Celestia finished bandaging up her sister's wing. "It wasn't much only a few feathers got plucked but you'll be fine."
"Thanks Tia." Luna smiled. They shared a laugh before they mother called.
"Time for dinner!"
"Race ya!" Luna shouted as she took off. Celestia ran after her. "Using her magic she grabbed her sisters tail and held her there for a moment just to get past her. "Hey! no fair!"
Celestia just giggled as she beat her sister to the dinner table. "Girls what did we say about running in the castle?" Their dad spoke up.
"Sorry father, sorry mother." They said as they lowered their heads in unison.
"It's alright girls lesson learned right?" Luna and Celestia took a seat at the table. "Luna sweetie what happened to your wing?"
"Oh just a little flying accident." Luna gave her most innocent smile.
"Its only a few feathers she'll be find but she insisted on wrapping it."
They all laughed, and ate dinner while talking about their day and what plans they have for tomorrow. "Celestia, tomorrow is school so you need to get back on your nightly routine."
"Alright Mother." Celestia left and Luna went to follow but got interrupted.
"Luna you start tonight. Your tutor will be here in an hour."
"Ok mother!" With that she skipped off the way her sister left.
~~***~~
"Tia!" Luna knocked on the bathroom door.
"Come on in Luna." Came the voice from inside. Luna obeyed and went inside where Celestia was finishing up brushing her teeth. Luna grabbed her toothbrush too.
"Dosh yof thphnk we cain practish tonihgph." Luna said while trying to talk through a mouth full of toothpaste.
"Hehe. Lulu that's gross!"
Luna spit it out and rinsed her mouth. "I said do you think we can practice tonight?"
"Maybe. Depends."
"On what?"
"You don't tell mother and father."
"I never do."
"Then we have a deal."
"YAY!"
"Luna! your tutor is here!" At that Luna said goodnight to Celestia and went to greet her teacher.
~~***~~
12:00 PM
Luna sat on the balcony, finished with class, finished with homework. and now just relaxing before her sister came. She watched her fathers moon and stars twinkle. 'Tia got moms sun, maybe just maybe I could get daddy's moon.' Luna thought to herself before she left a gentle hoof on her shoulder. She turned around to see her beloved older sister. "Tia! you ready?!" Luna said full of excitement.
"What do you think? Now ssssshhhh you don't want to wake up mother or gets fathers attention do you?"
"No."
"Ok then lets go." The older sibling unwrapped Luna's wing and they flew off to the nearby mountains careful not be spotted by King Cosmo. The landed on the highest mountain and walked to the cliffs edge. They talked and waited until their father got bored of the night and went inside. "Alright you know what to do first?"
Luna nodded. "First I channel my magic and get a flow started!" She closed her eyes and concentrated on the silver moon above. She started to sweat using almost all her power. "T-Then I focus on an image of the moon doing what I-I want!" She struggled through clenched teeth. Celestia turned away from her sister and watched as the moon started to shake slightly.
"Almost there Lulu keep it up!" She watch as the moon shakily started to move very slowly. She smiled but then frowned as she saw the moon shake harder and stop where it was. "Luna! steady your magic at this rate your going to make it explode! D-Don't try so hard your going to hurt yourself." She saw Luna loosen up a little. "Easy does it. Relax your forcing the magic you have to let it flow." By now Luna was totally relaxed sweat still dripped from her face but she was doing it.
Celestia turned back to the moon to see it smoothly moving around every so gracefully. A giant smile appeared on her face. "Am I doing it Tia?" She heard her little sister call.
"Ok Lulu keep picturing the moon and slowly open your eyes." Luna did as so, she got a glimpse at what she was doing before it stopped. Celestia looked back at her sister, She saw Luna with a wary grin before she gently laid herself on the soft grass before her.
"Lulu.. did you break concentration?"
The younger Princess just looked back at her and smiled weakly. "I cant tell either that or I'm just SOOO tired."
