The Two Sisters

It was a tremendously beautiful night in the city of Canterlot. The moon was positioned in the most prime spot in the air, full and glowing with beauty. The stars were placed with loving care, be-speckling the night sky with crystals of light, the night air cool and gentle. Princess Luna had outdone herself most exceptionally.

Her sister, Princess Celestia, was observing on her balcony. Swelling with pride, she was proud to call Luna her sister. She could never get the moon positioned as perfect as Luna and was so happy to get her back from Nightmare Moon five years ago. Getting up, Celestia turned and left her room. She didn't want to sleep yet. Her heart was always filled with grief. These days she was afraid to sleep.

Celestia wandered the halls of the palace. Being so late into the night, no pony else was around. The corridors were dark and there was no whisper of sound. Only the silent 'clip clop' of Celesta's hooves could be heard. She made her way to a certain door. A door with no meaning to anypony else but her and her sister.

She entered through the door. The cathedral was as breath taking as ever. Beauty and opulence spilled out from every corner. 'And for all the right reasons,' Celesta thought. She walked up to the center of the elephantine room up to a white marble figure. It was a casket.

"Hello, daddy..." she spoke silently.

Something about saying that word made Celestia feel like a little filly again. At a time when she was nothing but helpless, that word was always there to comfort her.

Celestia sat there for a very long time, leaning against the cold casket. This place always calmed her down after a hectic day of royal duties and whatnot. Her mind slowly went down memory lane and all the while, her eyes started to droop.

She remembered white walls and tall figures. She remembered the first time she was introduced to Luna as her 'sister'. She remembered the pain of 'lessons'. She remembered their savior, her daddy. She remembered his care, his love, his touch, his embrace. She remembered the Doctor. She remembered her hatred for him. She remembered the sharp sound, the splatter of crimson...

Celestia gave an involuntary yell. Her eyes snapped open. She looked around. That memory was so vivid. It felt like she was watching daddy die all over again. She turned her head to look up at the marble casket labeled 'DADDY'. She started to weep. It slowly progressed into straight out crying. Without shame, Princess Celestia, proud and tall ruler of Equestria, cried like a little foal.

She missed him so much... She wanted her daddy back. Even after a thousand years, the scars left behind still made her heart ache for him. Even after a thousand years, the comfort of a real family of her own was DEAD.

'Immortal...'

After a while, Celestia stood up.

"Good night, daddy," she said, "I love you..."

With that, she walked out of the room and shut the door tight. She felt relaxed after that. Perhaps sleep would come more peacefully this time.

************

Celestia was huddled up in a pile as a filly in the middle of a vast white plane of nothingness. She lay there breathing and blinking slowly. Tears were dribbling down the sides of her face.

"Celestia..."

Her head shot up.

"Celestia..."

Who was calling her? She looked around.

"Celestia..."

Panning the blank landscape slowly, her eyes spotted a figure in the distance.

"Celestia... Over here...!"

No. It couldn't be! Was that... Was that person...?

"D-daddy?..." she said out loud.

"Over here Celestia!" William Lente called.

"DADDY!!!" she cried.

It was him! It was actually him! It was daddy! He kept his promise!

Celestia leapt up began to sprint towards him. She was anticipating his embrace with baited breath. She leapt into his arms.

"Hey there Celestia..." he said, holding his foal.

"I've missed you so much..." said the filly Celestia, voice trembling and eyes streaming.

"Don't be afraid." her daddy said.

"I've got you. I'm not afraid." she answered, burying her face into his chest.

Suddenly, she was alone.

'W-where did daddy go?' Thought Celestia.

The ground began to tremble. Deep fissures and chasms tore themselves around Celestia.

In desperation and fear she called out.

"DADDY! DADDY!!"

Out of the fissures in the land scape crawled out figures.

"Murderer..."

First there were hundreds. Then thousands. Then millions. Then billions.

"Murderer..."

