Keepers

Celestia closed up her history book and put it in her bag. The history lesson had just ended, and now they were getting ready to head back to their room. "Now remember, make sure you finish that assignment on time for next class." The history teacher was telling them.

Celestia and Luna barely noticed him though. They wanted to find out what information the old book had in it, so they packed their things and left in a hurry.

"Why do we even need to know about the old magicians and guards. When would that ever be useful to us?" Luna asked Celestia. Celestia smiled. "I thought you knew by now, a lot of school is like that!" She told her sister exactly how she felt.

Luna sighed. "I guess, but it feels like such a waste of time." Luna let out.

On their way back, they met up with the current captain of the gaurd, Flare Sight. "Hello children, how was your lesson?" He asked.

Flare Sight was almost like an uncle to the princesses. He was always nice to them and joked around too. He would watch them when their parents were too busy, and help them with some of the things they had difficulty with in school.

Luna responded to the question first. "It was so boring! I almost fell asleep!" Celestia giggled. "It wasn't quite that bad Luna! We could have been learning about father and mothers important union!" She pointed out.

Luna shuddered at that. "Don't even mention that, I had to stop myself from snoring!" Luna did a fake snoring noise with her throat that sounded more like a pig, and the two fillies burst into laughter.

Flare Sight chuckled. "Sounds like you've had a real energetic day." He said sarcastically. "So, any luck with those cutie marks of yours yet?" He then asked. Celestia shook her head. "No, not yet. It's taking forever. I can't seem to figure out my talent at all."

Luna then spoke up. "Yeah, the most I consider a talent is falling asleep in class." Flare Sight laughed. "Well, why don't you come with me. I can take you to the castle gardens, it's much more entertaining there." He offered.

"Well actually we-" Celestia was cut off by Luna's energetic reply. "Sure! I'd love to see the gardens! Come on Tia!" Luna ran off down the hall, closely followed by Flare Sight. Celestia sighed and ran after them.

I guess that book will just have to wait. Celestia thought.

Celestia walked into the castle's large garden. There were tree's scattered throughout it, and a small stream flowed through some rocks and pebbles to the left. Beautiful flowers like roses, and dafodills filled the place with colour.

Celestia had seen the garden before, but she never expected it to look so nice still during the end of Autumn.

"Well here we are. The castle gardens, as lovely as ever." Flare Sight said. "Have a look around, tell me if there's any you really like. I assure you I can get you the same flowers for your room."

For a captain of the guard, Flare Sight had always been so friendly. It seemed a little unusual, but Celestia and Luna had known him for a few years now.

Celestia began walking through the garden, admiring the sights. Many of the flowers growing in the garden weren't even in season.

After a little while of looking at the flowers, one lone flower caught her eye. It was a bright, vibrant blue with a wavy purple pattern on its petals. "Flare, what is this one?" She asked.

Flare Sight walked over to take a look. When he saw the flower however, his expression changed to one of interest and curiosity. "That, is a blue Narcian. These are incredibly rare. They say they only grow when something really important is going to happen. I don't remember seeing that one before." He explained.

Celestia eyed the pretty flower hungrily. "Can I get that flower? I really like it!" She asked Flare Sight. "I don't know, it is a very rare flower." He turned to one of the gardens keepers. "What do you think?" He asked the orange mare tending to the garden. She nodded and smiled. "Whatever the princess wishes. Those flowers bring good luck." She responded.

Flare Sight took a shovel and a small clay pot, and scooped the flower into it. "Here you are. I hope it brings you the greatest of luck." He said pushing the pot to her with his hoof. "Thank you Flare Sight." Celestia said, nodding her head respectfully.

Luna called them over, and they went to join her. When she saw Celestia's flower she stared in awe. "Woah, I want one of those!" She said pointing at the flower. "Sorry Luna, they aren't common. It's the only one in the garden." Flare Sight explained.

Luna's smiled faded, but then Celestia spoke up. "Don't worry, we can share it! I'll put it on the windowsill between our beds, that way we can both have good luck!" Celestia smiled at her sister. She smiled back with delight. "I like that idea!"

"It's settled then! Do you still want to pick out a flower Luna?" Flare Sight asked. "No, it's okay. I like this one!"

With that the two sisters left the garden and made their way back to their rooms. They thanked Flare Sight for the trip to the garden, and carried the flower through the hall with their own shared magic spells.

