Twilight took a sip of the potion.
It didn't taste too bad. Mostly like watery milk. Twilight wondered if this was a joke, turning grape juice into milk.
"It doesn't seem to be wor-" Twilight was interrupted when all she could see was a bright, white light, blinding her. She could hear and feel her magic release the potion, letting it drop to the floor. She hoped the glass didn't shatter.
Twilight was then taken to a strange scene, somewhere outside the castle of the two sisters in the Everfree Forest. Twilight noticed how the castle wasn't in ruins, and quickly guessed that she was seeing something from the past. What an interesting potion! In this place, there was a pedestal, decorated in colors like sunshine. There was a crowd of ponies surrounding the pedestal, silent. Then, a pony who looked like Princess Celestia teleported onto the pedestal, and the ponies started cheering happily.
"Hello, my subjects." said Celestia a bit too proudly. The ponies cheered louder.
Twilight heard one of them say "Princess Celestia, you are the best, most beautiful, loyalist, strongest, kindest, funniest, and most magical pony in ALL of Equestria!"
"Yes, I am, little subject." Celestia said, sounding even prouder.
That's strange. Celestia wouldn't say something like that. She would most likely say 'Thank you, but I don't deserve it'. It must be Celestia, that's what they called her. But, why is her mane only pink then? Twilight thought, watching as ponies threw bigger and bigger compliments at the princess.
Finally, Celestia said,"Yes, it is all true. There is nopony out there in the whole universe more talented, beautiful, and magical as I. Goodnight, my subjects." She set the sun while she was talking.
Suddenly, Twilight's vision seemed to blink, and she was taken to a bedroom with a large window. The window overlooked the pedestal and the ponies, and the one looking through the window was Princess Luna.
"If she is the most talented, beautiful, magical pony in Equestria, then why does she lie? She treats them all like dirt on her hoof, and I treat them like I'm their mother. She doesn't even set or raise the sun, yet I do with the moon. Why does she lie?"
Twilight suddenly realized something Luna had said, at the same time doing another blink to another scene. She doesn't raise the sun?! Twilight thought.
This new area looked like a village. There were many houses, with little flowerpots in the windows, and many ponies roaming the streets. They all bowed at Celestia as she passed. They did not bow to Luna. They gave compliments to Celestia. Somepony even plucked a flower from a flowerpot and gave it to Celestia. She never said thank you to any of them. Luna greeted everypony she saw, complimenting them, giving them flowers, and they said 'Thank you' and carried on giving compliments to Celestia, like Luna wasn't there. Nopony gave compliments or flowers to Luna. She didn't even seem mad at them, however.
Then, Celestia flew up, saying the same thing she said that seemed to be a day earlier. "Yes, I am the friendliest, kindest, nicest pony in all of Equestria. Nopony is better than I."
"Me too!" Luna said, flying up to her sister to be with her, hoping she would get the compliments she actually deserved. She wasn't being greedy. Everypony else was being blind.
Without warning, Celestia kicked Luna's wing, making her fall to the ground, screaming.
"Luna!" Twilight called, flying down to see the hurt princess. Her wing was barely injured. Celestia had only hit hard enough for her to lose her flight pattern and fall.
Luna couldn't hear her, because Twilight did not exist when these events took place. She was only to watch, unable to help like this. Nopony even noticed Luna, or her falling. She was like Celestia's shadow.
Only one pony seemed to notice sweet Luna on the ground crying because of her sister and her acts. A little filly walked up to Luna.
"Hello? Are you Princess Luna? Don't you raise the moon?" The filly said curiously. "Why did Princess Celestia kick you?"
"Oh little filly, I don't know why my sister must treat me this way. At least she is too weak to kick me any harder. Celestia does not raise the sun, you know."
"She doesn't?!" said the filly, surprised. "Who does then?"
"The sun has enough magic to raise itself. But it will only rise if the moon isn't in it's way. So I guess I do." Luna smiled. "My sister can't even raise the moon. She just pretends to raise the sun for the love and fame." She sighed. "If only she would treat me well, we would both get the love and fame we deserve. I would make sure she was loved. She is a princess after all. And I would get love too. If only she didn't treat me so terribly."
