
The food here is absolutely delicious! I have a feeling we may stay here for a while, but I mustn’t prolong it. I would hate to waste all our bits when we’ve just started out. Being in this big city makes me even more grateful for the cloaks Rosewood gave us. I’m very glad I can hide my wings. It makes me feel safer knowing that I cannot cause anypony worry or grief.
Pg. 151
We left Earthton this morning. Since there is nowhere further to travel to the east, we must move west. We will be taking a short route through the farmlands before circling around the north end of the Foal Mountains. I heard from many ponies that Neighagra Falls is in that direction, and that I must see it. For now we will follow their tips as I look for more ways to gather information on our strange magic.
Pg. 176
As per Luna’s request, I will include a drawing she did of the Falls. She seems very proud of her work for the most part. I find it rather endearing, though I must admit, quills are not the best art tools.
She spilled a little ink on it when she was dipping the quill but I still find it very lovely, despite her frustrations over ruining her ‘super perfect picture for Tia.’
Pg. 190
The countryside north of Unicornia Mountain is absolutely lovely. There is a lot of pasture here for growing hay, as well as managed woodlots for lumber. There are a few villages built around sale hubs, but most of the land is privately owned. Luna and I have plenty of opportunities to buy our food from local growers. It is always delicious. I can now see just how much truth came in Rosewood’s statement that all ponies have magic within them. I doubt I would have ever been able to grow things this fantastic! Luna is eating a peach from an orchard we passed not long ago as I write this. I haven’t eaten one yet, and she keeps insisting that I try a bite of hers.
Now that I look at her, Luna has been growing quite a lot recently. She’s been getting taller a lot faster than before, which I suspect is a side effect of her alicorn magic. Her mane is also beginning to show slight signs of waviness. Thankfully, her tail has almost completely lost all of its inky stain. A few strands of jet black remain, but her flank is still as dark as ever, just as Stormwatch said. I’m glad she won’t stand out as much anymore, though she never did seem to mind it before. Luna likes a bit more attention than I do, it seems.
Pg. 208
I’m surprised that the Crystal Mountains can be so easily seen from the more northern parts of the farmlands. The mountains up there seem much larger than any of the ones in our kingdom, save for Unicornia Mountain. I’ve never been able to see Mount Everhoof though. It is too far off and surrounded by clouds. I wonder what kinds of life can be found there? Maybe I should pay the mountains a visit some day…
Pg. 231
We have adjusted our path southwards to avoid colliding with Galloping Gorge. It’s quite easy to see Unicornia Mountain from where I sit now. I still miss home. I wish Clover the Clever was with us now. I wonder how she is doing all the time. If we had somewhere to stay I could try to send her letters, but since we are always on the move there would be no way for her to write us back. I think I can wait until I see her again to tell her all about our journey. It would be impossible to tell her everything using only quill and ink.
I’ve received several tips from various ponies about a town called Tall Tales on the other side of the Unicorn Range. If what they say is true, then it may be possible to find the answers we seek there. Luna and I have all the time in the world, so I have no qualms with making a stop there, even if it is a little out of the way.
Our bits have begun to run a little low. Since summer crop harvest is upon us, Lulu and I have been helping local farmers with their harvests to make some extra money here and there. It is quite easy to help with harvests using our magic, and the farmers always give us a generous salary. It may slow our progress, but it is a good experience, I think. I write this from the attic of a farmhouse we are staying in, as a matter of fact. Tomorrow we are helping to harvest their zucchini. They grow corn with it, but that won’t be ready to harvest for a while yet. It’s still a wonder to me how farmers can know the land and their crops so well.
Pg. 255
The Unicorn Range is close now. I do not foresee any way in which going around would be more efficient than traveling over it. I have found a lower point in the peaks where it will be easier to cross. Tall Tale lies just on the other side of this range. I can’t hesitate now.
I believe all of the necessary preparations for our crossing have been made. We have plenty of food and plenty of bits, though I doubt we’ll be buying much in the mountains. Entries may be slower as we travel, so I apologise in advance. I don’t think it will be unpleasant to travel in the cool air of early fall.
Pg. 267
Travel over the Range has been going better than expected. There are some very smooth trails in the bluffs where other ponies have traveled many moons before us. The trees are still green, though I expect they will not be for long. I wonder how the ponies out here turn the leaves in the wilderness? Perhaps the citizens of Tall Tale use a spell similar to the one we use back home in Unicornia?
At the bottom of the range lies a very wide expanse of woodland. From where we are now, I believe I can see Tall Tale further north. It is my belief that we should make it down to the woods first and then make our way up. The winds in the Range can get very cold.
Pg. 289
We have made it to the woods, finally! When we were still in the range we could see the trees turning orange and red. It always happened in quick bursts over a short area, so my theory of the turning spell has been confirmed. At least now I know for sure that there are powerful unicorns in these parts. The area of the woods we are in now has already turned. Although this means we may never run into another pony before we reach Tall Tale, I’m not too worried.
Already, little mushrooms have begun to sprout up from the forest floor. Luna wants to eat them, but I have forbidden it, just to be on the safe side. I would hate for her to become sick, or worse.
Pg. 313
Pg. 320
There is a small, abandoned cottage just outside of Tall Tale. It is worn, but not uninhabitable. Luna and I have enough bits to manage the down payment. I think I’m going to buy it.
Celestia had been following the guard for a little while before the pony in front of her began to slow, looking back to check that her escorts were still there.
“Stormwatch is in the weather factory,” the pegasus said, hovering in midair while the alicorn caught up to her. “I need to get back to my post, but you can see the factory from here.” Celestia gave a nod of understanding.
“Thank you for your help,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah! Thanks!” Luna added, giving another enthusiastic wave. The guard returned an awkward wave of her hoof and a slight grin before turning around and soaring back towards the streets. Celestia returned her attention to the sky ahead of her. There, in the distance was a huge structure made of clouds, intricate pillars supporting lofty domed ceilings and platforms. Off to one side was a sculpted funnel, which was steadily pumping out thick, gray clouds. Liquid rainbows could be seen pouring from various outlets both inside the factory and off the sides into the open air, where they seemed to be quickly evaporating. There were quite a few pegasi flying about, going in and out of doorways and hovering about the clouds. “Wow,” Luna said, leaning over her sister’s shoulder to get a better look. “That place is huge!”
“It sure is,” her sister replied, beginning to fly forward once again. “Let’s get a closer look.” Upon approaching, the factory was quite a bit larger than it appeared to be. Celestia was completely in awe of the sprawling architecture, and came in for a landing on the first open patch of clouds she could find. Luna hopped off eagerly, her earlier fears of falling through the clouds completely gone. The alicorn spotted a very large building ahead with a sign above the entrance reading ‘PEGASOPOLIS WEATHER FACTORY’ in bold lettering.
“That must be the main building,” she said to herself. “Come on, Lulu, let’s get going!” The sisters approached the building, climbing a very lofty flight of stairs to reach the plateau upon which the entrance was stationed.
“Why do they have stairs if they just fly everywhere in the first place?” Luna complained, collapsing at the top.
“Well sometimes they walk, I guess. The guard that showed us here was standing on the clouds.”
“Yeah well she wasn’t walking, was she?”
“No, but-”
“Standing is not the same as walking, Tia. You know it.”
Celestia rolled her eyes, using her magic to pull her sister up to her side as she walked into what appeared to be a lobby. The ceiling was domed and had intricate carvings put into the clouds, even with some sort of dye used to color the illustrations. More pillars held up the top, and there was a very long counter at the end of the room. Several benches were situated along the walls, and there were hallways on both the left and the right that seemed to lead off to other buildings in the factory. A few pegasi stood idly in the lobby, and a couple sat behind the counter. A large pegasus mare who was standing in front of the counter talking to one of the ponies looked up when the sisters entered. She gave a dismissive wave to the pegasus she had been speaking to before approaching the sisters slowly.
“Hello there,” she said in a deep voice. “Can I help you two with something?” Celestia looked over the pony who had addressed her. Her coat was a rich gray, and her mane an electric yellow with streaks of white beginning to show. Her cutie mark was a guard’s helmet with a bolt of lightning overlapping it in the right corner. The pegasus’s left wing hung slightly limp, a few nasty scars running across its tattered feathers. Celestia cleared her throat, raising her head a little so that she was at eye level with the mare.
“I’m here on personal business for Rosewood the Enchanter with my younger sister,” she stated. “I’m looking for a pony named Stormwatch, I was told I could find her here.” The mare snorted, her wings fluttering slightly.
“You say you’re looking for Stormwatch? She’s a very busy mare, you know. What makes you think you can just come in here and see her however you like?” This time, Luna found it her place to chime in.
“Well we have something really important for her from Rosewood, so if she doesn’t want it that’s her loss!”
“Luna!” Celestia cuffed her sister over the ear, prompting an “Ow!” from the unicorn. The pegasus mare chuckled, a slight grin showing on her muzzle.
“My my, how outspoken you are, child,” she mused, bringing a hoof up to her mouth. “Luckily for you, Stormwatch has no pressing needs to attend to at the moment. I’m sure she could make room for the two of you in her schedule.” Luna appeared to be very pleased with herself, giving Celestia a sly look of confidence.
“Well come on then, let’s go see her!” the unicorn replied, stamping her hoof into the clouds. “Where is she? Can you show us?” The pegasus turned a little, giving her good wing a flap.
“You don’t have to go anywhere at all. She’s here.” At this Luna gave a look of surprise. The pegasus mare held her head a little higher, grinning.
“So she’s behind the counter? The pink one?” Celestia couldn’t help but snort, quickly drawing a hoof over her mouth. The pegasus’s snide expression dropped to one of disappointment.
“Lulu,” Celestia whispered in her sister’s ear, barely holding back her giggles, “the pony who’s talking to us is Stormwatch.” The unicorn filly gasped, her face flushing. She shoved herself into her sister’s side, causing the alicorn to start laughing aloud. Luna seemed thoroughly embarrassed, turning to face the wall with a huff. Stormwatch didn’t seem amused in the slightest, waiting with the same deadpan expression she had held before. Celestia managed to compose herself, returning to the more important matters at hoof. “I’m sorry,” she said, admittedly a bit shakily. “My sister sometimes isn’t the brightest filly.” Luna’s voice called out from across the room:
“I heard that!” Celestia rolled her eyes.
“Anyways,” she continued, “Rosewood told us to bring you this.” The alicorn opened her saddle bags with her magic, levitating the book she had been entrusted with into the air, presenting it to the pegasus. The seriousness of Stormwatch’s expression faded slightly. She took the book in her hoof, and Celestia released her spell.
“I was wondering when he would be getting this to me,” Stormwatch said, pushing the cover open with her muzzle and leafing through a few pages. Celestia glanced at the book’s contents curiously. It seemed to be about the history of cloud manufacturing. She watched for a little while longer until Stormwatch closed the book. At this point Luna had returned to her sister’s side, though she was still shooting her dirty looks when she hoped their eyes would meet. Celestia completely disregarded the unicorn’s behaviors. It was good and well that the two of them could play around like that, but not when they were doing important work. Sometimes she wished her sister could be a little more mature.
“What do you need that book for, if you don’t mind my asking?” Celestia spoke up. The pegasus remained silent for a moment, tucking the aged tome beneath her good wing, where she held it firmly against her body.
“There have been some technical difficulties with our cloud machines as of late,” she replied. Before she could say more, Luna interrupted.
“Cloud machines?!” she gasped. “No way! Could we see them? Please oh please!” She shot a desperate look at her sister, and then at Stormwatch. Before Celestia could scold her, the pegasus answered.
“I don’t see why not. It would only be fair to repay you for your delivery.” Luna cheered loudly, trotting in place for a second as she processed her excitement. Celestia heaved a noticeable sigh. It was her understanding that they were to just deliver the book and go back home- simple as that. It had never been in her interest to turn this into a sightseeing trip around the weather factory. However, she couldn’t complain as Stormwatch began to walk away down the hall, Luna trotting in tow. It wasn’t that Celestia didn’t want to see the weather factory. She had to admit, the whole establishment was indeed very interesting. There were things that happened within the factory that passed even her understandings. Any other day, she would have loved to take a tour, but not today. It was already getting rather late, and the sun should be going down soon. It would be a hassle for them to find a place to stay overnight; an experience the older filly was not looking forward to. She could only try to push the thought of these unpleasantries out of her mind as she obediently followed their guide.
Stormwatch was fairly silent as she led her visitors through the factory. Luna seemed to be making enough noise for the three of them, asking questions that were hardly ever answered and gawking at the various contraptions they passed. Celestia couldn’t help but smile. Even if her sister did get a bit overwhelming at times, she still loved her. It wasn’t long before the three ponies emerged into a large outdoor courtyard. Off to one side a huge machine was churning out thick, heavy clouds at a slow pace. There were pegasi flying around everywhere, moving the clouds around and grouping similarly shaped ones together.
At another side of the courtyard a rainbow colored river was flowing, its source seemingly from somewhere else in the factory. The rainbow ended in a large pool, where the colors mixed together to form a thick black. There were pegasi flying overhead with long poles stirring the dark liquid around, making sure all of the colors were mixed together properly. Some of the pegasi took bucketfuls of the black dye, flying it up to the clouds and pouring the color into them, causing the clouds to turn grey in color. A few workers stood on the ground idly chatting, and perked up when they saw Stormwatch enter the yard. They approached her eagerly.
“Evening, ma’am,” one of the workers spoke up, glancing at Celestia and Luna for a moment. Her expression turned to one of confusion more than anything else, and she turned back to the pegasus, though her eyes still flitted back to the sisters off and on. Luna didn’t seem to notice, her mouth agape as she watched the clouds being trafficked about in the sky.
“Evening,” Stormwatch replied. “I trust the stormclouds are coming along well?”
“Just as planned.” The pegasus motioned to a particularly large group of clouds with a wing. The mass was a very deep grey, and the cloud was churning in on itself slightly. “The rainstorm for Earthton is coming along quite nicely. The cloud mass should be formed before the night is through.”
“Excellent.” The older pegasus looked over her shoulder at Luna. The unicorn had shifted her attention to the darkening clouds. She seemed to be absolutely entranced by everything she laid her eyes on.
“This…” Luna said quietly, her voice slowly building in volume, “is so COOL!!” She bounced around the courtyard, a twitter of activity. The workers seemed a little distracted by this sudden interruption, but continued on with their tasks.
“Don’t worry about her,” Stormwatch told the workers, “she won’t cause you any trouble.” She then turned to Celestia. “Thank you for bringing this book to me, young one. It will help greatly in streamlining our cloud production processes.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble!” Celestia laughed a little nervously, brushing her made aside. “I’m glad I could help.” The alicorn turned her eyes to the sun as it began to lower in the sky. The end to another day had come. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction swell up inside of her as she watched it fall lower and lower into the sky, her wing brushing gently against her Talent Brand. She still had no idea as to what her connection was with the sun, or why she felt the way she did when she saw it rise and set each day. There was something about it that always comforted her. It was bright, hot… hot? Celestia was suddenly aware of the increasing temperature and looked to the sky nervously.
The sun wasn’t setting the way it should have been. The great star wobbled left and right, and it was suddenly very clear to the alicorn what was happening.
“They’re losing control of the sun,” she murmured, her eyes growing wide.
“What was that?” Stormwatch perked up her ears, leaning in a little closer to Celestia. When she received no response she followed the filly’s line of sight. The pegasus gasped, and the two of them watched as the sun teetered back and forth in the sky. The workers had begun to catch on that something was awry, and were looking around nervously, a murmur of fear resounding through the courtyard. Luna came trotting back to her sister quickly.
“Tia, look!” she said urgently. “You see it, don’t you?”
“I see it alright,” the alicorn replied grimly, her wings opening defensively. The unicorn shook her sister with her forehooves.
“Right, so why aren’t you helping them?” Celestia looked down at Luna with horror, stepping back.
“You mean use my magic?!” The eldest sister shook her head.
“What?! Why not?”
“Don’t you remember what happened last times I used my magic for something like that?” Celestia’s voice had become hushed, her face close to her sister. “I almost got both of us hurt, I sent practically everypony everywhere into a panic!” She looked desperately back to the sky, where the sun was wobbling severely. “My magic isn’t strong enough… if I used it here who knows what sort of bad things might happen?” Luna looked at her sister, eyes wide.
“Who knows what might happen if you DON’T use it?” she protested. Before the argument could continue, the sun gave a huge jolt, dropping forward in the sky. Celestia gasped, faltering backward as she watched.
“They dropped it!” She couldn’t tear her eyes away, shaking her head. “It’s too close to the surface, it’s going to heat up the air!” The workers were flying around frantically, hooves grasping at the clouds as they struggled to recover their day’s work. The clouds were slowly beginning to lose their shape, droplets of water beginning to rain down on the courtyard. Stormwatch was barking out orders left and right, her voice ringing louder than the panicked throngs of her workers. She turned to Celestia.
“You!” she snapped, waving a hoof. “Don’t just stand here, help them! The clouds are losing their shapes, we need to gather them before we lose them!” Celestia managed to look away from the sun, focusing instead on the pegasus before her. Stormwatch looked desperate, frustrated. She had dropped the book to the ground, her wings flared. The damaged wing on her left side was halfway opened, and Celestia could see the scars that ran deep through its entirety. Huge chunks of feather were missing, and it was clear that Stormwatch was no longer capable of flying herself. Determination coursed through the alicorn’s body.
“I won’t let you down, ma’am.” Celestia shed her saddlebags in one quick movement, taking off without a second thought. She veered high into the air, getting an overhead view of the chaos that was unfolding around her. The workers had become like a swarm of bees, swerving back and forth between the clouds. Very few struggled with the smaller ones, which all but melted away in their hooves. Most of the pegasi were clustered around the Earthton rainstorm, which had become violent and wild. Pegasi were being thrown from it left and right, spinning out and crashing into pillars or skidding across the courtyard floor.
Celestia swooped down into the fray, maneuvering around the workers as they desperately tried to contain the stormclouds. She noticed a pony dropping to the ground and quickly used her magic to stop him mid air. The pegasus flailed his legs about, and Celestia set him on the ground before releasing him. She soon began to take charge, catching ponies as they were tossed about and safely breaking their falls. As soon as the workers were set down they flew back up again, keeping the cycle of mayhem at work.
Down on the ground Luna watched helplessly, her body tensed up as she watched the battle in the sky between the pegasi and the clouds. Stormwatch stood beside her, teeth clenched tightly. Celestia glanced down at her sister, trying to make sure she was alright. As her head was turned a pegasus smashed into her, and the two of them were sent spiraling to the ground.
“Tia, no!!” Luna screamed out her sister’s name as she bolted across the courtyard to the side of the rainbow pool where the alicorn had landed. Celestia weakly tried to pull herself from beneath the pegasus atop her, who had blacked out. She eventually collapsed, unable to free herself. Without her catching the ponies that were spinning out, workers began crashing to the ground, crying out in pain from the impact. It had begun to get even warmer still; it was clear that the unicorns in charge of the sun still hadn’t been able to recover their mistake. “Sis, come on, get up get up!” Luna pulled at her sister with her magic, eventually sliding her out from beneath the worker. Celestia didn’t make a move, her body heaving as she struggled for breath. Rainwater was pouring down from the stormclouds, completely drenching the entire courtyard.
“You need to use your magic!” Luna yelled through the downpour, blinking away the raindrops that were rolling into her eyes. “Fix it, please! Please!!”
“I can’t!” Celestia forced out. “I’m not strong enough!”
