SUN
She was awake long before the Shift. She couldn't rest easily that night, not after the dream she had. Was it a pleasant dream, or a nightmare? She couldn't tell, and that was what frightened her most. She sat in her chamber, next to Philomena, watching her sleep. Her purring sounded like the soft crackling of an hearth fire, and she could feel the warmth of a gentle flame while petting her.
She called her maids to help her wash and brush her mane. As soon as her appearance was fit for a Princess, she went to the throne room. She found her sister waiting for her, ready for the Shift. It was their little daily ceremony for lowering the moon and raising the sun. Nothing of the rite was actually necessary, and there were never many spectators to assist anyway. Still, it was a tradition she had to endure, and one of her daily duties. Like many things in her life.
Once the dawn had officially come, Celestia hurried to have breakfast with her sister. She was the only person she could confide with.
"It was horrible, Luna. There were people screaming. Chaos. Havoc."
"It was only a dream, sister."
"I enjoyed it."
Luna did not reply. She was worried. She could see it in her eyes.
She took a pause, sipping her coffee. "It gets worse every time," continued Celestia.
"You said it started some years ago," said Luna.
"Yes. It was before you came back."
"What did happen back then? Do you have any idea on what may have caused it?"
"I know exactly what is the reason of all this."
"Then why won't you tell me? I could help you find a solution," asked Luna.
"There is no solution for my problem," replied Celestia.
"Maybe if you could let me into your dreams..."
"I already told you, no. I do not wish you to see... the worst part of me."
"But how am I supposed to help you?" She began to heat up.
"I do not want your help, Luna."
"Then what do you want from me?!" shouted Luna. Her teacup fell from mid-air and clanked on the table. A brown stain grew on the beautiful linen napkin.
"I..." Celestia hesitated. "I want you to be prepared. For... any eventuality." There. She said it. She was perhaps exaggerating a bit, but she wanted to take any necessary measures now that she still was lucid and in control of herself. She knew that she was changing. She could feel it. And she knew that the transition was inevitable. It was only logic that it would happen sooner or later. There was nothing that could be done to stop it.
Luna was staring at her. It was as if she were asking "Is it that bad?" with her eyes. Celestia learned to read her sister's eyes long ago. She was used to her long periods of silence.
Both alicorns turned their head as somepony came into the room. It was Raven, her personal secretary.
"Princess, I apologize for interrupting, but we have a very tight schedule today."
Today, thought Celestia. Everyday had a tight schedule, but Raven always made it sound like it was exceptional every time.
"We shall discuss again later," said Luna.
"There is nothing to discuss," said Celestia, leaving.
In the morning there were the public disputes. It was a tedious task. Ponies waited in a long queue at the entrance, came one, two, or three at a time, bowed awkwardly before her, and exposed their problems while she sat still on her throne. She had done it countless times during her long reign. There was nothing new anymore: each case was similar to something already seen years before. It could be frustrating at times. It felt like people never learned.
She kept on telling sentences like: "No, it is wrong. You have to pay a fine." Or: "I apologize for the collateral damage caused by the magical accident. You will receive a generous compensation and the Royal Guard will help you rebuild your house."
"I am sorry for your loss. I wish I could help you, but there is nothing I can do."
"No, your neighbor is right, you have to repay him."
"I promise, the Royal Guard will find who is responsible for this. Justice will be done."
And so on. And so on. Every week. Every year. For thousands of years. It was her duty. She had to be wise and just. But sometimes, it was hard to resist the temptation of giving up. Tell the wrong answer. Mess everything up, and savor the confused expression of everyone. For sure, that would be fun.
***
"I don't care, I've been living there for ten years. It is mine now!" said Raisin Tart, a purple mare with a messy, dark green mane.
"But I've never sold it to you!" replied Quick Note, the dun-colored stallion she was arguing with.
"How was I to know that you would ever come back? I had three foals in the meantime!"
The two Earth ponies were shouting at each other for several minutes now. The case was simple: the stallion had to travel to Las Pegasus for business and agreed to let Raisin Tart live in his cottage while he was away. It turned out he stayed away for ten years. Now that he was back, the mare claimed that de facto the cottage belonged to her.
"Enough!" she said. The two ponies immediately fell silent. Everyone stared at her, waiting for the judgment. He never sold you the cottage, Celestia was about to say. But she didn't. A weird idea flashed in her mind. "You both wish to live in the same house. So be it. From now on, you will live together." she decreed.
For a couple of moments no-one replied, still puzzling out the strange sentence. Then the purple mare broke out: "Hey, this is not fair!"
"I'm not going to live with her!" shouted Quick Note.