"Yep moving the moon take a lot of energy you need to get used to it if you want dads moon." They shared a small laugh. The elder sister lay next to her younger and they looked around enjoying the beautiful night. Celestia let out a yawn and not even a minuet after Cosmo came out of the castle and looked in their direction.
"You should go before dad catches you.." Luna whispered as her sister ducked back.
"Y-yea see you in a few hours."
"Night Tia." With a little spark of yellow Celestia was gone. Only a few moments later Luna found herself face to face with The king of the night. "Hi Father."
"Why hello Luna." He looked around as if looking for something. "What are you doing out here?"
"What do you mean? I always come out here." Luna got to her feet and nuzzled her dads leg. He leaned down and gave her a little hug.
"I thought I saw somepony else too."
"Oh nope just me nopony else but me, just sitting here.. alone.." She gave the most innocent smile she could manage.
"Hmph. Well. Why don't I hang out with you?" He and His daughter lay in the grass looking out at the stars. "So what did you learn tonight in school?" He started.
"On just the usual Math, Reading, Stars, Literature, Constellations. Science."
"Oh really? Pop quiz!" He pointed to a group of stars that if you put them together it looked like a spoon. "What's that constellation?"
Without hesitation she answered. "The big dipper." He pointed to another one above that looked a bit smaller. "The little dipper." He raised her eye brow. He pointed to another that looked like an animal. "Ursa Major." Before he could point she raised a hoof to the next one. "Ursa Minor."
"Impressive." He laughed. He and Luna just stayed there and watched the night time had passed and it was time for mom and Tia to wake. Soon enough they saw Princess Celestia, and Queen Galaxia on the balcony waving at them. "Have you been practicing with the moon?" He got a nod in response. "Then show me what you can do. Lower the moon to make way for your sisters sun."
"But Daaaaad! I can only move it a little."
"Then move it as far down as your can and I'll take over from there." Luna sighed, closed here eyes, and focused her magic on the moon. Slowly the moon fell until it was behind the mountains. Not knowing that it was done Luna kept trying. "Lulu. Luna honey. Luna!" She opened her eyes to see her father smiling down at her. The looked up to see the sun shining and the moon nowhere in sight.
"I-I did it." She breathed. Her dad only smiled bigger. "I did it!" She laughed almost manically. "YES! I FNALLY DID IT!" She turned to see Her mother and sister walking towards here. "TIA! MOMMY! DID YOU SEE THAT!? I MOVED THE MOON!"
"We did and we are so very proud of you!" They all gave a group hug and then broke it. "Now we need to get you to school." She and Tia walked off. Luna Yawned and her father picked her up.
"And time for you to go to bed." They left back to the castle but none of them managed to notice the cutie mark that now rested on Luna's Flank.
~~***~~
"Tia! Tia! you want to play?" Luna came running into Celestia's room.
"I'm sorry Lulu but I cant right now moms going to teach me how to run the kingdom."
"Oh alright..." Luna went to go leave but then turned back around. "Tia! I forgot to show you yesterday I got my cutie mark and none of us even noticed!" She got no response. "Tia? what wrong?" Her older sister didn't even turn around. "Celestia?"
Celestia's ears perked up. "W-What did you call me?" She whispered.
"Celestia!" Luna started to yell.
"Ok I'm sorry I've kind of been ignoring you B-but mother said I'm going to start running the kingdom. Just please keep calling me Tia its not you to stop."
"Celestia! Wake up!" Luna's voice started to morph from her cute little self to a strict mare.
Puzzled Celestia walked closer to here sister. "L-Luna? you ok?"
"I said wake up!"
"I am awake!"
"I said wake up!" Celestia's world started to shake as if an earthquake had just begun. Everything started to melt before her eyes. Horrified she looked around at everything disappearing. Luna as well started to melt into nothingness.
"Lulu!"
~~***~~
"LUNA!" Celestia's head jerked up from the desk. The teacher gave her a puzzled look and the class erupted with laughs.
With one harsh glare from the teacher the class went quiet. She turned back to her student. "You fell to sleep."
"O-Oh My gosh I'm so sorry!"
"its alright but I'm going to have to tell your mom this is the 10th time this month!"
