Those things we leave behind

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Three Friends
The cave
Chapter 2 - The Sun's warmth
Prologue

Chapter 1 - The Three Friends

“Tia?” came a familiar voice.
The Mare looked to her side and saw her sister. Luna was older now. She had grown significantly. Her horn and wings now all but fully grown. Her coat still a beautiful midnight blue, and her long, flowing mane still the same shade as the night sky, dotted with what looked like the stars themselves.
“I’m sorry Luna. I was just thinking.”
“I know sister, you tend to do that a lot.” Luna giggled.
Celestia was older now too. Her horn and wings slightly larger than Luna’s. The only real difference, aside from size, was her mane. No longer the pure pink it once was, it was now a veritable rainbow of pink, blue and green. It was the result of the last spell she had used on her hair. It had ended up being far stronger than she had imagined. Though she was young, the spell had proven far too strong for her father to reverse, so she had kept it.

“Are we just going to keep pondering on our memories, or are we going to explore?!” came a third voice.
Both girls looked to their left to the voice. Standing slightly taller than both of them, the creature looked like a mismatch of parts from all sorts of animals. Although his head was that of a pony, he had two horns, one that looked like it was from a goat, and one that was from a deer. His arms were from a lion and an eagle, and he had one leg from a goat, and the other from a lizard. The creature was none other than a Draconequus. They had been friends with the odd creature for some time now, and the three loved to go exploring together.

It was rare that ponies and Draconequui ever became friends. The two lived on opposite sides of Equestria and rarely came into contact. The two ponies had been on the borderlands when they had met him. They became fast friends and stuck together. The story of how they had fended off an angry Gryphon was legendary! Or at least they thought so. Ever since Celestia and Luna’s parents had passed away, the two had been travelling; looking for a place they could settle down and call home. They had yet to find someplace like that, and had a feeling Lancie wanted to keep it that way so they could keep having fun.

The three of them pressed on into the dark, dank cave.
“Tia…” Luna started.
“I know.” She replied gently.
Celestia’s horn began glowing a bright yellow. Moments later, each of them had a small but powerful glow accompanying them that allowed them to see. She had developed a penchant for light spells lately and they had come in very handy.
Before she had even finished the spell, Lancie had charged off into the cave. Celestia rolled her eyes as she and Luna ran to catch up with him.

As they got further into the cave, they heard an odd rumbling noise, as if something was stirring deep within.
“I don’t like the sound of that…” Celestia said, apprehensively.
Luna’s eyes darted all over the cave, trying to see what was there.
“Oh come on already. You two can handle whatever it is.”
“And what about you mister. What would you do to help?” Luna asked, eyeing Lancie suspiciously
“I’d run away and leave you to whatever is there of course.” He said sarcastically

They carried on through the cave, jumping down from rock to rock, descending into more darkness. The rumbling only seemed to get louder and take the shape of a roar. Distant still, but a roar nonetheless…
“Seriously Lancie…if you’re doing that, then stop.” Celestia said firmly.
Lancie looked at her, a little hurt by her words.
“I might come from a trickster people, but I’m not that cruel. Whatever’s down here is real, and we’re getting closer…”
“Maybe we should just leave?” Luna asked tentatively.
“You can if you want, but we’re going on. Right Celestia?” he asked.
Celestia glanced between her sister and her friend, unsure.
“Oh come on. Be brave, ‘Tia’.”
Lancie carried on down into the darkness.
Luna looked up nervously at Celestia. She had heard that kind of roar once before when she had dared venture into a cave alone. She hoped beyond hope it wasn’t the same thing she found that day lurking in this cave too…

Wordlessly, Celestia descended into the darkness, Luna following close behind her. Soon enough, they came to a part of the cave that was lit and incredibly warm too.
“Lancie, are you-“
Celestia was cut off by Lancie rushing to her and covering her mouth with his hand.
“Shhhh…be quiet!” he whispered frantically.
The three of them walked silently forward to see what was there. Celestia and Luna took silent gasps when they discovered they had come across the nest of a Dragon.
“Tia…we have to go…now!” Luna whispered desperately.
“No, no. Let’s take it’s gems. It’ll be hilarious!” Lancie said hushedly.
“That’s…no! That’s disgraceful Lancie.” Celestia said annoyed, but quietly.
“Awww, you’re no fun.” He sighed.