“Yes you are!” Luna stamped her hoof, the distress in her voice rising. Her expression was slowly turning from fear to anger. “Why won’t you just do it?!” A pegasus came hurtling out of the air, crashing to the ground and sliding right into Luna. The unicorn filly shrieked, losing her balance and falling backwards into the pit of black dye.
“Luna!!!” Celestia reached out with her hoof, grasping her sister rightly. The unicorn’s rump was all that had made it into the vat, and the alicorn heaved her back to safety. Luna collapsed to her knees, her entire flank and tail splattered with inky black dye. She looked up at the sky with an anger that Celestia had never before seen in her life. She felt her wings flare out, her heart catching in her throat. Truthfully, in this very moment, she was absolutely terrified of her sister. Luna stood, sparks of magic flying from the tip of her horn and ricocheting off the ground. Her eyes were locked on the sun, unblinking, even as her soaking hair was plastered against her face.
“If you won’t do it, I will!!” With a deafening yell, Luna slammed her hooves to the ground, causing it to shake. There was a blinding flash of light, and Celestia coiled up on the ground, her wings snapping over her face. She didn’t dare open her eyes, ears pulled back as she felt the courtyard shake. When the tremors stopped she peered out, and was dumbstruck by what she saw.
Luna was floating freely in the air, magic coursing from her horn and pulsing through the atmosphere. The filly’s eyes were wide open, but only light shone through them, her pupils obscured in their glow. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, her jaw tightly clenched. As Celestia stared at her sister, she saw the sky turn dark, the sun completely disappearing from view. Soon all of the ponies in the yard were staring up at the sky, completely silent, not daring to utter a word. In the darkness the crescent moon rose higher and higher, and the stars flickered into view around it. Luna’s body began to relax, and she closed her eyes. There was a huge pulse of energy and light following, knocking every pony backwards. The pillars and walls in the surrounding area were immediately vaporized, not even a tuft of cloud left over. Celestia struggled back up, scrambling to her hooves as she saw her sister lower gently to the ground. The alicorn rushed to her side, her muzzle colliding with her sister’s face as she wrapped her forelegs around her small body. Celestia held her close, her wings wrapping around Luna to shield her from any further harm. She found herself crying, hot tears streaming down her face.
By the light of the moon, the pegasi slowly circled around the two sisters, watching in silence as the eldest cradled her sibling, rocking gently as she sobbed. There was a slight movement from Luna, and Celestia stopped rocking, pulling her head back as her tears dripped from her chin. Luna’s eyes opened slowly, and she smiled gently when she saw her sister’s face.
“Tia, look,” she said, raising a hoof to point at the moon. “I did it.” Celestia felt more tears well up in her eyes and she laughed, shaking her head as her heart was poured out for all to see.
“You did, Lulu,” she managed to say, pressing her face close to her sister’s. “You really, really did.” They sat together like this for a while, neither daring to pull away from the other. None of the workers had the words to tell them otherwise. They were all at a loss for what to say, or even do. They just stood there, watching in silence. Here before them was a power beyond their comprehension. A force, be it magic or nature, that before now had never even been conceived in their wildest dreams.
Luna was the one to end the embrace. She gently pushed against her sister’s chest, looking to Celestia with tired eyes. The eldest sister complied without a word, pulling her wings back to her side and gingerly removing her forelegs from Luna. The blue filly stepped back and looked up to the sky, a grin spreading across her face. Two feathered wings unfolded at her sides, and Celestia gasped.
“No way…” she said, jumping to her hooves. “Lulu, look! You- you’ve got wings!” Luna looked over her shoulder, eyes widening.
“Oh my gosh!” she gasped, beginning to turn in circles as she tried to get a better look. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!” Luna stopped dead for a moment, her eyes somehow growing even wider. “Tia look, look! I have my Brand!” Surely enough, through the pitch black stain on Luna’s flank the image of a pure white crescent moon shone brightly. The filly squealed in delight, immediately tackling her sister in a tight embrace, causing the both of them to fall to the ground. “I have my Talent Brand! Oh Tia, I have my Talent Brand!!!” The sisters could only squeal and giggle as they hugged each other tightly. Through all of the fear and agony, a joy unlike any other had come. They were both alright, and neither filly had ever felt so alive as she did that night, cradling the other tightly as she laughed, tears of relief and joy wetting her cheeks.
Author's Note
I'm sorry for the infrequency of my updates! I've had this chapter planned out for what has probably been three or four years now, I can't tell you how happy I am to finally share it with you.
Princess Twilight shut the book and dropped it on her desk with a resounding thud. How many had she read now? Hundreds? Thousands? Or perhaps even more? She closed her burning eyes. She had lost count long ago. Here in the castle’s archives, time seemed to be nonexistent. She opened her eyes again, glancing at the stack of books and scrolls that had piled up around her on the desk and on the floor. Twilight hated to leave them there like that, but she could let the librarian take care of it. She was on a quest. A quest of knowledge, she told herself. She sighed, rising slowly from her chair to amble back to the shelves. All her limbs ached, and her mane was disheveled.
Twilight’s head was pounding, and everything inside of her screamed for her to stop and rest, but she couldn’t. Not until she had finished her quest. She scanned the spines of the books on the shelves quickly, pulling some from their places and flipping through them before jamming them back in disappointment. Nothing seemed to have the information she had been looking for, not even the books she had read. Every time she thought she had the answer in her grasps, it seemed to dodge around her expertly, averting her probing gaze. She pulled another book from the shelf with her telekinesis, looking it over tiredly. On the cover in faded letters was printed ‘An Equestrian History: Three Kingdoms of Olden Days.’
Twilight sighed. She already knew everything about the Olden Kingdoms. She had even been in a play about it for pony’s sake. There was nothing for her here. As she went to put it back, she stopped. It wouldn’t hurt to look, would it? After all, her search had been fruitless so far. What would one more book do? Shrugging, she headed back to the desk, pushing other books out of the way to give this new and larger one room.
Twilight flipped to the table of contents, skimming the titles with little interest. All topics she knew everything about. The original kingdoms, the reign of the Windigoes, none of these were new to her. She was about to shut the book when something caught her eye. It was very faded, and she had almost skimmed over it, but close to the bottom of the page was a section titled ‘Clover the Clever’s Prophecy & Princesses.’ Twilight flipped to the corresponding page and began reading aloud.
“Clover the Clever, overseer of the late Princess Platinum, was one of them most powerful and recognized unicorns in Equestrian history. However, she is only known for her exploits in the foundations of early magical spells and the studying of the magical properties of friendship. A fact that she herself kept hidden away was that she was the caretaker and teacher to the first princesses of the country of Equestria.” Twilight’s heart jumped. She continued reading aloud, her voice growing louder in excitement.
“She gave these princesses- Celestia and Luna- the basis of all their magical powers and-“
“-helped them achieve their princess-hood.” Twilight jumped at the sudden voice, throwing her hooves over the pages of the book and whirling around. Behind her stood Princess Celestia, dressed in her evening gown, smiling warmly.
“P-princess!” Twilight stammered, dipping her head in respect quickly. Celestia did the same.
“Sorry to have startled you, Twilight,” she said, picking her way through the books and scrolls on the floor to stand next to her. Twilight gulped, flipping the page quickly.
“It’s alright,” she fumbled, pretending to be interested in a paragraph about the joining of the three kingdoms. “I wasn’t scared.” The book was suddenly pulled from under her hooves by a surge of Celestia’s magic, and the white alicorn flipped back to the page Twilight had previously been on.
“Reading up about my past, are we?” she asked curiously. Twilight panicked.
“Oh well uh I was just actually you know I was reading up on Clover the Clever and well uh you see princess I was just-“
“You could just have asked me, you know,” the elder princess replied. Twilight’s jaw dropped. So all of this work she could have done could have been spared if she had just asked? Celestia noticed her reaction and chuckled lightly. “Why were you so afraid to ask?”
“Well you see,” Twilight said stupidly, her words seemingly tripping over her tongue, “I figured since you had never talked about it with me before it might have been a touchy subject or something and I…” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment. Celestia smiled, moving the documents on the floor aside and pulling up a chair for herself.
“I could tell you everything you wanted to know right now if you’d like.”
“Oh would you?” Twilight exclaimed, her face lighting up. “If you want to, I mean.”
“Oh of course I do! Now, what do you want to know?”
“Everything!”
**********
Celestia yawned, her eyes flitting open to reveal sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows of the castle. In the bed beside her Luna stirred, mumbling something in her sleep. The older filly sat up, looking around the room for Clover the Clever. There had never been a morning that the elderly unicorn had been absent from their side when they awoke. She found Clover sitting in a corner of the room with a large dusty looking book, completely absorbed in its pages.
“Clover!” she called, catching the unicorn’s attention. She dropped the book, trotting up to the bedside. Luna groaned, shoving her head beneath her pillow.
“Thanks for waking me, Tia,” she grumbled, kicking at the blankets grumpily.
“Good morning my little fillies!” Clover beamed, pulling the covers from the bed. “Are you girls ready for another exciting day of studies?” Celestia cheered, hopping on the bed. Luna groaned again.
“What are learning about today, Clover?” Celestia said, hopping off the bed with a thud.
“Well you know how we finished our review over the early Earth Pony kingdom yesterday?” she replied, using her magic to tear Luna away from the bed.
“Yeah?” she asked eagerly, bouncing up and down. “Tell me, tell me!” Clover chuckled warmly.
“Hold your hooves, my little pony, you will learn in due time.” Clover let out an audible groan as Luna clawed back into bed, whining and causing quite a commotion as she was removed a second time. Clover finally used her magic to levitate her high into the air and began walking away, Luna hovering behind her as she kicked and screamed. Celestia followed, trying not to make direct eye contact with her little sister. The two of them headed down the main hallway of the castle to Clover’s study, where Luna was finally released and told to be quiet unless she wanted a time out. The blue unicorn filly sulked under a desk. Clover let out a deep sigh, removing a book from the shelves lining the walls of the room.
“Today,” she said proudly, placing the book on the desk before her, “we will learn about the Pegasus kingdom.”
“Are we gunna visit Pegasopolis, Clover?” Celestia asked.
“For that, Tia, you would need wings,” she replied flatly, flipping the book open.
“Can’t we just use magic to give ourselves wings or something,” Luna piped up from beneath the desk. Clover cast a sideways glance towards Luna, pulling her from beneath the desk with her magic and dropping her in a nearby chair.
“Magic like that is complicated and delicate, it wouldn’t be worth the effort, not even counting how dangerous it is to cast the spell,” she explained, seating the two fillies at the desk with the open book.
“So there is a way,” Luna said, glancing at the book with little interest. Celestia had already finished the first paragraph, tuned out of her sister’s speaking.
“In a word,” Clover said, presenting Luna with a different book, “yes. Now get to reading, my little ponies, we will have much to discuss over this topic.” Luna groaned and opened the book with a hoof, casting a grumpy glance at her already entranced sister before beginning her reading.
~
Celestia trotted over to the door and opened it quietly, peering out into the main hall. The tall stained glass windows of the castle had washed the entire corridor in burning colors. The young unicorn squinted in the sheer brightness, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her quietly as to not disturb Luna. She headed down the hall, the colors washing over her in their magnificent patterns and shapes, and Celestia closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun burn in her pelt. She had always felt most at home here, with the windows. It seemed strange, but she knew there was just something about it that made her heart race and her mind swirl. Something soothing and comforting, in the warmth they brought, in their beauty.
She reached the end of the hallway, where it split off into two paths. The one on the left set off towards the servant’s rooms, where she and her sister slept. The one on the right was a spiraling staircase leading to the ground floor of the castle. Celestia turned right, trotting down the stairs quietly. When she reached their end she was in a wide open room, and at the front of this room was a large, wooden gate. The room had a small amount of commotion, with castle ponies and commoners alike trotting around. Celestia had always found it strange, the fact that they were all almost always Unicorns. Once in a while she would see a Pegasus that was a Mail Mare or something, but never one that was a citizen. Unicornia was a very Unicorn dominated city, she had learned, and it had always been that way.
“Mister,” she said, “can I please go outside, just for one minute?” He frowned.
“I dunno, seems like you could get lost or something…”
“Then could you come with me, oh please? It’s just a minute; I want to see the time.” The guard shrugged, grinning.
“Well, OK, why not. I need a break from just standing around here anyways.” He pulled a lever to his right, and the gate slowly creaked open. With it came a flash of bright orange light that colored the entire room like a sheet. Celestia dashed outside, closely followed by the guard. The filly stopped a few yards from the castle, gazing in awe at the sun, which was setting behind the city in a bright orange. The sky around it had turned a brilliant pink and yellow color, staining the clouds with its hues. Even the buildings of the city had taken on the colors, if only for a short time.
Celestia sighed. It was absolutely stunning. If only it could stay a little bit longer, she thought. She focused on that thought, staring at the scene before her, completely unaware of the magic that was coursing through her. Was it just her, or was the sun beginning to raise itself back up into the sky? Suddenly her thoughts were broken by a loud yelling.
“Celestia! What do you think you’re doing?” She gasped and whirled around to see Clover the Clever trotting towards her.
“Why aren’t you in the study young filly?”
“No Clover I finished the book you gave me and-”
“Why did you think it was OK to just walk off like that? You had me and Luna both worried sick about you!” Celestia cringed.
“I just wanted to see the sun,” she whispered, hanging her head. Clover gasped softly, as if surprised by her statement. She shook her head, muttering something under her breath.
“It’s alright, Tia,” she said quietly, trotting up beside the younger pony and nuzzling her gently. “Let’s just go back upstairs, there’s food for you now. Good job reading the book I gave you.” Celestia threw her hooves up around Clover’s neck and started to cry.
“I’m so sorry!” she wailed, clinging to Clover’s pale green pelt. The older unicorn did her best to calm her, using a hoof to boost Celestia up onto her back.
“It’s going to be ok, Tia,” she said, leaning back to look at the sobbing foal. “Hey, why don’t you braid my mane? I’ve wanted you to do that again for a while.” Celestia nodded, wiping her face with a hoof. Clover smiled, giving a curt nod to the guard before heading back inside. Celestia focused on making one long braid out of the back part of Clover’s mane. Her thick, dark brown hair was a little difficult for her to work, but she managed best she could.
“Tia!!” Luna shrieked, jumping off the bed and dashing towards the two of them. Celestia jumped off of Clover’s back and was bowled over by her younger sister, who had a tight grip around her neck. “I was so worried about you!” she cried, pulling her older sister tighter.
“I’m so sorry Luna,” she replied, putting her hooves around her sister. “I promise I won’t do it again.” Clover the Clever cleared her throat, and the two fillies broke apart.
“I have dinner for the two of you,” she said. “Why don’t you two go have a seat at the table and I’ll get it for you?” They dashed over to the table, clambering awkwardly into their chairs. Luna had to sit on a small stack of cushions to reach the tabletop comfortably, though she still sat on her haunches to appear taller than her sister. Luna looked down on the older filly with a stern glare, causing Celestia to giggle. In a moment, Clover arrived with dishes of apples, carrots and corn. The two fillies’ mouths watered at the bright, fresh produce. The corn looked to have been steamed and was lathered generously with a thick butter.
“Sugar cubes for dessert,” Clover whispered, evoking an excited gasp from the fillies. “Now, don’t let that thought spoil your appetites, girls. Eat up!” The three of them ate by candlelight, carrying on mild discussion about their studies and what Clover had been up to through the day. Apparently someone had come down with the Cutie Pox and Clover had to make a special trip to the outskirts of town to cure it. This was one of the earliest recorded cases of the strange disease and nobody knew if it was contagious or anything, so Prince Diamondruff had made it very strict and precise to keep it contained when it surfaced. Luna complained more about the amount of reading material they were given, as usual, and was met by the regular knowledge and excellence lecture from Clover. Celestia was unusually quiet this meal, chewing thoughtfully on a carrot.
“Clover, when will me and Luna get our Talent Brands?” she blurted through a mouthful of carrot. Clover blinked in surprise, wiping a bit of vegetable from her coat that had splattered from the fillie’s mouth.
“You’ll get the Brand when the time is right,” she replied.
“Does it hurt?” Luna chimed in. Celestia rolled her eyes.
“Not at all,” Clover said, glancing down at her mark. On her flank was a picture of a tattered old book with a four leaved clover between the pages, like a bookmark. “I remember feeling something when I got it, though I don’t quite remember what. It was such a long time ago that my Talent Brand appeared I can hardly remember, but I do know there was no sort of pain involved.”
“All done!” Luna said, pushing her plate away. Clover looked at Celestia.
“Tia, are you finished, too?” The foal nodded. “Alright then,” Clover said, grinning, “how about some sugar cubes before bed?” Luna cheered. Her sister was still deep in thought. The three of them ate a few cubes, Luna sneaking several more every few minutes. Celestia knew that Clover noticed it every time, but let it slip by.
“Why does she keep calling us ‘my little ponies’? It’s kinda creepy.” Celestia giggled.
“I dunno,” she replied softly, “I kinda like it.” Luna shrugged, and soon the two of them drifted off into a sound sleep.
The Leaf Turning Festival
This was, in a sense, how most of Celestia and Luna’s days were spent in Unicornia Castle. Though it may have seemed dull, it was the way of life they had abided by for as long as their memories had served them, and was therefore the only way they knew how to live. The day of the Leaf Turning Festival had arrived again that year, and again the unicorn sisters would beg their mentor for permission to attend.
“Pleeeaase!” Luna whined loudly, pulling on Clover the Clever’s braided mane. The older unicorn winced and pulled the filly away with her magic, setting her on the bed next to her sister.
“Really, Luna,” Clover scolded, “you’re acting like a child!” The filly stomped her hooves on the bed.
“That’s ‘cause you won’t let us go to the Leaf Turning Festival!”
“You’re too young, Luna!”
“Am not!!” Celestia tapped her sister with a hoof to try and calm her down. Luna always did seem to get carried away with her emotions. Sure, Celestia was upset, too. Clover had never let them any further than the castle gardens.
“Clover,” Celestia piped up, “we’re older now. Nothing’s going to happen to us if we go to the festival.”
“But how do you know that?” Clover stuttered. “Why if something happened to you, you two are-” She cut herself short, seemingly searching the fillies’ expressions.
“We’re what?” Celestia asked, holding her hoof over Luna’s mouth. The younger unicorn snorted.
“…too important to me to lose.” That hadn’t been what she was going to say before. Celestia took it anyways.
“You won’t lose us,” she said, hopping off the bed to hug Clover.
“Yeah,” Luna added. “If you’re so worried about that just come with us!” Clover wrapped a leg around Celestia.
“Come with you?” she echoed. Her voice was heavy with reluctance.
“Yeah, duh!” Luna vaulted from the bed, latching around Clover’s neck and causing her to stumble. The aging mare looked down at Luna despairingly, and then at Celestia.
“Well…” she said, her expression softening. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything…” There was a loud cheer from both fillies, and they hugged their mentor tightly and kissed her over and over.
“Really Luna, inside voices,” Clover said pleadingly, trying not to grin.
“Sorry,” the blue filly whispered. Clover giggled. This would be the very first time the fillies had left the castle grounds, and they bustled about all morning to get ready. Celestia was certain her sister had skipped brushing her teeth and had been sent off by Clover to brush her mane, even after insisting she had done it several times already.
“Do I need to take anything with me?” Celestia called out to Clover. The older mare spit her toothpaste into the wash bin.
