Princess Luna awoke as she usually did: dead-tired. Raising the moon was no easy job, and despite what the common ponies may have believed, after the moon had been sent on its way Luna wanted nothing more than to bury herself under her covers and sleep like a rock. She envied Celestia for her seemingly endless supply of energy; while Luna needed at least three pots of coffee to wake up in time for moonrise, Celestia was always as fresh as a frolicking filly. It was so unfair. Sure, it would get easier with time. Having your powers locked away for a millennia wasn’t exactly good for your magical stamina, and it would naturally take a while to get back up to scratch. But even so, it had been over a decade since her return, and she still felt like some kind of undead creature every time that she had to raise the moon.
Her mental grumbling was abruptly cut off as she realized something: it was completely pitch-dark. Something wasn’t right here. Her personal servant always woke her up at least an hour before sunset, so that Luna would have time to prepare for the task ahead. And now that she was fully awake, Luna noticed something else: the palace was as silent as a tomb. Confusion, irritation at not knowing what was happening, and just a hint of fear all caused Luna to slip into the Royal Canterlot voice as she called for her page-colt.
“PIP?! WHERE ART THOU?! THY PRINCESS DEMANDS TO KNOW WHY THOU HAST LEFT US UNAWAKENED! COME HITHER AND EXPLAIN THYSELF!!!”
After almost two minutes of silence, Luna realized that the stalwart little spotted earth pony wasn’t coming. That shocked her almost as much as the totally dark sky outside her window. With fear swelling in her chest, Luna rose from her bed and headed for her sister’s chambers. Surely, this was all just some kind of mistake.
Her feelings of apprehension just kept rising the closer to ‘Tia’s chambers that Luna got. She had yet to run into a single pony in the whole palace, and the air itself seemed heavy and gloomy. Then she turned a corner to the hallway that led to her sister’s room, and suddenly realized why she hadn’t seen anypony yet: they were all standing outside of her sister’s bedroom, staring at something inside with shock and horror. One of the ponies, a royal guard judging from his armor, came up to her at a full gallop before sputtering something altogether impossible to understand in a frantic tone. Her mounting fear getting the better of her, Luna slipped yet again into the Royal Canterlot voice.
“WE ARE SORRY, BUT WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THINE MESSAGE. WOULDST THOU PLEASE REPEAT THYSELF, MORE SLOWLY THIS TIME?”
The deafening boom of Luna’s voice seemed to act like a pail of cold water to the face for the royal guard. He still sounded as if he was on the brink of panic, but at least Luna could make out what he was saying.
“M-my apologies, Princess. P-please follow me, Princess Celestia h-has been asking f-f-for you.”
As the royal guard led her through the silent throng of ponies into her sister’s bedroom, Luna could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes following her every move. None of them would meet her gaze, but she could see the looks of suspicion and fear that they tried to hide from her. It did nothing to quell the anxiety building within her. Finally, she was through the crowd and standing before Celestia’s bed. What she saw made Luna want to collapse.
Celestia’s permanently-flowing mane was stone-still, its vibrant rainbow of colors faded to ashen shades of grey. Her cheeks were gaunt and drawn and her ribs showed through her sides. Her eyes, which had always seemed to sparkle with a mischievous gleam, were dull and unfocused. Her coat, which used to shine a brilliant ivory color, had become a pallid, sickly-looking white.
Can you hear me, Luna?
Luna almost fell over in surprise at her sister’s voice ringing inside of her head. After a moment, she regained her composure enough to respond.
’Tia…what in the world happened to you? How did this happen?!
The barest trace of a smile flickered across Celestia’s seemingly dead face.
Simple, little sister: I got old.
’Tia, you’re not making any sense! You’re immortal, you can’t die…you can’t…
Well, I don’t think that’s quite true…raising the moon along with the sun for a thousand years is more tiring than it sounds...and I am tired, Luna. More tired than you can possibly imagine…it’s taking all of my strength to hang on long enough to tell you this, so listen closely…
Celestia’s voice fell silent inside Luna’s mind. For an agonizing moment, Luna was afraid that her sister had passed on. Then she felt Celestia’s presence in her mind once again, but even weaker than it had been.
Don’t be sad, my little moonbeam…it’s not for forever. I’m leaving it to you to take my place for a while, but I’ll return someday…after my strength returns…until that day, I beg of you…keep our homeland safe. I…know that it’s not fair of me to drop all of this on you…all of a sudden…I thought I had…more time left, otherwise…I would have told you sooner…Once I’m gone, you will be ruler of Equestria. Our lands are in greater danger than you can know…
A tiny fraction of their old fire came back to Celestia’s eyes as she locked gazes with Luna. She continued on, in a desperate, hurried tone.
You must protect Equestria, Luna. You don’t know this… you couldn’t know this, but our land has enemies…enemies which will seek to destroy us the first chance they get. When I am gone…they will almost certainly make their move…Equestria must be ready…you must be ready…
But…but ‘Tia…I can’t rule alone! I don’t want to rule alone! If war comes…if war comes, how am I supposed to keep the nation safe? Look at them! They still don’t trust me! How can I lead them by myself? …Please ‘Tia… Luna found herself starting to cry. Please don’t leave me alone again…
Celestia’s presence was fading fast, but Luna saw that familiar maternal look in her sister’s dying eyes. The faintest glow of light shone from Celestia’s horn as she lifted her crown and placed it on Luna’s head.
You are stronger than you think, my little moonbeam…I know that you can do this. I have faith in you…I know that you have what it takes to face what lies ahead. I love you, little sister…it’s time for you to grow up…I know that you’ll make me proud…goodbye, Luna…
…’Tia?...’Tia?!...’TIA!!!
There was no reply. Celestia’s eyes were closed, her breath was stilled. Slowly, her body dissolved into pale, glimmering sparks of light and disappeared. Luna bowed her head and cried.
“Entschultigen Sie – er – excuse me, Princess? I know that now isn’t the best of times…but there is something that you need to see.”
Luna turned to look at the pony who dared to address her. Behind her stood a lanky, bespectacled unicorn wearing a labcoat, his face totally devoid of emotion. But when he spoke, his voice was soft and comforting.
“Ich weiss…my apologies, I forget myself when things like these happen. Let me start over: I know that this is a terrible event for you, as it is for all of us. But Princess Celestia left me specific instructions to follow in the event of her…of her passing. You need to come with me, as the new Crown Princess of Equestria, there are certain things that you must know.”
Luna stared at the unfamiliar unicorn in confusion; she had never seen this pony before in her life, and she knew everypony who lived at the castle. Who was he, that her sister would trust him with such important instructions?
“I’m sorry, but who are you? My sister never told me about you, or anything to do with you.”
The unicorn sighed and rubbed his temples.
“Ja, unfortunately, the Princess never told you about many things. I advised her that this would not be a good idea if events came to pass the way they have, but it’s too late now. Mein Name ist – er – My name is Johannes Reiter, head director of The Factory. You will not have heard of it before, but if you will please follow me, all will be made clear. If the Princess’s fears come true, and war does come, you must have the knowledge necessary to lead us through the storm. …I know that this is a trying time for you, but you must take your sister’s words to heart. Whether you wished it to be so or not, you are our new leader. For the sake of our nation, you must be strong. ”
Luna brushed away the last of her tears, casting one final look at where her sister’s body had lain just moments before. All that was left was Celestia’s royal armor and a few glowing specks of dust. With a heavy heart, Luna turned to face Johannes.
“Alright. Take me to this ‘Factory’ you speak of.”