A long,long time ago, there lived two cousins. Their mothers were the Almighty alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna. Their fathers... were a complete mystery. The oldest, Amaria, was a slender unicorn mare with a snow white coat and a lavender mane streaked with light pink, and her eyes were grass-green orbs sparkling with unspoken pride. Her cutie mark consisted of beautiful rose, indicating her talent in botany. The youngest, Bellatrix, was a tough thestral-like pegasus with her mother's beautiful sapphire eyes. Her coat was a dark blue, almost black,and her mane consisted of dark blue streaked with light azure, with a cutie mark of a long, sparkling sword. Though never expressing their feelings in front of the prospering kingdom then, the two mothers held a strong love and pride for her respected offspring and niece. The four mares were a strong, loving family. They did fight sometimes, but they were mere half-hearted playfulness, a symbol of love amongst them. Then the Great Chaos Battle spoiled that love.
The Great Chaos Battle enemy was a dark and mysterious force. The fog curled slowly around the borders of Equestria, snaking out its fingers to the citizens. Anypony who had contact with the fog was immediately turned into a part of the increasing size of the darkness. By then, Amaria and Bellatrix were capable warriors at the age of eighteen. They heard of this enemy and immediately set up an army, led by their mothers and themselves, to push the force back. Almost instantly, the plan failed. Twenty-three of the warriors were turned into evil fog, while the others ran away in fear. Amaria and Bellatrix were urgently putting Plan B into action when a loud,piercing scream reached them. Luna was trying to fend off the fog from touching Celestia, who was mortally wounded by a spell fired by the enemy. She was failing, though. The fog surged around her shield, bringing Luna pain and strain. Amaria and Bellatrix watched, dumbfounded, as the fog finally pierced through the shield and advanced towards the princesses. Then, a light in their foggy minds flipped on.
"NO!"
The two mares cantered forward and used their bodies to shield their respective mothers. Horrible shrieks echoed through the air as the fog swirled around the dying bodies of the young mares. But the fog drew back, cursing, and its tentacles of smoke drifted away, back to Tartarus where it belonged.
The sacrifice for love had beaten the enemy.But, the sacrifice cost two mothers to lose their flesh and blood.With outraged cries, Luna and Celestia hurled themselves at the limp bodies of their children and shimmering tears poured down their cheeks. Celestia buried her head in Amaria's soft mane and sobbed with overcome emotion. Luna hugged her limp Bellatrix and cast many desperate spells for the hope of bringing her back. However, they both knew inside it was useless. The two girls they loved most, their little angels, were dead.
Deprived of her prized and treasured daughter, and also not gaining the love and respect of her citizens, Luna's heart shrivelled into black, cold stone, causing another dark force to gain control of her body,thus, Nightmare Moon was born. After her banishment, Celestia, still weeping for her lost family, flew silently to a small crumbled hillock and started to cry with heartfelt emotion. First, her daughter and niece. Now, her sister? Wasn't the world meant to be balanced? Her most treasured jewels, her family, had all been stripped away from her in the course of under a year. What was next? Her citizens? All these thoughts whirled around Celestia's head and, like a switch was flipped on, she suddenly remembered. Leaving the place of her weeping, Celestia teleported to a huge willow tree and put her royal hoof on a crevice in the bark. Suddenly, she found herself in a starry void, with another alicorn standing right before her. Celestia looked at the alicorn again for the first time in a hundred years. This alicorn had a flame-like mane and tail, and her coat was a white as Celestia's. Her eyes were as blue as Luna's used to be... Celestia shook her head forcefully and addressed the alicorn with a nearly pleading tone.
" Mother... you know everything there is to know going on. Can you not bring back Mari and Bella, and restore Luna to her good heart?"
Queen Galaxia furrowed her brows and looked at her daughter.
"No life may be brought back from the dead. Luna will come back, when the darkness is at bay."
The glimmer of hope vanished from Celestia's eyes and she slumped towards the floor.
"Then kill me, Mother, for I have no use in life."
Galaxia looked at the vulnerable image before her and sighed.
"However,"
Galaxia smiled internally as Celestia lifted her head again.
" I may permit you to visit your daughter, just this once."
She whispered. Celestia wiped her tears and watched her mother rip a hole in the infinite void.
" Go through, my daughter, but I must tell you, only twenty minutes will you stay, for your father the king is coming back today."
Celestia flew through the hole and found herself in a green plain with beautiful blooms.
"The Elysian Fields." she whispered.
" Mari! Bella!"she shouted, louder. There were two simultaneous cries of
"Mother?"
"Auntie?"
Two spirits cantered towards the princess. Princess Celestia nearly choked as her beloved daughter and niece approached her. They looked the same two mares she loved, only they were now garbed in beautiful gowns and their manes elaborately styled. Amaria put her semi-solid hoof on her mouth and cried as her mother awkwardly tried to embrace her. She stepped back.