"Why don't you do something about it then?" Said the filly.
"What do you mean?"
"I have lots of bullies at school. They pick on me for not having a cutie mark." replied the filly.
Huh. She reminds me of the cutie mark crusaders.
"But I told the teacher about the bullies, and they stopped! They weren't allowed to pick on me anymore! If you do that with Princess Celestia, then maybe everything will be okay!"
Luna smiled again. "Thank you little filly. I'll fix everything tonight. What is your name?"
"Nightlight!" said the filly.
"Well, thank you Nightlight." said Luna as she flew back to the castle. Right before Twilight got blinked to the next scene, she saw something. Nightlight got her cutie mark. It looked like the symbol of the mare in the moon.
When Twilight blinked this time, she saw Luna flying next to her moon, Celestia flying nearby, talking to her.
"It is time for me to 'raise the sun', Luna. Lower the moon."
Luna looked at her sister. She said nothing. Did nothing.
"Lower the moon, NOW." Celestia said angrily, slapping her sister across the face.
"Oh Celestia... how could you be so mean?" said Twilight. She knew they couldn't hear her, but she couldn't believe the scene she was shown.
"No." Luna said simply. She said it with force. She meant what she said. She would not lower the moon.
"Sister, for the last time, THE LAST TIME, LOWER THE MOON." Celestia began to yell. Twilight wouldn't have been surprised if she woke up a couple of ponies.
"NO! You treat me bad enough! I love you, sister. So WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME BACK. You slap me, shove me, kick me away, take all the compliments you don't deserve! You treat the ponies like manure on your hoof, and I treat them like I'm their mother! I will not, I repeat, WILL NOT LET YOU TREAT ME THIS WAY AGAIN. I. WILL. NOT. LOWER. THE. MOON. FOR YOU."
Celestia was shocked. Her sister began to glow like moonlight as she spoke, her voice changing. She grew taller, and her wings became bat-like almost.
"Nightmare Moon..." Twilight said as the moonlight faded off of Luna and her armor, color, and eyes were revealed.
"Ugghhhhhh! Sister..." Celestia said as she fired a blast at Nightmare Moon. "WHY CAN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER LISTENED TO YOU! I never will again! I am done doing this! I will not fight you! I love you, Celestia, I really do! But I need you to stop treating me this way! This isn't good, or healthy, or anything at all! You need to stop!" Nightmare replied as she dodged the attack.
Celestia was growling like a wild animal, firing blasts that destroyed the castle around her. Bricks broke, roofs collapsed, Nightmare dodged, and dodged, and dodged. Once, Nightmare was hit, and she began to fall, only to catch herself, and fire back at her sister. She hit her, and if she didn't weaken her magic before attacking, Celestia could've died. Celestia also could've killed Nightmare if she were just a bit stronger.
"Celestia!" Nightmare shrieked, and went down to help her falling sister.
She really does love her... Twilight thought, but Celestia won't love her back...
Twilight was blinked to the room Celestia fell into. She heard Nightmare shriek her name again, meaning she was also brought back a few seconds. She saw Celestia crash through the roof, and glare at her sister, who was going to help her. Celestia opened a trap door, revealing The Elements of Harmony. They looked just like they did before Twilight and her friends discovered them.
"Go... AWAY!" Celestia yelled at her approaching sister as she grabbed the Elements.
Nightmare Moon crashed through a window, not to hurt Celestia, but to get there fast enough to help her. Twilight was also able to see the wound Celestia gave her from the blast, and tears formed in her eyes. If it were a bit deeper, she would be able to see her heart. Celestia had tried to kill Luna - or Nightmare - while Luna had only tried to show Celestia the beating she was going through. Celestia was heartless and cruel. How much had Celestia lied her whole life? She seemed so gentle when dealing with Twilight...
To Twilight's horror, she suddenly wished she could turn back time, for she realized what came next in this cruel story.