Raven came next to Celestia, whispering. "Your Highness, I would... May I counsel you otherwise? The law states..."
Celestia was already regretting her decision. Why did she do that? What was she thinking? "I know the law, Raven. It was only a joke. The cottage rightfully belongs to Quick Note. Raisin Tart, we will help you find a more suitable home for your family. I am done with petitions for today. The remaining ones may come tomorrow," said Celestia. She then quickly left the room, ashamed by her own foolish action.
MOON
Despite having worked all night and needing some good rest, Luna could not make herself go to sleep. She trotted restlessly back and forth in her chambers, thinking about what her sister told her a couple of hours before. She was worried and wanted to do something to help her. But what? It wasn't the first time that Celestia told her about her dreams and "weird feelings", but it has never been considered as something serious so far. It started many years before her return, she said. She had to know more, to understand how it all began. Luna started thinking who she could ask to. Kibitz has been Celestia's most trusted advisor for almost his whole life. If somepony could help her, surely it would be him.
Luna found the old unicorn in his office, deeply absorbed in financial calculations. His attention was jumping among the parchments scattered all over the desk, while the calculator sang on its own in the air, glowing with magic. It took him a few moments before he realized that someone came in.
"Princess! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was intent on verifying the taxes of the previous semester. What can I do for you?"
"I am concerned about my sister. Haven't you noticed some queer behavior lately?" asked Luna.
"Well, our beloved Princess may be... surprising, at times. But she has always been like that, as far as I know," said Kibitz, reflecting.
"Wouldn't you say that it happens more and more frequently?"
"Why yes... but she is simply being more playful than before. While enjoying pranks may not be fitting for a ruling monarch, I do not see why that would be cause of concern. Do you think the Princess is in danger?"
"No. Maybe. Not immediately, at least. In truth, I am not quite certain. I fear that these little surprises may be more than just a playful attitude, but I do not wish to jump to conclusions. I need to know more."
"I can assure you that her health conditions are regularly checked. Do you believe she may be victim of some kind of spell?"
"It is a possibility that I have considered. If such is the case, she must have been affected while I was still banished on the moon. That is the reason why I came to you. You have been alongside her for many years."
"Alas, Princess, I wish I could help you. Unfortunately, I seldom accompanied Princess Celestia in her trips all over Equestria. Sometimes she even went in missions alone. If indeed she had been affected by some magic, we may never be truly certain about how it happened and what may have caused it."
Luna stood silent, pondering. Only Celestia knew exactly what was happening to her: she admitted it herself. If only she could convince her sister to explain... Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. "We used to keep a journal, Celestia and I, before I turned into Nightmare Moon. And she still has one. She likes to keep souvenirs of missions and adventures. Surely, she must have done so while I was gone too. I need to look at such memories," she said.
"But... those are the private journals and personal belongings of the Princess," said Kibitz, hesitating.
"I wouldn't ask if it weren't strictly necessary," she replied.
Kibitz sighed. After a moment, reluctantly, he told her. "There is a forbidden room in the castle, where Celestia keeps her most valuable objects. Nopony is allowed to ever enter inside. It is located on the eastern side of the castle, in the basement."
"Many thanks," said Luna. She left immediately afterwards.
Before going to the secret room, Luna went to Celestia's chambers. She expected the vault's door to be locked, and that Celestia had the only key. But she knew that her sister always left her keys in her bedroom, since there was always some guard or assistant to open the doors for her. After a brief search, she found the key easily enough. She knew which one it was, since there were only a couple of keys that Luna did not have too. Still, the fact that it wasn't the only one made her wonder how many secrets her sister still had.
The Princess's hoofsteps echoed through the hallway. That part of the castle was deserted. After turning an angle, Luna found herself in front of a heavy wooden door, with beautiful carvings depicting the sun. She sat there a few moments. She was about to unravel a time past, a period of her sister that she missed. She opened the door and stepped into the long, dark corridor before her.
Her horn glowed and filled the air with moonlight. After a couple of turns, the corridor ended with a cul-de-sac. It didn't surprise her. They both liked to put secret doors and hidden passages in their castles. She started pushing on the wall in front of her. Then she noticed something.
A fizzle.
A spark.
Right above her head.
Luna exploded into a mist of darkness just as a torrent of light fell down violently from the ceiling like a dragon's breath. She rematerialized a few meters back in the corridor. She was laying on the ground, awake but dazed. After a few moments, the pillar of light vanished, and everything fell back into darkness and silence. As soon as she felt better, Luna tried to stand up, and realized that her right hind leg was paralyzed. As quick as her reflexes were, her teleportation could not avoid completely the spell. But Luna had no intention to withdraw. She walked again towards the dead end, hobbling like a pirate with a fake leg.
