Princess Luna had always been a serious, mysterious co-ruler of the Equestria. Celestia knew of the times when her sister had been eager and quick to smile, laugh or crack a joke. But those days were a bit hard to to come by these days.. Even after accustoming mostly to Equestria's now modern traditions, Luna was still very serious. But specially today, most of all, was the day that Luna had never smiled and was always somber. For centuries, Luna had asked her sister to excuse her as she would fly away into the early morning sky, to visit the sacred grave of their parents, Queen Solaria and King Caelum. For today, was the 10,000th anniversary of their parents death.
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A strong, and muscular alicorn stood proudly atop of the hill as he watched his daughter, also his successor, somewhat clumsily raise the moon. Ponies who were watching the moon tonight would chuckle in amusement as they would see the moon do a figure eight, do a few ragged zig-zags before finally resting in a somewhat normal position. Then, they would be enchanted by the silvery glow of the powerful ruling male alicorn's magic as it would slightly guide the moon into the correct spot. The smaller, blue alicorn with a light blue mane had collapsed into the grass ahead of Caelum. It had been the first time that she had raised the moon, and so naturally, she was exhausted. Caelum smiled and nudged his daughter up. She looked at him with big, cute filly eyes.
"Daddy! Daddy! Did you see that? I did it, Daddy! I got the moon into the sky!" said Luna with glee as she suddenly found renewed energy and began bouncing up and down, somewhat like a spring. Then, she stumbled and fell onto the soft grass giggling. "It makes me tired too."
"So you did, my little star. I am very proud of you Luna. Do you think you can manage putting the stars onto the sky now?" asked the king as his he bent down for Luna to climb onto his back.
Luna nodded and clambered onto his back. Then, she stood up, and a few sparks of magic flew from her horn. She looked expectantly at the sky, hoping to see at least one star. The sky was still a dark, midnight black. Luna sighed but tried again, this time, her pink tongue sticking out adorably as finally, her horn began to glow a light blue and with great effort, an explosion of stars filled the sky. Luna, even more exhausted then before, began slipping off her father's back. Caelum puffed his chest out in pride as he watched the the lights of the ponies homes turn off, one by one, until the moon just shone brightly in the night sky. Then, he gently cradled the sleeping Luna in his arms as he teleported himself and his daughter back to the castle. Once he arrived, he gently set Luna onto her bed.
"Goodnight Luna."
Ten minutes later, she was jumping around, proudly showing off her cutiemark to her equally proud father.
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Luna, 15 Years old
Celestia, 18 years old
King Caelum was drinking tea in his study room. So far, the peace treaty with the Zebra Nation had gone as planned and they were beginning to trade knowledge and goods. Equestria had grown even larger in his 3000 years of service along with his wife, Queen Solaria, and so far, they were able to rule Equestria wisely and without any major wars. His room was designed by himself, to fit his needs. The floors were made of a polished mahogany, with a simple, but sturdy wooden desk on top. The walls were lined with scrolls and books, carefully arranged in order. Softly pulsing white lights hung from the ceiling, as well as drawings of constellations glowed a light white color on the painted blue ceiling. He sighed contentedly and reached for a croissant with his hoof, and to his dismay he remembered that he had forgotten to visit the castle kitchens on his way there. He fluffed up his wings, and practiced a few poses by the nearby mirror, and then took a deep breath.Using his magic, he swiftly teleported himself to the kitchens. The castle's finest dessert chef, by the name of Sweet Snickerdoodle greeted him with a small bow.
"Caelum! What a delight to see you, your Majesty! What sweet treat do you wish to sample today? A strawberry tart? A cup with partially melted smores? Or... your favorite, the simple, yet delicious,.... croissant." asked Snickerdoodle, as he fiddled around with his pristine, white apron. Snickerdoodle was an amazing chef, always creating new recipies, and all of them seemingly became better and more tasty with every bite. No wonder his cutie mark had something to do with dessert.