The limping figures walked on two legs. There were so many. Men, women, children, and infants, old and young alike. They reminded Celestia of a darker time. A time when she gave into her vengeance.

"Murderer..."

The figures encircled her. They had no eyes but empty, dark sockets. And from each socket, they were crying blood, thick and oozing. Celestia grew horrified.

"Murderer..." the figures spoke, as one.

"N-no..." Celestia whimpered.

"Murderer..."

"It was an accident!... I didn't mean to!" she yelled over the noise.

"Murderer...!"

"No! Please! Stop..."

"Murderer!"

"Where are you, daddy?"

"MURDERER!!"

"Daddy......"

***********

Celestia woke with a scream of bloody murder. Chest heaving, she looked around her. She was in her room on her bed. Alone. It was morning. She was drenched in cold sweat and shivering. It was THAT dream again. That horrible one that came around every so often. 'I think it's time I let my faithful student know...' she thought.

Trembling, she looked up to see Luna watching her in the door way.

"That dream again?" she asked.

Celestia sighed. "Yes, that one."

Luna crossed the room, settled herself into bed next to her sister, and they both held each other.

"Did you see daddy? " Luna asked.

A tear fell from Celestia's face. "Yes... I did..."

They held each other for a long time.

"I miss him."

"Me too..."

"Well, at least we have each other, right?" said Celestia, tightening her grip on Luna.

"Yep," she replied, "Uh, sis?"

"Yes Luna?"

"Uhm... You can let go now," she said giggling, "I have to get to bed and YOU'RE late for your royal meeting with the council!"

Celestia yelped and rushed to the washroom, hurriedly getting ready for the day's events. Luna's voice tinkled with a giggle.

Yes, as long as they had each other, daddy would still be with them at heart.

But still, she and Celestia couldnt help but think of the past...

********

Luna was propped up on her bed in her room. The curtains were drawn, blocking out all outside light and noise (whether by magic or not, no pony knew). Being the ruler of the night and commander of the realm of dreams, she slumbered during the day and was awake at twilight. She was thinking about her dear sister Celestia.

"Poor Celly," she said to herself, "It's easier for me because I have SOME control on my dreams. She has to suffer through it all..."

Yes, she and her sister had been having chronic nightmares. Not too frequent to cause madness, but spaced out, enough to terrify them each and every time.

The dreams always brought about daddy. He was always there to show his love. But every time true joy and contentment started to fill Luna, he vanished. That's when the creatures started to grab at her. Moaning and screaming, smearing their black blood all over Luna. That's when she'd wake up...

Luna gave a hollow sigh. 'Perhaps it's not good to cling to the past. That is, after all, how I became Nightmare Moon.' she thought. But how could she let go of daddy? He was torn from her life so many years ago, but every memory of him felt like a white hot needle in her heart. She needed an output for her fears and stress. Maybe she'll make herself lucid dream again. Yes, that was a good idea. Maybe she could be with daddy one more night.

She shook her head.

"But first!" she squeaked aloud, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

She leapt out of bed, crawled under it, and pulled out a red book. She looked left and right, making sure no pony was there to see her. Luna gave a small giggle as she looked at the red book in her hooves. "The Lust and Passion of a Pair." the title read. Oh, if Celestia found out that she took one of her most intense romance novels, she'd probably send her back to the moon! Luna may be about a thousand years old, but she was still young at heart. She was, after all, old enough (compared to her sister anyways) to be able to read these things, right? Right.

Luna flounced back into her bed. She cracked open the book to where she last left off.

'Oh, Fabio... Please, this is my first time...'

'Don't worry, just close your eyes and let me guide you...'

'Be gentle...'

'I don't need to be.'

The young mare gave a moan of ecstasy as she was laid down on the bed, the strong stallion nipping her neck and caressing her naval.

Luna felt a flutter in her heart and began to feel warm in a number of places.

It was well into the day when she fell asleep.

********

Luna was walking through a meadow. Still in her normal form, feeling content. Everything seemed right in the world.