There had to be a secret door and a way to open it, thought Luna. She only had to look better, and find the right spot. She noticed that there were three stone carvings on the walls. One scene depicted her turning into Nightmare Moon. Another represented her fight and banishment. In the third one, Celestia sat on the throne, and a crowd of ponies celebrated her victory.
She sat there a few minutes, observing carefully each carving, each possible detail. She could not make the same mistake twice, or she would end up with more than just one leg paralyzed. It was the third scene that intrigued her most. There was something wrong in it. It looked... false. She approached and looked closer. Her sister was raising both sun and moon as she stood triumphant on her throne, while the crowd cheered her Princess. Celestia's face was masterfully carved. She seemed to smile. She looked happy. Instinctively, Luna put a hoof on her sister's face. Then, the carving changed. Stone Celestia closed her eyes and started weeping.
A tear fell down from the wall.
Luna stepped back. The wall moved sideways rumbling. The secret room was open.
SUN
"... and then the color flows in that pipe over there and enters in a processing phase. The new technique is able to filter 32% more impurities than before. Thanks to the innovative Luminance Flux Capacitor, rainbows of all Equestria will be more beautiful than ever," said the director.
The pegasus kept on talking, but Celestia stopped listening. She couldn't pay attention anymore. It was almost half an hour since the director of the Research and Development department of the Weather Factory at Cloudsdale started explaining the latest improvements and developments at the factory. He kept on speaking about science subjects, technical problems and engineering, using complex terms she didn't quite understood. Most of all, she was not interested. She did not care how the rainbow machine worked or how better it was with respect to the previous one.
"... the data analysis shows a brightness increase of 24%..."
The Princess nodded, faking interest, and looked around her. She was surrounded by pegasi with long white coats and protective helmets, as well as a couple of guards, assistants and journalists. She was in a large room full of pipes, cables, switches and sensors. Bubbles popped on top of tanks of liquid color. Several technicians monitored constantly temperature, pressure, saturation, and other measures on countless gauges.
The director made a pause and invited the visitors to move on towards the next innovation. The group moved at last... just a few hoofsteps. Then another talk began.
"... as you can see, we have developed eight more shades of red..."
This will take forever, Celestia thought. And rainbows were only the beginning of her inspection at the Weather Factory. She would later visit other departments: clouds, storms, winds... A whole day full of duties. Just the thought of it made her uneasy. She couldn't breathe. She felt like paralyzed and suffocating. All around her were members of her staff, scientists, technicians, and journalists. She couldn't move to some other place, unless it was a scheduled part of the visit. She couldn't even spread her wings. Instinctively, she started to move backwards, but she hurt something. Behind her were pipes and cables. She was trapped. Then, an idea came to her mind. Of, course, she could have simply ordered to stop the visit if she wanted to. But her idea was much more fun.
She spotted one pipe smaller than the others. Listening to the director again, she waited for the right moment in the presentation. "I see. It's wonderful," she said.
Then, when no-one was paying attention to her and even the director turned his head to look where he was pointing, she used her magic. She slowly removed the screws fixing the small pipe to the nearby tank. Then, she checked one last time that nopony was looking, and gave it a strong hit with her hind leg.
It didn't work out as she expected. The pipe was still at its place. The director and technicians didn't notice anything, or at least they pretended not to. Her personal guards and assistants, closer to her, turned their head. They had a confused expression on their faces, but didn't dare ask anything for fear of disturbing the visit. They were looking at her, trying to understand.
To hell with it, she thought. Celestia bucked and hit the small pipe as hard as she could.
The pipe broke. An high-pressure jet spouted out, spilling hot water on the marble floor. Suddenly, there was chaos. Technicians started running everywhere, trying to fix the pipe and keep in check the rest of the system, since the damage was affecting other machines. The gauges were going crazy. The tanks bubbled even more and spilled their colors outside. The red was flashing, alternating randomly between dark tones and blinding bright. The princess's assistants looked at her, babbling.
"Princess... what... why..."
"We'd better get out, Princess. It's not safe here," said one of the guards.
Celestia didn't care. She took a deep breath. Fun, at last. She felt free. She enjoyed it.
If only every day could be like this.
Chaos was wonderful.
MOON
The search did not give the results she expected.