“No, I’ll bring some bits for food or something,” she replied, swishing her mouth with water. Celestia galloped off to her room, where Luna was trying to brush her mane with the brush in her mouth.
“Thith!” she called, droll splattering on the brush handle. “An oo buth ma mae?”
“Oh Lulu.” Celestia giggled, forcing the brush from her sister’s mouth with her telekinesis. “You really have to learn to control your magic.”
“I’m trying,” Luna replied, grimacing as the brush hit a knot in her mane. “It’s super hard though.” Clover the Clever trotted in, and the two fillies jumped off the bed and ran over to her.
“Can we go now?” Luna asked, bouncing up and down. “Huh? Can we can we can we?” Clover laughed.
“Let me just get my bag ready and-” She was interrupted by a tremendous shriek from Luna, who began trotting around excitedly. Clover quieted her quickly, and the young filly stood trotting in place as Clover gathered her bags. She lifted Luna onto her back with a groan. “You’re getting heavy,” she said. Luna puffed out her cheeks in embarrassment and said nothing in return. The three of them headed downstairs and exited the castle into the morning light. Celestia’s eyes widened at the sight of the town below. Unicornia Castle sat on top of a large hill that overlooked its subjects with a watchful eye. The young unicorn brimmed with excitement as she remembered she would be down among those buildings for the first time in a matter of minutes.
The path down from the castle spiraled around the hill, and Clover led the way down the rough cobblestone road. Celestia followed her closely, though her eyes wandered all around her. Every step she took was one step further from the castle, and further from the world she had been confined in for her entire life. She cast a quick glance at Luna, who was keeping a tight hold on Clover’s braid with one hoof as she pointed out everything she saw with the other. Celestia grinned to herself. Luna was the more eccentric of the two of them, and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of what she wanted. This fact had been proven earlier that day, and Celestia quietly thanked her for her efforts.
They reached the base of the hill soon enough, and all around them was a sudden burst of activity. There were banners strung across the streets and houses in the warm colors of fall. All over there were stands selling sweets like caramel apples and funnel cakes, and along with them were games and activities for the foals. The air was thick with the sweet smell of cider and produce, and a small band could be heard playing in the distance. Luna jumped from Clover’s back and made a dash off down the street. Clover retrieved her quickly with a burst of magic, teleporting the blue filly back to her hooves.
“Luna!” she scolded, “you’re going to have to stay with me or we’ll go back to the castle. Do I need to leash you like a dog?” Luna said she didn’t. “I didn’t think so. That goes for you too, Celestia. Either of you wander off and we’re going straight home, you hear?”
“Yes, Clover.” The three of them began to make their ways down the street, Luna almost tripping Clover with how close she was staying to her. Celestia watched as foals galloped about, giggling as they played in the road. Older ponies were standing off to the sides, talking and making merry in their conversations. They passed a makeshift bar, where a tremendous uproar could be heard of several ponies singing loudly. She grinned ear to hear, feeling her chest swell up with warmth.
“Oh Clover, I never want to go back to the castle again!” Celestia exclaimed with joy. The unicorn looked at her quietly, her expression turning sad.
“You may not have to,” she murmured, looking away. Celestia didn’t hear her. She was trotting towards an apple bobbing stand with wide eyes.
“Clover, come look at this!” she called, keeping her eyes glued to the ponies dunking their heads into the large tub of water. One triumphantly emerged with an apple between his teeth, the other removing his head quickly and spitting water into the dirt. Celestia looked up at her mentor with pleading eyes. Clover already knew what she wanted, and tossed a bit to the vendor, who caught it expertly and deposited it in his saddle bag.
“Step right up you two,” he said, motioning towards the tub. Luna hopped from Clover’s back and stood on her hind legs, putting her hooves on the edge.
“What do we do?” she asked, poking at an apple with her hoof.
“Just stick your head in and try to get an apple with your teeth,” the vendor said, winking at Celestia. She giggled, bouncing with her excitement to try. “You each get three tries a pop, so go ahead! You can keep the apples you catch.” Luna quickly splashed her head under, and came up with a gasp.
“I forgot to breathe first,” she sputtered. The vendor giggled.
“That try won’t count for you then,” he said. Celestia wandered up to the edge, peering into the tub. The water was clear and bright, and light glittered off of its surface in dazzling patterns. She searched for an apple to go after, and found a relatively small one close to her. She trotted up beside it and thrust her head into the water. Her snout was immediately enveloped in cold water, and bubbles streamed off the sides of her face and up into the autumn air. She bit at the apple, feeling the fruit bob against her nose and slide back up to the surface. Celestia removed her face from the water, shaking it slightly.
“Did you get one Tia?” Luna asked, leaning over the rim of the tub, her ears perked.
“Almost,” she replied, quickly catching sight of the apple and dunking her head after it again. She could feel her teeth slide against the skin of it to little avail, and it slid up out of the water again. Celestia resurfaced, spitting water out of her mouth.
“Here sis, let me try!” Luna called out from across the tub. The small filly leaned over, her teeth biting at a particularly large piece of fruit.
“You have to put your head in, Lulu,” Celestia said encouragingly. Her younger sister did a slight nod and thrust her head into the icy water. All at once she lost her balance and her entire body slid into the bin with a splash. The water bubbled for a moment before Luna resurfaced with the apple in her mouth, a huge grin on her face. She was quickly removed from the water and they left after Clover made a profuse apology to the vendor, who was laughing the entire way though. Luna walked beside Clover, using her weak magic to just barely levitate the fruit in front of her as she ate. The apple was almost as big as her head, and she took every chance she got to comment on its size.
“It’s an Earthton apple, that’s why,” Celestia said matter-of-factly. “Earthton grows the largest apples in all of Equestria.”
“And how would you know that,” Luna said through a mouthful of fruit.
“Because I read the books Clover gives to me, that’s why.” Luna stuck her tongue out at her sister before taking another bite. Eventually she proved unable to finish the apple, and Clover gave it to Celestia, who devoured it quickly. Not only were Earthton’s apples large, they were delicious too. Celestia smiled as her mouth was flooded with the sweet, juicy flavor. Their party passed the band they had heard when they first arrived, and Luna begged to stop and listen. There was a pony on fiddle, one on what appeared to be a fife, and another playing a tambourine along with an assortment of other small instruments. Luna danced about in the dirt, kicking clumps of earth every which way with her hooves. Celestia joined her, and they trotted around in the square merrily, surrounded by other ponies that were dancing as well. Clover the Clever watched from the sidelines, her old age preventing her from joining in the merriment, but she still enjoyed it nonetheless.
They spent the rest of the day wandering about the town playing cheap games. Celestia won a small wooden top and a few pieces of taffy, and Luna claimed a whistle, which she blew constantly. Clover bought them both a small funnel cake and invested in an apple tart for herself, and they sat in the shade of a tall oak as they ate.
“This is the most fun I’ve had in my whole life,” Luna said, taking a huge bite of her sweet morsel. Powdered sugar clumped up around the rims of her mouth.
“Pony bites please,” Clover reminded her, taking a small bite of her tart. Luna swallowed and took a sarcastic nibble of the cake. Celestia chewed her funnel cake dazedly, watching the ponies of the town pass them by.
“When will the leaf turning start?” she asked Clover.
“I think the Season Turners are going to meet in the square just before sundown,” she replied, casting a glance at the sinking sun. “We should probably head over soon. We’ll want a good spot to watch them.”
“What’re Season Turners?” Luna asked.
“They’re the ponies assigned to change the seasons, Luna,” Clover explained. “They use magic to turn the colors of the leaves from green to yellow, which is why it’s called the Leaf Turning Festival.”
“Ooohhhhhh,” Luna said, drawing out the word longer than needed for her dramatic effect. “That makes sense.” They finished eating quickly, and Clover carried both of them on her back to the square.
“You two are getting a bit too old for this,” she said wearily.
“So are you,” Luna replied, yawning. Clover said nothing, but Celestia thought she saw her grinning. There was a large platform in the north end of the square, which was occupied by a small crowd of ponies. They stood on the platform, retaining a perfect posture as the crowd began to settle in around them.
“Are those the Season Turners?” Celestia asked as they took a seat on the ground. Luna slid from Clover’s back and landed with a thud before crawling over to her sister.
“I believe so,” Clover replied. “Now we just have to wait until they start the leaf turning.” It was getting fairly late in the evening, and Luna was drowsy from the day of excitement. She leaned on her sister, her eyes half lidded in her efforts to remain awake. Celestia encouraged her sister best she could, and let her play with the top she had won. Luna spun it awkwardly, taking little interest as it swiveled out of balance and toppled to the ground. Luna was about to drift off when a loud voice boomed across the square.
“Mares and stallions, foals of all ages! We welcome you to Unicornia’s annual Leaf Turning Festival!” There was a loud cheer from the ponies that had gathered. Luna snapped back into attention, blinking the weariness from her eyes. “This year again we have our wonderful and talented Season Turners to thank for changing our summer into fall! Let’s hear it for them fillies and gentlecolts!” There was a great stomping of hooves and more cheering. Luna did her best to raise her voice with them.
“Yeah, seasons…” she said tiredly, her eyes flickering again. Celestia forced her to sit up straight and patted her back to keep her occupied.
“Now without further ado, let us begin the turning of the leaves!” The crowd grew very quiet, and a strange light began to emanate from the horns of the ponies on the platform. At first it was colored to the respective hues of its caster, but they all joined together to form one large, white mass of magic. The winds slowly began to blow, and the crowds gasped in awe. As the winds blew the leaves on the trees, flecks of green began to fly into the air, swirling up high into the skies. Celestia watched open mouthed as the leaves slowly changed from their greens to shades of orange and yellow. The crowd cheered loudly, and the season changer’s magic slowly died away. The flecks of green that had sailed from the leaves floated down to earth, and the crowd began to dance in the showers of their last moments of summer.
Luna patted her hooves together wearily and finally allowed her eyes to close, letting out a tired sigh as she collapsed onto Clover. The older mare smiled and hoisted the sleeping filly onto her back. She motioned to Celestia, and the two of them slowly began to disperse with the rest of the crowd as they made their way back to the castle.
“Did you have fun?” Clover asked quietly.
“I sure did. Oh Clover, can we do this every day?”
“If you did you’d be tired of it for sure.”
“I’d never be tired of being with everyone.” Clover looked at Celestia in surprise.
“Really?” she asked. “You enjoy these ponies that much?” Celestia nodded.
“I wish I could be with them all the time!” Clover looked off into the distance, focusing on something Celestia could not see.
“You know, you have more studies to begin tomorrow.” Celestia looked at Clover, puzzled.
“I thought we finished all of the books in the castle library last week.”
“I know.” Clover stopped, turning away from her student. “You two are going to be leaving for Maytown tomorrow. I’ve already packed your things.”
Celestia’s breath caught in her throat.
“Wh-what?” she stuttered, looking to her mentor in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re leaving,” Clover said quietly, her thickly braided tail swishing back and forth.
“Why?” Celestia whimpered, her fear slowly beginning to turn to anger. “Why are you sending me away?”
“Listen, my little pony,” Clover said calmly, walking up to her and nuzzling her cheek. Celestia stepped back, refusing the comforting gesture.
“No, I won’t listen!” she said angrily, stamping a hoof. “What the hay!”
“Tia!” the older mare shot sternly. “Language!” The younger pony fell silent, apologizing under her breath. Clover’s gaze softened. “Listen, Tia,” she said quietly, looking out over the city, “do you ever think about the sun?” Celestia cocked her head.
“The sun?”
“Yes.”
The unicorn filly looked to the glowing orb in the sky as it set, its orange and pink hues dancing in her eyes. She felt her heart fill with something akin to longing, but with more vigor and strength. She could feel herself moving towards it and stopped herself, blinking.
“Yeah, I do,” she said, unable to look away. Eventually she shook herself, turning back to Clover. “What does that have to do with me leaving?”
“I saw how you handled yourself today,” Clover commented, beginning to walk back up the path. Celestia trotted after her. “You’ve stayed in Unicornia long enough, and your books can only take you so far.”
“You mean…I’m leaving to study?” Celestia asked, confused.
“It’s more like a journey of self-discovery,” Clover the Clever said, her gaze fixed ahead of her. “You remember how Lulu was asking about Talent Brands a little while back?”
“Yeah..?” She remembered only faintly the conversation’s specifics, but went along with it.
“I realized today that you may never earn them if you stay here,” Clover continued, looking back to check on Luna, who still dozed happily on her back. “You need to get out into the world and see for yourself what you’re capable of.” There was something she was keeping from Celestia. Her words were hesitant. Ignoring it, Celestia looked to her younger sister.
“What about Luna?” she asked reluctantly. “What’s she going to do when I’m gone?”
“She’s coming with you.”
Celestia stopped, surprised. Clover paused, looking her up and down.
“What, did you think I’d send you away without her?” the mare asked. Celestia shook her head.
“I just thought…” she began, stopping herself. What had she thought? Luna looked so young to her, but Celestia knew that she was much older than she appeared. Luna had always had that strange property about her, though it was largely unnoticed by her. Celestia looked down at her own hooves, raising one from the ground. Had her legs always been this long?
“You’re much older than you think,” Clover said, continuing to walk again. “I had left home at a much younger age than you are now.”
“You did?” Celestia trotted up to her side, now walking closer to her mentor. Clover nodded.
“I left at night and travelled for many months until I made it here to Unicornia. My family never knew what happened.” There was a distant look in her eyes. Celestia could see the beginnings of teardrops forming at the corners of her aged eyes, and the older mare blinked them away. “It does not matter now.” Celestia looked back to the sun. They were slowly climbing the slope up to the castle now, and the city below them was once again as distant as it had been all those years before, when they had only been allowed in the castle gardens. The rooftops were bathed in the fading light, and Celestia felt her chest grow warm as she took in the scene.
“Are you worried about us?” Celestia asked, looking at Clover. The mare looked away, avoiding eye contact with her student.
“Of course,” she said, her voice wavering, “but this is something that has to be done. It is far past time for the both of you to leave me.”
“Why?” Celestia felt the question escape her mouth before she could stop herself. Clover had already given her the answer to that question, but there was something she was hiding from her. Clover often seemed to keep herself from telling the two fillies everything on her mind. Celestia had learned to put it aside, but now it was painfully obvious there was something being kept from her. The fact buzzed in her mind, not giving her a moment’s rest. She needed to know.
“The reason why…” Clover said quietly, her voice distant,”…is something you must discover for yourself.”
“But you know why.” Clover looked at Celestia in surprise, her eyes wide. The white unicorn had stepped in front of her, looking straight into her eyes. “Don’t you?” Clover hesitated.
“I do know,” she admitted at last, her ear twitching in discomfort.
“Then why don’t you tell me? Is it really so bad that I cannot know?” Celestia’s voice was slowly raising in tone. It was strung out, desperate. “Can’t you tell me?” Clover turned away.
“I wish I could tell you everything I know, I really do,” she started, pawing at the ground with a hoof. “However, if I told you, everything would be ruined.”
“Everything?”
“Everything.” Clover was never one to exaggerate, and Celestia looked to her in confusion. How could what she knew ruin everything?
“I don’t understand.” That was all Celestia could say. She didn’t understand. The harder she tried to think the more confusing everything became.
“You don’t need to.” Celestia looked at Clover in surprise. She was looking straight into her eyes, her gaze remaining steady. “All you need to do is trust me. You will know in time why I chose not to tell you everything I know about you and your sister.” Celestia looked away, turning back to the sun. It was only slightly peeking over the horizon now, and the sky was becoming black with the coming of night. A few stars were beginning to peek out from their veil of darkness, catching a glimpse of the light before it all but disappeared.
“I trust you,” Celestia murmured, turning back to Clover. “Let’s go home.”
They arrived in Unicornia castle as the moon was beginning to show its face in the blackened sky. The ponies in charge of lowering the sun and raising the moon were still out on the castle balcony, and the wisps of their magic could be faintly seen from the ground where they stood. Luna had still not awakened, and Celestia carried her up the stairs to their room as Clover the Clever tended to her evening duties about the castle. Luna was heavier than she had expected her to be, and Celestia began to realize now their age. They were in that troubled stage between childhood and adulthood, when a pony was only beginning to mature. She wondered how Clover had ever left home before that.
Celestia gently tucked her younger sister into bed, the younger filly stirring in her sleep as she was placed onto the mattress. Luna turned over, snuggling into her pillow as she mumbled something inaudibly. Celestia smiled gently, turning to see Clover walk into the room. She was carrying two saddle bags; one over her back and the other in her mouth. She placed them by the door, and Celestia guessed that they were for their departure tomorrow.
“I’ve already arranged somewhere for the two of you to stay,” she whispered, trotting quietly to the bedside. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know tomorrow. Now you need to rest. The trail to Maytown is easy, but it is a long ways, especially for younger ponies.” Celestia only nodded as she climbed into bed, pulling the covers over herself. Clover kissed her goodnight. “Sleep well my little pony.” She left quickly, closing the door quietly behind her.
Celestia stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. There were so many different questions running through her mind that she found herself unable to concentrate on just one of them, and allowed them to bounce about, never latching on to any one in particular. She glanced over at Luna, who slept soundly in her half of the bed. Celestia was jealous that she didn’t have to know about their trip. Her younger sister would be resting easy tonight. She drew closer, snuggling up to her sister. She was warm and soft, and eventually Celestia fell into a light and unrestful sleep.
**********
Celestia was awoken by a sudden creaking and shuddering of the mattress. She threw the covers over her head, groaning loudly.
“Wake up wake up wake up!!” came the familiar tone of Luna’s voice. The bed shuddered as the young filly bounced on it. “We need to get ready to go!” Celestia threw the covers off and looked up at her sister. Luna was grinning, her tan saddle bags already strapped onto her sides. “Come on Tia!” she pressed, poking her sister with a hoof. “We’re going on an adventure!”
“Luna, are you already wearing your bags?” Clover the Clever’s tired voice rang from the hallway. “I told you to wait until you were leaving to put them on!”
“Nooo, I’m not wearing them,” Luna shouted back, quickly discarding the bags and tossing them across the room. Celestia sat up, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. Sunlight was already filtering through the windows of their small room. She had definitely overslept.
“How long have you been awake?” she asked, rolling out of bed and looking around for a hairbrush.
“Like, forever!” Luna jumped off the bed, running up to her sister. “Clover told me that we’re leaving! Isn’t it exciting Tia? It’ll be like going to the Leaf Turning Festival every day!”
“I wouldn’t say that,” the older unicorn replied, finally locating the brush and swiping it through her tangled mane. It stuck to the knots that had twisted into her hair overnight, causing her to flinch. Clover trotted in with some baskets of food and placed them on the table, and Luna flocked to her instantly.
“Breakfast, Tia!” she yelled, hopping into her chair. Celestia trotted after her, climbing into the seat beside her sister. On the table was two bowls of oats and a basket of small apples. Luna chomped at her oats noisily, the grains clinging to her face and mane. Clover scolded her for this, and Luna wiped the bits of food to the floor in childlike defiance. It was clear that Luna had taken the news of their trip much better than Celestia had, and was itching to leave the castle.
“Slow down, Luna, nopony is going to take your oats,” Clover said, looking to the blue filly in concern. “You’ll be sick if you eat that quickly.”
“Sorry,” Luna replied, bits of oat dribbling from her mouth as she spoke.
“Now listen you two,” Clover began, “you’ll be staying at the Goldenrod Inn once you reach Maytown. The owner is an old friend of mine called Strawberry Creme, she should give you a place to stay.”
“Is she sweet?” Luna asked, ginning. Celestia groaned audibly.