There was a distinct snore from the emerald green beast laying asleep in front of the three of them.
“We’re leaving…now…”
“Oh alright.” Lancie sighed, disappointed.
As the three of them turned around, Lancie smirked and reached his long arm back and laid a finger on the nearest ruby, trying to pluck it..
Celestia stopped and turned sharply.
“Lancie, what are you-“
She froze mid-sentence. Her eyes staring at the singular, yellow eye staring at the three of them.

“Oh look.” Came an angry, deep voice, “A midnight snack.”
The three stared in horror as the Dragon rose to its full height and took a deep breath in.
“LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!” Lancie roared, terror in his voice.
He and Celestia turned tail and ran. Celestia stopped seconds later, realising Luna wasn’t with them. She rushed back and saw her sister frozen to the spot.
“LUNA!” she cried out. A second later, the dragon breathed its powerful flames down on the pony sisters. Lancie could only stare in horror.

The cave

She hadn’t been that much younger than she was right now when she had ventured into that cave. She remembered that fateful day more than she ever wanted to. Nightmares of it still plagued her. But it wasn’t what she encountered that had scared her so. It was what she had done for her own safety. Something Celestia never would have, and something she doubted she would have the ability to do…right now anyway.

Celestia had been off gathering supplies for the night. They had been setting up camp next to what seemed like a small cave. Bored and with nothing to do until her sister returned, the Alicorn decided to foray into the cave. It seemed fine at first. The cave was dimly lit so she could vaguely see where she was going. It became apparent to her that the cave descended for some way, though she chose to carry on exploring. As she jumped and climbed over a set of rocks, a distinct rumbling hit her ears. That should have been Luna’s first warning that something not friendly was lurking in the bowels of the stone walls. She chose to ignore the warning and continued exploring.

After what felt like some time, she figured Celestia must have returned by this point. What little lighting the cave had was also fading. That should have been her second warning, yet she chose to ignore those facts too. After casting a small spell, enough to light a small way in front of her, the young filly continued forwards. She reached a ledge which seemed to drop down into the bottom of the cave. Before moving a hoof off the ledge, she heard snoring for the first time. That should have been her final warning. Instead, curiosity filled Luna to the brim. She spread her wings and slowly flew down to the bottom of the cavern. The light from her spell revealed what awaited her. It was a very large, blue dragon. It was snoring heavily and guarding a huge mountain of gems and several other precious looking metals.

Luna stared in shock at what she had found. She had been told a little about dragons by her parents. It had been one single, stern warning. Never, no matter what, ever wake a sleeping dragon or even think about touching its hoard of gems. The warning echoed in Luna’s head. She had no intention of disobeying it. She slowly took a few paces backwards so she had enough distance between her and the great beast in order to take flight and make it out of the cave as quickly as possible. There was no doubt in her mind she would receive a stern scolding from Celestia once she returned.

Her wings unfurled and she gently glided up to the ledge she had flown down from. However, she misjudged her footing. The girl slipped and went tumbling down into the pit, hitting the bottom with a loud thud. Luna groaned in pain as she checked herself for injuries. She had managed to not injure either of her wings, which was a good sign. Slowly she lifted herself onto her hooves and sighed quietly. She turned around to try again, only this time she was greeted by two large yellow eyes glaring at her.

“Pray tell…” came a quiet, but powerful voice, “what is a puny pony doing in my cave?”
Luna was frozen. She couldn’t even open her mouth, much less talk.
“Hmph” the dragon said with contempt, snorting smoke over the filly.
“Here to steal my gems perhaps?” he asked, eyeing her carefully.
Luna once again said nothing, though not for lack of trying.
“Mute are we, pathetic little pony? Then I shall interpret your silence as an admission of guilt. You shall now find out what we dragons do to those who lack the brains to stay away from our hoards.”
The dragon raised its body slightly, but it was more than enough to gain ten feet above Luna. It snorted once more, covering her in more soot. She could only stare in horror and await her grim fate. The dragon took a deep breath in and in an instant, exhaled.

The world seemed to slow infinitely into darkness. Luna was surrounded by a nothingness she had never felt before. The anger of the dragon, the inevitable disappointment of Celestia…they all seemed miles away, another lifetime away. Where was she? Did it even matter? That darkness around her, it felt consuming. It felt as though it had jaws and was coming to eat her alive. What on Equestria was happening?!
Then, out of the seemingly infinite darkness came an infinitesimal ray of strength.
“I shall not be bested” came a voice, but it didn’t belong to Luna, even though it spoke with her voice.
“I shan’t?” Luna asked, finally being able to speak once more.
“No you foal, you shan’t!” came the deafening reply.