"NO!" Twilight shrieked, crying, as Celestia wielded the Elements, and blasted Nightmare away from her in many colors, knocking her so far back she was blasted to the moon, many colors following her. The image of the Mare in the Moon was placed on Luna's prison.
And finally, Celestia looked up... and smiled, a heartless, devilish smile. Her mane had even changed color from using the Elements. It was the colors that Twilight truly knew. Pink, green, cyan, blue.
Twilight blinked. Not to another scene, but she actually... blinked. She felt one eye still glowing, which was messing with her vision, so she winked to fix it. All of her friends were giving her worried looks.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Twilight finally asked.
"Well, you were mumbling to yourself a lot." said Applejack worriedly.
"Oh, and don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing!" said Pinkie as she jumped in front of her friends.
"We were really worried about you." said Fluttershy.
Okay, so they heard a bit of it? And saw me crying? Okay... thought Twilight.
"I for one found it delightful! Sort of a one-pony theater if you ask me." said Discord, being his normal, chaotic self. "You should really consider taking it on the road." He said as he held up a strange, moving poster. Twilight realized it was like a video on a poster of her crying, making a crying sound like a baby.
"Did you find out who's rump we need to kick, and where to find them?" Rainbow asked, making a kicking and punching motion in the air.
Twilight quickly needed to think of a lie, or something that wasn't specific at all. She didn't want to tell anypony the things she saw.
"I... saw something from a long time ago. But it didn't explain what's happening now." Twilight said softly.
"Perhaps farther back still, are the answers you seek," Zecora said,"Another sip of the potion will give you a peek."
Twilight didn't want to see anything more. She didn't want to watch Luna suffer. But she needed to figure out what was going on. She lifted the potion with her magic, and brought it to her face.
"You sure about this?" said Spike, seeming very worried. Twilight wanted to drop the potion, and say she wasn't going to do it, but instead, she looked at Spike, and her friends, and took a sip.
Before she was taken to another scene in the past, she saw Discord appear in front of her friends, holding a camera and wearing an outfit Rarity must've cringed at, and he said "Oh, I do hope she breaks into a song this time!"
Twilight's vision went white again, as she was once again taken to the past.
She quickly noticed the state of the world around her. The grass was blue-and-cyan checker-patterned, and it was the same for the color pink and purple. She spotted fish flying around, and Celestia and Luna approaching a strange looking throne with antlers. The throne turned around, revealing Discord sitting in it.
"Ohohoho, this is so much fun! Care to play pin the tail on the pony?" Discord said as he lifted Celestia's tail in the air.
Celestia turned around to look at her own flank. Her tail was gone. She let out a small gasp.
"Play-time is over for you, Discord!" Celestia said.
Discord suddenly had some sort of all-black seeds in a bag. He was eating them, and spilling them everywhere. "Oh, I doubt that. Hungry?" He said, offering the seeds to them. He threw a couple into their faces. When they didn't respond, he said "Suit yourselves." and continued his seed-eating.
Celestia's horn lit up, as she removed three Elements of Harmony from her pouch. Luna was also carrying three.
"Oh! What have you got there?" Discord said, interested.
"The Elements of Harmony." Celestia said.
"With them we shall defeat you!" Luna said.
"This must be when they turned Discord into stone." Twilight said.
Discord began to laugh, taunting them in different ways. The Elements were activating, when suddenly Celestia ripped the Elements that Luna was holding out of her magic grasp, and shoved her away.
"Celestia?" Luna said quietly.
Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to turn Discord to stone. In a large flash of magic, all the chaos was turned back to normal.
"Celestia, why did you do that?!" Luna said.
"Do what? Turn Discord to stone?" Celestia responded. Luna said nothing after that.
Twilight was blinked to another scene. There was a beautiful tree that seemed to be made out of jewels. There seemed to be the Elements on it.
Luna gasped from behind her, making Twilight turn around. "The Tree of Harmony..." she said.
"The tree of harmony?" Twilight said.