“Painfully so,” Clover replied, paying no mind to the joke. “As long as you tell her that Clover the Clever sent you, she’ll treat you well. The path to Maytown is very straightforward, so you won’t get lost so long as you don’t wander off.” Celestia forced herself to eat, picking an apple and biting into it. She still had her reserves about leaving, but was beginning to feel better about it now that Luna seemed to be all for it. Breakfast was finished rather quickly, and the two fillies soon prepared to leave. Luna had her bags on quickly, and she bounded about the room in excitement.
“I can’t believe we’re going to Maytown!” she screamed, hopping back onto the bed.
“Luna, if you keep running around you won’t be able to make it to Maytown,” Celestia said, rolling her eyes as Clover adjusted the straps on her saddlebags.
“I will too,” Luna replied, sticking her tongue out at her sister, blowing raspberries. Celestia snorted, turning away.
“Try not to fight like that, girls,” Clover the Clever said, pulling away slightly to examine Celestia’s bags. “You’ll be going without me, you know.” Deciding that the saddle bags were secure she stepped back, looking Celestia up and down. They were nearly eye to eye in height, and Celestia was surprised at how tall she was. Surely she hadn’t been this tall before?
“Can we go yet?” Luna asked, trotting up to her sister. She was taller as well, but the tips of her ears only came to Celestia’s jawline. Luna’s pale blue mane was long, and came down to the halfway point of her neck. Celestia’s pale pink mane was thick and wavy, and ended at her shoulder blades.
“Are you both ready?” Clover seemed hesitant. Celestia could tell she didn’t want them to go.
“I’m ready,” Celestia said confidently, raising her head.
“Me too!” came Luna’s reply.
“Then shall we?”
Clover the Clever walked with them until they reached the edge of town, where she stopped. She would not go any further than beyond the final buildings of Unicornia.
“Goodbye Clover!” Luna said excitedly, latching onto the older mare’s neck. Clover groaned in mild pain, bending over to allow the young filly to rest on the ground.
“Goodbye Luna. Please get off.” Her voice was strained. How old was Clover? Celestia’s mind fumbled.
“Goodbye Clover.” Celestia hugged Clover tightly, nuzzling into her mane. The braids she had twisted were slowly fraying and becoming undone. Would there be a time she could return home and braid Clover’s mane again?
“Be safe, Tia,” Clover whispered, breaking away. Celestia could hear her voice falter.
“I will,” she promised, turning to her sister. “Let’s go, Luna.” The two of them set off down the road, Luna humming happily as they went. Celestia did not turn back. She did not wish to see Clover cry.
The road that Celestia and Luna followed was not stone and brick like that of Unicornia’s, but trodden earth and dirt. The path was well walked, but was still littered with blades of grass and stones. When they first set off there were cottages staggered across the meadows with large fields of farmland beside them. In some of the fields the two fillies could see farmers rushing to collect the last of their crops before autumn’s chill set in. Luna stopped at every farm, pointing to the fields excitedly, continually exclaiming: “Look, Tia! Farms!” About the time it was midday, there were no farms to be seen, and all that surrounded them was fields of pale grass flecked with bright flowers. They stopped beneath a large oak just shy of the path for lunch.
Luna dropped down into the grass, wriggling out from her large saddlebags and stretching out on the ground.
“My bags are soooo heavy,” she complained, rolling onto her back. “I bet Clover put bricks in them.”
“You’re carrying the water,” Celestia said flatly, pulling two water skins from her sister’s saddlebag. Luna grabbed one greedily, popping off the cork and drinking in large gulps.
“Don’t drink it all at once!” Celestia scolded, pulling the water skin from her sister’s lips.
“But I’m thirsty!” Luna protested, reaching out with a hoof. Celestia placed the skins out of her reach.
“You’ll be thanking be later on when it gets hot,” she said matter-of-factly, opening Luna’s second bag. It seemed her sister had been trusted with only trivial items, and Celestia produced a small amount of food from the bag. There were two large apples, a sack of hay, and a tiny bag of sugar cubes. Celestia kept the sugar cubes hidden from her sister, so as not to spoil her appetite. Luna devoured the apple quickly, even chomping through the core.
“Look Tia, I’m Pony Appleseed!” she said, spitting an apple seed from her mouth and whistling in remark to the distance it travelled.
“Remarkable,” her sister returned, taking another bite of her apple.
“You’re just jealous ‘cause I’m better at seed spitting than you.” Luna spat another seed. It soared through the air, landing in the path a few yards away. She threw her front legs up into the air, cheering for her great accomplishment. Suddenly, an apple seed whizzed past the blue fillie’s head and landed on the other side of the path. She looked in surprise to her sister, who grinned down at her triumphantly.
They ate the remaining food in the shade of the oak tree, taking their time without a care in the world. Celestia leaned against the tree’s trunk, chewing a piece of hay as she looked out over the fields. She felt a strange happiness deep down inside of her, something she had never felt before when she had been in the castle. She peered at the golden orange leaves of the oak tree and grinned. There was something about the fall that always made her feel fresh and new, but being out in the open air was an entirely different experience. As she watched butterflies flitter about the fields in the evening sun, she slowly forgot about Clover the Clever and her old home back in Unicornia.
When they had finished off the hay, Celestia produced the bag of sugar cubes, much to Luna’s delight. They each devoured about five cubes, and their sweet teeth were satisfied. As they packed up to continue their journey, Luna was delighted to find that her bags were significantly lightened, as most of their contents had been consumed by the two fillies. Celestia’s bags were left as they had been when they departed, and she decided that she would split the contents when they got to Maytown.
The two fillies set out once again, singing happy songs as they went. The evening was getting along, and soon the land was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Celestia found the sun most beautiful when it was like this, and sang even louder than before. The stars were beginning to peek out from hiding when the two fillies began to hear the faint sounds in the distance.
“What is that?” Luna asked, turning to her sister.
“It sounds like…music?” Celestia cocked her ears forward, listening closely. Through the ambiance of the last cicadas and the chirping of birds, she could hear what sounded like the playing of instruments and ponies commuting over the next hill.
“Come on Tia, let’s go!” Luna began to run up the hill excitedly. Celestia sped after, ignoring the tiredness in her legs from their long journey. As they ascended the hillside the sounds grew louder, and when they finally reached the crest they stopped in astonishment. At the bottom of the hill was a small town, glowing with the light from candle-lit street lamps. There was the distinct sound of jazz music being played in the center of town, and there were ponies out and about all over town, dancing and making merry in any way they could.
“Look at all of them!” Luna exclaimed, bouncing along to the beat of the music from the square. “Oh Tia let’s go!” Before her sister could reply, Luna had begun racing down the hill.
“Hey-wait!” Celestia called, running after her. The trip down the hill was significantly shorter than the ways up, and soon the two of them were skidding to a stop at the edge of town. They were greeted by a group of merry earth ponies, who appeared to be farmers.
“G’d evenin’ to tha two of ya!” a large stallion called, tipping the hat atop his head.
“Evening!” Luna replied, still bouncing in place.
“Well lookit’ you!” one of the mares said to her, grinning. “Yer a real swinger there kiddo!” Luna did nothing but grin, and the group laughed in good nature.
“What’s all the commotion about?” Celestia asked one of the younger mares, who appeared to be more in her right mind than her companions. They all smelled strongly of apple cider, and a few staggered about on their hooves from time to time.
“The Fall Festival, dontcha know?” she replied, a little surprised. “The celebration doesn’t end for a while yet, ya know. It’ll be week’s end ‘fore these ponies give up for fall.”
“Your festival goes all week?” Celestia asked in astonishment.
“Takes us that long ta get fall in here, ya know!” the mare replied merrily, laughing. “You bein’ a unicorn and all prob’ly don't take as long ta get fall in here, what with yer magic an’ all that.”
“Hay, Golden Crisp, come on! We aughtta leave ya there fer the weight yer draggin’!” The group of ponies had begun to wander off again, leaving their friend behind with Celestia.
“Comin’!” she hollered, tipping her head to Celestia before rushing back to her friends.
“Ya old hay burner!”
“Stay with us next time!” The group laughed loudly again, and they were soon gone. Celestia looked over to Luna, who had a stupid grin on her face as she bounced about.
“Did you hear what they said about me?” she exclaimed. “They said I was a real swinger! How about that, Tia! A swinger!”
“You’re a swinger alright. Now why don’t you help me swing around town and find the Goldenrod Inn?” Celestia’s smug response passed right through the younger pony, and she began to trot around happily. The two of them stuck closely together for fear of being separated in the large crowds. The town was bathed in orange, giving it an unmistakeable rustic feel. Music could be heard from every corner, and there were vendors on every street. The festival was a much larger scale than the one held in Unicornia, and Celestia was amazed by the sheer size of everything. All of the trees in town had already been turned to their respective autumn colors, and the orange and gold hues fit in perfectly.
As the sisters wandered towards the center of town, Celestia spotted a large sign hanging over the street that had the bold letters ‘Goldenrod Inn’ carved into it.
“Luna, here it is,” she said, pulling her sister to her side before she could wander off. Celestia pushed open the door, which triggered a loud ringing of a bell inside. The two fillies stepped in, closing the door behind them. Instantly, Celestia was overwhelmed. The inn appeared to not only be an inn, but a bar as well. The room they had entered was furnished with many wooden tables, and there were ponies crammed at each one. There was a counter running along the side of the wall, creating a small hallway at the door’s entrance. Everywhere there were ponies drinking and shouting over the sound of a small band playing in a far off corner.
“Woah!” Luna’s mouth was agape in a huge smile, and she began to move towards the crowd. Before Celestia could stop her, Luna bumped headfirst into another pony. She was a stocky, white bodied earth pony with pale pink hair that slightly resembled unkempt shrubbery. The mare had an apron over her front and a tray of food balanced on her back. She looked down at the fillies and grinned.
“What can ah do ya for?” she asked loudly, her voice raised over the noise of the inn. Celestia stepped forward.
“Yes, we’re looking for Strawberry Creme?”
“Hm? Is that so?” The mare leaned forward, squinting at the two fillies. Celestia stepped back slightly, beginning to feel nervous.
“W-well…Clover the Clever sent us and-”
“Clover? Clover the Clever? Why how ‘bout that!” The mare grinned hugely. “Ahm Strawberry Creme ‘erself at yer service. What’s yer names?”
“I’m Luna!”
“And I’m her sister, Celesta.”
“What fine names tha two of ya got! You kin just call me Strawberry, ‘errypony else does.” Strawberry Creme tipped her head to the two of them, and the fillies returned the gesture. “Now you two just sit ‘ere for a moment, ah gotta feed some ponies.” The earth pony quickly trotted back into the crowd, shouting something illegible. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, looking to her sister. Luna was rocking on her hooves, surveying the ponies around her with a huge grin. It was very obvious she had taken an immense liking to them already. Celestia had too. She enjoyed meeting other ponies much more than she had thought she would, and already felt close to the inhabitants of Maytown. They were much different than the unicorns back in her hometown, as there was something about earth ponies that gave an air of merriment and relaxation, which Celestia basked in readily.
Strawberry Creme soon came back to them, sliding a tray of empty dishes onto the counter.
“Pumpkin, git these washed!” she called out, looking towards a golden colored colt who was at the end of the bar, talking to a few other ponies. He jumped at the sound of his name and hurried over, grasping the tray in his teeth and trotting off. Strawberry turned back to Celestia and Luna, smiling. “C’mon you two, let’s git ya to a room.”
The sisters followed Strawberry Creme across the room to a wooden stairwell that spiraled up to the second floor of the inn. There was a thin strip of worn carpet down the center, which was hardly in the condition it had once been. As they headed up the stairs the noise gently died down, and a muffled sound of merriment could be heard through the floorboards. The second floor was a long hallway with doors on one wall and windows and tables lining the other. A faint glow could be seen from outside, and the hall was lit only by the candle light from a rustic chandelier hung from the ceiling. A strip of carpet ran down the hallway, and was in much better condition than the carpet that adorned the stairwell.
“Up one more floor,” Strawberry said, continuing up the spiraling staircase. “All these rooms’r full up.” The third floor looked the same as its predecessor, and now the noise of the bar was only a faint muffle. The staircase appeared to continue upwards to a closed door, which Celestia guessed was the entrance to the attic. Strawberry Creme trotted to the end of the hallway and produced a brass key on the end of a string from her apron, using it to unlock the last door in line. The unicorn sisters trotted over to her.
“Is this our room?” Celestia asked curiously as their host withdrew the key.
“Sure as sugar,” Strawberry replied, hanging the key around Celestia’s neck. “You be sure an’ lock it when ya aint usin’ it or when ya don’t want no pony comin’ in. Ah gotta git back ta work, I’ll check on ya in a bit.” With that the earth pony was gone, shouting something as she trotted down the stairs. Luna approached the door excitedly grinning.
“What’s got you so worked up?” Celestia asked, amused.
“Oh Tia, I take back what I said.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I said this was going to be like going to the Leaf Turning Festival every day, I was wrong. It’s a bajillion times better!”
Celestia grinned stupidly, nodding in agreement. It was true. Her first apprehensions about their journey had completely faded away now, and she was entranced with the world. There were already so many new things that neither of them had never seen before, and they had only set out that morning. Celestia could hardly wait to see what the rest of the world had to offer.
Using her magic, Celestia turned the doorknob and pushed open the door to their room. Both of the fillies were soon giddy with delight. It was a small, square room built of entirely wood. On the wall farthest from them was a large window, whose curtains had been drawn open to show a view of the town square. On the far end of left wall was a large wooden bed with a comforter and a surplus of pillows. On either side of the bed were wooden night stands with unlit candles. Beside it was a small chest of drawers with a tiny basket of apples sitting atop it. On the right side of the room was a desk and a small couch, and covering the ground was a large floor rug. The whole room smelled strongly of apple and fresh leaves.
Luna instantly leapt onto the bed, mashing her face into the covers. She screamed something illegible into the thick comforter and looked back at her sister in excitement. Celestia closed the door and moved straight to the window, where she looked down on the celebration in the town square.
“Look Lulu, the band!” she called excitedly, beginning to bounce in place. Luna flocked to her sister’s side, standing on her hind legs and propping her front hooves on the window sill. In the square below the band was playing a lively tune, and the ponies of the town were doing some kind of square dance. Luna swayed back and forth to the beat from the bass, bobbing her head up and down. Celestia found herself bouncing along to it as well, and eventually the two of them ended up dancing around the center of the room, laughing and carrying on as they pranced about on their hooves. This tired them quickly, and Luna flopped over onto the couch.
“Tiaaaaa,” she called lazily, wiping the sweat from her brow, “undo my bag for me.” Celestia quickly undid her sister’s saddle bags and placed them beside the drawers, placing hers there as well. She removed everything from the bags, placing them on the floor. From Luna’s bag came only the water skins, and from Celestia’s bag came a few maps, several bags of coins, an empty notebook, quills and a jar of ink, and a few slips of blank parchment. Celestia looked at the notebook with interest, flipping it open. On the first page was a note written from Clover the Clever, which read: ‘Celestia and Luna: I have given you this notebook so you may record your travels for future reference. Do not leave out anything that happens, for you will regret it later on in your life. I hope your journey proves to be as enjoyable as mine was. With love, Clover the Clever.’ Celestia quickly moved to the desk with the notebook as well as the quills and ink, and looked around for a light.
“Oh Luna,” she called, “could you bring me a candle?”
“Sure.” Luna brought one of the candles over, placing it on the desk. “What’s that?”
“A notebook to record our journey in.”
“Sounds boring. You do it.” Luna jumped back onto the bed, rolling around in the comforter. Celestia sighed, grinning. She bent over to the candle, producing a spark from her horn to light it. She set to work on recording the day’s events as best she could, sometimes stopping to chew the end of her quill. Eventually Luna went to sleep, and Celestia was left awake to finish her writing. Just as she was finishing, the door opened quietly, and Strawberry Creme peeped in.
“Y’all settled alright?” she whispered, stepping inside.
“Yeah,” Celestia replied, finishing her last word and putting the quill down. “Luna’s already asleep.”
“Can’t blame ‘er. Musta been a long day fer the both of ya. It’s late, you aughta git some sleep too.” Strawberry Creme smiled at Celestia. “If ya need anythin’ just holler now.”
“I will,” Celestia returned, carrying her candle over to the nightstand. “Goodnight, Strawberry.”
“Night,” the earth pony returned, slowly heading out of the room and closing the door. Celestia trotted over to the door a moment later, removing the key from her neck and locking it. She then returned to the bedside, placing the key on the nightstand before crawling into bed. She looked to her sleeping sister and smiled before blowing out the candle.
“Goodnight Luna.”
Celestia opened her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the morning light. The window in their room had been left with the curtains drawn, and the room was completely lit. Celestia rolled out of bed, yawning loudly. She fumbled about until she made it to the window and opened it. She was immediately greeted with a blast of cool morning air, thick with the smell of leaves and dew. She looked down to the emptied town square, which had been bustling with excitement only last night. There was little evidence that the festivities had ever taken place, spare for a few bits of litter or forgotten mugs that had once contained cider.
“G’morning!” Celestia looked down abruptly to see a pony in the square gazing up at her.
“Morning!” Celestia returned. The pony walked away without another word. Celestia was sure she hadn’t known them, but found herself with a smile nonetheless. Earth ponies seemed to be more cheerful and accepting than any other kind of pony she had ever met. Despite being put below the other types of ponies when the kingdoms were separated, they still treated Celestia and Luna with the same neighborly respect they held for each other. There was a stirring behind her, and Celestia turned in time to see Luna fall face first to the floor.
“Washroom,” she grumbled, rolling onto her side.
“I think it’s downstairs,” Celestia said, trotting over to her nightstand to retrieve the room key. “Come on, I’ll go down with you.”
“Carry me.”
“No.”
After a great deal of complaining, Luna was finally on her hooves, and the two of them made their way down to the bar. There were only a few ponies awake and eating breakfast. Celestia was sure the rest of them would be sleeping until late, especially with all the cider they drank in their bellies. Strawberry Creme was already awake, serving a particularly groggy stallion a bowl of oats. She caught sight go the fillies and approached them quickly.
“Sleep well?” she asked.
“Washroom.” Luna wasted no time getting to the point. Celestia couldn’t deny her sister’s lack of modesty, especially in the mornings.
“Oh, um…over there.” Strawberry Creme motioned to a door on the other side of the room and Luna hurried off without another word. The white earth pony chuckled, turning to Celestia. “Curious lil’ filly, ain’t she?”
“I guess,” Celestia returned. Neither of them were quite sure what the classifications on ‘normal’ were, so Celestia couldn’t quite tell if her sister was a bit strange. Of course she was more emotional than other ponies she had seen, but it had never come off as strange. Strawberry Creme led her guest to the bar, where she offered her a seat on one of the stools. The counters had been hastily cleaned, and there were still a few streaks of the general grime from the previous night’s festivities. Celestia did not mind this so much, but still avoided small bits of residue. She was soon presented with a small bowl of oatmeal.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a careful taste. It was very creamy and tasted heavily of apple and cinnamon. Her face lit up in delight, and she began eating quickly, much to Strawberry Creme’s content. It was not long before Luna returned, and was treated to the same oatmeal.
“This is so good, Miss Strawberry!” Luna exclaimed, burying her snout in the bowl. Celestia pulled her sister out while their host laughed.
“Glad ta hear it,” she said, wiping Luna’s face with a rag. The filly giggled, swiping away a bit of residue with her hoof.