When they got back, they put the plant on the windowsill and looked at how nice it was up there. "I'm sure it will bring us both tons of good luck!" Luna said. "Yeah, I wonder what's going to happen!" Celestia wondered.

Luna looked at her sister. "What do you mean by that?" She asked. "Well Flare Sight said these flowers only bloom when something important is about to happen." Celestia explained.

Luna's eyes immediately widened. "Do you think we might get our cutie marks?" She said excitedly. Celestia laughed. "I don't know maybe! I hope so!" Celestia answered.

Celestia took off her bag and put it on her bed. She pulled everything out and put it back where it belonged, except for the history book. She wanted that for later, so she just put it on her bed.

Luna hopped onto her bed and lay down face first into her pillow. She always did that when she wasn't sure what to do next. "So, our next class is with dad on how to be a good leader at 3 o'clock." Celestia said looking at the dayplanner their mother had put on the wall. "That leaves us a little less than an hour to check out this book." She finished.

Luna let out a sigh. "You really want to bother with that book? It will take forever to translate it letter by letter!" She pointed out. Celestia frowned. Her sister had a point. It would take a long time to translate each individual letter.

Celestia pushed the thought aside and grabbed some paper and a quill.

She pulled the book out from underneath her bed and opened it to the page with her family on it. She was going to start translating it, when a gust of wind suddenly turned the pages. They stopped on the picture with the black alicorn she saw, but this time the image was not blurred by water damage.

"Huh?" Celestia said outloud. She looked toward the window. It was shut tight, and so was the door. "What now?" Luna asked. "The pages, they just turned themselves! And this picture was blurry before!" She told her sister.

Looking closer at the now perfectly clear image, she saw that the alicorn had blood red eyes, and a black slit where his eye pupils should be like a snake. His cape was the same colour. He had wings like a bat, and a long, slightly curved horn. His mane was a dark blue colour that was almost black, that parted before it went in front of his eyes. His tail was spiked, and looked sharp.

There was something weird in the corner of the picture. It looked like a hole, or a rip, but it was just drawn on. It wasn't an actual hole. There seemed to be a black cloud coming from the hole.

The pictured was a little freaky, so Celestia turned the page until she got to the one with the four symbols and the circular star with the bloodstain.

She pulled her history book over and opened to the part with the translator in it. Slowly, she began translating the writing beside the image.

While she was doing that, Luna slowly walked over hesitantly. "Four... found... through... chaos..." Celestia said aloud the words she translated. "Bound... by... fates... seal..." Luna looked curiously at the odd image and made a face. "Come... together... as... one..." Celestia wrote out everything on the papers as she went. "And... follow... their... destiny." She finished the first sentence.

"And just what does that mean?" Luna asked annoyed. "I don't know... I'll read some more." Celestia responded. “A... sacrifice... to... return...” Celestia continued translating the old text. “A... death... sparks... life, blood... deemed... clean, earns... life... free.” She finished translating the writing beside the image.

“Well that is a lot of help.” Luna said sarcastically. “I learned so much from that.” Celestia frowned at her sisters ignorance.

“It’s a riddle, it’s not supposed to make immediate sense.” Celestia told her sister. “You have to figure it out for yourself.” Luna sighed. “That’s annoying though! If there’s something important I want to know it now!” She complained.

Celestia ignored her sisters attitude and turned back to the book. She decided to turn back and see what each of the other pictures said.

First she turned to the pink star, and began translating the text aloud. "The... dreamer... wakes... to... show... the... prophecies... foretold." Celestia read the first line. "Through... mind... and... thought... a... peace... it... brought. Time... dream... space... law. Come... together... to... fix... the... flaw." She finished.

"Flaw? What is the flaw, and what is all this about dreams and time?" Luna asked. "Don't ask me, i'm just translating it." Celestia pointed out.

She turned the page to the scroll symbol. This time, instead of reading it as she went Celestia decided to just decipher the whole thing, and then read it all at once. "Laws of light and laws of sound. Some are not just written down. Time, dream, space, law. Come together to fix the flaw." She read.

"There's that line about the flaw again." Luna said bored. "You know for somepony who hates it so much you sure seem intent on commenting on it." Celestia said to her sister, turning away from the book for a moment.

Luna made a face, then turned and got comfy on her bed. "I was just saying is all." She lied. Celestia rolled her eyes and went back to the book.