In the distance she spotted a figure. Luna walked up to him.

"Hello daddy!" she said.

William turned around. "Hello my little Luna." he replied, "So, I've seen what you've been reading." he said with a smirk.

Luna turned beet red.

"Oh look at my young foal," he said hugging Luna, "All grown up and reading smut."

"Sis had the nightmare last night..." Luna said, changing the subject.

"Yes, I know." daddy replied, "I was there..."

"Is she okay?"

"If I know your sister, she can handle anything. She's VERY strong."

"If you say so...." Luna said at her daddy, "I'm SO GLAD I'm in control of some of this dream!" She leaned against him.

"Not exactly..." William said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Luna, but..."

"No... Not again..." She whimpered.

"RETRIBUTION."

Daddy vanished. The scenery grew dark and the arms started to poke out of the ground again, clawing at the air.

"Murderer... Witness... Passerby... Accomplice..."

Panicking, Luna mustered all the strength she could. She wouldn't go through it again. Not now. Not tonight.

She forced herself awake.

*********

Luna awoke, but kept her eyes closed. Something woke her up. The sounds of uncontrollable sobbing filled the air. Who could it be?

It took a second for her to realize it was herself. Luna was the one crying. She let the dam break. She cried and cried. She wanted her daddy back. She didn't care if she looked like a filly for crying, she just wanted the only parent she knew back.

She stopped after a while and stayed in bed. She turned her head to the clock on the wall. It was was late afternoon. Celestia would be home but would be leaving at twilight to lower the sun.

Luna crawled out of bed, her heart heavy with grief from her nightmare and her eyelids equally as heavy from lack of sleep. She walked into the washroom to freshen up. She couldn't fall back asleep even if she tried.

As she was brushing her mane, Luna's mind couldn't help but wander to her nightmare. Those terrible two legged creatures showed up again. They reminded her of great loss and terrible power. She thought back to her daddy. He and Celly were the only real family she had.

But there was something daddy said that worried her. What was it again? R... Retribution?

"I think Celestia needs to hear about this..."

Before Luna left, she carefully hid the red book.

**********

Never be seen, stay light on your feet, be smart, and avoid the anything that doesn't stand on two legs.

Those were the rules.

Far beyond Ponyville and Canterlot lived a species that haven't been seen since the rise of the two divine Princesses. They dwelled far beyond the territory of the proud Griffons. Their domain was even past the realm of the mighty dragons. They were unwanted. They were a hidden race. Growing, surviving, and biding their time. They were scavengers at first, but that wasn't a worry. Mountains made of strong stone provided housing and primitive weapons at first. Then they found shed dragon scales and claws. Both were stronger than titanium and sharp as a scalpel. They even provided some magical protection. From these, swords, spears, halberds, armor, and an army was built. Thousands strong and thousands willing to fight and new technologies and methods appeared. The surviving race had built itself up from the ashes left from a fiery armageddon almost a thousand years ago like an almighty phoenix. Their population was large, large enough to survive a thousand years...

The human race was building into a formidable force of raw power.

Magic was STRICTLY forbidden. It was not normal. Bending nature to one's will was an evil thing. But that didn't stop young Ivy.

Ivy was a pale, slender, pretty girl in her late teens. She had long grey hair that she tied into a bun on the back of her head. Her eyes were as green as emeralds. Slender she may be, but not helpless. In fact, she fought a lot better than some of the boys back at the Citadel.

Ivy LOVED magic. Well... She loved everything her father didn't. Ever since she found the old tome containing lessons on magic, she hid it from everyone else. Especially her father. He was the king of the Citadel, mighty King Obera. The Citadel was located in a valley between two slabs of giant earth that rose into mountains. Perfectly hidden, it had stayed that way for over a thousand years.

Ivy was in the outskirts of the Citadel. She was hiding from the public. She didn't have many friends given her father's position. She was up one of the mountains, making sure to be hidden from both the outside and any curious eyes. From her bag she took out the ancient book. Opening it, Ivy read her favorite line in the whole book.