“Clover never made us anything like this,” Luna continued, using her weak magic to clumsily eat with her spoon. Celestia stopped eating, a heaping spoonful of oatmeal hovering before her. She set the spoon back down slowly and stared off in no particular direction. She had nearly forgotten Clover already. How was it that she could push something out of her mind so easily? Even in her independence, the unicorn still clung to the things that had kept her for so long. She undoubtedly missed Unicornia and everyone in it, but in the same sense she did not wish to return home. There were many things she did not understand in this world, and though she had been reluctant to leave she was still drawn to its mystery.
Celestia finished her breakfast as ponies from the night before began to make their ways down to the bar for their meals. The golden colored colt by the name of Pumpkin that Celestia had seen the night before was left to tend to the groggy ponies. Strawberry Creme took the sisters’ bowls from them.
“Enjoy tha meal?” she asked with a grin.
“Yeah!” Luna replied in excitement. “It was super!”
“Very good,” Celestia said, placing a hoof on her sibling to calm her.
“Glad ya liked it.” Strawberry leaned onto the counter. “What plans have tha two of ya got? For yer travelin’ I mean.” Celestia tapped a hoof on the counter.
“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “All Clover arranged was our trip to Maytown. I didn’t really think about what would come next.” Strawberry grinned.
“Well, ya could always stay fer the end of tha Fall Festival,” she suggested. “Ponies ‘round here kin always use an extra hoof about now. Bringin’ in fall is a pinch a work, ya know.”
“That sounds so cool!” Celestia turned to Luna, who was standing on her stool, hooves propped against the counter top. She hadn’t quite expected the outburst from her sister. Luna seemed to be growing more assertive by the day.
“Well, if Luna wants to stay, why not?” she said, grinning. Strawberry Creme appeared delighted with the verdict.
“It’s only mid week ‘bout now, and the work won’t end ‘till its over,” she explained. “Most everything starts up ‘round evening time, so you two kin enjoy yourselves ‘round town ‘till then.”
Strawberry Creme was soon drawn back to her work, and the sisters returned to their room. Celestia approached the open the window, greeted by a cool breeze. Ponies were beginning to move about down in the square, and a few waved up to her. Luna was rolling around on the floor, looking at one of the maps that Clover had given them.
“Equestria is really big,” she said, holding the map above her head. “Are we really going everywhere?”
“I guess so,” Celestia replied, trotting over to her sister.
“Even the places in the sky?”
“Don’t be silly, we can’t fly.”
Eventually Celestia and Luna set out into the town to see what there was. Though it was early in the morning, there were many ponies out and about for their daily business. The occupations taken up by the members of Maytown varied greatly. Earth ponies were famous for rustic crafts, such as farming, but their professions ranged widely across the spectrum. There were woodworkers, metal smiths, stone masons, and many other choices that required the superior physical strength earth ponies were born with. Maytown itself was wrought with woodworkers, and for good reason. Just outside of town to the east was a small forest, which was the source for many goods in the town. Many ponies took occupation chopping down trees there or surveying the land. They were always careful to give back as much as they took, and in turn kept the forest healthy. The wood from the trees was strong, and every home in the town was built from it.
At the edges of the town was a large apple orchard, run by the presiding Apple family. Their heritage ran deep, as did their traditions. The orchard was abuzz with activity for the fall as ponies from all over town came to help pick the ripened fruits and make ciders and jams. It was a Maytown tradition to help with the harvest in the orchard, and Luna begged her sister to attend.
“Maybe tomorrow,” Celestia said. “There’s still much to see.”
“You have to promise to take me though!”
“I promise.”
The farms that Celestia and Luna had passed on the way into town were also considered part of the community, and the farmers that worked them would come in to sell their goods. A large autumn market was set up, and ponies from all over Maytown came to buy produce. Celestia herself went in for a while and bought several items for the trip, among which were fresh corn and an assortment of berries. The farmers were eager to rid themselves of their summer crops to make room for the new plants in the fall, and there was a huge variety of foodstuffs to choose from. The two stopped beneath a towering tree to eat some raspberries from Celestia’s shopping trip.
“These are really good,” Celestia commented, popping another berry into her mouth.
“Mmhmm!” Luna’s face was dripping red with juices as she tried to shove more berries into her already full mouth.
“Oh slow down!” her sister said, taking a bit of cloth that had been used to wrap the berries and swiping it across Luna’s face. “You’ll be sick if you eat so quickly, you know!”
The two of them rested in their hotel room until evening, when Strawberry Creme called them down.
“T’day’s festivities are startin’,” she said, coaxing the fillies outside. “Wouldn’t want ya ta miss ‘em.”
Outside, the sun was beginning to sink lower into the sky, and the entire town was coated in a pale orange glow. Ponies from all over the area were gathering around. Celestia even recognized a few of the farmers she had met in the market earlier on. Strawberry Creme turned to a tree outside of the inn. Leaning on her front legs, she gave the trunk a swift kick, and small flakes of green showered down to the ground.
“Woah!” Luna cried out, looking at the tree in astonishment. “How did you do that?”
“The green on tha leaves is beginnin’ to peel away, an’ in tha evenin’ the new coat will stain to tha color of th’ sun,” Strawberry explained, motioning to the leaves up on the tree. Celestia saw where the flakes of green had begun to peel away, and the leaf beneath was a strange, pale color. In time, the sunlight would stain it orange, or so their host claimed.
“Interesting,” she said. “Back in Unicornia, we use magic to peel the green coating away, and it’s already orange underneath.”
“It doesn’t take long fer the leaf ta stain,” Strawberry said. “The clear color you saw a second ago ’s already orange.” Surely enough, the leaves were already stained with flairs of orange, much to the amazement of the two fillies. “It mighta looked like they were already orange, but it just stains quick.”
“Cool,” Luna breathed, her eyes wide. The ponies around town had also begun to shake the green coating from the leaves of the trees that grew in the square.
“It takes a right long time ta change all the trees in Maytown,” Strawberry said, kicking the tree again. “Not ta mention the orchard. Tha sooner we get ta work tha sooner we’ll be done.” Celestia and Luna complied eagerly, and helped with the work. At first, the sisters found it difficult to be of any use. Kicking the trees was a lot more difficult than it looked, and it took them several tries to land their strikes on the trunks of the trees. Strawberry Creme was very patient, and helped them the best she could to learn the technique. It took a great amount of force to get any real work done, and the two were tired out very quickly.
Rest areas were set up around the town, and the ponies that took charge of them appeared to be too weak or old to help with the actual work. The stations provided water, and apple cider for the older ponies. Celestia and Luna took several breaks at various stations and got to know the other ponies resting at them. They were all incredibly caring and curious ponies, and Celestia grew quite fond of them. Several of them were incredibly interested in the journey they were on and asked many questions about Unicornia and the culture there. They appeared very surprised at the Leaf Turning Festival, and asked over and over how they managed to transition to fall in only a day. It was then that Luna overtook her sister in the conversation and proudly told the earth ponies about the magic that Unicornian ponies used, much to the listener’s bewilderment. Celestia allowed this, laughing at the seeming importance Luna held in the topic.
Work carried on late into the evening, and soon the last rays of light disappeared from view. It was now that the lanterns were lit and the celebrating began. A great deal of the trees had been changed to their new wardrobes, but many still remained only half colored or fully green, waiting until the following evening to be transformed. Celestia and Luna were already very tired and hungry, and returned to the Goldenrod Inn without hinderance. There they ended up mingling with the towns ponies for dinner, and told them all about their times in Unicornia. They drank in the information readily, asking question after question about how magic worked. Celestia, fortunately educated in the subject, was able to explain to them in fair detail, and answer most of the questions asked of her. Luna had taken to furiously consuming the steamed corn they had been served, and smothered it lavishly with a thick butter. A few ponies stopped just to watch her eat, making comments now and then.
After saying their farewells, the two of them went up to their room, exhausted.
“Ohh Tia,” Luna groaned, throwing herself onto the bed, “I ate sooo much corn.”
“I saw,” she replied, retrieving the journal Clover the Clever had given them and placing it on the desk. “You’ll feel better after you go to sleep.”
“No, I’m going to explode!” This was followed by a sound effect, which Celestia guessed was meant to be the explosion of her sister’s stomach.
“Well, if you do, make sure not to get it on me.”
“Thanks.”
Luna was soon fast asleep, and Celestia worked on recording their day in the journal. The sounds of music and merriment could still be heard from the town square late into the night, and even after finishing her writing, the filly watched by the window. The ponies here always seemed to be celebrating for something. Even the most minor things seemed to be a cause for great commotion, which was what drew Celestia to them the most. The ponies in Unicornia had always taken things for granted, their magic making everything easy for them. Earth ponies never had such an easy way out, and celebrated in their hard work that allowed them to do what others could so effortlessly. Celestia admired this about them the most. She eventually fell into a contented sleep.
The next morning she was awoken by Luna, shaking her violently.
“Lulu..?” Celestia groaned, burying her face in her pillow. “Go back to sleep.”
“But Tia,” the blue filly whined, pounding on her sister with her hooves, “you promised!”
“Promised what?” Celestia turned over to face Luna, who was pouting.
“You said we’d go to the orchard to help harvest the apples!”
“Oh yeah.”
It was already late in the morning, and Celestia reluctantly rolled out of bed. Luna had apparently already gone down to eat without her, and was waiting anxiously to leave. Celestia hastily brushed her mane and went down to the bar, where she ate a quick meal of cornflakes with bits of fresh strawberries. Luna sat beside her sister, whispering encouragement for her to hurry as she ate. As soon as the last bite of cereal was taken, Luna sped off to the door, where she hopped in place as she waited for Celestia to follow her.
The two of them made their way through town, arriving at the orchard around midday. The orchard itself spanned across a very large area of the countryside, and there were many ponies there working. Many of the ponies had cutie marks that corresponded to anything related to apples, who Celestia guessed were the members of the Apple family. A large, creamy brown stallion approached the two of them.
“Ya here ta help out, lil missies?” he asked in a gruff tone.
“Yeah!” Luna replied in excitement. The stallion smiled down at her.
“Well, it’s nice ta see you youngins wantin ta help out,” he said, ruffling Luna’s mane. “You kin get right on in there, the baskets are already under yonder trees.”
“Thank you sir,” Celestia said, dipping her head respectfully. “We’ll do the best we can.” Luna took a less dignified approach, and took off yelling into the orchard. The stallion chuckled, shaking his head.
“You’ll have ta keep an eye out fer that one,” he said. Celestia sighed, grinning.
“I know.”
The two of them worked in the orchard for a good while, using the same techniques as the night before to kick the apples from the trees. Although they were physically weaker as unicorns, the sisters still had a good time. As it drew on into the afternoon the work stopped, and the family thanked all the volunteers for helping. Celestia and Luna were sent back to the hotel with a small basket of apples, which they snacked on along the way.
Again that evening they helped with the work of shaking the green from the trees, and celebrated when the work was finally done for good. Celestia and Luna stayed out late that night, making merry with the rest of the town in their happiness. They only retreated back to the inn at the early light of morning, exhausted. Celestia fell asleep as she tried to write in her journal.
The Leaf Turning Festival carried on through the rest of the week with as much merriment as when it had started. Luna and Celestia still found themselves immersed in the matters of it all, assisting every night in the changing of the leaves. Many times Luna had to retire early to their room, and Celestia was left alone to work with the townsponies. This ended up being much more to her liking, not having to watch after her younger sister. The ponies she worked with expressed their gratitude to her every time they caught her alone, and Celestia accepted it with embarrassment.
On the final night even Luna managed to stay awake, and when all the other trees had been changed the entire town gathered around in the center of the community, where a large tree was planted. It towered higher than all the others, and was said to have been there since before the three kingdoms had come to their new land. The mayor of the town hosted the event with great enthusiasm. Celestia came to learn that every year, one single pony was given the honor of changing the tree. This fall was the time for a large colt to shine; he was one of the Apple family who had apparently helped the town in a great time of drought. The colt went by the name of Little Sprout, and was a pale green earth pony with a large girth. His Talent Brand was that of a seed with a small sprout emerging from the top.
Little Sprout began bucking the tree after a short ceremony, and the town cheered him on as bits of green showered down on the ground. It was very dark in the night, but the light from the lanterns around the gathering gave them enough of a view. The point of the ceremony was for the pony to shake the leaves clean before the dawn came, and Little Sprout seemed tireless as he continued to kick at the tree with his back legs. It took a while for him to wear out, but the cheering crowd seemed to fuel him as he worked on. Just as the dawn began to break the last of the greens were freed from the tree, and Little Sprout collapsed on the ground, panting. Several of his family members ran out to support him, congratulating and praising him profusely as the sun rose, staining the leaves the color of autumn.
Celestia watched the sun with a great smile on her face. Such a simple thing had such profound meaning to the ponies here, and with the thought of it her chest swelled with warmth. Luna was standing on her back, her blue hooves planted on her older sister’s head.
“What a night!” she exclaimed, her voice heavy and tired. “Tia, let’s go back now, OK?” Celestia gazed at the sunrise for a moment longer, almost unable to look away. She eventually closed her eyes, still seeing its rays dance in her head in its vibrant yellows and reds. “Tia? Are you asleep?”
“Oh! Sorry Lulu, let’s go.”
The two of them dragged themselves back to the Goldenrod Inn and retired exhaustedly into their room. Luna immediately fell onto the bed, squirming under the covers. Celestia let out a sigh, moving over to the desk to write in her journal.
“Are you doing that diary thing again?” Luna asked, sitting up to look as her sister lit a candle.
“It’s a journal, and yes. I’ll forget everything if I don’t put it down before I go to sleep,” Celestia replied, opening the book to the next blank page. She had been faithfully putting everything she possibly could into its pages. Clover had said she would regret it if she didn’t, after all. Though it had only been a week, the book was already full of such precious memories and emotions, and Celestia shuddered at the thought of losing it. The sun was already up into the sky when she finally finished her account of the day and retired to bed. As she slept she dreamt of being back in Unicornia Castle, back with Clover the Clever and her books. When she woke she felt something heavy in her chest, almost like a longing, but she didn’t want to go home quite yet. There were still many things she didn’t know.
It was afternoon when Celestia and Luna finally packed up their things and prepared to leave. They couldn’t afford to spend another night at the Inn, as much as they may have wanted to. They bid a reluctant goodbye to Strawberry Creme, who gave them some food for their trip.
“Good luck on yer journey, youngins,” she told them, patting Luna on the head. “Be sure ta visit once in a while.” The unicorn sisters left town while there was still daylight, Celestia burying her face in her map while Luna skipped down the path, shouting to farmers working in their fields as they passed.
“Well, Luna, looks like the trail goes through a forest,” Celestia said, turning the map this way and that with her magic. “It says here that it’s called Everfree.” The older sister lowered the map to look at Luna. “Isn’t that the magic forest that no pony goes through because it grows on its own?” Luna shrugged.
“Who knows. I don’t know!” She trotted ahead down the path, leaving Celestia to fumble with her bags as she put the map away. “Keep up Tia, or the headless horse will get you!”
“That’s an old pony tale!” she called back, trotting to keep pace. When the sun began to set they could see the forest off in the distance, and Celestia felt a seed of worry plant itself in her chest. There was something unsettling about it, but she couldn’t quite place the feeling. Luna had wandered off the path, and called over to her sister. Celestia came after her to find that her sister had planted herself beneath a tree and had shed her saddlebags.
“Let’s sleep here tonight, sis!” she suggested, patting the ground with a hoof. “Like camping!”
“It is camping, Luna,” Celestia said, working her saddlebags off and placing them next to Luna’s. The younger filly romped around in the field chasing insects as Celestia wrote in her journal. The stars soon came out, and the two of them lay on their backs and stared into the sky.
“Look, Tia, that one’s the North Star,” Luna said, motioning to a particularly bright dot in the sky with her hoof. Celestia had admittedly skipped a few lessons in astronomy, and stared hard at the star.
“How do you know?” she asked.
“How do you NOT?” Luna sounded almost offended. “Clover gave us all those astronomy books, didn’t you read them?” Celestia sat up with a start.
“Wait, you mean you actually read them?” That would have been a first.
“Yeah!” Luna said proudly. “Stars are super cool!” Celestia sat in wonder as her sister rattled of the names of different stars and constellations in the sky, pointing every one of them out expertly. “And tonight the moon is waxing, so in a few days it should be full! That’s when it’s best to practice lunar magic!” Celestia had to admit, she was impressed with her sister’s knowledge of the night. Though it had never been particularly interesting to her, Luna seemed to love it the most.
“Maybe you’ll get a Talent Brand in astronomy,” she joked.
“That would be sooooooo cool!”
Celestia stayed up for a little while, examining the map in the moonlight as Luna drifted off into sleep. She was really looking for a way around the Everfree Forest, but it seemed that they would just have to pass through. To its south was a huge gorge, and to the north a rough range of rubble and stone. Besides, it would probably take them many days more to go around than to take the path straight through, and time was of the essence if they wanted to eat every day. Defeated, she put the map away and fell asleep beneath the stars.
Celestia awoke late in the morning with Luna atop her, still snoozing. The filly was awoken, and both complained mildly of being sore in the neck or back as they ate apples for breakfast. They set off when the sun was high in the sky, and in no time at all the two sisters reached the Everfree Forest. The fillies lingered at its mouth, peering doen the ending path that snaked its way through the gnarled and dark trees. Bits of the path were overgrown with foliage here and there, and all sorts of strange noises emanated from the gloom.
Celestia gulped, pawing at the ground as she looked down the path. She still hated the idea of going through the forest. There was a sickening sort of magic aura within it that frightened her to no end. Luna, however, seemed eager to explore it.
“Come ooooon, Tia, let’s go!” she whined, starting to head down the path. “Quit being such a scaredy pony!” Celestia followed her sister nervously, feeling a shiver pass through her body as she was covered by the shadow of the trees. The trail wound this way and that, curling around trees and passing through streams. The most unsettling thing to Celestia was that she could not see the sun. She could feel the passing of time, but the only light she could see was the tiny flecks that forced their ways to the forest floor through tiny spaces in the canopy. Luna was enjoying herself immensely, wandering off the path to look at small insects that happened to catch her eye.
“Please don’t leave the path, Luna,” Celestia called nervously as her sister rooted around in the undergrowth. “You don’t know what’s out there, really!” Luna looked up, levitating a very large centipede over her head. Celestia cringed slightly, watching it squirm about. “Please put that back.” Luna released her magical spell, and the insect fell to the ground and scuttled away into the brush. When the splotches of light had turned a pale orange and they were still not out of the forest, Celestia began to grow worried. Surely they wouldn’t have to spend the night here? If only they had woken up earlier, then maybe…
“Hey, Tia, look!” Celestia blinked her way back into reality, suddenly faced with a field of bright blue flowers. Luna was by her side, and as she moved to get a closer look her older sister stuck out a hoof, stopping her.
“Hold on a minute,” she told her sister, approaching the flowers tentatively. Upon closer inspection she stood up straight, nodding. “As I thought. Poison Joke.”
“Poison what? Don’t you mean poison oak?” Celestia shook her head.
“Poison Joke is a very powerful magical plant, and it’s very difficult to reverse its effects. Clover the Clever told me about it a while ago.” She craned her neck, trying to see if they could go through at all. The vibrant plants covered the path for a long ways, completely blocking the way. Her breath caught in her throat. “I guess we… we have to go around.”