Turning to the page with the green light symbol, Celestia translated this one. "A tear in reality, a rip through the fabric. The space between spaces, is traveled by formality. Time, dream, space, law. Come together to fix the flaw."

She turned the page again. The last symbol, the clock. This one was the most complex of the symbols. It was written in roman numerals, and had all different kinds of gears coming out from behind the clock face.

There was more text on this one too. Celestia began translating it. After some time she finished, and read it aloud.

“Without one, the other cannot live. Without the other, the one cannot live. Lead the conflict, fight the afflict. Freeze the sky, stop the cry. Mend the tear, guide the flare. Spark the flame, world to claim. Complete the sequence, banished delinquent. Time, dream, space, law. Come together to fix the flaw.” She read the complicated riddle aloud.

“It is a nice poem, I will give it that.” Luna said, who was still listening. “Well, it is more than just a poem. It means something. If this book knew about us, maybe it’s talking about somepony else!” Celestia reasoned.

Luna shrugged. “I don’t know. What does that mean to us?” She asked. Luna had asked an excellent question. Celestia didn’t know if this had anything to do with them.

But she was still mystified by this strange book. Some pictures had been blurry, but were now clear. How was that possible? Celestia wanted answers, but who could she possibly turn to that could give her straight answers?

There was a knock on the door, and a male voice came from the other side. "It's time for your leadership lessons girls." It was their father's voice. "Meet me in the throne room when you're ready." He told them. "Alright father, we'll be right there." Celestia answered.

They didn't have to take anything with them for this lesson. It was mostly just a talk and memorize lesson.

She went to put the book away, when suddenly she felt an odd sensation, like everything was slowing down. She suddenly felt tired, and low on energy. She looked at Luna, and she had a confused look on her face.

"What's going on?" Celestia asked. "I don't know, suddenly I feel tired." Luna responded. "Me too. Maybe we'll ask father about it later." All of a sudden the sensation stopped, and she got her energy back. Celestia shrugged it off and finished hiding the book.

The two sisters left their room and headed down the hall to the throne room.

When they entered, their father was standing on a balcony on the left side of the throne room, looking out into the city of Canterlot. "Father? Did you feel anything strange earlier?" Celestia asked when she came in.

Their father turned, and smiled. "Why yes, I did. It felt like a surge of magic to me. Probably nothing to worry about." Celestia could tell by the look on his face that it was more than that though.

Their father was a tall, deep blue, almost black colour, with stars scattered around him. He could almost blend into the night sky if he really wanted to. His mane and tail was similar in colour, but it moved and flowed like fire, similar to their mothers. His wings were the same way, majestic and powerful, and flickering like a star. He wore a silver crown with a purple jewel on it, and shoes of a similar nature. He was respected for his ability to handle things cooly, and never raise his voice. He was known as the King of Night, Nocturne.

"So, what would you like to learn about today?" He asked the filly princesses. "I was wondering, what do you know about figuring out prophecies?" Celestia asked. Luna shot her a look when she said that.

The king smiled. "Ah, now that's a tricky subject. Prophecies are a real complicated mess." He told them. "The first step to deciphering them, is remembering they often have double meanings. They almost never mean exactly what is said. They normally speak in metaphor, meaning it treats something like an object as something else." He began explaining.

"So, I could call something like a flower a butterfly, and it could mean the same thing?" Luna asked. Celestia was surprised by Luna's sudden interest and thought. "Or, a flower could represent peace, and a butterfly, gentleness. It's a common thing you see in poems, and since prophecies are often written in poetic form, you find them a lot. However being able to recognize what the metaphors mean is something completely different." Nocturne taught them.

"So, what about repetition? When you see something said multiple times in a prophecy or poem?" Celestia asked. "Well normally that means the author is trying to get a message through to you. A message of some importance." Their father pointed out.

Celestia thought about this. So does that mean in that book, the last lines of each page was trying to make something clear?

Her thoughts were interrupted by her sister. "What about something that doesn't seem to make sense, like something happening that shouldn't be possible?" She asked. Celestia wanted to bury her head in her hooves when she asked this.

"I'm not sure what that has to do with prophecy, but normally that means there's an enchantment of some kind. Give me an example of what you mean." The king responded. "Like something in a prophecy being impossible to read one moment, and then perfectly clear the next." Luna suggested.