'Magic is present within every being, not just unicorns or the Princeses. Each individual has the gift of magic in the form of a talent, a passion, or an emotion. The output of ability however, is dependent on one's will power, strength of heart.'

Yes, the book mentioned 'unicorns'. Of all the creatures King Obera hated, it was those small horse things. She'd read the old texts describing the end of the first human civilization. It was the doing of their tyrant Princesses that caused the near extinction of the human race. Ivy could see why most humans held resentment towards the princesses, but Ivy wasn't the one to linger in the past. 'The ponies hurt our ancestors, not us,' she would think, 'We're thriving now, and all that mattered was that we continued to do so. The Two Tyrants are the ones to blame, not the small horses.' A good majority of the humans wanted to come out of hiding and make peace. Living in hiding most of your life wasn't considered a luxury.

Ivy lifted her hand. Eyes screwed up, she concentrated.

"C'mon rock..." she mumbled, "Move...!"

Nothing. The rock didn't move at all. Maybe she wasn't strong enough to use any magic yet.

With a sigh, she slapped the book shut, placed it in her bag, and got up to leave to the Citadel. Father would be angry that she left with out his permission, but better head back now than never.

Ivy entered the gates to the Citadel. They were huge walls of black stone. Once inside the gates and walls, she was at the front of the city's center. Here and there, citizens of the Citadel were bustling about. Shops portraying their wares were peppered throughout the city. Many citizens were gossiping or trying to make life better for themselves. Up straight ahead was a stone statue. It was a large statue at that as well. It depicted a human, clad in heavy armor with intricate and beautiful carvings and designs. He was holding a spear made of dragon teeth and a shield of scales. The warrior was mounted on top of a horse. The horse appeared weak and looked up to the warrior in awe and admiration. The base had a phrase carved into it.

'From the ashes, reborn. True masters of the scorched earth.'

Ivy snorted, bemused, every time she saw this statue. She knew that the humans were now a force to reckon with, but she doubted that ANY creature on this planet would look at humans so sappily. As she walked through the the city, she was greeted left and right by it's citizens. Being daughter of the king, she was well known. Even though many people knew her, she only had one very close friend.

"Oi! Ivy!"

She turned to see a boy, around the same age as her, running towards her.

"Hullo, Xan!" Ivy called back.

Xan was tall boy with undying sarcasm in his personality. He sported dark blue hair that was short in the back but hung down his forehead, occasionally obscuring his eyes that were light blue like ice.

"Where've you been? I've been looking for you all day!" he said, catching up with her.

"It's for me to know," she said with a mischievous grin, "and for YOU to butt out. How did you see me in the crowd anyway?"

"Eyes like a hawk, mate, eyes like a hawk." Xan said winking.

It was true what Xan said. He had the sharpest eyes of all the young ones in the Citadel. He might not be as tough as Ivy, but he was a master with the bow and arrow and was one of the smartest individuals you'd probably ever meet. His eyes wandered towards Ivy's bag.

"You were trying to practice magic again, weren't you!" Xan exclaimed.

"So?" Ivy retorted.

"You know that's illegal," Xan said, "It's a capital offense. And YOU being the daughter of the king..."

"Don't worry," she assured him, "I can't even do any magic. I'm too weak."

"Weak my left ass cheek, you're anything but." Xan said smiling, "You've been my best friend since we were able to walk. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Thanks," Ivy said, "C'mon. I gotta sneak back home again..."

"Alright!"

And they were off. The two best friends, inseparable, made their way to the city's center, a huge palace, grey and made of solid stone. How this was made without magic, no one knew.

Ivy and Xan snuck past the guards around the palace and crawled into a small duct. It lead them like a maze  around  and around. They were trying to make it to Ivy's room so that it seemed like she never left.

They poked their head out of the duct's exit carefully. Right above them was a stone wall. It was the ceiling. They looked down and their stomachs fell like bricks. They arrived at the top of the throne room, right above the throne.