“Cool! Bushwhacking!” Luna immediately stomped her way off of the path, lifting her legs high as she crashed through the plants. Celestia followed, glancing back at the pathways. As long as she could remember where it was they wouldn’t get lost. They’d have to get back on the path as soon as they possibly could. It took a little while for them to finally move around the field of poison joke, which fanned out across a wide area. The sisters had to make some turns to avoid deep ditches or clumps of bramble, and Celestia began to panic when the path reached its end at the edge of a steep cliff. They had broken from the cover of the canopy, and above them was the night sky.
Celestia dropped down, defeated. Luna was too busy looking over the edge of the cliff to notice her sister’s distress, spitting over the edge and leaning down to watch it fall.
“Hey Tia, you got a rock or something?” Luna asked, coming up to her sister. Celestia shook her head, slowly sliding down to her belly.
“I can’t believe it,” she muttered. “We’re lost. In the forest. At night.” Luna eventually found a rock somehow or other, and tossed it off the cliff. It took a few seconds before they could hear the small clatter of it shattering on the ground.
“Well, ain’t that just the way.” Luna reported back to her sister. “It’s too high to climb down, I think. We should go back around.” Her stomach grumbled, and she slid off her saddlebags. “Let’s just eat now, OK? Tia?” Celestia blankly removed her bags as well, pushing them over to Luna as she stared off into the forest. How could she have let this happen? She was the older sister, it was up to her to take care of Luna, and now they were going to die in this forsaken maze. What would Clover say? No, would Clover even know what happened to them? Maybe they would become savages and live off of beetles! Or even worse, maybe- Celestia’s thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling of her stomach. Luna passed her sister a bag of oats.
“Thanks,” Celestia mumbled, forcing herself to down a few mouthfuls of the bland grain. Suddenly there was a high pitched sound that rang out through the forest, and Celestia looked up, eyes wide. “Luna, you heard that, right?” Her sister nodded, scooting a little bit closer.
“You know Tia, I’m not saying that sounded like howl, but it totally-” Luna was cut off by a chorus of noises, seemingly in response to the first one. Celestia quickly put her bags back on, coaxing Luna to do the same.
“Timber wolves,” she whispered, frantically adjusting the straps on their bags. “We must have wandered into their territory when we left the path…”
“Well what do we do?” Luna asked, panic rising in her voice. Howls resonated in the air again. They seemed to be coming from both sides of the fillies, though still a little ways off. Celestia trotted up to the cliff edge, her stomach dropping when she saw the height they were at. It wasn’t a completely straight drop, maybe they could climb down… There was a loud crashing in the brush behind them, and Luna backed towards her sister, eyes wide.
“Hey, Tia, you better do something real quick.”
“I’m thinking, give me some time!” She tried to run through all the spells she knew in her head, but she only drew blanks. How could she not remember at a time as crucial as this? There was a shriek from Luna, and Celestia turned her head to see a timber wolf slowly emerging into the open. Its body was wooden and gnarled, its eyes glowing in the dim as its limbs rattled from moving. The fillies backed to the edge of the cliff as a second and a third flanked their pack mate. Celestia glanced over at Luna, who was trembling as she looked at the wolves. Was there nothing she could do? They were coming closer now, panting and clacking their splintered jaws. Without a second thought Celestia drew her sister close and, bracing herself, slid over the edge of the cliff.
The face of it was steep and covered with rocks and roots, and Celestia held tightly to Luna as they began to roll head over hooves, battering their bodies on the rough ground. After what seemed like an eternity they crashed to the ground, Celestia groaning as she struggled to stand. Casting a glance back to the top, she saw the timber wolves peering over the edge for a moment before veering off to both sides and disappearing. Luna was sniveling, still lying in the dirt.
“Come on Luna, get up!” her sister encouraged, nudging the blue filly. There was a loud howl again, and panic consumed Celestia’s mind. She hoisted Luna’s small body onto her back and galloped off into the forest. There wasn’t a single thought in her mind now. What was there to think about? It took every ounce of her being to focus on the path she was taking, her hooves crashing through the underbrush and snagging on roots and stones. She stumbled, landing on her forelegs. She cried out in pain, legs wobbling and dribbling blood as she forced herself to stand. There was the howling again, that terrible howling! Celestia limped on, feeling the burden of her sister on her back. In an effort to lighten the load she used her magic to pull of Luna’s tattered saddle bags and toss them to the side.
They came to a large river flowing quickly through the forest, and Celestia stopped a moment to even out her labored breathing. Her thoughts were beginning to return now, and she realized that maybe if they followed the water, they could find a way out. Wasn’t there a river on the map? Did she have time to check? Howling filled her ears. No time. She galloped downstream, panting with the effort being put on her body. The filly was wearing out quickly. Soon the timber wolves would be able to catch her, and then…! Celestia pushed on, letting out her voice in pain with every step she took. Luna was now a silent and dead weight on her back. The trees appeared to be thinning out ahead of her. Maybe they would make it!
Celestia put on a spurt of energy filled with hope, but it was short lived. A timber wolf leapt from the foliage in front of her, and she skidded to a harsh stop. Wheeling around she found herself facing another, and from the corner of her eye she could see the third coming towards her from the side. Surrounded. She slowly turned so she could see all of them at once, closing in on her. This was it? After all they had done, this was how it was going to end? She could feel their hot breath burning on her pelt, their eyes petrifying her with their almost lifeless glow. They were growing closer still.
“No,” she whispered, digging her hooves into the dirt. “Not here.” The timber wolves let out a throaty growl at the sound of her voice. Whatever happened, she had to keep Luna safe. The timber wolf in front of her had broken from the formation, clacking its jaws. Celestia felt a strange power rising up in her chest as she looked in its eyes. There were so many feelings coursing through her; anger, fear, love. Love for Clover the Clever, love for Luna.
Her head began to grow dizzy, and her eyes began to blur with light. She loved them so much. Not just them, but every pony in Equestria she had met so far. She loved all of them so dearly! Her body was suddenly racked with a splitting pain, and she squeezed her eyes closed, shouting in agony. Celestia could hear the timber wolves moving about, their limbs creaking. She felt her head grow unbearably heavy, and suddenly a great spurt of magic shot forth form her horn, her eyes shooting open. Everything around her was a blinding white for a moment, and she felt her body grow limp as it went to black.
Author's Note
It's been a while since there was a new chapter, hasn't it? Hopefully things will stay more consistent from now on!
“…stia? Celestia! Oh, please answer me!!” Celestia opened her eyes slowly, greeted by a sudden shining light. She squeezed them back shut, her head pounding. With a groan she slowly tried to rise to her hooves, but was suddenly dragged back down as Luna latched herself to her sister’s neck.
“I thought you were dead!” Luna wailed, pressing her face into Celestia’s coat.
“I’m fine,” Celestia murmured, stroking the little filly’s mane as she sobbed. Celestia finally opened her eyes to find that the sun was high in the sky. Startled, she looked around her. The entire area about them was completely flattened out, the trees reduced to splintered rubble, branches and clods of dirt flung everywhere. She pulled Luna closer, her heartbeat hastening. “What happened here?” she asked quietly, still looking around in amazement. The area that had been cleared was impressively large, as if something had taken a massive bite from the forest.
“I don’t really know, Tia,” Luna admitted, leaning back to look her sibling in the eyes, “but I think… I think you did this.”
“Me?” Celestia stood with a start, her legs wobbling. Something else could be felt as well, something strange and alien to her. Turning her head, Celestia found a pair of wings resting calmly at her sides. The filly gasped, flailing back onto her haunches. The muscles in her wings also acted, causing them to spread out as if she were about to take off. Luna’s eyes were wide in amazement as she stared at her sister. “What on earth are these doing here?” Celestia asked, feeling her head grow heavy with the immensity of the situation. She felt herself stand again and she began walking in circles, trying to get a better look at her new wings.
“That’s not all, Tia,” Luna said, trotting over to her sister’s side. “Look! Right here!” Casting her gaze to where Luna was motioning, Celestia found an image of the sun resting on her flank.
“My Talent Brand!” Celestia jumped into the air, instinctively flapping her wings as she hovered off the ground for a few moments before landing again. “I can’t believe it! My very own Talent Brand!” She jumped about on the ground before tackling her younger sister, rolling around on the ground as the two of them laughed. They eventually came to a stop, lying on their backs as they looked up into the sky. Celestia watched the clouds rolling by, joy and contentment welling up in her chest. Suddenly she stopped, sitting up and looking around. “Hey Lulu, how long has it been daytime?”
“Beats me,” she replied, rolling onto her belly. “The sun was up there when I woke up.” Celestia looked down at her flank, the image turning over and over in her mind. Her talent was… the sun? Surely that didn’t mean- Celestia’s thought process was interrupted when Luna prodded her side with a hoof.
“Sis, look. Somepony’s coming!” Celestia looked up to see an earth pony stallion trotting toward them. She stood up, raising her head high as he drew close. The stallion was a rusty red in color with a graying mane. He appeared to be an older individual, and on his flank was an image of a halfway unfurled map. Luna scooted closer to her sister, puffing out her chest as she tried to look the stallion in the eyes. The stallion looked both of them over, his eyes widening when he noticed the wings at Celestia’s side.
“You two have something to do with this, I suppose?” he asked quietly, motioning with a hoof to the flattened space where the forest used to be. Celestia nervously shifted around, looking down.
“I think so, sir,” she said.
“You think so? You don’t know?”
“No, not for sure. I’m sorry.” The earth pony sighed, turning to look up at the sky.
“S’pose you don’t know why the sun’s up at this hour either?” Celestia’s ears perked up.
“What do you mean, at this hour?” she asked, stepping forward to look him in the eyes. The stallion looked back at her, surprised.
“Why, it’s the middle of the night, you know! There was a big ‘ol flash ‘o light right around here and next thing you know the sun’s up like it’s high noon!” Celestia gasped, looking back at Luna, whose mouth was gaping open.
“That was me..?” she whispered, shaking her head. The stallion’s ears perked at this and he leaned forward.
“What wassat? It was you?” His eyes were wide with astonishment. Celestia looked back at her Talent Brand once more, feeling the dots in her head connecting. She turned back to the stallion with confidence.
“My sister and I were being chased by Timber Wolves here in the forest,” she explained. “We were surrounded, and I loosed a very large blast of magic. That magic must have been what caused the sun to rise, and what leveled the forest!” Luna was still gaping in amazement at her sister.
“And she grew wings, mister!” she chimed in. “Those weren’t there before we woke up, promise!” The stallion turned around for a moment and slid a hoof over his face, giving a sigh of pure exhaustion. Bringing his hoof back to the ground he turned to face them once more, his calm demeanor returned.
“Well then, it can’t be helped. I don’t know who you two are, but you can’t go into town now.”
“Why not?” Luna looked up at him with a confused look on her face.
“Everypony is in a real panic ‘cause of you two,” he explained, turning and starting to trot away. Celestia and Luna followed. “If you showed up now there’s no telling what they’d do.” He looked over his shoulder at the two sisters, who were covered in scratches and grime. “What are your names, kids?”
“I’m Celestia, and this is Luna.”
“Red.”
“Red what?” Luna asked.
“That’s my name. Red.”
“Ohhhhhh.” Celestia looked down at her sister and giggled a little before speeding up so she was right next to Red. She seemed to be exactly at his height. Though he was on the smaller side for an earth pony stallion, it was still surprising.
“Mister Red,” she started, still struggling to keep his pace, “I had to toss our bag with all our provisions back in the forest while the wolves were chasing us. I still have mine, but all we have now is a few maps and books.” Red cast a sideways glance at her, noticing how hard she was working to stay beside him and slowing slightly.
“You askin’ me to get you some food, kid?” he asked.
“I can pay you,” Celestia said. “Please, we won’t make it very far without food and water.” Red sighed, returning his focus to the path ahead of him.
“I’ll leave you just outside of town. It’ll take a while to gather everything, but I’ll get you what you need, don’t you worry.”
“Thank you, Red.”
The three of them had to walk a ways before they cleared the area of the forest that had been destroyed by Celestia’s burst of magic. As they went they had to climb over fallen logs and branches. It hurt Celestia to see how much she had destroyed, but it scared her as well. Had she always had that much potential? She could feel her magic coursing through her entire being, even now. It was an almost overwhelming feeling, filling her with more energy than she could bear. Once in a while her horn would sputter and emit a few sparks, providing only momentary relief from the sensation that was almost drowning her in its immensity.
Luna noticed her sister struggling and would force Red to stop once in a while. During these breaks Celestia would collapse to the ground, and she tried everything to get rid of the magical energy that had pent itself up inside her. The most effective method, she found, was to perform spells, and the more complicated the better. Celestia would levitate large objects, or teleport herself back and forth across a small distance. Red remained stoic throughout, though it was clear to Celestia that he had fear inside of him.
After some time they had reached a large river, and the group stopped to drink and rest for a while. The sun was now being lowered from the sky, undoubtedly by the unicorns back in Unicornia. Celestia watched it set while it was hastily replaced with the moon, and wondered if Clover the Clever was watching it too. Would Clover even have any idea it had been her own student that caused this accident?
“Hey, sis.” Celestia looked up to see Luna beside her. “How’s your magic? Do you need to teleport some more before we get moving again? Red says his village isn’t too far from here.” Celestia grinned, nuzzling her sister.
“I’ll be okay, thank you for asking though.” Luna leaned into her sister’s touch, only breaking away when they had to move on. Celestia could feel Luna’s fear as well. Though her sister kept close to her side, Luna was afraid. Neither of them had known the kind of power Celestia had, and it was indeed frightening, to say the least. Luna was keeping her head very well, Celestia had to give her that. The party traveled alongside the river for a while as the moon grew lower in the sky. Celestia could feel the dawn coming, and her whole body was tensed, waiting for the arrival of the sun. A light could soon be seen in the sky and Celestia stopped, focusing her attention on it. Something was off about the way it was coming up.
“Is somethin’ wrong?” Red called back, coming to a halt a little further ahead. Luna trotted up next to her sister, nudging her slightly.
“Come on Tia,” she said encouragingly. “Let’s just keep going.”
“No, wait-” Celestia kept her gaze fixed as the sun rose a little higher into the sky, then suddenly dropped slightly. Her wings flared out in alarm as she called out: “They can’t raise the sun! They used up all their magic fixing the mistake I made!” She looked frantically between Red and Luna, and then back at the sun, which was still struggling to break the dawn. “I have to raise it for them.”
“No, Tia wait!” Luna protested, jumping in front of her sister. “What happens if you lose control of your magic again?” Her sister’s face now freely conveyed her fear. This is what Luna had been worried about all along. “What if something bad happens to you?” Celestia leaned down to nuzzle her sister.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, I promise.” Celestia took a step back, giving her wings an experimental flap. “If I can get myself into the air, you two will be safe, even if I let loose too much magic,” she explained. Luna shook her head, stepping back a little.
“You just got those, Tia!” Luna said. “There’s no way you can fly!”
“I have to try!” With one mighty push from her wings, Celestia managed to lift herself from the ground. Confidence building by the moment, she flapped even harder, and looked down to see herself several feet from the ground. As she worked to stay airborne, Celestia began to focus all of her attention onto the sun, every fiber of her being fixed upon it. Magic began to flow from her horn, and she did her best to direct the energy onto the sun, though periodically waves of her magic would disperse into the air around her, causing a fair amount of turbulence. As her mane flowed back away from her face Celestia could see the sun slowly coming up over the horizon. She flapped her wings harder, keeping on its level as it rose higher into the sky. Her whole body was pulsing with power now, and she had trouble keeping the sun in a completely straight line as it rose, struggling as it wavered from left to right. It was almost righted now, and throwing her hooves up in one last push, Celestia raised the sun into its place. With that she felt her body lock up and she plummeted back toward the earth.
Celestia flapped her wings frantically, but the strain her body had undergone had left her in a weakened state. She had flown up quite high without her noticing it, and now she cursed herself for being so reckless. The ground grew close now, and Celestia tensed up her muscles as she prepared to crash. Quite suddenly, her body was enveloped in a mass of magic, and she slowed, only hitting the ground with a light thud. Though the fall had been dampened, Celestia fell to her side, wincing in pain. She looked up to see Luna bounding towards her, tears running down her face.
“Tia, you said nothing would happen!” she yelled, jumping onto her sister, front legs latched around Celestia’s neck. “You almost died!” Red ran up to their side, panting.
“Kid, you’re lucky your little sister caught you when she did!” he sputtered. Celestia looked down at Luna, who was nuzzled close.
“You did that levitation spell, Luna?” she asked in surprise. Luna only nodded, squeezing her tighter. Celestia started laughing, tearing up herself as she hugged her sister back. “I guess you payed attention during lessons after all, huh? I told you that you’d get the hang of your magic eventually.”
“You big meanie, you didn’t have to risk your life for me to get it!” Luna hit her sister with a hoof, her words muffled with her face buried completely in Celestia’s mane.
“I’m sorry,” Celestia muttered, still clutching her sister tightly. The group allowed themselves to rest for a while in the grass, still wet from the morning dew. The moisture clung to Celestia’s coat, and she lay basking in the morning light as it evaporated. Every bit of her ached from the strain it had taken to raise the sun. She no longer felt the constant burden of her magic overflowing, but Celestia could already sense it creeping back. They set off just before mid day, and before the afternoon set in a small village was in sight. Red pulled the sisters off of the path, leading them across a nearby stream and stopping them beneath a large weeping willow.
“I’ll leave you two here. Don’t move until I come back,” he said, turning to Celestia. “What all do you need?” The older filly quickly rummaged around in her bag, producing a small roll of parchment. She levitated it in the air as Red took it in his teeth.
“I wrote you a list while we were resting,” she explained. “Right after I raised the sun I had time to make one.” Red nodded, and without another word, he trotted off. Celestia felt herself collapse down into the soft grass, heaving a heavy sigh. The trip here had been absolutely exhausting, and she was more than ready to get some rest. Luna appeared tired as well, wandering towards the stream with mild interest. Celestia slid her saddle bags off, leaning back against the tree. The long branches of the weeping willow dipped down low to the ground, concealing the two sisters in a splotchy shade. Some of the leaves dipped all the way down into the stream, being pulled gently along with the current. Celestia closed her eyes, basking in the tiny rays of sun that peeked through the boughs to warm her coat. In the cool of the afternoon, she drifted off to sleep.
Celestia woke a short while later to find the sun beginning to fall lower in the sky. Luna had laid across her sister’s lap and was still sound asleep. Celestia used the time to write in her journal until her sister was roused from her sleep. The two of them waded about in the stream for a while to pass the time, and laid out in the grass to watch the sunset. Out in the open, Celestia could see the village a little more clearly than before. It appeared to be very small, with only a few very large buildings, one of them being a water mill beside the river they had traveled along. Just outside of town were golden fields of wheat, and ponies working in them, harvesting. Come nightfall, Red still had not returned, and Celestia listened to her sister point out the different constellations in the sky.
“Aw, man!” Luna said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “They messed up the trotting constellation again!” The filly pointed a hoof into the sky, connecting a few stars together. “See? There should be one more star just to the right of that one! They mess this up all the time!” Celestia giggled, patting her sister on the head.
“Don’t get too worked up about it, they have a lot to worry about already,” she told Luna. “Especially after today…” The two ponies remained quiet for a while, listening to the cicadas call out. It was a pleasant alternative to the silence between them. Luna nudged her sister, motioning toward the road.
“Hey, here comes Red,” she said, getting back to her hooves. The fillies trotted out to greet him, and he gave them a nod in greeting.