"Mother... do remember. One day, me and Bella will return to Equestria. That will be in three hundred years time, as many spirits await their rebirth. One day... one day... the spawns of bat and ponies alike, will unite with the spawns of Creation."
Bellatrix just gave a snort, and bluntly embraced her aunt.
"Make sure Mother is reformed. Goodbye."
And Amari once again cried "Goodbye, Mother! I love you!"
Before Celestia felt herself being sucked away from the Underworld. She silently accepted it, and showed no resistance towards the force. The princess opened her eyes and knew she was in Equestria again. The Almighty mare got up, and glanced at the willow tree before taking her leave.
Nightmare Moon watched the Princess fly home with narrowed eyes. Her hoof reached up to stroke her chin in thought. " Aye, cousin, you failed to conquer Equestria. As long as little Tia was at her most vulnerable, we could've striked, and won! Gah, you just HAD to be defeated by icky, sappy, mushy LOVE!" She pounded her hoof against the rocky surface of the moon, causing a dent. The possessed mare grinned and whispered, " But not all is lost..."
Celestia never forgot the words her late daughter had uttered. The next day after her visit, everything seemingly returned to normal. The civilisation was happy that their princess had got over the Nightmare Moon incident so quickly. Now, they could discuss something more important,like the increasing tax fees...
Five years later...
Celestia was sitting in the midst of paperwork when a low knocking sounded against her heavy timber door. Sighing internally for the break, she turned to the door and opened it with a raised brow. There stood a cotton-candy pink unicorn filly with a dark pink curled mane and sunset eyes.
"Amore, what is the cause of this disturbance?"
Amore looked her cousin in the eye and replied formally:
"I have here the acceptance letter of Queen Phi... how do you say her name?"
Celestia chuckled and said:
" Queen Phyrnnseise. By the way, your mother is doing well with speech lessons, Amore. That is certainly the posture and way of talking a future ruler requires."
Amore curtseyed and "swept out of the room like a lady" as her mother would put it. Celestia shut the door again and looked at the huge pile of paperwork awaiting her company. She smiled wryly and started to work again.
Nightime crept up. Celestia set down her ink and quill and walked to the Balcony Of The Two Sisters. Celestia closed her eyes and flapped her wings before encasing the big fiery fireball of a Sun in a magical golden aura, causing it to sink under the ocean tide. Still flapping her wings, Celestia felt the moon(and her sister thrashing inside it) lift up, up, to the centre of the sky. The reminder caused a few tears to trickle down her cheeks and she opened her magenta eyes to glance at the moon sadly before flying off to cocoon in her warm bed.
Celestia felt a pang in her head, reminding her the Sun was needed. The Princess shook off her covers and walked to her balcony. The moon was magicked away, the Sun taking its place. "Three... two... one." counted Celestia. Just as she said "one", a flock of hand-servants hustled into the room.
" Good morning, Princess." they chirruped in unison.
"Good morning, Bubble Berry, Sweet Flower, Dusty, Swift Wings... and... what's your name, sweetie?" She motioned to the newcomer with seemingly piqued interest. The new mare stuttered
"F-F-Frostbite, P-Princess." Celestia rolled her eyes internally but put on a fake smile.
" What an interesting name. Come now, dears." She strode off to her bathroom, with the hand-servants cantering after her like obedient puppies.
Celestia dipped her body into the lavender-scented water and sighed. Her long eyelashes brushed against her cheek as she closed her eyes and relaxed her tense muscles. The handmaidens were outside polishing her regalia and crown. As she relaxed, Celestia's thoughts drifted back to the faithful night her daughter had last spoken to her. Right now, she missed Amaria, Bellatrix and... Celestia hesitantly let her mind linger on the name. Luna. Luna, Luna. The only remaining, living member of her family.
Meanwhile, in the Elysian Fields...
Amaria strode in her semi-solid state to her cousin Bella with purposeful, sure hooves.
" Ah, cousin. What is it that bothers you so?"
Amaria raised her left eyebrow in surprise. "What makes you think I am troubled, dear cousin?"
" You walk with the troubled stride of your.... mother." The older mare sighed with discontentment.
" Why is it, cousin, that other ponies get over seventy long years of life with their loved ones, while some may only have a minute?" Bellatrix mimicked the gesture her cousin had just done, raising her left eyebrow.
"What brings this question to your attention, Amaria? Come now, cease this inferiority, we shall take a walk through this place worthy of our descent." Amaria flicked her mane out of her eyes and took a hesitant step towards her cousin.
" B-Bella? What do you think Mother is doing now? And A-Auntie Luna?" The thestral-pegasus turned to her cousin with slow reluctance.
"T-they will be leading their lives normally. Well, not M-m-mother... But Auntie Celestia is trying to live her life without us... but, in her heart, sh-she yearns for us to return to her embrace." Amaria smiled, a wry little grin of satisfaction, before trotting to her cousin's side. Bellatrix looked at the direction of the Overworld above her before cantering off.