Oops...

Luckily, no one saw them and they ducked down. Ivy and Xan both looked at each other and press their fingers to their mouths. They could hear voices. One was the king's and the others seemed to be his advisors.

"Our army is ready to be disposed of at your command." said one voice.

"Good, good," said King Obera, "Make preparations for war. This is when we strike. This is when we take back the earth."

War? Now? There's never been a war with another species for almost five hundred years! And that caused heavy loss of lives and resources to the human race. Ivy and Xan looked at each other in shock.

"Uh... Your Highness," spoke another more timid voice, "Please reconsider... I, and many others, feel that we are not prepared for a war of this caliber. We barely survived the last war we were in. The Griffons tore our ranks apart! But a full out war against the Two Tyrants and their forces? Perhaps, in the Citadel's best interest of course, we should strive to make..."

"Absolutely NOT," the king interjected, "We have been building up to this crescendo. The Two Tyrants were the ones who forced the human race to the edge of nonexistence. I will not make peace with their race."

"But your Highness, we are alone in this world! We have no allies! Even now, the Griffons and Dragon race still despise our presence! We need to make peace and continue to survive, not destroy everything in a war we are destined to lose."

"Enough," the king said, "Truth is held in your words and explanations. However, we have been scared in the past, and that scar demands retribution. It was decided in the past that we would die fighting rather than laying down in fear. This is for the good of all humans."

There was along silence.

"Very well..." said one of the advisors, "Our laws require us to send a letter of notice to the opposing side..."

"Let it be done." spoke the king.

"Right away, your Highness."

Ivy could hear a whisper from one of the advisors, "Then our fates are sealed..."

No. She couldn't let this happen. War was never the answer to everything. Their race would die and the Two Tyrants' land would be ravaged. They used magic as often as humans used their hands. Magic was an almighty force, turning forests into seas of fire and the day to night. This would surely kill them all.

"Xan," Ivy whispered, "I've got to stop this. I've got to go and warn the Tyrants..."

"You're mad." Xan said.

"Thats the only thing I can do!" she said, "I can only hope to convince them to make peace before soldiers threaten them with swords."

"Well, you're not going alone," Xan said, "If anything, I'm coming with you."

"You can't-"

"Since when were you the boss of me?" he whispered with a smirk.

"Fine," Ivy said, "The message of war is probably already being written. We should gather our things and leave tonight."

"Fine by me," Xan replied, "I'll meet you in front of the statue in the city center."

The two edged back towards the way they came from, becoming more and more excited with the thought of adventure.

Below, King Obera sighed. If only his daughter had learned to speak more quietly...

**********

To my most faithful student,

It has come to my attention that I haven't kept my promises. You and I have been very distant lately, only communicating through letters. As you remember, when I took you in as my protege, you were away from your family and looked to me almost as a second mother. I've never told you about my "family" have I? I almost feel guilty for not connecting with my most precious pupil at a more personal level. I wish for you to come to Canterlot so that we may "catch up."

Your Mom away from home,

P. Celestia

"Wow," said Spike after reading the letter, "The Princess really trusts you, huh? Wanting to talk about family and all..."

Twilight and Spike were in the library home that they lived. It was a normal day, Twilight was studying, Applejack was working on the farm, Rarity was fulfilling an order for Hoity Toity, Fluttershy was tending to the animals, Rainbow Dash had finished her weather duties and was resting, and Pinkie Pie was being Pinkie Pie.

Spike was eating a gem sandwich when he belched a puff of green fire that toasted his bread and a letter from the Princess appeared. As Spike read it, Twilight looked over his shoulder to see it. There were blurred blotches in a number of places on the parchment. Tear stains.

"It sounds and looks awfully urgent..." Twilight said with a sigh, "I hope she's alright. Spike, send a reply telling her I'll be there this afternoon."

"Yes ma'am!" Spike said saluting.