Nocturne's smile was slowly beginning to fade. "I've seen something like that in prophecies before. Normally if it's hidden, it means you aren't supposed to know about something yet. They're very frustrating little enchantments, but you have to follow prophecies in that way." He explained.

"Oh, that makes sense I guess." Luna thought aloud. Celestia cut in next before her sister blew their cover. "How reliable are these prophecies? Like, how often do they come true?" She asked.

"I haven't seen one that didn't come true when it was supposed to." Nocturne confirmed. Celestia's heart skipped a beat. She thought of the black alicorn with the bat like wings, and how evil he looked.

"How do we tell when these prophecies are going to come true?" Celestia asked next. Nocturne's smile was almost completely gone now. "You can't really. The best way to tell is when you see signs leading up to the prophecy. Normal prophecies point out signs of its happening." He explained.

Celestia held back a sigh of relief. There had been no signs hinting at the black alicorn coming soon.

Suddenly, the strange sensation return, and Celestia felt her energy plumet. Nocturne immediately turned around and looked out the balcony. For a moment, Celestia thought she saw an almost annoyed, and confused look on her father's face.

Their mother came in a moment later. "Celestia, Luna, I think it may be best if you head back to your room now. There's something your father and I need to talk about." The look on their mother's face was serious. "Your mother's right girls, you look like you could use some rest anyways." He agreed with his wife.

"But, what's going on?" Luna asked. "You don't need to worry about it. Just a little magical surge. Probably the master magician." Alaria told her daughters. "Run along now." She said shooing them out the door.

Celestia started walking back, but her sister stayed at the closed door. "Come on Luna, lets go get some rest." She told her sister. "Wait just a moment, listen through the door." Luna told her sister.

Celestia looked around nervously. "I don't know if that's a good idea." She said. "Come on get over here and listen!" Reluctantly, Celestia went to the door and press her ear up against it. She could hear their parents having a conversation.

"Why does this keep happening? I thought we were the only ones with any control over this type of thing." Their mother said. "I do not know. Somepony is messing around with the elements, and they're powerful. More powerful than what can be naturally taught." Their father responded.

"Yes, but for it to actually affect us and our children, they would have to be an incredibly powerful being." Alaria pointed out. "I have no idea how anypony could do it. Our family is supposed to be the most powerful in any kind of magic in all of Equestria. Not even the master magician could do this." Nocturne thought aloud.

"I knew it!" Celestia whispered. "I knew it was something more than just a surge of magic!" Luna nodded. "Me too, let's keep listening." She said.

"Time just doesn't stop spontaneously like this. Somepony had to have triggered it." The queen reasoned. "And is it coincidence that the girls were asking me about prophecy today in our lesson?" Their father asked.

Celestia and Luna exchanged nervous glances.

"It's especially strange that it's not wearing off as fast this time. Last time it was short, but it's stuck for longer now. It's draining ours, and our daughters energy to resist it." Alaria noticed. "There has also been some strange magical energy fluctuations in the last day or so, like somepony is altering magic levels." Nocturne remembered.

"And don't forget the dreams ponies have been having. Just this morning I heard about several near prophetic dreams that came true as simple events later in the day." Their mother reminded him.

Nocturne sighed, and Celestia could hear him walking. "Something is going horribly wrong with the elements. We're losing control over them, and we are near powerless to stop it." He said.

Celestia and Luna broke away from the door, and stared at eachother in shock. "They have absolutely no idea what to do!" Luna said in a desperate whisper. "Let's get back to our rooms, we can talk about it there." Celestia suggested. "Right." Luna agreed to her sisters plan.

The two of them ran back to their room as fast as their tired legs could take them. Their energy had drained severely since the "magical surge" had happened. Luna collapsed on her bed after they walked in.

Celestia did the same, and lay there for a moment thinking. "Time has stopped somehow and our parents can't even do anything." Luna said. "It's why we're so tired. We're probably resisting the time stopping and we don't even know it." Celestia thought back to what her mother said about it draining their energy.

Then she thought about the prophecies. Their parents had mentioned dreams, and time. Both were in the book, and had including similar things that they had mentioned.

"The prophecies in the book... they're coming true!" She said aloud. She felt her energy still draining. She thought of the black alicorn again, and she was filled with fear. If these prophecies were coming true, who's to say the others wouldn't?