"Snicker! As I've told you many times, its just Caelum. A dozen croissants please. " he said as he quickly grabbed a passing tart floating by with the magic of another apprentice chef. To the untrained eye, one would not notice the quick movement of Caelum's hooves as he had grabbed the tart and shoved it into his mouth, chewing with bliss. But Snickerdoodle had watched the events unfold with a smile. What a theif, he thought with a smile.
"You sneaky old alicorn." he chuckled as he carried over a tray of freshly baked croissants with his golden colored aura of magic towards the king. "Is this all for yourself? If so, you better watch your diet."
"Nah, old pal. This is for my love, Solaria along with my two little troublemakers, Celes and Lulu. You know.... I think it is almost time to give them the goðsögn manes."
Snickerdoodle spat out the coffee that had been residing in his mouth. The spit flew over and splattered a snowy white colored pegasus, with dark blue eyes. She snorted in disgust, shook her dainty hoof at Snickerdoodle, and raced towards the bathroom.
"WHAT? Glosogo---what?" exclaimed Snickerdoodle as he gestured for Caelum to follow him. They went and walked over to the medium sized kitchen eating quarters, equipped with a magical beverage fountain that poured a generous cup of whateever you would like to drink, designed by Snickerdoodle himself. Champagne, a cup of joe, sparkling water... you name it, the fountain had it.
"My apologies, Snicker. Goðsögn manes are the manes that most alicorns have, such as myself. Did you ever wonder why that my mane and tail are the dark, midnight black with flickering stars and galaxies that seems to hold the essence of the whole universe?" asked King Caelum as he sipped his hot cocoa that he easily held with his magic.
"Yup....... But I thought you alicorns just used fancy hairspray or somethin' magical just exploded into your mane," mumbled Snickerdoodle, realizing how dumb his thoughts had been.
"Hairspray? No no no.... This is a way to channel and control our immense power safely without corrupting ourselves in anyway. Too much raw power can lead to an alicorn, or any unicorn into a dark descent of madness. "
"Wow, that's... amazing. That must be a complex, intricate spell to cast. Are you sure that your daughters are ready? " inquired Snickerdoodle as he gazed into his friend's eyes, studying the dark, intelligent eyes filled with age and wisdom.
"I'm sure. Luna and Celestia are extraordinarily powerful, and I have groomed them for them to become the next rulers of Equestria."
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Is that okay?" said Snickerdoodle as he teleported the empty mugs and plates back to the earth pony dishwasher. Caelum nodded with a smile. Then, with a violet explosion of light, he teleported himself to the current throne room, today being one of the rare days that the Court was not in session. Queen Solaria flew over to him, majestic and beautiful as always, as he drank in her twinkling golden eyes, and her earnest smile. Her wings glowed a soft sunlight gold, and her mane flowed with the power of the sun and sunset. The tips of her mane had a few tinges of purple and black, glowing like the galaxies above them, while the rest was a pale red and gold color of the sun.
"Father, what was the grave matter that you have summoned us for?" asked Princess Luna, as she tossed her light blue mane in the air. Celestia followed her sister, her hair gracefully draping her muscular shoulders. Her pure white fur had no traces of anything, and gleamed in the afternoon sun.
"Did someone eat all of your croissants?" gasped Celestia, as Luna rolled her eyes.
"Uh... no." mumbled Caelum as he raised his head again as he glanced at his girls, filled with pride. They all were beautiful, smart and talented. He was lucky to have them. "Girls, it is time to give you the.... goðsögn manes."
"What the hay is that?" exclaimed Luna as she looked at Caelum, as if staring at him would provide all of the answers to her questions.
"I'm so glad you asked! You see.... Goðsögn comes from the word myth from the Hooflandic ponies..." Caelum started as Solaria butted in, casting a spell to make Caelum's mouth zip up.
"Anyway, to prevent your father giving you girls a lecture, let me summarize it for you. Do you see my mane? Your father's? Most alicorns have this flowing mane, which is a way to channel and control their magic. Only alicorns have this much amount of power normally, and the reason why we utilize the goðsögn spell is because too much raw magic can addle the mind of the magic user, and make them corrupted. These manes are literally the embodiment of our power." Solaria mused as she gestured to her mane, golden, with streaks of red sunset and bits of night at the tips of her mane as it flowed.