It was so long since Twilight had seen the Princess. It had been almost a year and a half. Reading the letter to herself again, she remembered the mother/daughter relationship they shared. Thinking back, Twilight remembered how nice it was to confide in a mother when her real parents weren't with her. She loved her parents more than anything in the world, but the Princess was a wonderful substitute for a short while.

Twilight arrived in Canterlot later that afternoon by carriage. She was hit with a sudden nostalgia by her old home. The shops were still there and the ponies, perhaps a bit haughty, were still kind and welcoming. Twilight continued to trot towards the city palace. She had decided to go alone. She wanted her personal time with the princess to actually be personal.

But Princess Celestia's family? How could she have never asked her about that? Twilight thought back. Had the Princess ever mentioned her own family? Twilight could only vaguely remember a large, dim room with SOMETHING in it.

Twilight bumped into something. Or rather someone. Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't watching where she was going and had ran into one of the royal guards at the gates.

"Her Highness has been expecting you, Ms.Sparkle," he said in a harsh, deep voice.

"Oh! Uhm..." she stammered, "Thank you!"

The guard stepped aside as Twilight entered. The palace was still shockingly large no matter how many times she saw it. She walked through the main hall and at the end of it she saw her.

"Princess!" Twilight squealed as she ran up to her, "Is everything okay? The letter you sent sounded urgent, and were you crying when you wrote it? Because I saw-"

She was cut off. Princess Celestia was holding her in a tight embrace, fore hooves around Twilight's neck and face against her's.

"I've missed you so much," she said quietly.

"I've missed you too, m-mama.." Twilight said. She hesitated with the last word.

It had been so long since she called her that. Celestia knew that she could never be a real mother to her, but she loved the old pet name she was gifted with by her pupil anyway.

"Now," Clelstia said," I haven't ever told you about my family tree, have I?"

"Not that recall, mama," Twilight replied.

"Well, do you remember that room you snuck into all those years ago?" the Princess asked smiling.

Twilight blushed. "N-not really," she said, "I've always thought that the room was off limits and I got in trouble."

"Well, I think it's time you've found out a bit more about me and Luna."

Side by side, the Princess and Twilight made their way through the palace. They didn't talk much. On each mind was a heavy burden.

As they eventually reached the wooden door, Twilight looked up at her mentor, worried.  Celestia look down and smiled reassuringly. The both entered.

Twilight now could vividly remember the room she was in. It had the same cathedral-like size, beautiful decor, and somber atmosphere. The two approached the center. There was a white marble casket. Twilight looked down upon it. She read the words aloud.

"Daddy..." she said quietly, "Was this your father, mama?"

"O-of a certain kind..." Celestia said, "He was a father to me and Luna. He cared for us, loved us, and... a-and..."

A tear fell from her eye. Twilight was extremely taken aback. She had never seen the Princess, in all her glory, look so.... vulnerable.

"He also died because of us."

Twilight looked down at the casket again. She felt sadness for the father of Celestia and Luna.

"What about your mother?" She asked.

"A mother?" Celestia asked, "We've never had a mother."

"You've never known your own mother? I'm so sorry..." Twilight started to say.

"No, no." Celestia said, "I mean that Luna and I literally had no mother."

"But how..." Twilight started to say. Of all the things she knew about pony anatomy, you needed a stallion and a mare to produce offspring. Celestia gave a heavy sigh. It was saturated with ages of wisdom and weariness. It just struck her how old her teacher actually was. Over a thousand years old, but still as beautiful as a young mare.

"Come and see, my pupil."

With a glow of her horn, Celestia started to lift the top of the top of the casket. It was evidently extremely heavy, seeing that even the Princess was having trouble lifting it. She set the lid down.

As a cloud of dust settled, Twilight saw bones. They were preserved, but she could tell they were even older than Celestia. But... Hang on.... These didn't look like any kind of bones she had ever seen before. The structure of the skeleton seemed to illustrate that it walked on it's hind legs rather than on all four. The ends of each of the legs and arms also seemed to have five manipulating structures. Years of time spent in museums told her that these bones didn't match the anatomy of any creature in Equestria, let alone a pony's.