Luna closed the last journal and placed it back on the shelf where she found it, among the others books and diaries. She looked around. The secret vault was full of all kinds of relics: jewels, wonderful dresses, ceremonial swords, artwork masterpieces, powerful enchanted items. Gifts from all over the world: Saddle Arabia, Yakyakistan, Griffinstone, even from the deep underwater palaces of the Merponies. But the room guarded even more precious treasures. Celestia's private journals. Love letters from a faraway unicorn king. A portrait of Mother. Luna understood now why her sister set a trap to guard that place so well.
She must have spent hours inside, reading books and journals, looking for the cause of Celestia's change. She couldn't find any. Some of the diaries seemed old, and felt like imbued with magic, but were actually blank and never used. Her sister had written about many adventures and trips, and she did fall victim of many spells, but none of them seemed to be the cause of her problem. Just when Luna was about to lose hope, she started to read the last journal. And she found something very interesting. The search was not a complete waste of time. She understood. She could not find the reason because there was none. Just as Celestia told her.
The last journal was very recent. On one of the pages, dated shortly after Princess Cadance's wedding, Luna read Celestia's thoughts about Discord. She was planning on freeing him from his prison of stone to attempt at redeeming him. Luna remembered the day when they spoke about it. At first she thought her sister was crazy. Freeing Discord, the spirit of Chaos? How could Celestia even think about redeeming him?
"I know he can become good," her sister had said.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I... I just know it. Trust me on this, Luna."
Celestia looked very confident that day. Sad, but confident. Luna trusted her.
Now, after reading the journal, she understood why her sister was so convinced. "Discord is so old. Older than me, I think.", she read on the diary. "I wonder if he ever feels tired as I do."
Age.
Age was the cause of Celestia's change.
Luna moved out of the forbidden vault, and the secret door closed behind her. Her hind leg was still stiff, but the effects of the paralysis spell were slowly fading away. Before she could reach her private chambers, Luna was reached by a Royal Guard.
"Princess, we have been looking for you. There has been an accident at the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale," the guard said.
"Celestia was supposed to visit the factory today... has something happened to her? Is she well?" she asked.
"Yes, Princess. However... she is the one who caused the accident. On purpose, it would seem."
The situation was worse than she thought. She hoped to have some time to reflect, try to talk to her sister again, to do more research, to find a solution. But there was no time anymore. Celestia's condition was getting worse much faster than expected. Luna had to do something, and quickly.
If only she knew what she could do. "Where is my sister now?"
"She is returning to Canterlot."
"Very well. Tell Kibitz to cancel all appointments for today, and to handle all matters of state until my return. I shall deal with my sister myself," she replied.
"As you order, Princess." The guard bowed and run away.
Luna stood alone in one of the many halls of the castle. The sun was up high in the sky, and the great stained glass windows shined bright as ever.
Now that she understood which was the cause of Celestia's behavior, it seemed like there was nothing she could do. Still, she would never surrender until she tried everything in her power.
Or in someone else's power.
There was only one being in all of Equestria who could understand Celestia's problem. Luna recalled a hardly-used spell and her horn started to glow.
"DISCORD!" she shouted.
With a flash, the draconeequs appeared in the hall. He was penching over an house of cards which recreated all of the Royal Castle in Canterlot. He was about to position the last card when the whole structure crumbled.
"Geez! Thank you, Luna. Look what you have done. Do you know how long it took me to build it? Why do people always have to summon me like that?" he complained.
"Do not play fool with me, Discord."
"Fine! You got me. I wasn't building this house of cards," he said. In the blink of an eye, the cards disappeared, and Discord was sitting on a couch, with a lamp next to him, smoking a pipe and reading a newspaper. "In truth I was reading the news. Have you heard? Your sister seems to know how to have fun." he said, showing the content of the newspaper. Celestia was pictured in an animated photograph while bucking the pipes in the factory.
"Yes, I know. I thought you could tell me more about it," said Luna.
"Oh, I see now. It's always my fault, isn't it? Whenever something wrong happens, everypony always blames poor Discord. I feel deeply offended by your lack..."
"Forgive me, Discord," she interrupted him. "I didn't mean to accuse you. I only wanted to seek your help."
Discord was sincerely surprised. "My... help? Really?"
"Yes. Why so surprised? You are reformed now, are you not?"
"I am. I can assure you, Princess," said Discord, bowing.
"In all fairness, I confess that at first I had many doubts about your fealty. I didn't have Celestia's confidence on the capabilities of Twilight's friend.... the shy one."
"Fluttershy?"
"Yes, that one."
"She opened my eyes. She taught me how valuable it is to have a friend."
"I admire what Fluttershy did. However, I believe that there's more. You could have run away at any time, or brought all of Ponyville to your will, but you didn't. You didn't resist. I believe that deep inside, you wanted to be reformed."