“Took a while to get everything without suspicion,” he explained. He lifted his saddlebags up and placed them on Luna, stepping back to allow Celestia to tighten them. “Everything you asked for should be in there. Water skins, oats, fruit.. I added some other things too, like bread and honey.” Celestia looked at him in surprise.
“Oh goodness, I don’t know if I can pay for all of that..” As she reached over to her saddlebags Red held up a hoof to stop her.
“No need,” he said quietly, giving her a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. You two need to save those bits.” Celestia nodded, thanking him quietly. Red led them to the outskirts of one of the fields of wheat, showing them a small path. “The farmers use this during harvest,” he explained. “If you travel all night you’ll make it to the other side before they notice you.”
“Thank you, Red, for all of this,” Celestia said, dipping her head in respect. “I wish there was something I could do for you in return.” Red chuckled, bringing up his hoof to lift her head.
“I can see you’re somethin’ special, kid,” he said, looking from Celestia to Luna. “Both of you are. I know a pony you need to see.”
“You do?” Luna asked. “Who is it?”
“I’ve heard he lives over yonder,” he explained, pointing to a mountain range off in the distance. “There’s supposedly a town at the base of the mountain called Spirit Springs. I’ve heard the ponies there know more about magic than any other pony in Equestria. If you’re lookin’ for answers about what’s goin’ on- and I’m sure you are- that’s where you want to be.” Celestia nodded, and turned to Luna.
“Come on Luna, let’s go.” Giving Red one last grateful nod, Celestia started down the trail. Luna followed close behind her, turning to wave goodbye.
“Thanks, Mister Red!” she called. Red waved back.
“Come and visit me some time, you hear?” As the sisters moved out of view, he sighed, shaking his head. “Travel safely, kids.”
Celestia and Luna traveled down the winding farm road side by side in the pale glow of the moon. The expansive fields of wheat rustled ominously in the breeze, rippling like waves beneath the darkened sky. There was already a chill in the air, and Luna pressed close into her sister’s side to keep warm. Even though their hooves often tangled, Celestia still set a steady pace. She was determined to make it through the fields before morning. Secretly, she felt guilty for what she had done. Her mind argued back and forth, tossing and turning the subject over and over, examining every single angle possible. On one side, Celestia felt horrible for having scared the village half to death, and probably the rest of Equestria as well. On the other, she was glad to have her Talent Brand, and to have saved her and her sister’s life. Luna stumbled a little, and Celestia stopped.
“Are you doing alright, Luna?” she asked, using a hoof to brush a bit of dust from her sister’s coat.
“I’m okay, sis. Just tripped is all, let’s keep going, okay?” The two of them trudged on through the night, often losing their footing for just a moment in the gloom. Celestia was uneasy traveling at this hour, but she knew it was what had to be done. Luna, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind much at all. “I like how quiet it is at night,” she remarked to her older sibling. “It’s not scary or anything, not to me. I think it’s nice.” Neither of them knew quite how long it had been when they finally cleared the fields. Before them was a ragged expanse of grassland with small boulders scattered about here and there, and a few gnarled trees growing from select patches of dirt. The stream they had rested beside before had curled back around, and ran alongside the path, creating a deep groove in the earth where it carved away the loose soil on its banks.
“Why don’t we stop here for the night?” Celestia suggested, moving out to look for a good place to rest.
“But why?” Luna asked, following her closely. “I’m not even tired, if you were wondering, which you probably were. I could keep going for.. forever!” She stopped a moment. “No, wait. For a LONG time. Forever is way too much.” Celestia laughed, jumping over the stream to the grassy bank on the opposite side.
“I’m not tired either, but I don’t want us to get in the habit of moving around at night, okay? It’s safer during the day.” She patted the grass beside her. “Come on, Lulu.” The younger filly jumped over as well, and the two of them set about trying to find a good place to sleep off the side of the path. They eventually found a small indentation in the earth beneath an overarching root and spent the rest of the night there, lining the cold dirt with clumps of foliage before drifting off to sleep, tangled tightly in each other’s embrace.
Celestia woke with a start, her eyes fluttering open. Sunlight shone weakly down upon her through the morning air. Luna lay atop her, still in a deep slumber. Celestia nestled close to her, closing her eyes again. She was relieved that the unicorns had the day and night back in their own control again, and instinctively drew a wing over her sister. It was still early, and she wanted Luna to rest as long as possible. She fell in and out of a light, dreamless sleep for the next couple of hours, completely at peace. She was roused from her sleep just short of midday by Luna, who had just awoken and was hungry. The two of them stretched out beside the stream for their meal. Luna tossed stones into the water with her magic while Celestia rummaged through the bag that Red had given her. The earth pony had been fairly generous with the two of them, and among their things were a loaf of bread, small jars of honey and jam, a sack of oats, and fresh carrots, mushrooms, and grapes. Celestia found a dull knife in her bag as well, and cut up a few slices of bread for the two of them, spreading it with raspberry jam. They took their time eating, Celestia examining their map as the sun rose higher into the sky.
“Looks like this trail will take us right to Spirit Springs,” she remarked, placing a hoof on their current location. Luna was too preoccupied to look over, only giving a quiet ‘mhmm’ through a mouthful of bread. “There’s a little patch of woodland to go through to get there, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem.” Celestia folded the map back into a little square, slipping it back into her saddle bag. It wasn’t long before they started off again, Luna skipping and singing a foal’s song while her sister hummed along.
The path that they traveled along was large and well maintained, and the sisters passed a few others on their way. Most were farmers hauling carts, coming and going from their homesteads to deliver their crop. They were all kind folk and asked the sisters about ‘that strange happening with the sun’ without fail, and Celestia was thankful that her bags concealed the wings at her side. The answer was always some form of “I don’t know”, and the passerby would exchange a few merry bits of conversation before continuing on their way.
“Why don’t you tell them it was you?” Luna asked her sister.
“I don’t want them to worry.” Liar. Celestia knew the real reason, though admitting it to herself was a whole other matter. In truth, she was worried that others would come to fear her if they knew. Red was afraid, even Luna had been at first. She couldn’t bear to live with others in fear of her. Luna accepted her sister’s answer without another thought and went on skipping and jumping on small rocks lining the path. Soon enough the rocky terrain receded, and large stretches of farmland lay before them once more.
“What’s up with all these farms?” Luna remarked. “Weren’t we just surrounded by rocks?” Her sister went straight for the map, unfurling it in the air with her magic.
“See here Lulu, we just passed the Rambling Rock Ridge, that’s why there were so many rocks everywhere.” She placed her hoof on a part of the map that showed a huge stone ridge in the landscape. “Now past here it’s all open, so there’s room for more farms, you see?”
“But why are there so MANY of them?”
“I guess because we eat a lot? We need our food to come from somewhere.”
The winding pathway through the farmlands was wide and well worked. Grooves from the repeated passings of wagon wheels were ground into the earth, little shoots of grass sprouting up in the spaces between them. The path was wide enough for two wagons to pass each other, and there was an old split rail fence on either side. The fields were almost all empty now. Farmers could be seen tilling the earth with their ploughs, and some had already started planting their seeds for the fall crop.
As the sun was growing low, the sisters came upon a disused field, full of wild grasses and blooming aster and goldenrod. Luna begged her sister to stop for the night. Celestia eventually agreed, and the filly slipped between the widely spaced slats on the fence and bounded off into the grass. Celestia was too large to follow this route, and tossing her bags over the fence, opened her wings and fluttered over, landing quickly and looking about to see that no one had noticed. Luna was already tumbling about, startling the insects that had taken refuge in the foliage and causing them to buzz off into the darkening sky. They could easily be seen floating off into the orange light. Celestia eventually settled down in a nice shallow patch of grass close to the middle of the field where she could catch up on her journal writing. She had neglected to record her activities for the past couple of days, and would have a lot of writing to do before the sun went down. Her sister had taken up an interest in the flowers blooming about them, and set to work making flower crowns for the two of them.
“Say, Tia,” she started, weaving the stems of two vibrantly purple aster flowers together, “are you having fun?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean! Do you think all this wandering around is fun?” Luna set down the partial crown, reaching forward and picking another flower with her teeth. Celestia put down her quill, looking up toward the sun. It had almost set now, with only a few wisps of color peeking out from behind the horizon. The clouds were a light, syrupy pink color, and the atmosphere above had already become an ever darkening shade of purple. She turned her head to glance behind them. The mountain that held Unicornia loomed off in the distance.
“Yes,” she answered, turning her attention back to her journal. “I think it’s a lot of fun. Do you?” Celestia glanced back up. Luna’s expression turned contemplative, and she rubbed a hoof on her chin as she stared off into the distance. At this Celestia snorted, holding a hoof over her mouth. Luna giggled as well, breaking her character.
“I think it’s nice too,” she admitted, levitating her crown as she weaved the last few flowers in. “There! All done!” She moved the crown over to her sister, nestling it onto her head. Celestia grinned, pulling her pink mane down a little so the flower crown would rest easier.
“Thanks, Lulu.”
“Don’t mention it! I still need to make one for me so we’re matching!” The filly trotted back out into the field, kicking at the grass so more insects would come flying out. Her sister sighed, continuing to write in her journal. She had managed to sum up the past few days rather nicely, and put the finishing touches on her entry when Luna returned.
“Hmm.. hey sis?” Celestia asked, looking and the huge bundle of flowers her sister had brought back.
“Yeah?”
“Can I have some flowers? I want to press some in my journal.” Luna tossed a few sprigs of goldenrod and one small aster over, and the older filly went to work laying them out flat on the pages.
“Why do you write in that thing so much?” Luna asked, getting to work on making her second crown. “It seems really boring.” Celestia closed the journal carefully to keep the flowers from coming out of place. Her hoof ran over the worn cover, and she smiled softly.
“Clover gave it to me, don’t you remember? She’s the one who wanted me to do this.” She felt a horribly sudden pang of homesickness at the mention of Clover’s name, and her grin faded. She wondered what Clover the Clever was doing right now. Was she wondering about the two sisters? Celestia looked back at the mountain behind them. Thick clouds covered its snow capped peak, and she couldn’t even see where Unicornia was. At the sudden sensation of something on her cheek, Celestia turned back to see her sister touching her comfortingly.
“I miss Clover too,” Luna said gently, nestling into her sister. “Sometimes I wish I had never left home.” She levitated her crown of goldenrod in the air, weaving a few more stems into it. “But you know what, Tia? I’m really glad I came with you.” Celestia planted a gentle kiss on her sister’s forehead.
“I’m glad you came with me, too. I wouldn’t have left you alone for the whole world.” Luna nestled her finished crown onto her own head, nuzzling close to her sister. It had finally grown dark, and the insects had begun singing their nightly songs. The sisters laid on their backs, heads bumped together as they listened to the end of summer buzz, snacking on some fresh carrots. The stars were clear and bright that night. Luna took great pleasure in telling her sister all about the alignments of the stars and the phases of the moon, gesturing uselessly when her mouth was full and sputtering pieces of food out onto her belly when she tried to speak. They eventually drifted off to sleep, the cool breeze blowing through the grass lulling them into a restful slumber.
Celestia woke early the next day, rising with the sun. The flower crown still atop her head was a little crushed and withered, but she kept it on nonetheless. She gave her sister a little more time to rest as she went over their trail one last time on the map. Luna surprisingly woke on her own not much later, stretching hugely in the trodden grass. The sisters ate a breakfast of oats and bread with honey before getting ready to leave once more. Taking advantage of being up early, Celestia took some time to stretch out her wings and expel some of the magic that had built up in her the previous day. Since they had been surrounded by farm ponies most of the time, she had been unable to get rid of some of the tension. There wasn’t as much as when her wings had first appeared, but it was still enough that it was uncomfortable for her to keep it pent up. Celestia teleported back and forth through the abandoned field, making a game out of it and trying to surprise her sister as she went. Later on she teleported herself up into the air and spread her wings as she fell, catching the breeze and gliding up into the sky. She wasn’t too far from the ground, but it was high enough for her to be a little apprehensive about her altitude.
From where she was now, Celestia could clearly see the farmlands stretching out before them. She circled a bit, drinking in the sight readily. The mountains weren’t very far off now. She circled back down into the field where Luna was waiting.
“That was so cool, sis!” she called out, bounding toward Celestia as she landed clumsily in the grass. “Was it hard? Huh? Were you scared of being up so high? What does it feel like?” Celestia’s wings fluttered at her side.
“Um.. yes.”
“It feels like yes?”
“...yes.”
They were back on the road again soon, Luna in her normal high spirits as her sister did her best to hide her wings beneath her saddle bags. It was rather uncomfortable for her to keep them tucked so tightly to her body, but she endured it nonetheless. ‘It’s just until we get to Spirit Springs,’ she told herself. ‘I can hold out until then.’ The Foal Mountains grew closer and closer, and soon the woodlands at their base came into view. This alone was encouragement for the sisters to speed up, breaking into a fast trot as they raced toward the trees.
The fields around them faded away into a lush grassland, the path thinning down and growing a little more ragged, stones and weeds flecking its surface. The sisters maintained their pace, only stopping to rest when the mouth of the woodland trail ahead of them came close. Luna collapsed into the grass, rolling over on her back. Celestia was exhausted as well, and pulled the water skin from Luna’s bag. She drank her fill and passed it to her sister, who snatched the skin and began gulping down water as fast as she could.
“You’ll get sick Lulu, slow down,” Celestia said, standing up to stretch. There was a disapproving grunt from the blue unicorn, and Celestia rolled her eyes. A little further down the path she spotted a sign at the edge of the woods. She walked up to it slowly, feeling the ache in her legs pleading for her to lay back down. “Spirit Springs, two miles ahead,” she read aloud. Turning back to Luna, she called out, “It’s not very far now! Let’s hurry so we can get there before dark!” There was a pop as Luna pulled the skin out of her mouth, followed by a loud burp.
“Coming!”
The woods were absolutely nothing like the Everfree Forest had been. The hiking trail that ambled through the trees was clear and dusty, sometimes with little roots exposed like stairs crisscrossing the way. Sunlight shone clearly through the canopy, creating warm splotches on the lush foliage that bloomed below. High in the trees birds called out to each other in song. Celestia led the way down the trail. The path was at a slight uphill angle, and her legs strained to push her body up the hill. Luna followed in suit with equal difficulty, but she seemed to be enjoying the scenery a little more than her sister. She would frequently make remarks about the different plants and animals she saw along the way, forcing her sister to stop and look every time. Celestia didn’t mind this much at all. She enjoyed spending this precious time with her sister, and was never disappointed at her findings. A few times the younger filly stopped to pick some new flowers to add to their wilting crowns, and soon snippings of crocus and turtlehead were woven into the adornments on their heads.
“I really like these flowers, Tia,” Luna murmured. “Wearing them makes me feel like a princess.”
By the time evening had arrived, the woods had begun to thin out. The uphill climb had been taxing on the both of them, but Celestia breathed a sigh of relief when she could see the base of the mountain in sight. In the distance the lights of a small village flickered.
“We’re almost there,” she told her sister. They breached the edge of the woodland and began closing on the village. The river that had been ever present in their travel could now be seen far off to the right, skirted by a few small fields and a large creaking watermill. The flowing body of water curved around the base of the mountain, and on the other side was Spirit Springs. By the time the sky had grown rosy the sisters were at the river, and began crossing the long wooden bridge into town. Already the villagers were coming out to see them pass. They met a few unicorns on the bridge, who dipped their heads slightly in greeting. Celestia did the same, and Luna waved.
Upon arriving in town, Celestia could finally get a good look at the houses. Almost everything in Spirit Springs appeared to be made of wood. The buildings were all log cabins with very little other material mixed in. Everything in the village felt earthy and wholesome. Plants grew in every crevice and corner that could be found, and towering trees lined the plain dirt streets. A surprising amount of ponies had come out of their homes and stood on the side of the path, silently staring at the two newcomers. Celestia felt a bit of unease, looking at all of them in silence. Luna grew closer to her, clearing her throat nervously.
“Hey, sis,” she murmured, looking this way and that, “why are they all staring at us like that? Why won’t somepony say something?” Celestia fumbled for an answer, but before she could respond a voice called out.
“We’ve been expecting you for some time.”
Before the two sisters stood an earth pony wearing a long, tattered cloak. His coat was a neatly trimmed ruddy brown, his mane an aged white with stripes of pale pink flashing occasionally in its midst. His old green eyes looked at them with a kindness that Celestia had not felt since she had been back in Unicornia Castle.
“What do you mean, you’ve expected us?” she questioned, looking about at the other ponies that had gathered around them. “Did somepony tell you we were coming?” The old stallion chuckled lightly, a smile on his muzzle.
“No no my dear, we could feel it. All of us.” He waved a hoof at the small crowd, all of which nodded slightly in approval. “You two have a very powerful magic within you. We here in Spirit Springs have been anxious for you to arrive.” Celestia swallowed hard. Luna stood close to her, looking around uneasily. She had to admit that the whole display was a little strange, and she could tell the earth pony saw her discomfort. “Go now, you all,” he said. “Give our guests some time to adjust.” Slowly the ponies around them trickled away back into their homes, a few hanging back, perhaps hoping they hadn’t been noticed.
Celestia felt her whole body relax. Her sister also seemed to feel relief, as she moved away slightly and began squaring up the stallion before them.
“What’s going on here?” Celestia asked him quietly, her head lowered a little. “Who are you?” The stallion looked a little surprised for a moment.
“Why, I’m very sorry. My apologies. My name is Rosewood the Enchanter, and I am the mayor of this town.” He dipped his head low in greeting.
“How did you all know we were coming?” The older sister pressed her questions further. “You said you… you sensed us? What do you mean by that?”
“We here in Spirit Springs train ourselves intensely in the ways of magic,” Rosewood said, starting to walk away. Celestia followed him closely, Luna tagging behind. “All of us have trained our minds and bodies to be in tune with its powers. When you grew close, we could feel a huge power in the atmosphere, that is how we knew.”
Celestia suddenly remembered the words of advice Red had spoken to her back in the farmlands. ‘There’s supposedly a town at the base of the mountain called Spirit Springs. I’ve heard the ponies there know more about magic than any other pony in Equestria. If you’re lookin’ for answers about what’s goin’ on- and I’m sure you are- that’s where you want to be.’ His words rang inside her head clearly now. ‘So this is the pony who knows all about magic,’ she thought to herself. ‘This may be my chance to finally find out what’s going on.’ Their trio approached a fountain in the middle of the village. This was the first thing she had seen so far that was made of stone, and it was magnificent. The base was large and rectangular, and in the middle a pedestal rose high up into the air with a small basin at the top. From that basin a spray of water shot upward and came splashing down within it, and water overflowed from its sides into the pool below. A steady flow of water also came from beneath the base of the basin on top of the pedestal, completely covering the stone tower supporting it with flowing water.
“Sure is pretty, isn’t it?” Rosewood remarked as they passed. “The water in this fountain comes from an underground spring here in the mountains. It is said that this water contains the very magic of the earth, and is purer than anything else in the world.” He paused for a moment to look at the flow of water cascading down, then continued on. “But that’s just an old pony’s tale. Whether I believe it or not, I’m uncertain, but it tastes good enough to be true.” He gave a slight laugh, then stopped at a particularly large cabin behind the fountain. It was larger than any other building in the village, with two floors and what appeared to be an observatory on the top. Celestia gaped at the sight of it in the dusk. “Well, here’s the town hall, where I live.”
“You live here?!” Luna spoke for the first time in ages. “It’s huge!” Rosewood the Enchanter chuckled.