"Without further ado, let myself and your mother perform the spell. Please free your mind, and be willing to let us perform the spell on you." Caelum announced as he touched horns with Queen Solaria as they flapped their wings and as their eyes glowed, they trained their magic onto the two young alicorns. The two young alicorns were enveloped with a brilliant flash of light and rose up for a few moments, then they descended, gliding down, as they gazed in awe at their new manes.
Celestia had received a gorgeous flowing mane of rainbow colors of light, with beautiful colors of green, blue and purple. Luna, on the other hoof, had a mane glowing with stars and with a beautiful dark blue color. In addition to their new manes, they were given an extra five inches in height, and they now rose to Solaria's and Caelum's height, although Luna was just a bit shorter.
"This. Is. Amazing." murmured Luna as she gazed at her flowing mane in awe.
"Indeed." said Celestia as she stroked her mane.
Caelum just glanced at his two daughters with pride, as Solaria wrapped one of her wings around him as they watched their daughters begin racing around like little fillies, glancing at their new manes time to time.
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The Assassination - 6 years later
Solaria glanced at her golden mirror, as it reflected the sunset's rays as well as her complexion. Her mane had been controlled to stop waving around, and she managed, with help of a few servants, to control her mane and style it into a waterfall braid. She had flecks of gold eyeliner around her eyes, and brought out her eyes, as well as a emerald jeweled crown which nested in her mane. Her horn had been polished and gleamed with perfection. Solaria's dress was golden colored, with the bottom half a lighter gold with a lighter fabric, and glowed like rays of the sun. A pure gold necklace with a sun pendant hung delicately from her neck. A knock at her door paused Solaria from looking at her mirror and she quickly answered it.
"Come in," she answered, as the door was enveloped with a orange aura and swung open, and her best friend, also her Personal Royal Guard, stood, with an aura of confidence and power.
"Solaria! You look absolutely stunning," complimented Blazing Dawn, as she adjusted the crown on Solaria's head with a quick spell.
"You too. How did the servants even force you into that dress? I know you hate dresses." Solaria said as she turned around to peer at her friend, usually wearing the Solar Guard uniform, was wearing a blood red dress which outlined her curves and her muscular legs. It was a frightening dress, with a hem of bright yellow which was enhanced by the dressmaker to make it move like flames. The dress wasn't for show, though. A collection of knives were hidden underneath the dress right by Blazing Dawn's left hip, and in case an intruder came, it would be easy to whip out at a moment's notice. Her right side had a few poisoned daggers, in case of serious trouble.
"It was a tough day for them, but I finally relented." Blazing responded as she tugged Solaria with her hoof. "Come on, your subjects are waiting."
Solaria didn't fuss and regally walked down the corridor with her personal guard, wings raised. As she stood in the large gardens of Canterlot, she trotted towards King Caelum wearing his royal clothes, along with their daughters. She smiled as she stood next to him as they looked towards their subjects.
"Citizens of Canterlot, it is my honor to serve you all. Thank you for letting us be Equestria's rulers." began King Caelum as he spread his large, dark blue wings wide. "May we give you in return..... the Summer Sun. May the Summer Sun Celebration commence!"
The crowd roared its approval, when to their horror, a black arrow soared through the sky. Caelum's eyes widened as it struck him square in the chest, covered with barbs. Luna and Celestia froze and screamed in terror. The surrounding Canterlot folk raced around, screaming like chickens as the surrounding guards tried to surround the Equestrian Royalty.
"CAELUM! Say something!" panicked Solaria as she tried to cast a tricky spell to heal the alicorn. Although alicorns may appear to be immortal and live for several thousands of years, all of them could be severely injured or killed if they are struck with dark, ancient spells or strong poisons. With the correct spell or poison, an alicorn could be killed off easily, if the alicorn is not prepared. Caelum turned towards his wife as blood bubbled at his lips. He painfully gasped a few more breaths as his heart, seemingly impossible, still beat at a slow rhythm. Slowly, he raised his hoof and Solaria grabbed it, crying tears.