Luna sighed. It felt like the sigh lasted a lifetime.
“Get a hold of yourself Luna. Now you’re hearing things…” she whispered.
“FOAL!” came a booming voice. It was her own, but stronger…darker…crueller…
“Who’s there?” Luna asked timidly.
“Who are you?” came the reply.
“I…I’m Luna. Sister of Celestia, and daughter of-“
“NO!” roared the voice, “Celestia is YOUR sister, you are not hers! Do you wish to live in her shadow your whole life?!” it demanded.
“What do you mean?” Luna asked, a little scared.
“I have seen your future, Luna. As I have seen hers. Take control of your strength. Show Equestria the power of the night goddess!”
“Goddess? No…I’m just…Luna…” Luna said, getting more and more frightened by the moment.
“No, you are the Moon! The embodiment of cold, hard strength!”

Luna said nothing for the longest time.
“I was named for the moon. I mean, I was born at night.”
“You still don’t understand, do you? I am the embodiment of that cold power you possess. The raw strength you have yet to tap. I am the Nightmare to the Sun’s dreams. I am the fury and the power you so desperately need. Now, little Luna, allow me to prove to you that power!”
There was silence for a split second, then a blinding flash of light. Luna saw herself, she saw the Dragon as it was breathing its flames down upon her. But she was not in control. Something else was controlling her, showing her something, something she knew she didn’t want to see, yet she couldn’t look away.

Time readjusted itself as the dragon loosed its flames onto Luna. But they had no effect on the shield she had produced. A dark, thick bubble that caused the flames to evaporate into nothingness, as if someone had flung the weakest of spells at her. The dragon recoiled in shock.
“How?” he demanded.
Luna only smirked.
“Little dragon. Oh little dragon. If only you had any idea whom you were dealing with. Sadly you will never live to see the night reign supreme.”
“What are you little pony?” the dragon asked angrily.
“I am Luna, the nightmare of the moon!”
With that, Luna’s horn glowed a foul purple and lashes of lightning streaked out of it, slashing and slamming violently into the dragon, causing gashes and tears in its skin. The dragon roared with pain.
“impossible!” it roared in horror.

Luna leapt a few feet backwards, the smirk on her face only growing. She turned her head to something that it seemed only she could see. In the infinite space, the ‘real’ Luna could only stare in horror at the events that were unfolding before her eyes.
“How can you have such power?” the dragon asked, glaring furiously at her.
“You poor foal. You’ll never understand what you’re facing. Though I suppose in a way, I should be thanking you.”
“What are you-“
The dragon was cut off as more bolts of thunder lashed through his scales, tearing them clean off and scarring and tearing at the vulnerable skin below. The dragon stumbled backwards and slammed hard into the stone wall, breathing heavily from the beating he had taken.

“You must be wondering by now, how is it I have the power to tear off a dragon’s scales? It’s simple really. I told you, I am simply demonstrating the raw power you have at your disposal as an Alicorn. You want to know the best part little Luna? This isn’t even your most powerful.”
The real Luna let of a gasp, pleading for this being to stop hurting the dragon. She simply smirked as her horn glowed once more, charging a bolt of incredible power. In the next instant came a horrific roar of pain and anguish as the bolt pierced the heart of the dragon, killing it instantly. Its body collapsed to the ground with an almighty crash, blasting the gems all over the pit.
Luna stared at the dragon’s body, satisfied with her work. She turned around and smirked at the ghostly Luna.
“Now you know. Now you have released me. I will only grow stronger, Luna. Soon we shall become one, truly. On that day, none shall stand in our way. Not even Celestia!”
Luna let out a gasp of horror, then everything went dark and she felt a painful sensation around her body, as if something was forcing her back into reality.

Several moments of unconsciousness later or perhaps several days…she couldn’t be sure, Luna opened her eyes to only darkness. She felt a horrible pain on her head where she must have bumped it.
“Uhn…what happened?” she asked herself, though no one was around.
She cast a weak light spell with her horn. She was at the bottom of a cold, dank pit that was completely empty. Was all she had seen just a dream then? She must have fallen off that ledge and smacked her head pretty hard…She could only hope all she had seen was nothing more than a terrible dream her mind had concocted for whatever, horrific reason. She struggled to her hooves and stood for a moment, maintaining her balance. She spread her wings and took flight, soaring out of the cave. She knew when she returned she would receive the scolding of a lifetime from Celestia. However, even as she was flying out, she couldn’t shake the strange sensation of a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows…

Chapter 2 - The Sun's warmth

Luna’s eyes were tightly shut. She was scared, her entire body was shaking. Not just from the belief that she was probably dying, but the fact that if she wasn’t, she could be about to do something terrible if her dream had been more than just a dream. Slowly but surely she opened her eyes. She felt something soft and comforting around her. She looked around and saw one of Celestia’s wings wrapped around her, protecting her. But that couldn’t protect them from the fire, so how were they safe? Looking up more, she saw something else. It was golden, shining like the sun. A sphere was protecting them. Luna looked up at her sister and saw her horn glowing, and understood in that instant.