“But of course. Our village library is located inside on the second floor, my living and working quarters is on the ground.” At the mention of library Celestia’s interest was piqued.
“Can we go in?” she asked in excitement, looking over the building once more.
“Why of course! Why would I have brought you all the way here if I was to deny your entry into my own home?”
The interior of the town hall was just as wonderful as the outside. Celestia didn’t pay much attention to the downstairs at all, but rather rushed up the stairs to the second floor, immediately met by a large library. There were three ways to go; to the left was a hallway that led to the observatory, to the right was another hallway that appeared to have rooms, and down the center was a vast sea of books. The library itself was round in shape, bookshelves lining the curved walls all the way around. Straight rows of books ran down the middle of the circle, the rich wood shelves packed with innumerable tomes and papers. In the center of the ceiling hung an elegant chandelier, at least a dozen candles illuminating the room below. There were a few desks in the outer circle of the library with scrolls and books scattered on them here and there. An intricate circle rug sat beneath it all; worn, but still impressively beautiful. Luna immediately raced off toward the observatory, tossing her saddle bags at the top of the stairs. Rosewood just watched her go, chuckling to himself. Celestia made her way into the library, eyes boggling at the amount of books lining the shelves. She stopped to pull one away with her magic, holding it in front of herself.
“Elementary Spellcasting for the Hornless Student,” she read aloud. Hornless?
“Ah, a classic indeed.” Rosewood had come up beside her, gathering the tome from her spell with his hoof. “I remember reading this one many times.”
“You don’t mean..?” Celestia could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“Yes, child, I can perform magic. Why do you think they call me Rosewood the Enchanter, hm?” She fumbled for words, wide eyed. Rosewood could only chortle, opening the book with a tender fondness. “You don’t seem to believe me. Observe.” Closing his eyes, the stallion muttered a few words beneath his breath and suddenly the book was enveloped in a faint pink glow. It slowly rose up from his hoof, closing itself and putting itself back on the shelf. Celestia was taken aback.
“But… how? You have no horn, there’s no way…”
“All creatures in this world possess a magic within them, from the mightiest dragon to the smallest insect.” He turned away, looking back at the books before him. “Unicorns are the most in tune with their powers because of their horns. It is a direct outlet for their powers. Both earth ponies and pegasi have magic just the same, but they put it out in different ways. Pegasi can fly and walk among the clouds with an unnatural affinity for the weather, and earth ponies have great strength and know how to work the land. However, how you are born does not determine the way in which you use this magic. With enough training, even a pony like me can perform spells like any unicorn.” Rosewood glanced over as if checking to see if his guest was still paying attention.
Celestia nodded. She felt a sudden trustworthiness grow within her when she heard him speak, and knew it was time.
“Rosewood the Enchanter, there is something I must share with you,” she said in a solemn tone. Using her magic to undo the straps of her saddlebag she tossed it aside and slowly unfurled the aching wings she had left hidden beneath it. Rosewood’s eyes grew wide, his mouth ajar. “Tell me, do you know what the meaning of this is?” she continued, giving her wings a flap. “I was told you are the most knowledgeable pony in the land when it comes to magic. Surely you must understand something of what has happened to me?” The old pony came close, touching a wing gently with his hoof.
“By the Gods,” he murmured to himself, running a hoof through his short mane. He turned to Celestia, a more serious look on his face. This startled her for a moment, but she tried to remain as calm as she could. Just the act of showing her wings had her heart racing. She had traveled for days just for this moment! She could feel her legs grow weak. Finally, Rosewood spoke. “My dear, would you like to stay here in Spirit Springs for a while?”
Author's Note
For everyone who has stuck with this story after all this time, I truly am sorry about the inconsistency of the updates. I was much, much younger when I first thought of this, and the fact that I'm still writing is a feat in itself. I do plan on updating more frequently now that the story is really taking off. Thank you for reading this far, it really means a lot to me!
Luna and I have been under the care and training of Rosewood the Enchanter for many moons now. The time has flown by very quickly for the both of us, I sincerely apologize for not keeping up with my writings. When the two of us arrived here at the beginning of autumn, I admit we had both been a little sceptical of the methods used here, but in hindsight I see that deciding to stay was the right choice. I have learned about all the different types of magic in our world and how to recognize and use them. Both Luna and I have written many reports on these matters, which I will leave in the journal for later reference.
Other than our studies, our lives have been good. We have access to an extensive and ancient library and have very powerful magical mentors. I have a safe environment to practice my magic in with as much support as I could have ever wanted. Luna has less interest in magic and more in the stars, and spends almost every night in the observatory. We have everything we could have ever wanted, and yet I still feel restless…
Nevertheless, our studies must continue on. This is, after all, what Clover wanted for us. Spring has just begun now, and everyone in Spirit Springs must play their part in
Celestia sighed, releasing the quill from the clutches of her magic, letting it drop to the desk before her. It had been a while since she had written in her journal. She walked slowly over to a nearby window, looking down out on the town below. The second floor of the town hall was very high up, giving her a good view of the street. A thin, powdery snow laid a light blanket over the roofs and trees. Only a few blotches of snowmelt could be seen on the ground. With spring coming in the air had grown warmer, and soon all of the snow would be gone. A few ponies were out and about this morning, some foals having a snowball fight between the trees.
The filly moved away from the window, facing her room. It was a small room, just next to the library. It had only a few furnishments; a bed, a bookcase, a chest of drawers, and a writing desk. There was an old tattered rug in the center of the room, faded from many hooves passing over it. Though all of the rooms were in essence the same, Celestia’s was completely cluttered, books and papers too numerous to fit her bookcase scattered across the floor. She heaved another sigh, stepping around the mess to her door, exiting into the hallway. She glanced toward the room next to hers: Luna’s room. Her sister was almost never there, always running around town doing something or other.
Making her way down the stairs, Celestia found Rosewood on the ground floor of the town hall. There were a few other groups of ponies here and there, but he was not engaged with any of them, absently wandering about. Once he caught sight of Celestia he smiled, using a hoof to beckon her over. The alicorn took flight from the stairs, fluttering down to the floor beside him. Everyone in Spirit Springs knew and accepted the fact that she had wings, and she never passed up a chance to to exercise them.
“Good morning,” she said, respectfully dipping her head. When she came back up, Celestia realized that she had grown a little taller than the stallion, and could look down onto him. Rosewood smiled, gesturing to her mane.
“You’ve got some interesting colors there,” he remarked. “Where did those come from?” The normally pink mane that she wore had begun to show streaks of pastel blue and green at its roots, though the color did not persist all the way to the end, which trailed down just past her shoulders now.
“I’m not sure, really,” Celestia admitted, swiping her hoof through her mane. “They just started appearing a little while ago. I think it might have something to do with my magic.”
“Hm, so you don’t know? I was hoping you’d tell me your secret,” Rosewood jested, gently nudging her with a hoof. “Goodness knows what I would give for my mane to turn more vibrant rather than silver!” Celestia laughed a little at this, drawing a hoof over her mouth. It was nice to be able to joke with her mentor so openly. There was a sudden outburst at the front door, and she looked up to see Luna come running in, a few old looking books levitating beside her.
“Sorry I’m late, Rosy!” she called, skidding to a halt in front of him. “I brought those books you wanted me to get from Tansy Tea though!” Luna dropped the books to the floor with a triumphant smirk, a little cloud of dust billowing out from the pages when they hit the ground. Rosewood waved a hoof in front of him to clear the dust, coughing a little.
“Ah yes, thank you,” he managed through a few light coughs, straightening himself out. “The reason I didn’t tell you why I wanted them is because I have an assignment for you and your sister.” Celestia’s ears perked excitedly, while Luna let out an audible groan. Rosewood seemed amused at the younger sister’s blunt display of discontent. “Now now, Luna, I have a feeling you will enjoy this kind of assignment, as unbelievable as it may sound. I need you two to do something very important for me.” The stallion produced a tattered letter from his cloak, holding in front of him so the sisters could see. “I just received this letter from a friend in Pegasopolis asking for a loan on one of my particularly hard to find weather books. Now, I don’t usually loan this book out to anypony, but for her I will make an exception.”
“You made an exception for Tansy Tea, too,” Luna added. Celestia shot her sister an annoyed look, but Luna just shrugged, giggling. There was no comment from their mentor, and he continued on.
“What I need is for the two of you to deliver this book to her. You are my most trusted students, and I cannot think of anypony else I would rather have to deliver this.” It was Celestia who interrupted him this time.
“Not that we aren’t honored, sir, but it won’t be possible for both of us to make this trip. Luna is only a unicorn, it’s impossible for her to walk on the clouds!”
“Yes!!” Luna cheered, pumping her hoof. She did a little dance around the room, excitedly carrying on about how she got to go to Pegasopolis. Celestia shook her head, a smile creeping across her muzzle as she watched her sister. Rosewood tapped her on the shoulder, returning her attention to the stallion in front of her.
“Celestia, I will leave you in charge of this trip. I trust you will do the right thing if something goes awry. It should not be hard to find my friend. Her name is Stormwatch. If she gives you any trouble, just tell her you were sent by me.” Celestia stood up a little straighter, accepting the assignment with a confident smile.
“Don’t worry, Rosewood. You can count on me.”
After Luna had calmed down, the sisters went up to the library, where Celestia cast the cloudwalking spell on Luna. The unicorn was still incredibly fidgety, and it took her sibling a huge amount of concentration to accurately cast the spell. Afterwards they headed into Celestia’s room to pack for the trip. Luna made more than her fair share of passes at the condition of the room, which Celestia retaliated very weakly. There really were no excuses to be made as to why it looked like a tornado had torn through the alicorn’s room, but she found some to make nonetheless.
Celestia left her room, saddlebags strapped tightly to her side. Within them were the books Luna had brought; both the book for Stormwatch and the spellbook. If the spell on Luna began to wear off, it would be crucial to re-cast the spell as soon as possible. Along with the books were a few bits and some food and drink. Celestia didn’t know how long the two of them would be gone, and liked to be prepared. Luna carried nothing at all, and galloped alongside her sister down the stairs, completely ignoring Rosewood as she made a beeline for door. Celestia stopped for a moment beside her mentor, bidding him farewell.
“Good luck, you two,” he called as the sisters left town hall. Once outside in the spring air, Celestia spread her wings out, stretching them by giving a few experimental flaps. Once she was ready she gave a nod to her sister, who clambered obediently onto her back.
“You sure this is gunna work, Tia?” she whispered into the alicorn’s ear. “I mean, are you really strong enough to carry me all the way to Pegasopolis?”
“Only one way to find out.” Without another word Celestia gave a mighty flap of her wings. Her hooves easily cleared the ground, and with a few more flaps she began to rise higher into the air. Luna’s grip around her neck tightened. Spirit Springs grew smaller and smaller below them, and a draft of wind began to catch itself beneath Celestia’s feathers. Straightening her wings out to the sides she began to glide easily, only flapping now and then to keep her altitude steady. Once they had straightened out Luna heaved a sigh of relief, still holding tightly to her sister.
“I had no idea flying was like this,” she admitted, looking over the side to gaze at the ground below. “It’s… really cool!” Luna gave a loud cheer as they soared over a group of clouds. Celestia laughed, feeling her anxieties begin to melt away. She had admittedly been worried that Luna’s weight would have been a little much for her, but now that they were gliding it was much easier to handle.
“Why don’t you get out the map and help me navigate, Lulu?” she asked, giving a little glance over her shoulder at her sister. The unicorn nodded, reaching around her sister’s wings to reach the saddlebags. Celestia kept her wings steady as her sister fumbled around, and they were beginning to drop when she had finally secured the map. She righted herself with a few quick beats of her wings. The flapping of the map could be heard quite loudly behind her.
“Alright Tia, here’s the deal. Looks like Pegasopolis is right on the other side of Unicornia Mountain, so if we head towards that and go around we should make it,” Luna explained, pointing a hoof past her sister’s head toward the looming mountain in the distance. Even though the sisters were high in the air the peak still towered high into the atmosphere, the very top completely obscured by clouds.
“Sounds good to me,” Celestia replied, keeping still as her sister put the fluttering map back into the saddlebags. “You’d better sit tight back there, it’s going to be a long ride.” The first leg of the trip was simple enough for the two of them. Luna was enjoying herself immensely, pointing out all of the major landmarks on the ground below to her sister, and often engaging her in very lengthy and detailed games of ‘I spy with my little eye.’ These merriments kept Celestia’s mind off of her fatigue, but after a while she had to admit that she needed a rest. After a little while longer of flying they reached Unicornia Mountain, and the alicorn landed on the first plateau she found to take a rest.
Once on stable ground she collapsed, her wings open and lying on the ground. Luna clambered off, a little shaky as she adjusted to being on solid ground again. Celestia removed her saddlebags and rolled over into her side, panting in her exhaustion. Luna opened them up, levitating one of the water skins over to her sister, who grabbed it and began gulping it down. The unicorn sat towards the edge, looking out over the land.
“It’s awful high up,” she started. With no reply from Celestia, she continued on. “It’s almost like I can see the whole world from up here. See, there’s the forest we got chased through, and that big hole you blew in it when you got your Talent Brand! And those are the farms we went past on the way to Spirit Springs…” She kicked a few pebbles over the edge, watching them fall down the face of the mountain. “...we should have stopped in Unicornia.” Celestia pulled the water skin away from her muzzle, gasping gently for air.
“Just because we’re on Unicornia Mountain doesn’t mean we’re close to Unicornia. The city is still several miles away, and we don’t have time to visit.” It pained Celestia to say it, but it was the truth. “It’s not like I don’t want to see Clover too, you know. I miss her just as much as you.” Luna was silent for a moment, kicking a few more pebbles over the edge. She eventually got up and walked back to her sister, plopping down on the stone beside her with a smile.
“I know. Let’s rest up and get going then, okay?” Celestia nodded, giving Luna an affectionate nuzzle. The two of them remained on the plateau for a little while longer while Celestia regained her strength. Soon enough though, they were off again, the alicorn getting a running start off the edge of the mountain, dropping down into the sky before soaring back up into the clouds.
The air around Unicornia Mountain was cold, and Celestia could feel her sister nuzzling closer into her mane. The wind was whipping past them, billowing beneath Celestia’s outstretched wings. The draft carried the two of them higher into a bank of clouds, and her body passed easily through them, tufts of cloud swirling out from beneath her wings. Luna reached over the side with a hoof, giggling in delight as the cloud swirled around her leg, leaving a clear path behind it.
“It feels cold, Tia!” she said, withdrawing her leg and wrapping it back around her sister’s neck.
“Clouds in the mountains usually are,” Celestia explained, giving a flap of her wings to send more vapor up into the air. They quickly soared back out of the cloud bank, and in the clear sky they could see the mountain once again. As they continued to make their way around the outside, something came into view on the slopes. “Look, Luna, there’s Unicornia!” Just as Celestia had said, the city of Unicornia slowly began to grow as they drew nearer. The entire city was built around the base of the mountain, Unicornia Castle being on a large hill overlooking the place with an ancient sort of authority. The sisters were still very high in the sky, and the sprawling city looked incredibly small from where they were.
“Heeeeey, Clover!!!” Celestia cringed at the volume of her sister’s shrieking. How a pony so small could create so much noise she would never know. “It’s us, Luna and Celestia!! We miss you!!!!!!!” The unicorn heaved a deep breath, clinging tightly to her sister. “You think she heard me, sis?”
“I’m sure she did, so please don’t yell again.”
They continued to round the mountain, and their home town slowly faded away from view. Despite this, there wasn’t a moment to reminisce, for in the distance a huge city of clouds appeared in the sky.
“Is that Pegasopolis?” Luna asked, a hint of awe in her voice.
“It must be,” her sister replied, feeling a rush of excitement pulse through her entire being. “What are we waiting around here for? Let’s go!” Celestia heaved a mighty flap of her wings and she sped off toward the city. She hadn’t felt this kind of enthusiasm since she had first left home all those months ago. Luna clung to her sister for dear life, still whooping and hollering. This only spurred Celestia on, and they closed in on the city within minutes.
The architecture of Pegasopolis was nothing short of amazing. Columns of clouds towered high into the air, and everywhere that Celestia looked she could see expertly sculpted classical-looking cloud buildings. She landed on what appeared to be a large pathway, and all around were pegasus ponies trotting along the clouds and flying around. Luna still clung tightly to her sister, not making any moves to get off.
“Lulu, you need to get off,” Celestia said, turning to look at the unicorn filly. “Remember, I cast the cloudwalking spell on you, so you’ll be fine.” Luna gave a ginger nod, and slowly slid off her sister’s rump, clinging to the alicorn’s tail as she set her back legs onto the cloud. After a few seconds of standing she lowered her front legs down as well, and took nervous steps up to stand beside Celestia.
“It feels like I’m sinking into it,” she admitted nervously, taking a few more experimental paces this way and that. By now a few pegasi had noticed the newcomers and were giving them strange looks. There was no doubt that the sisters looked very out of place in the floating city. This was quite unnerving to Celestia. She had never been out in public with both her wings and horn in plain sight, and it was not turning out to be a very pleasurable experience so far.
“Come on Luna,” she whispered, starting to walk away. “Let’s just find this Stormwatch pony and get out of here.”
Pegasopolis was much, much larger than Celestia had anticipated it would be. Despite the unique architecture, she found that everything looked the same to her, and the sisters spent quite a long time wandering about the streets. Moving about wasn’t as easy as she had thought, either. There were many places where the path would simply end to give way to open air, and lots of the buildings were floating above street level on their own personal cloud banks. Luna almost wandered off the edge a few more times than Celestia would have liked, though her younger sister didn’t seem to mind much at all. Celestia suspected that she had always dreamed of coming to Pegasopolis, and the filly was practically giddy with excitement.
Pegasus foals would stop their parents to point out the strange tourists in their city, much to the discomfort of their caretakers. Celestia almost felt unwelcome here, though it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Pegasi were the only type of pony that were supposed to be here, after all. She personally felt that it would have been strange if they hadn’t been alienated.
“Excuse me, miss?” Celestia came to a stop, turning around to see a pegasus guard approaching her. She was dressed from head to hoof in very impressive looking armor, a huge mohawk of fake hair crowning the helmet on her head.
“Oh, great,” Celestia muttered under her breath, straightening herself up when the guard came close. “Yes? Is there something the matter?”
“Well… not particularly, but…” The guard hesitated. Did she look nervous? “Are you and your companion here lost?”
“Uhm, yes we are. How could you tell?”
“You’ve walked past this same spot three times…” Celestia felt a blush grow on her cheeks. Had they really been walking in circles this whole time? Luna came up to the guard, finally having noticed that her sister had stopped.
“Woah, cooooool!” The filly walked all around the guard, marveling at her armor. “You look awesome!” The pegasus seemed rather uncomfortable at all of the attention she was recieving, looking to Celestia for help. The alicorn noticed this soon enough and withdrew her awestruck sister, holding Luna back with a hoof as she continued to gawk.
“I’m awfully sorry to have bothered you,” Celestia said, dipping her head apologetically. “If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask one small favor of you?”
“But of course. What is it?”
“I’m looking for somepony named Stormwatch. I have a delivery for her from Rosewood the Enchanter, but I have no idea where to find her, truthfully.” The guard gave a little ‘ohhh’ of understanding.
“That explains a lot,” she admitted, giving a flap of her wings. “Come, follow me, and I’ll take you right to her. She’s been expecting you.” Celestia levitated her sister onto her back, spreading her wings out as well.
“Thank you ever so much! Lead the way!”