"Mama, wh-what is this?..." she said quietly.

"This is daddy...." Celestia whispered, "My pupil, I was not born. I was not birthed. I was manufactured."

"Wh-what?"

"Let me explain," she said, "This world you live in. It was not made by me. It was not even ours in possession. This world, I have stolen it. This world was ruled by a cruel and selfish race," her voice was filled with sorrow and frustration, "My sister and I were brought into the world as weapons."

Twilight's eyes widened. Her mouth was slightly open. Was what she was hearing the truth?

"We were  tortured mercilessly by that race," she continued, "And this individual in this casket.... Twilight, he was the only one who showed any compassion." The Princess's eyes were streaming now. "But one day, he was murdered by his own kind for just knowing us. That's when my sister and I...." She struggled to find the right words. She swallowed hard, "exacted our rights over the world. The race then 'disappeared' and we stared anew."

"How is this true?" Twilight said. But she didn't need proof. The proof was in the bones. She could see it. The two princesses were the only beings living over a millennia.

Celestia closed the casket. "He loved us dearly and treated us as his own foals. As far as we know, Luna and I are the start of our own family tree. We had no real parents. The only one we had was daddy."

Twilight watched the princess cry. It hurt to do so.

"Why," Twilight started, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Celestia wasn't listening. She seemed to be deep in thought, almost in a trance.

"We, I've, done terrible things..." she whispered.

"Princess?"

"No control. Blind..." she continued, eyes staring into space.

"Princess Celestia?"

"A hole cut into the soul..."

"Mama?..."

Celestia blinked. Her eyes were still wet and streaming.

"Oh..." she said, "Hello, Twilight. What were we-"

But with a loud SLAM, the cathedral door was kicked open.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!!" a voice yelled, "YOUR MAJESTY, PLEASE LOOK AT THIS!"

Princess Celestia and Twilight whipped around.

"I've told you this place is off limits..." Celestia growled  at her messenger.

"A thousand, no, a million pardons mi'lady," he said bowing, "But I bring a terrible message from beyond the threshold of the Dragons by messenger hawk."

Twilight looked from the Princes, to the messenger, to the scroll in his teeth.

"What could be so important that you must disobey rules?" Celestia snapped uncharacteristically.

"Your Highness," the messenger said standing up, "We have received a message. A message of WAR."

The eyes of both Celestia and Twilight widened. War? How could war break out? No treaties were broken, as far as the Princess knew.

"From whom was the message sent from?" Celestia demanded, "The griffons? Dragons?"

"W-we do not know," the messenger said looking down, "Please, t-take a look..."

Celestia magicked the scroll from him. Twilight looked up to read.

Hear ye, Oh Two Tyrants,

By our laws and by our integrity, we are required to harbinge the the coming of battle. Of war. Our forces are numerous as are the heart and strength of our ranks. Accept or not, war will fall upon your land and we will fight for retribution to your sins. Your land and people will burn to the ground. Such as you have to our race.

Celestia dropped the scroll. She was staring into the wall. No. It couldn't be. Could it? She and Luna had... Every single one... Perhaps survivors?

"Send a message out to every city and town. Tell them to bare arms and defend themselves. Assemble the royal army and send support units to the towns that need them the most." Celestia said all of this in one quick breath, "Send notice of coming danger and raise the defenses."

"Yes, Your Highness," the messenger bowed and galloped off.

"M-mama..." Twilight finally spoke up, "What have you done?..."

Celestia looked down in shame.

But before anything else could be said, Luna burst into the room.

"Sister!" she cried, "Celestia! Is it true? Is war to befall us?!"

Celestia nodded.

Luna then proceeded to read the fallen letter. She skimmed the message. One word caught her eye. 'Retribution'.

"Oh no," Luna whispered, "Celestia, do you think..."

"Yes." she answered, "Twilight, I think it's time you went back to Ponyville."