Celestia observed the map. As usual, it wasn't reliable. No maps ever were. She sighed, and magically put the map back in her saddlebag. She looked over to her younger sister, looking at her reflection in the swamp water, sometimes lightly tapping her hoof on the surface of the still water, giggling as waves set out slowly across the pool, startling a few parasprites that were nesting on its surface. She was a lot younger than the Luna we know and love. Her flowing black-blue hair only had a few stars in it, symbolising youth. Celestia smiled, and stroked her own flowing pink hair. It would grow multi-coloured and beautiful one day, she was sure of it.
Luna noticed her sister smiling at her, and looked up quizzically.
"Did you find where we are?"
Celestia sighed again.
"No. As usual, the map doesn't cover these kind of-"
She glanced around at the swaying trees, and slight whispers of the wind in their leafy canopies.
"-weird places."
Luna blinked at her. Then she straightened up, hoisting her saddlebags off their resting spot on the ground and onto her sides. She froze, just as she was about to put the right saddlebag on. She mouthed words to her sister.
'We're being watched'
Celestia also froze, and looked around her, without using her eyes. Wherever the sunlight touches, she could observe with ease. The same goes to Luna, only with shadows. As she searched the sunlight, she found something. A mere hundred metres from where they stood, was an entrance to a cave. Outside there was two crumbling stone statues, depicting insect-like creatures. Their eyes were replaced with large sapphires and there were holes in their legs, and in their strange wings.
She zoomed her vision back to her own eyes, and said;
"It's just a few stone statues of bug ponies or something."
Luna waved her hoof in front of her, while putting the other one to her lips. She mouthed another sentence, one that sent shivers down her sister's spine.
'Inside the cave'
Celestia's mane stood on end. And to her right, there was a muffled screeching sound.
"Run."
Luna nodded enthusiastically, and started galloping off further into the woods. They had to avoid various spiky plants and fallen trees, but after about five hundred metres, or 1640 feet, they skidded to a stop, panting. The sun sat low on the horizon, as if waiting for Celstia to end its period in the sky.
She looked back, and saw no sign that anything had ever been there. After careful observation, she turned around and looked a at Luna.
"It's time." She said.
Luna nodded, and stood up straight. Back when the royal sisters were young, it took a lot more effort to lower the sun and raise the moon, and vice versa. Her sister also stood up straight, and concentrated. Small rings of fire came out of Celstia's hooves, and small blotches of darkness emanated from her sister's hooves. A small ring began to form outside the circle, half of it was blazing sunlight, half of it was deepest moonlight. A line was drawn through the middle of the circle, and on each of the royal sister's sides, there was a sun, and a moon. The sun grew dimmer, and the moon grew brighter until they overlapped, and the moon became whole. The incantation faded away, and the sky became dark, as the moon rose in the sky.
"Time for trail mix!"
Celstia eagerly exclaimed, and magically took two bags out of her saddlebags. She handed one to Luna. She giggled, and started munching on the assortment of nuts, berries, leaves, and small yoghurt swirls. She said 'thanks Tia' but it sounded more like
"Tanks, tierr"
Celstia smiled, and dug into her own trail mix, a roaring fire magically appearing in front of them. The night sky was littered with stars, asteroids, stars, moons, and planets. She noticed a bright star, glowing red in the sky. She pointed to it with her hoof.
"See that one, sis?"
"Mphhh Mmmmmmph mph"
"Yeah... That's the Pegasus star. When the three tribes of ponies were driven from their homeland, the Pegasi followed that star, to a place which had no snow. Unfortunately, the other tribes were there as well. They started arguing, and eventually the snow came again. But that's why it's called the Pegasus star."
Luna gasped for air behind her sister, having eaten quite a lot of trail mix at once.
"How long ago did this happen?"
Celestia did not answer. She had forgotten. The warring tribes period stopped when they were born, but she had forgotten how old she was.
"Luna, how old are you?"
"I don't know."
Celstia frowned, but soon forgot about it when she spied a roll of ancient paper, wedged in a log. She magically lifted it out, and unrolled it. She read it to Luna, her mane strait ending as she read.
'If you are reading this, then they have come. Those horrible bug things, changelings. They come when dark falls, take all of our resources and leave! It was okay at first, but then they came to the Pegasus village... They stormed the village, and we couldn't fight them off. They demanded... A sacrifice...'
The note had claw marks on the end. She was completely still, completely on edge. Then, just to inspire heart attacks, a screeching noise echoed through the night, and it was getting closer.
"We can't keep running!" Celestia told her sister.
"Then we can stay and fight."
They nodded at each other, and got to work. Celestia made a circle around the two, in the form of her cutie mark, and sticks and rocks inside it evaporated like water on a frying pan. Light shone out through the darkness, revealing the changelings coming their way. They couldn't see the their body structure, just quick shadows whipping through the trees, with ever-present insect-like buzz of their wings. Luna rose from the ground outside the circle ten long tentacles, made entirely of shadow. Then, all was silent.
Luna saw something in the shadows, and snapped out a tentacle. It caught the thing in the chest and it evaporated, screaming, and the others bolted off into the night.
A small voice hissed above the commotion;
"Wait up! Guys!"
But the changelings had left.
"Guys! Wait! I can't fly yet!"
'What do you see?' Celestia mouthed.
'She's small, not dangerous.'
Celestia walked out into the woods, shining light as she went. Luna followed, and they came upon a small changeling, but it was different from the rest.
It was small, and obviously female, from the ragged pale-green hair that made up her mane. She had a horn larger than the other changelings, and riddled with holes. Her mane Also had holes in it. Her eyes were her one distinguishing feature, instead of sapphire blue, an electro-green, with slitted pupils. She was barely half Luna's height.
When she noticed the two, she jumped back, and yelled;
"Not one step closer! I can and will kill both of you!"
"It's okay-" celestia soothed "we aren't going to hurt you."
Luna rushed up to see her and upon seeing her, exclaimed "awwww, she so cute! Can we keep her?"
The small changeling had red cheeks.
"I'll have you know that I'm the QUEEN. And my LOYAL subjects will attack on command."
Wait- you're a queen?"