“Are…are you mad, Tia?” Luna asked, her voice filled with a deep sadness.
“Mad? Why on Equestria would I be mad at you of all ponies?”
“Because I’m a scaredy pony…” she replied, looking down.
“Luna, look at me. I could or would never get angry at you.”
“But Celestia, I-“
“Luna, just look at me.”
Luna raised her head and looked into her sister’s eyes. She didn’t see anger or hurt. She didn’t even see mild annoyance. Only love. Love and a desire to protect. Not just her, but Lancie, Equestria, and indeed all of pony kind.
“Tia…I-“
She was cut off again, but Lancie this time.
“Not to deny how awesome that shield is ladies, but that Dragon is gearing up for another attack!”
Sure enough, the three looked up to see the enraged dragon even angrier by the fact they were standing around talking, and not fleeing like scaredy ponies. Using her wing, Celestia ushered Luna forward as the dragon took another deep breathe.
“Come on Luna.” Celestia smiled.
Luna wiped a tear from her eye and nodded. A second later, the three of them broke into the fastest run they could as the dragon breathed its fire down on them once more.

They ran as fast as they could, managing to make it out of the cave relatively quickly. Thankfully, the dragon seemed more than happy to get rid of them and hadn’t pursued them.
“I wonder why it didn’t chase after and try to kill us?” Lancie mused as the three of them, worn out from the day’s events, made towards shelter for the night.
“I don’t know” said Luna, looking around, “Maybe it didn’t think we were worth killing?”
Celestia let out a small chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” asked Lancie, annoyed.
“You two. You’re both unobservant. Didn’t you see what it was guarding?”
“Yes! Gems! Lots of shining, beautiful gems!!”
“Well, yes there was that. But didn’t you see what was underneath it when it stood up?”
Lancie and Luna leaned closer to Celestia, eager to know. Some great prize? Some magnificent treasure perhaps?

“Eggs.” Celestia said simply.
Lancie looked disappointed.
“And there I thought it would be something grand and interesting.”
“You’re an idiot sometimes, Lancie. Anything else and it probably would have chased us, but it was a mother protecting her nest of eggs. Nothing more. She attacked us not because we were after her gems, but because she was defending her children. Simple and sweet. A mother’s desire to protect her children. Nothing more.”
“That’s so sweet.” Luna smiled.
“Oh yeah, I’m chocked full of gumdrops and ice-cream” Lancie said with a fake, sickly-sweet voice.
“You know Lancie, one day you’re going to meet a girl, and she’ll whip you right into shape. On that day, please come and visit me, because I really want to see that.” Celestia said calmly.

The three of them walked for some way before finding the camp they had left before going on their exploration.
“This should do.” Celestia said, setting herself down by their tents.
Luna’s horn glowed for a moment and the pit in the middle of the three tents erupted in a fire to keep them warm.
“We should get some rest.” Celestia said softly, heading towards the top tent. The others agreed and headed for the other two.

Night had fallen over Equestria. Lancie and Celestia were fast asleep in their tents. However, in the third, Luna was plagued by nightmares. Vision after vision came in an onslaught of her mind. The first were of Equestria’s past. How it was formed, and how it nearly never happened. Then it fast forwarded to her sister’s birth, and then her own birth. Then it fast forwarded and showed her visions of that horrific dream she had had. Next it seemed to fast forward to today where she saw the love and motherly kindness in Celestia. Then it fast forwarded, to events that hadn’t happened yet. They weren’t as clear. She saw the discovery of some kind of gems, not usual gems, but gems that seemed to carry godlike powers inside them. She saw ponies from all over found a new city called ‘Canterlot’. She saw Lancie and Celestia behind closed doors. She saw a threat to the entire world, and the three of them somehow put a stop to it. She saw Lancie and Celestia get into the mother of all fights, and Lancie transforming into something new…something terrible…She saw the entire kingdom fall under the reign of a terrible tyrant. She saw herself and Celestia put an end to it with the gems they had discovered…something about harmony and discord…She saw them discovering their cutie marks in the process. Even further still, she and Celestia being declared princesses for saving the world, and helping Equestria and ruling over it. But further than that, it got even blurrier and quicker. She saw herself become a horrible monster. She saw Celestia’s heart shatter for the second time. Fast forward an indefinable amount of time and there were six ponies…there were those stones, and she returned. From there though…things became too blurry to see. That was her limit…