"I-I understand.." As the teacher walked back to the desk to continue her lesson Celestia felt a wave of guilt. "Sorry Lulu I guess no more midnight lessons anymore." She whispered under her breath.
~~***~~
Celestia closed the door on her way in. She quietly made her way into her room careful not wake her father and sister. She quietly closed the door and dropped her saddle bag by the dresser. She looked in the mirror wondering what she would do when her mom found out. She noticed her beautiful pink mane was a mess. 'no doubt it was from sleeping in class' she thought as she grabbed a a white brush that had a bedazzled sun on the back. She started brushing her mane but stopped when she saw the door from behind open from in the mirror. The filly turned around to see her mother walk in.
"Celestia we need to talk." Her voice was firm but caring, She walked across the room and took a seat on Celestia's bed and patted a spot next to her to say 'sit down'.
Celestia did as told and Queen Galaxia started. "Honey me and father have talked and we know your out late helping Luna with the moon." Celestia was going to protest but she continued. "Me and dad aren't going to be here much longer you have your cutie mark Luna knows her talent, in fact I went into her room earlier and saw she did have a cutie mark."
"Oh what is it?"
"It's a moon now stay focused. Sweetie I know you do it because you want her to be happy and I love that you do that but..." She sighed. "I just cant have you doing anymore, your tired, you fall to sleep in class, and then get in trouble I know you don't mean to be bad but you can't risk it anymore, Your grades are paying for your deeds." She help up two grade sheets.
"This is before you were helping Luna." She handed the paper to Celestia. "You were a strait A student." She handed her the other one. "But know you have two C's, five D's and an F. I'm sorry Celestia you just cant help your sister no more, helping her is going to mess up your future" She got up and turned towards the door but didn't go. "Its about time I start teaching you how to run the work around this kingdom, and how future you is going to keep it alive." She went through the door but gave one more sentence before closing it.
"We start tomorrow."
Celestia was both excited and sad about learning how to rule the kingdom, she was excited because this meant she was growing up and that mother trusted her to take on a new responsibility as big and leading all of equestria, but it also made her sad because even though Luna got her cutie mark and she wasn’t able to see her anymore.
Luna copied her father at everything because she knew ever since Celestia got a cutie mark to take over the mothers someday that she would be able to take over her dads. She followed him acted like him and copied his daily routine. The only time Celestia would be able to spend time with her little sister was at dinner and a little after and that would be it. Celestia was snapped out of her thoughts when a knock came at the door.
“Tia! you in there?” Came the little voice of Luna
“Come in Lulu!” Was her sisters reply. A blue blur ran in and almost less than a second Luna was bouncing on the bed.
“Guess what sis! Guess what!?” She practically shouted, But Luna didn’t wait for an answer as she was too excited to wait. “I got my cutie mark!! I got my cutie mark!” She sung as she bounced around her sister.
“Oh Lulu! I’m so proud of you!!” Celestia said as she watched her sister. “and i was impressed when you lowered the moon all by yourself!”
“Yea it was really hard and I was really tired afterwards, daddy says it took too much magic and the more i grow the more magic I get and it’ll get easier to move the moon.” She sat down next to her sister and let out a sigh.
“I’m thinking about starting to sleep during the night like you and mommy, you know because I got my cutie mark and I know how to raise and lower the moon but it takes to much power and I heard you got in trouble for falling to sleep in class.” Luna sighed again. “I’m sorry.”
Celestia looked down at her sister and moved closer. “For what?” she asked.
“F-For getting you in trouble I-I didn’t mean to I-I-”
“Luna!” Celestia interrupted, she put a hoof on Luna’s chin and lifted her head she they were looking eachother in the eye. “You did not get me in trouble, I chose the help you at night, you didn’t make me help you I could have easily declined, but I wanted to help you, I wanted to spend time with my little sister. But now that I’m caught I can’t sneak out at night, I bet moms going to put a guard or two at my door to make sure of that.”