Discord did not reply. Luna continued, walking around him: "How old are you, Discord? You are the oldest being I know. Don't you ever get tired of what you do? Of bringing chaos and havoc wherever you go? Have you ever felt like you didn't enjoy it anymore? Have you ever wanted to stop it, to try something different, something new? That is the reason why you are reformed, is it not?"
For a moment, the question stood unanswered. Discord hesitated. "Please, don't tell Fluttershy," he said at last.
"Surely my sister must have seen it when she thought you could be redeemed. She knew you were tired, and that you wanted a change in your life. She was so confident, because she felt the same way. Only, in the opposite. She wrote it in her journal. She feels tired, and since a while now. My sister fought all her life to bring peace and order in Equestria, but now... she has come to the limit. She wants chaos, and mischief. And I don't know how to stop her. How to... help her. I don't know what to do, I..." Her voice broke. Luna closed her eyes and turned her head. She wanted to cry, to let it go, but she had to be strong. She managed to hold her tears. Discord wasn't the best shoulder to cry upon.
"How unfortunate. If it is true that Celestia is tired of being... well, boring, in the same way that I wanted to be reformed, I am afraid there is nothing you can do. This weariness, this feeling I had before... I tried to fight it at first, but I could never get rid of it, until I surrendered and accepted it. Sometimes I have nostalgia of the good old times, but I feel much better now," said Discord.
Luna raised immediately her head. Perhaps there was still hope. "What did you say? You do have nostalgia of your previous life?"
"Yes, sometimes. Is that a tricky question?"
"So you wish to... do whatever it is you do? Change things for fun and spread chaos anywhere in Equestria? What do you do in such moments?"
"What do I do? Oh, well, I realize I can't spread chaos anywhere in Equestria anymore, so I have to content myself with spreading chaos anywhere at home."
Luna didn't understand. "I'm sorry?"
"As it happens, my home is nowhere in Equestria, so technically I don't spread chaos anywhere in Equestria. It's nothing like anywhere, and definitely it's not in Equestria. It's... uhm... nowhere. But still someplace. Yes, I think it's someplace in nowhere." Discord was trying to show the location of his home on a map of Equestria floating in mid-air. As the map started to melt and assume all kind of wacky shapes, Discord kept on pointing locations with a stick, piercing the map at times on purpose. Luna soon desisted from trying to keep track.
"This is no time for wordplay, Discord!" she shouted, stomping her hoof.
"But, I wasn't playing, Princess. I was trying to explain. I bet our dear Twilight would use some fancy scientific terminology, like trans-dimensional space. However you call it, it's my home. And when I want to have fun the old way, it's my playground."
A playground. She understood. Luna raised her head, eyes shining. Deep in her heart, hope sparkled brighter than ever. "A playground, yes. That could work. We need to find someplace... someplace in nowhere. But first I need to talk to Celestia at once. Thank you, Discord. I am very grateful for your help," said Luna.
"My help? How did I help you?"
Luna did not answer. She left him immediately and ran down along the hallway.
SUN
In her room, Celestia checked the letter one last time. Then, her horn glowed briefly, and the letter bursted into green flames. It was over. Just as the last bit of fire disappeared in the air, she reconsidered what she had just done. Was it the right decision? Yes, she told herself. I don't have to rule Equestria anymore. I will be free at last.
As she was putting the quill and parchments into place, she noticed a faint blue light glowing in a drawer. She opened it. Inside was something she had not seen in ages. It was a gold bracelet with engraved motifs and a huge encrusted sapphire which shined with magic. She stood there a few moments, staring at it, wondering why she didn't notice the light sooner. It's been so long since last time it activated that she almost forgot of its existence. The bracelet was a magic artifact, which warned Celestia with a blue glow whenever an intruder attempted to enter the Vault of Memories and activated the trap.
Luna, she thought immediately. I told you I didn't want your help. I told you there was nothing you could do. But no, you just had to meddle with my life, isn't it so? You just wanted to help, but it's too late. This ends NOW.
Celestia called her servants. This day will remembered forever in history. Might as well get pretty. "Find Steel Hooves, and tell him to fetch me the full harness. And tell my sister I will meet her in the Grand Hall," she said.
"The.. the full harness, Princess?" asked her maid, with a bit of apprehension growing on her face.
"Yes. Don't worry, I only need it to appear regal today." It was only partially true. If she had requested her ceremonial armor, it was because today she would have to fight.
Steel Hooves, her personal squire, came a few minutes later with the mix of jewels and wonderful armor pieces that composed her ceremonial harness. It took several minutes to put it on, but once every piece was at its place, it was a glorious sight to behold. Celestia looked into the mirror, and she saw power. She saw the might of the whole Equestrian Empire reflected in front of her.