Luna awoke with cries and screams that rent the night air. She had been plagued with dreams and nightmares since her birth, but this was the worst of all! The things she had seen…the things she had seen herself do, and Celestia for that matter. All for the sake of protecting the world. But beyond that darkness came a single glimmer of hope…and it was the seed that had been planted earlier. The love of Celestia, so grand and unquenchable it saved Equestria twice from the people she loved the most.

A single white hoof opened Luna’s tent. Luna was on the ground, doubled up in tears. How could she do those things to Celestia? To her own sister?!
“Luna.” Came a gentle voice.
Luna’s tears still flowed.
“Luna, it’s me, Tia.” Celestia said, sitting herself down beside her sister.
“Tia…it was…horrible…” Luna managed to make out between the tears.
“It’s alright Luna, everything will be alright.”
Celestia wrapped both her wings around her sister and embraced her in a tight hug. Luna gently placed her hooves around Celestia’s neck and gave her a tender hug.

“I’m sorry Tia…sorry I’m so weak.” She sobbed.
“Oh Luna. You really do underestimate yourself. You’re not weak in the least.”
“I’m not?” she sniffed.
“Not at all. For one, you were born when Azimuth and Vertio were aligned. I’m not much for astrology, but it’s said that whoever is born when those two are aligned is said to possess great hidden potential that will be released over time.”
“It’s just a story, Tia.” Luna said sadly, “Everypony knows it.”
“I know, but the story of Azimuth and Vertio still makes me smile to this day.”
“Me too.” Said Luna, managing a very weak smile.
“Come on Luna. Let’s get back to sleep.”
“Stay…stay here with me tonight, Tia?” Luna asked timidly.
“Of course.” Celestia smiled.
Luna laid back down. Under the comforting gaze of Celestia, she managed to get back to sleep, feeling the warm comfort of her sister beside her. Knowing she was asleep with her, protecting her. However, unbeknownst to Luna, Celestia had stayed awake the whole time, using her magic to ensure Luna didn’t have another nightmare anytime soon. Her own sleepiness was irrelevant to her if she could protect her dear sister from another one of those horrific nightmares that plagued her so. Celestia took comfort knowing that Luna would be able to face a new dawn under the warmth of the Sun.

Prologue

Author's note to everyone - This is my first Fanfic, I hope you like ^^. I'm sorry if it's not perfect, but I'm always looking to improve =) I try to get my grammar as perfect as I can within the limits of how I tend to write, but things will always slip through the net.

The mare stared down at what she had produced. The beautiful young filly had a coat of midnight blue. Her mane, although short right now, was the same shade of the night sky and almost looked as though it had the stars themselves speckled in it. A smile crossed both of their faces.
“What should we name her, dear?” the mare asked, turning to the Stallion beside her.
The stallion gazed longingly up at the stars above them before turning to his wife.
“Luna” he replied simply, and with a sheepish grin. The little foal giggled at this. She yawned gently and spread her small wings for the smallest of moments.
“She’s like her sister…a whatchamacallit.”
“An Alicorn, dear” the mare said with a short laugh, looking at Luna’s horn and her wings.

As if from nowhere, a new figure had materialised. The mare was not very old, but seemed to carry herself with a grace and poise far beyond her years. Her horn was short but sharp, honed from a few years of practice since her birth. Her wings were growing too. They had not yet reached more than a metre across, but were still growing strong. Her white coat was shining in the light of the moon. The only thing odd about her was her garish, neon green mane.
“Celestia dear…have you been experimenting again?” her mother asked her.
The young mare let out a small giggle.
“I have ma. Do you like it?”
There was a short glow from the horn of her father and Celestia’s mane was returned to it’s normal, baby pink colour. Anyone else might have gotten mad, but Celestia simply smiled and walked over to get a glimpse of her baby sister, who was now staring intently at her.

“Her name is Luna.” Her mother said softly, gazing at them both with affection.
“Hi Luna. I’m your sister, Celestia.” She said, overcome with a teary smile.
The baby gargled, as if she was trying to say something. They all looked at her, and leaned in a little closer.
“T….t….Tia!” Luna managed.
“That’s right Luna, I’m Tia” she grinned.

The moment of happiness seemed as though it would last forever.