"Yes. I have found this beautiful tree. With it, I shall defeat Discord and restore harmony to the land." Celestia said way too proudly.
"You shall? But, I saw the sparkling in the cavern and went to get you! I found the Tree of Harmony!"
"No you didn't. I am amazing, and spotted sparkling in a ravine. Or are you going to be rude and claim that I am dumb and that you found the tree and are amazing because of it?"
Luna said nothing.
Celestia began to remove the Elements from the tree.
"I hope you plan on returning those. If the tree dies..."
"Hush. The tree will be fine."
Luna frowned, and with Celestia, went up out of the ravine to defeat Discord.
Twilight was brought back to reality, and told her friends the tree was dying and they needed to save it. They gave up the Elements of Harmony to the tree.
Have you ever wondered, how Twilight could've possibly known what the tree needed, if Luna hadn't told her?
When The Summer Sun Celebration was complete, and everypony was leaving, Twilight needed to ask Celestia something.
"Celestia?" she could barely say the name, after all the things she's seen.
"Yes, Twilight? Is there something you need?" Celestia said.
"Can I... talk to you in private?"
Celestia frowned. "Of course."
Later, Celestia met Twilight in her guest room. Twilight needed to pack up to head back to Ponyville, so they thought the room Twilight stayed in would be a good place to talk.
"Is something wrong, Twilight?" Celestia said worriedly.
"...Yes, I guess there is... it's about... well.... History, I guess..."
"Oh dear... did you find out somehow?" Celestia said. She didn't sound like she did in the past. If she did, she probably would have yelled at her, demanding she told her how she found out. Instead, Celestia only seemed sad.
"Yes. If we're talking about the same thing. Nightmare Moon, and all of that?"
"Yes, we are. I need to tell you something, Twilight. Please believe me when I say I'm not lying as I talk to you now."
"Ok..." Twilight said.
"This was simply because of greed, and a grudge." Celestia said sadly. "Long ago, my father died against an enemy. I still don't know the enemy's name today. My mother was bleeding out, though we had defeated the enemy, Sunbright, my mother, had been injured, and wouldn't be able to heal without a strong alicorn magic. As you have probably learned, I do not raise and set the sun. I can't even do it with the moon. I am weak. My sister, Luna, however, had the strength to heal her... and she didn't."
"She didn't? Why?"
"She said that her reason for not healing her, was that she had lived for a bit less than a million years, and anypony who has lived that long deserves to end eventually." Celestia then said sadly. "I didn't understand. I hated her from then on. I understand now, and I shall say it simply... Over a thousand years. Over a thousand years, and I have eaten every sweet, seen every new technology and magic, I lived long enough to greet Starswirl the Bearded and then live another thousand years. What do I do now..."
Twilight thought about it. She understood quickly. "She was getting tired of... life?"
"Yes. I thought Luna just wanted to watch her mother bleed and die, because she deserved it for something she may have done in the past. I was using the word 'deserved' wrong. She deserved to not be bored, and confused, with nothing left to do..."
Twilight instantly felt bad, though she couldn't tell if this was another lie. "What happened next?"
"I think you saw. Greed. Somepony thought I could raise the sun, and I was met with compliments and joy from everypony who saw me. I grew greedy, and didn't want the compliments to go away. I thought Luna would steal my popularity, and so I hated her even more... Then, Nightmare Moon... I'm sure you know what happened next?"
"She came back, and we turned her back to Luna, and... you weren't mean to her..?"
"I understood, and felt bad for my mistakes. We apologized to eachother, and promised that it wouldn't happen again. I knew we needed to apologize when she came back from the moon, because after I banished her, instead of feeling better, days in the castle got... lonely. Gloomy. Even with the guards and servants to talk to, I felt like somepony was missing. I realized what it was. I had no more family members living with me."
Twilight felt sad at the tale. "Oh... how do I know you're not lying again?"
"Because you can ask me." said Luna from behind them. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I'm sure you can trust me, Twilight Sparkle."
They all hugged, and tried to pretend this never happened.