I am powerful, she thought. If Luna dares to resist, she wouldn't stand a chance. She was ready.
Celestia moved to the Grand Hall escorted by six guards. Some of her most trusted assistants and councilors were already there, waiting, not sure why they were summoned and what to expect next.
Two other guards awaited her at the foot of the throne, next to the gargling fountains. As she climbed the dais, she heard people murmur behind her back. Her appearance surely didn't go unnoticed. Neither her accident in Cloudsdale. What I'm going to do will cause much more than just courtly gossip.
She turned back and faced her servants. "Where is Luna? I told you to find her and..." she started.
"There was no need, sister," interrupted Luna. The Princess of the Night revealed herself from one corner of the hall. She was escorted by the two guards who had been dispatched to find her.
"I was already coming to you. We need to speak. I know why you are changing, and I believe I have found a way to..." she continued, but Celestia interrupted her sister in turn:
"Did you enter the Vault, Luna?"
"Uh? Yes, but I only wanted..."
"... to help? I already told you that there is nothing you can do to help me. It's too late. Yet you insisted. Oh, sweet Luna..."
Celestia left her words hanging in the air. She slowly sat on the throne and looked gently at her sister. Then she said: "You have no idea of how much I will miss you. Please... stay still."
Luna didn't understand what her sister meant, but she instinctively stepped back anyway. She felt like something was wrong.
I knew she would resist, thought Celestia. "Seize her," she ordered.
MOON
The two guards next to Luna obeyed without question. In a second they grabbed her shoulders.
"What? No! Celestia, listen to me! I know how to help! A playground! The playground in nowhere! We have to find... humpf!" shouted Luna, as she struggled to break free. Other guards were coming to subdue her. Spectators assisted to the scene, gasping and murmuring to each other, wondering whichever Princess had gone crazy.
Meanwhile, as she sat still on the throne, Celestia's voice filled the whole hall with power never heard before.
"I, PRINCESS CELESTIA, THE DAWNBRINGER, RIGHTFUL RULER OF THE EQUESTRIAN EMPIRE AND DEFENDER OF ALL PONYKIND, DO HEREBY DECREE THAT THE KINGDOM SHALL BE RULED BY TWO PRINCESSES NO MORE! ONE AND ONLY SHALL HENCEFORTH RULE OVER THE EMPIRE!"
Her horn started to shine. The magic yellowish glow was slowly getting brighter as Celestia charged her spell. Luna tried to break free, but the guards were strong and held her firmly. All her attempts to use her magic had failed: the Royal Guards received a special training to learn how to disrupt unicorn magic.
"I DO HEREBY DECLARE MY DETERMINATION TO RENOUNCE THE THRONE FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY DESCENDANTS. I SHALL SENTENCE MYSELF TO A THOUSANDS YEARS OF EXILE, UNTIL I WILL PROVE AGAIN MY FITNESS TO RULE. I HEREBY DECLARE MY SISTER, PRINCESS LUNA, THE DREAMWARDEN, AS THE ONE AND ONLY RULER OF THE EQUESTRIAN EMPIRE. TO HER SHALL HENCEFORTH PERTAIN ALL OF MY PRIVILEGIES, DUTIES, RESPONSABILITIES, AND POWERS, BE THEY OF MUNDANE OR MAGICAL NATURE."
Luna did not expect that.
Celestia was renouncing at everything, even her own powers, to protect the kingdom from herself. She chose to entrust the safety of all Equestria to her as her last wish.
Yes, she thought. She couldn't help but think it. Isn't this what I've yearned for, at last? To rule alone over Equestria. All the power, mine, and mine only! But it lasted only a second. Another voice rose in her mind. No. That was the past. I've changed. She's my sister, and she needs my help. I can't let her go like that. She trusts me. She's putting the fate of all Equestria in my hooves, despite my past as Nightmare Moon. I must repay her trust. Luna gathered her strength and tried again to free herself. She didn't have much time left. Celestia's horn was already shining bright as sunlight.
"LUNA, THOU SHALT HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS 'PRINCESS LUNA, THE DAWNBRINGER '. MAY YOUR REIGN BE WISE AND JUST."
Luna made one last effort, using both magic and her strength. The guards were struggling to hold her. For a moment, she thought she could break free. But it was already too late. A spell came out from Celestia's horn, and a sudden blinding flash forced her to close her eyes. She expected to feel something... but she didn't. Just a couple of seconds later, she opened her eyes again. Discord was before her, facing the throne. He wore a baseball glove in his right paw, and was holding a ball of pure light.