Luna gave a weak smile and giggled a little. “Thanks Tia.” Luna gave her sister a hug, when she let go she looked down at the bed. As soon as she realized something she immediately perked up. “Thats why I’m going to start living like you and mommy so I can spend more time with you!” Luna by now had gotten on her hooves and started bouncing around once more. “I may not go to the same school as you, my night tutor is going to started home schooling me but we could still hang out after were done with homework!”
“Wait why can’t you go to school with me?”
“I’m still a Princess of the night Duh! they don’t teach the other ponies about what I need to learn about the the night.”
“Oh ok, you got me there.” Celestia giggled when she realized something. “What are you doing up this early during the day?”
Luna looked at her sister puzzled. “It’s four thirty. We’ve been talking for about thirty minutes.”
Celestia then realized how long she had been thinking for. “Wow time really flies by.” She sighed. As if on queue a voice came from the kitchen.
“DINNER!” Their fathers voice boomed through the castle.
“Honey is it really necessary to use the royal canterlot voice in the castle?” Their mothers sweet voice came, quieter than their fathers but still loud enough to hear.
Luna and Celestia looked at each other in silence before falling on their back laughing. “Race you to the dinner table!” Luna challenged as she flared her wings.
Celestia did the same. “You’re on!” And with that they were off.
~~~**~~~
“Luna I will not fight you! You must lower to moon, it is your duty!”
Luna gave her sister an unamused look. “Luna? I am Nightmare Moon.” She paused. “I have but one royal duty now! TO DESTROY YOU!” Luna’s horn started to glow and a powerful beam of magic was about to hit Celestia until she flew out of harms way.
Celestia hear her sister yell something but couldn’t quite make it out. Celestia turned around only to see her sister following not to far behind. She shot another beam of magic which Celestia easily dodged, she flew through the all too familiar kingdom as she dodged five other beams of her sisters deadly magic. Celestia flew up hoping to escape her sister but instantly felt a sharp pain in her chest. The pain was too much, the elder sister fell through the hole created from the first strike. She was just about to hit the ground when-
“LUNA!!” Celestia screamed as she bolted out of bed. She looked around the dark quiet room before falling back down into her pillow a sobbing.
It had been three years since Celestia had started her lessons for ruling the kingdom, each year she got a new color in her hair. One morning it had been one year since she started, she woke up to find she didn’t have a solid color mane anymore but there was a big streak of light blue. Nopony knew what it meant but then the next year, she found not only pink and blue in her mane but a green stripe. By then they found out that the new colors stood for her maturity, her getting more grownup, more capable of ruling equestria.
Today is the day of the third year, it was also the last day of her training. Her parents weren’t going to be around much longer and she would have to take on the kingdom. She quietly got out of bed and looked in the mirror. She looked through her mane and found another blue strand but this one was darker than her first.
She heard a noise come from the other side of the room, she turned around to see her father walking into the room. He looked tired not from lack of sleep but from old age, Alicorns only last for about 10,000 years until age caught up with them. Her dad looked at her and nodded his head over to the bed. They both sat down in silence until Cosmo spoke.
“Last year huh?” he said with a slight chuckle in his voice.
“Y-Yea. I already have a new color in my mane.” Celestia sighed. “Its getting a little wavy too.”
“Well thats a good thing isn’t it?”
“N-No!” She sniffled.
“Well why not me dear? doesn’t it mean you're taking on your role as a Princess? Your leading all of equestria for Galaxia’s sake!” He said in a stern but soft voice.
“W-Well yea that parts good but… You guys won’t be here to watch me rule.” Celestia sobbed into her fathers chest. She felt something on her chin and soon she was forced to look at her dad.
“Don’t you say that. We won’t be here, but we will always be watching you. As long as you don’t forget us we will always be there when you need us.” Cosmo wiped the tears away from her eyes and pulled her into a big hug. “We’ll always be there.” He whispered.
Cosmo got up and started walking towards the door when he heard a voice. “Where are you going?” Celestia asked.
“I’m going to lower the moon you’re mother should be waiting for me.”
“Ok night father.”
“Morning Honey.”
