Bright flashes lit up the castle windows, booms like thunder shook its walls, marble casts of pegasi and unicorns rattled from their mounts, shattering against the garden paths and the castle’s entrance ways. Large forms chased each other through the stone hallways, golden and purple beams of magic glancing off the smooth surface of the tile floors and shattering technicolor stained glass. A scream of pain ripped through the mix, the white form tumbling to the earth, her wing singed almost to the dark color of the thing that chased her. The black form, now revealed to be an alicorn in glittering armor slowed down her flight and landed within the large chamber of the throne room, stalking up towards the other. Her voice hissed over pronged tongue and past wolf-like teeth as she taunted the wounded one. “Sister… Oh great and mighty sister, look at you now… Who would love such a pathetic excuse for a princess?” Her hoof, housed in silver shoe crashed down on the un-singed wing, a crack echoing into the antechamber, followed by a cry and a whimper from the wounded royalty. “You have failed Sister, and the land shall ever know my darkness.” Sharp fangs glistened before the white alicorn’s throat, a large green eye, pupil slit like that of a cat glared wickedly down at her. The black alicorn that now took her sister’s place drew back, preparing the last blow to the broken princess before suddenly everything began to crumble.
Celestia sat up in her bed, coat slick with sweat as she shivered away the chill that her dream left. She looked to her window, the night’s full moon glittering brightly over her balcony. In it the shape of a mare’s head was etched in shadow, it had been almost ten years since she had overcome her sister and banished her to the moon, and still she was haunted by her sister’s presence in her dreams. Tears gathered in her eyes as she slumped back down in her bed, sobbing softly her apologies. Suddenly her room filled with light and Celestia looked over her shoulder. A unicorn, his golden guard armor long since lost its shine strode into the large gold and white chamber, his pearly horn glimmering with familiar green light. His once red hair was now streaked with grey and his coat was slowly going white at the joints. “I heard you cry out in your sleep, Princess. Is it the same dream?”
Celestia wiped her eyes on her foreleg nodding. “I keep dreaming that I failed…, Dawning, did I do right?”
The unicorn sat down on the large rug before his princess’s fireplace, a small spark darting off his horn and into the hearth, re-igniting the fire that had long died out before throwing another log in. “’Tia, my star, it was your only choice.”
Celestia stood, her bare hooves clicking against the wooden floor, “But did I do right?”
Her friend looked over his shoulder and gestured that the she should sit, “Celestia, It is not my place to judge what you did, only to help you through the decision. I cannot tell you that you did right or wrong in what you did, only you can decide that. You are my ruler and you should not turn to an old guard for guidance, but I have found something that may set your weary heart to some ease. Celestia, you are not the only ruler who had to banish a loved one for the sake of their people.”
Celestia laid down on the large rug before the fire, looking down at the old stallion. “You have been through the library again?”
The guard nodded, “I have guarded this castle for almost fifteen years now Princess, I have a lot of time on my hooves to get acquainted with the library’s many shelves.” He reached up, slipping his helmet off of his head, exposing a large scar that covered much of the right side of his face, remnants of a magic blast that had shut his right eye forever ten long years ago. “It is only right that you hear this story, if you do not mind the ramblings of an old soldier.”
Celestia shook her head, “Dawning Sword, you have sacrificed much for this kingdom, you may speak as you wish.” Dawning nodded, looking down into the metal of his helmet as he began to recount the tale he had found.
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Long ago, before your birth, there were two rulers, princesses over the land. They ruled in harmony, each filling each other’s flaws, each answering the calls of their subjects and with firm wing and shining horns insured peace in the land. Their names are long lost now, but we shall call one Frost and the other Crystal for now. They were loved by their subjects, but some loved one princess more than the other, and vice versa. You see in these days, love and faith were much stronger magic sources than they are now, the arts for harnessing them long lost to us. It was these arts that the princesses used to protect their lands and what bound the land together. Every year ponies would gather to celebrate the peace and send up a prayer of thanks and love to the heaven. This great mass of magic, friendship and love gathered in the princesses’ castle and fed them in power. Most years the prayers were sent to both princesses, but some years there would be ponies who would single out a princess, and send their love to her only. This was not often though, and so few ponies would do this that the princesses hardly felt a difference in the surge of magic that ran through their veins.
However one year, Frost flew above the kingdom, watching the festivities and saw a group of young ponies of to one side of a celebration, in a ring, chanting their own prayer away from the rest of the town. She flew closer, listening to the voices that came from below her. It seemed the closer she got to this smaller group, the weaker she felt. Curious, she landed, startling the ponies, “What dost thou prey, subjects?” She boomed, head held high, orange hair flying over her white coat. The ponies before her shook, backing slowly from her.
One however stayed, his head held high, blue eyes sharp and somehow angry. “I am sending my love to Queen Crystal!” He said, “Same as everyone else, why do you come and interrupt us?”
Frost tilted her head, confused, “Queen Crystal? Subject, thou dost mistake my sister’s title, We do not use such titles in this kingdom. My sister and I share the power.”
The pony before her shook his mane out and stamped a foot. “No, Princess, YOU mistake your sister’s title. Your sister is stronger, smarter, and a better ruler that you are, and deserves all my prayer and love, not you. She deserves to be queen, not share a throne with you.” He turned from her, galloping away. Princess Frost stood there, eyes wide with surprise, she looked over the others that had formed the small outcropping who all in turn looked away from her, some walking slowly back to join the larger celebration. Frost leaped into the air, speeding towards the castle. This favoritism was new to her, and she wanted to know if her sister had any idea of it.