"So... lar...a.. Ce...ce...Lu..lu... I... love.." he gasped as his eyes fluttered. He panted heavily a few more times until he paused speaking altogether. With great effort, he spoke the last word. "You...."
His eyes closed for the final time, and his chest stopped pulsing completely. His hoof fell from Solaria's grasp and thudded heavily onto the floor. King Caelum, ruler of Equestria for 8000 Years, was gone. Solaria stopped crying and faced the crowd, scanning the surrounding territory for the killer of her husband. Her eyes hardened as she glared at the onlookers. One of them was guilty.
"COWARD! SHOW YOUR FACE. I AM QUEEN, PROTECTOR OF EQUESTRIA. HERE IS MY HEART!" she roared, hoof tapping her chest. Another sleek arrow raced towards her, this time striking the queen in the back. She shuddered as she felt the poison course through her system. "I found you.... Traitor.."
"Mother, don't!" protested Celestia as Solaria flung her daughter off the stadium.
"Do not stop me. Mommy's got this, sweetheart." she said, as she rose up into the sky.
She spun around, wings flapping as she spotted her attacker, attempting to hide in the bushes surrounding the stage where Caelum and Solaria were just at, moments ago. Her eyes glowed with rage as she blasted the archer with a hot blast of sun magic. The grass and tree next to him were vaporized instantly. He cowered and dropped his bow, when suddenly Solaria noticed something. The attacker was wearing armor. Night Guard armor.
"Traitor...." she hissed as she cornered him, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Who'd believe my husband... would trust a piece of vermin, like you."
But she didn't notice that the traitor had grabbed his bow and and fired another desperate arrow. This time, it struck her in her stomach, and came out of her body the other side. She doubled over in pain, but before the traitor could run away, she snarled and teleported him to the nearby reserved dungeon for the most nefarious criminals. She collapsed on the floor alongside Caelum and sniffed his mane. Celestia and Luna thundered over, weeping, while Luna tried to perform a simple healing spell.
" Before I die..." she began as Celestia buttted in.
"You are not going to die! Everything is going to be ok..." said Celestia as she nuzzled her mother.
"Celestia. Luna. I know I am going to die. The poison will soon reach my heart, and although I am an alicorn, I shall die. Where is Blazing Dawn? I must see her one last time." said Solaria, as she suddenly paused, suddenly seeing Blazing Dawn splayed on the grass, blood staining the ground around her. A knife was embedded in her stomach, along with multiple deep cuts crisscrossing across her chest. "She died a hero, protecting me."
"Rule Equestria wisely, Celestia and Luna. Watch your backs. Keep Equestria peaceful, and rule with wisdom and kindness, and the ponies of Equestria will serve you both in times of crisis. I love you both." she said as she hugged Caelum. "We're almost there, Cael."
"Mother..." began Luna as Celestia suddenly hugged her younger sister, sobbing.
"Stars.... I can see the stars...." murmured Solaria as her eyes turned glassy but didn't close, even as her last breath escaped her. Then, Caelum's and Solaria's bodies lifted up, and two souls, one a golden yellow, another a dark blue, twirled in the air, and swirled up into the clouds and dissipated into the sky.
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End of Memory Section
Luna didn't need to travel too far to visit her parents graves. Their graves were close by Celestia's and Luna's old castle, the Castle of the Two Sisters. What happened there, her arguments with her sister... were still to painful to think about. She glided over to the open field near a softly floating river. Flowers grew in abundance, and swayed in the soft breeze. A few hummingbirds raced around, their feathers glittering in the sunlight as they quickly lapped up the nectar in the flowers with their tongues. She bowed at the two gravestones, each with their own statue of the respective alicon. To the right, was her father's statue, depicting King Caelum with his head bowed, horn down and his wings raised in a halo like shape. She had laid a wreath of tiger lilies laid on his stone forehead, with a few petals floating away in the breeze. To the left was Queen Solaria, carved with all of her glory, with her wings spread out and her horn raised and glowing with magic. Her mane was carved to show that it flowed with the power of the sun, and Luna had draped a crown of orchids on her mother's mane. Her front two hooves were raised and truly appeared like a terrifying figure. Her grave read "Here lies Queen Solaria, protector and once ruler of Equestria." Then, underneath that, a quote was carved in with an elegant script, reading " Think of me as living in the hearts of those who I've touched. For nothing loved is ever lost & I've loved so much."