"Discord! What are you doing?" shouted Celestia.
The draconeequs struggled to keep all the magic. He vigorously threw the luminous ball at Celestia. All the magic came back into her horn at once, dazzling her for a brief moment. Discord then turned to face Luna. He snapped his fingers, and the unicorn guards holding her started to float like balloons. They kept going up in the air until they hit the ceiling. The pegasus guards immediately flied to their rescue. Luna was free.
"You... what have you done?" said Celestia, shaking her head.
"I think I have just saved the day. Ooh, that's new! Me saving Equestria. I wouldn't believe it even if I told myself," said Discord.
"No! It was the only way... Everything is lost now. You've ruined everything! I will ruin everything!" shouted Celestia, crying.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Princess... you're just a rookie in chaos-spreading. You've got a loooong road ahead before getting at my level."
"THEN HELP ME! If I must become evil, so be it! Come on, Discord! Do your best! Let's turn the world upside down! Transform chairs into food, and ponies into monsters, and colors into shapes, and the sky into a giant crystal ball! Make it a living nightmare if you wish! Anything to let me feel something... I'm so bored, Discord, so tired... please, just do something!"
"I... I'm afraid I can't do it, Princess," said Discord, hesitating.
"Why not?"
"Well, I had a little chat with Princess Luna about how you were.... you know... wooo!" Discord left that his swirly eyes and sticked tongue spoke for themselves, then continued:
"... so at first I wanted to welcome you into the Chaos club. But I started wondering. If I let all Equestria fall into anarchy, perhaps that would make my friend Fluttershy sad. And friends don't want to make each other sad, right? I'm pretty sure on that one."
"So why have you interrupted me? It was the only way to save Equestria. From me," said Celestia, crying.
"There is another way, sister," said Luna. She approached the throne. Celestia crouched on her four legs and looked at her sister. She found it impossible to believe in a safer solution. Nevetheless, her eyes were hungry for an answer, and filled with tears. "Remember that you don't have to face it alone. We will solve it together, 'Tia. We'll always stay together. We won't make the same mistake twice," said Luna, slowly climbing the steps of the throne. She took off Celestia's ceremonial helmet, and stroke her gently.
"But how...?" asked Celestia.
From the back of the hall came Discord's answer: "A playground. In nowhere. Right?"
"Yes. And I think I have an idea where to find it," said Luna.
MAGIC
She galloped so fast that Spike almost fell from her back. She bursted into the Grand Hall slamming the big wooden doors. "Princess Celestia, I've come as soon as I could. I've read the letter that you..." said Twilight, panting.
She looked around, but she couldn't find any sign of the Princess. The room was empty, safe for a group of royal guards. They seemed uneasy, and troubled. One of them approached Twilight and bowed briefly.
"Princess Twilight, your presence is required. Please let me show you the way."
"What's going on? Where is the Princess?"
"Princess Celestia is waiting for you in her private chamber," said the guard.
Twilight had no choice but to follow.
The door was half-closed. Twilight dismissed the guard and pushed gently the door. "Princess Celestia? May I come in?" she asked, peeking inside. The fire cracked in the hearth, and Philomena played with the ashes and logs inside. Celestia was standing in the middle of the room, facing the fire. Luna was helping her in removing the ceremonial armor she wore.
"Twilight, please do come in. We have almost finished." said Luna.
Twilight stepped in, with Spike close behind. Celestia turned her head to give them a quick glance, then looked at her sister. She shaked her head almost imperceptibly, and Luna understood.
"Spike, could you please leave us for a moment?" asked Luna.
"Uh? But what am I supposed to do?"
"You could, hum... go to the library? I'll reach you there," answered Twilight.
"Yeah, great. Always the library," he grumbled. Spike closed the door behind him.
Twilight waited uneasily. It wasn't the first time Spike was left out from royal meetings, but it certainly couldn't bode well. She felt like she was a filly again, waiting in the principal's office at school. The principal would later talk to her about the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, but back then, she could only wonder what she did wrong. The difference was that now there really was something wrong. The letter Celestia sent her was vague, and confused. It felt like a goodbye, as if she was about to leave forever.
"Princess, what's happening?" she asked.
"There's a book on the desk," answered Luna. "Take a look at it and tell me what do you think."
Twilight looked at the two sisters. It was always Luna speaking, which was odd. Celestia didn't even bother to greet her. She moved towards the big, purple curvy desk and picked up the book. Its green hard cover was extremely well decorated, and trimmed with gold. As she skimmed it, she couldn't be more surprised. There was nothing written inside. All pages were blank.
"I don't understand. It looks very precious, and old... but it's like no-one ever used it."
