Heirs

Can't forget the other world where Steven came from, where a little girl sat crying on the edge of her bed. It had been months since Steven had disappeared from the orphanage but the police never found anything. The headmaster of the orphanage didn't push to continue the search after a week, not like he was her child. The girl sitting on her bed crying was Holo, Steven's best friend in the orphanage. She wanted him back more than anything. There were a few words she had never told him that she desperately wished she had now. The room she was in was fairly large and full of beds. Directly across from Holo's bed was Steven's, or it had been before he had disappeared. Now the headmaster was going to let a new kid sleep there. Holo got up and went over to Steven's bed, one last visit before it wasn't his anymore. She laid on the bed and squeezed the pillow imagining she was holding her best friend again. The bed still had a slight smell of Steven despite how long had passed. After a few minutes she began to drift off to sleep, a little nap couldn't hurt.

Back in Equestria a doctor examined Steven.

“There is nothing wrong with him physically. Whatever it is that’s causing him to be like this is in his head. I can’t do anything else until he wakes up.” Luna’s face relaxed as the doctor spoke.

“Thank you doctor. We’ll call you when he does.” Princess Celestia was still as levelheaded as ever. Luna envied the way she could stay calm. After Celestia closed the door she returned to Luna.

“He’s going to be fine Luna.”

“I hope so…” She cast a glance at the door to the bedroom and a look of worry filled her face. “There goes that hope.” Celestia looked over to see a curtain of darkness flowing out from the crack under the door. She rushed to the door and opened it while Luna walked sadly. “It’s too late sister, I feared that this was what it was.” Inside the room stood Steven. Luna put on a brave face. “Steven? Are you feeling okay?” He turned his head and Princess Celestia jumped. Dark curtains flowed from his eyes.

“I’ve never felt better.” His voice clashed with itself, sending chills down both their spines. “We really should be going, I’m sure you understand Luna dear. Steven took the option completely opposite of what you did. Funny how that works, isn’t it?” Luna became flustered.

“He… he did?” The nod from Steven made her smile. “If that doesn’t prove he really cares for me then nothing will.” The white alicorn turned to her sister.

“What are you talking about?” But before Luna could respond Steven disappeared, leaving a shroud of darkness behind.

After being pestered by her older sister for an hour Luna finally decided to explain the Nightmare curse.

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” They sat in Celestia’s room. Luna looked down.

“I just wanted to put all of that behind me. I’m not that pony anymore.” Celestia nuzzled Luna gently.

“Luna, listen to yourself. If what you told me is true then it wasn’t your fault that you became Nightmare Moon. The darkness isn’t a part of your nature.” Tears began forming in Luna's eyes.

“But that’s not what I’m ashamed of sister.” The tears flowed down her cheek and onto her fur. “The reason I’m ashamed is because the Nightmare gives you two choices.” Realization dawned on Princess Celestia.

“Oh.”

“Yea. I chose to try to hurt you.” Tears were still streaming down her face as Celestia moved in and hugged her. “I don’t understand. I wanted to hurt you.” Celestia reassured her little sister.

“It’s as much my fault as it is yours. I should have been a better sister. I ignored you when you needed me most.” Luna’s crying gained a new vigor as she returned the hug. “So the Nightmare became a part of Steven when you intertwined your destinies?”

“Mhmm, I think.” A curious thought popped up in Celestia's head.

“So what option did Steven chose then?” Luna wiped her eyes.

“H-he chose to leave those he loves forever.”

“Wait, but what good could that do for the curse?” Luna looked at her sister with big eyes.

“Do you know what it’s like to be away from everypony you love? All the Nightmare wants is to destroy.”

“Destroy what?”

“Anything and everything.” The elder princess was still confused.

“Then why would it let Steven chose to leave?” Luna thought for a moment.

“He isn’t as powerful as I was.” Celestia put the rest together.

“It wants him away from us so that it can become more powerful.” Luna sighed and put her head down.

“And then it will convince him to destroy, probably starting with me because it doesn’t control me anymore.” Celestia pushed up Luna’s chin.

“That’s not going to happen because we’re going to find him.” Luna smiled. “Now c’mon. Let’s get some sleep.” Celestia helped Luna to her bed and together they fell asleep.

Holo slowly woke but kept her eyes closed as she lay there in the bed. She breathed in and confusion sweep through her mind. She still smelled Steven, but she smelled someone else too. Slowly she opened her eyes. She wasn’t in the orphanage anymore. She looked around the room, it was a very well furnished room. Just then she heard a noise at the door and ducked under the covers. Luna opened the door and stepped in before calling to her sister down the hallway.

“Just let me get my saddlebags and I’ll be ready.” She turned back to the room and stopped in her tracks. It wasn’t hard to see that there was somepony under the covers of the bed. “Steven?” She walked to the bed. There was no response so she pulled the covers down to reveal a small pink alicorn covering her eyes. “Hello, who are you?” Luna was practicing staying calm like her sister. The filly moved her hooves slowly and looked up with big eyes.

“My…my name is…Holo.” Luna smiled.

“What a wonderful name, my name is Luna.” Celestia walked into the room.

“Are you ready yet Luna dear…oh. Who’s this?” Holo hid under the covers again. Luna patted the lump in the sheets that was her.

“You just sleep for now, we’ll help you figure this out later.” She motioned to Celestia and the both left the room.

Celestia was asking questions trying to figure out where the filly had come from.

“So she just appeared out of nowhere?” Luna didn't hesitate to answer.

“Yes.”

“And you are sure that you didn’t have anything to do with it, like with Steven?”

“Yes.” Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “What are we going to do? More alicorns can’t just keep appearing.” Luna thought for a minute.

“Give me a second, I need to check something.” She curled up on the ground and was asleep before Celestia could ask what she was doing. With nothing else to do she sat next to her sister and waited. After a few minutes Luna opened her eyes and smiled. “Problem solved.” Celestia looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when I first brought Steven here I opened a crack between our worlds. She,” Luna motioned to the door, “must have fallen asleep in the same place Steven did and she slipped through the crack. You don’t have to worry anymore though because I sealed the crack.” Princess Celestia sighed in relief.

“Thank you Luna. We are already going to have a hard time finding Steven so we don’t need any more trouble.” Luna smiled.

“But what are we going to do with her?”

“We'll deal with that later, at least no more alicorns are going to appear. It would be possibly disastrous if more kept coming.”