"Mother." she said as she kissed her mother's sculpture's cold cheek. She nuzzled it. "I've missed you so much. I miss baking in the kitchens with you, and showing you my new feats of magic. I know I messed up with becoming bitter and becoming Nightmare Moon, but I think I have been making it up to you, Celestia, Dad, as well as to the ponies of Equestria. I am trying to live up to your standards, but so far, it still has proven a challenge to both Celestia and I. Thank you for teaching me so many things, and being the warrior mother in my life. Rest in peace, mother."
She trotted over father and hugged the statue, wrapping her two front hooves around his neck.
"Daddy. You were there when I got my cutie mark." she murmured. She traced the strong jawline of the statue with her hoof. "You were there whenever I cut my hoof, and you took me on piggy-back rides." She paused and polished his stone horn. "You were always there for me. You would be proud of me no matter whatever did. You always helped me whenever I needed help with a complex spell when Mom wasn't around, and you know... saving Equestria. I know some ponies treated you like dirt, saying that Equestria only needed Mom to rule them, and you weren't powerful enough. Those ponies didn't truly know you. You were an equal, perhaps even stronger than Solaria. You were there to keep Solaria strong even when she wanted to scream at the noble ponies to stop their incessant bickering. I know how you felt, dad. I felt unloved and unwanted by ponies too. That's why I fell into that dark pit of sadness and bitterness.. and turned into her. I never understood how you always could keep it together and be so poised and perfect. I admire you, Father. Thank you so much for your unwavering love for me."
Suddenly, she heard the grass around her make a sudden "whoosh" sound. Her dark blue ears pricking, she spun around, eyes glowing, horn glowing with a spell ready.
"WHO GOES THERE?" she roared, but suddenly blushed to see it was only Celestia, spooked by Luna's outburst.
"Luna." she smiled, as she plucked out a few sticks stuck in her ethereal mane. She wrapped her younger sister in her wingsand gazed at the statues of their parents, stoic and proud. "I know it has always been hard on you to remember that tragic day, year after year."
"Yes, sister. But I have moved on, an thus, I commemorate my parents for sacrificing themselves as they did, and the legacy they had, of being noble parents, and saviors of Equestria."
"So many thousands of years has passed by since their death, I feel that Equestria has mostly forgotten them and the deeds they did." murmured Celestia as she kissed the stone cheeks of her father and mother. "Perhaps it is better this way. I know that both of them didn't like to talked about by ponies and ponyrazzi anyway. They liked it simple, and they ruled Equestria because they loved Equestria, not because they wanted fame or power."
"Indeed."
"Well, enough mourning and wallowing in grief for today. Father always said we should not be caught up in the past." said Celestia as she let go of her sister. "Shall we go? We could do the incognito spell today and eat ice cream at that gelato place you like without being treated like royalty."
Luna nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You know what? You're right sister! I am done being the boring, sad, princess of Equestria. I'll stop wallowing in my past." exclaimed Luna as she walked with her sister to the nearby tree. She recast the shield spell so no one would be able to see the graves of the former leaders of Equestria. "I am starving for some gelato."
Celestia smiled, and spread her angelic wings. Her eyes glittered.
"Wanna race? Like old times?" asked Celestia, as she transformed herself into a dusty brown colored pegasus, with a bright blue mane and tail. Her mane was tied back in a ponytail.
"Sure!" responded Luna eagerly, as she transformed herself into a male pegasus with cream colored fur and a dark black mane and tail. They spread their wings out and counted to three. As they took off at supernatural speed, Luna smiled and quickly tried to catch up to her sister. As they flew through the clouds, she freed her mind from all her worries.
"After all, my past is not today."