Luna put the last piece of armor on the mannequin nearby. "Don't you sense magic in it?" she said.
Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Yes, there was magic. The book was enchanted. It reminded her of... Could it be?
"Is it... a spell book? But it doesn't make sense! It is supposed to contain a spell. Why is it empty?"
"Sometimes a blank page is more valuable than a full one," said Celestia. She was staring at the fire. There was sadness in her voice. "It's a gift," she carried on, "one of the most precious I had ever received. The book is enchanted, yet there is no spell written inside. Only a very powerful unicorn like him could fill an empty book with raw magic, waiting to be shaped. Not a single spell, but possibly any conceivable spell. He gave me the potential of writing down anything I wanted."
"And you never used it?" asked Twilight.
"With so many possibilities, it was hard to come up with a final decision. I never made my choice."
Twilight looked at the powerful book in her hooves. She could understand how difficult a decision like that could be. And it wasn't hard to guess which savant unicorn could have given such gift to Celestia.
"What's the problem with it? Have you made your choice now?" she asked.
"Do you remember the enchanted comic book that trapped you and your friends?" replied Luna.
"The Power Ponies? How could I? The spell took us inside the comic. What about it? Wait, you want to..."
"We would like to do the same with the empty book. Imbue it with a spell which allows the reader to enter inside. That is the reason why the book is so precious: the pages are still blank, so one can write whatever he wishes, and then enter inside his own story."
Twilight started daydreaming. That would certainly be the ultimate wish of any writer: the possibility to enter inside their own book... She could only imagine all the wonders that could be seen.
Luna moved towards Twilight, but looked back at her sister, who was still staring at the hearth fire. "My sister... she needs someplace where she can act freely, without any constraint of any kind, and... without any remorse. Where nopony can be hurt. Well, not for real, at least."
Luna explained briefly the situation to Twilight. It was quite a shock for her. She couldn't believe that Celestia could become dangerous, if not downright evil. She listened carefully, and when Luna was done, she asked: "If you need a playground, as you call it, why not enter inside a dream? You could do whatever you wish and there would be no consequence on the real world."
"I do not have control over my own dreams," answered Celestia. "It would require Luna's powers to shape the dreamscape at whim. She may not be always present when I would need her, and I do not wish to be a burden for her. Also, it would require me to sleep, obviously."
"And what about Discord? Where is he by the way?"
"Discord decided that his presence was no longer required and disappeared. He already did enough good for one day, I suppose. Anyway, it would simply not do. The powers of Discord and his domain, being made of pure chaos, are too unpredictable and never last long," said Luna.
"So you came up with the spellbook idea."
"We need your help. Only with your magical talent and your studies of Starswirl's spells we can imbue the book and still leave the pages blank."
"I'll start working on it right away. I won't let you down, Princess."
Celestia looked back at Twilight. She smiled gently and nodded.
Once Twilight left with the book, the two sisters stood alone again in the room.
"Do you trust it will work?" asked Celestia.
"I am confident it will. I wonder though... how did others of our kind manage it?"
"Except from Discord and me, nopony else had to deal with such problem. Cadance is too young still, and you have already turned into Nightmare Moon once."
"What about Mother?" asked Luna.
"I don't know. Maybe that was the reason why she left."
They both stood silent, filling the air with melancholy. After a few moments, Luna couldn't help but yawn. It was past time she went to sleep.
"It's been a long day. I need some rest. You should get some as well, sister. If... something happens, never, ever hesitate to let me help you. Even though I wouldn't mind sleeping a bit before dusk."
"Thank you, Luna."
"Don't lose hope. I'm sure Twilight will be able to shape the spell right, you only need to be patient."
The younger princess stepped through the door, then she turned back and smiled. She seemed amused. Celestia noticed that her horn was glowing, and a bottle flew right before her and landed in Luna's hooves.
"Wait, is that my bottle of rainbow dew from Baltimare?" asked Celestia.
"Yes, I thought I could try it myself."
"It's... it's hundreds of years old!"
"... all of my privilegies, duties, responsabilities and powers, be they of mundane or magical nature!" replied Luna, imitating her sister's regal voice.
"Don't you dare... You better revoke that abdication, and be quick about it."
"I will do it first thing this evening. I still have plenty of time to make use of your privileges. I could borrow that fancy ruby dress you like so much," said Luna, teasing her sister.
"That one? Take it if you wish. It wouldn't fit you anyway. Must be the strawberry cake you ate all by yourself."
Luna gasped and stuttered, unable to respond. She seemed to be offended, but deep inside, she never felt so happy to see her sister laugh again.
THE END
