Keepers

Celestia's eyes blinked open. Sunlight was shining through the window, and onto the flower that her and Luna had decided to share. The odd sensation, which was apparently caused by time stopping from what her parents said, was gone. However she felt anything but refreshed.

She had fallen asleep after she ran out of energy resisting the time freeze that happened earlier that day. She thought back to the mysterious dream she had had. Those two ponies had unnatural power. Of course it was just a dream, but everything seemed to link together with the prophecy book she had found earlier.

After the unicorn with the star cutie mark said to wake up, Celestia had thought of a way to shock herself awake. She let a massive rock land right beside her, but it didn't quite work. A moment later though, something else came out of the castle. A black figure, and it was heading straight for them. Celestia braced herself, and right before the familiar alicorn from the book reached her, she awoke.

Nightmares were awful things. They left you terrified in your bed for ten minutes after you woke up. You didn't dare to move, or even look around out of fear that something may happen.

Celestia looked over to her sister. She was asleep too, but she looked like she was having a nightmare. Her face suggested she was upset about something, and she had pulled her covers up close to her, as if to protect her from something. She was tossing and turning quite a bit as well.

Celestia decided it would probably be best to wake her up if her dream was really so bad. "Luna..." she said quietly. "Luna wake up, you're having a nightmare." She said again trying to wake up her sister.

Luna didn't respond. She was in a deep sleep. Celestia sighed in annoyance. She felt bad for her sister and wanted to help her, but she wanted to be gentle. That's what their mother had always said to do.

She tried shaking Luna lightly. "Luna, come on get up." She whispered. Luna started muttering, Celestia couldn't tell what she was saying. "Luna? Are you alright? Wake up!" She whispered again. "Time, dream, space, law. Come together to fix the flaw..." Luna muttered.

Now Celestia was getting worried. "Luna, please wake up!" She wasn't whispering anymore. "You're scaring me!" She shook Luna a little more. "No... stop... Tia... help..." Luna was saying, completely ignoring Celestia.

Suddenly Luna gasped and her eyes shot open. She was shivering, and breathing fast, and heavily. Her eyes looked around frantically for a moment, then they met Celestia's.

They stared at each other for a moment, as if trying to process something. "Tia... Tia what's happening?" Luna finally said. "Why do all these things keep happening to us?" She asked through shaky breaths.

Celestia shook her head slowly. "I don't know Luna, I... I don't understand it either." She responded. Luna climbed out of bed and clung to Celestia. She was crying, Celestia could hear her sobbing. Celestia put her arms around her sister as she tried to recover from her nightmare.

"It's alright now Luna, it was only a nightmare..." Celestia told her. However Celestia wasn't convinced of that herself.

"Tia, he killed you! You were dead, and I couldn't do anything!" Luna burst out. "The black pony came and attack the castle! We tried to escape and hide but he found us!" Luna explained what she had seen in her dreams.

Celestia's eyes were wide as her sister explained to her what had happened. "It was so real... I thought you were dead Tia... I thought you were gone..." Luna sniffed. Celestia could feel her eyes tearing up too.

Celestia hugged her sister as she tried to make her feel better. "It's okay Luna, I'm fine. I'm here." She said. Her younger sister continued to sob. "Now we're both safe, we can move on now." She comforted her sister, while fighting back her own tears.

Celestia looked at the flower on the windowsill. It was wilting, even though they had just gotten it that day. It cast doubt on Celestia as she realized what that meant. The flower bloomed when something important was going to happen. What did it mean if it wilted?

The two sisters sat there for a minute or two, calming themselves down. After a while, Luna's sobbing stopped, and reduced to the occasional sniff, or quivering breath.

Finally Luna said something. "Tia, I d-don't want to go to sleep again. W-what if I have that nightmare again?" She said fearfully. "Neither do I Luna. Maybe we can ask mother about it." Celestia suggested.

Luna sniffed. "O-okay... yes, let's ask her..." She agreed. Celestia smiled faintly, and the two sisters let go of each other. "Let's go to the courtyard first. We should try to relax for a bit." Celestia suggested. Luna nodded. "Alright, I like that idea."

The siblings got up and made their way out their bedroom door and down the hall. Luna looked down at the floor the whole way, like she was thinking about something.

Celestia wasn't really going to the courtyard to relax. She wanted answers to her dream. The green unicorn had said they would see each other again. How did she know that?

As they were walking, Flare Sight walked by on his way to the throne room. "Princesses? Are you alright?" He asked, a look of concern on his face as he saw Luna's state. Celestia nodded. "Luna just had a nightmare, that's all. We were tired so we took a nap." Celestia explain.

Flare still seemed a little worried, but he dismissed it and went on towards the throne room.

When they arrived in the courtyard, they looked up into the open sky. The sun was going lower now, meaning it was probably around four o'clock or so. Their father had taught them how to get a basic estimate of the time just by where the sun was and the time of year.

It was a little chilly, but the sun had a surprising amount of heat to it as it shone on them, especially for the time of day.

Celestia looked around the courtyard. There was nothing special or different about it, which disappointed her a little bit. The workers were watering the gardens and trimming the trees. The gates at the entrance to the castle were locked shut, and guards stood on either side, outside and in.

Celestia and Luna sat under the tree they normally did when they were in the courtyard. It was always peaceful in the courtyard, it was an excellent place to rest. Especially since the nap didn't seem to bring back any energy.

"Tia, did you have any dreams?" Luna asked her. "Yes, I did. I had a nightmare too. I think it would have been like yours if it weren't for something else happening." She said to her sister. "What do you mean? What was your dream about?" She responded.

"Well, at first we were playing under this tree in the courtyard. It was a perfectly normal day like always. But then, there was an explosion, and the sky turned red. Everypony around us seemed to have left suddenly." Celestia explained her dream to her sister. "Several more explosions went off, and rocks and boulders started falling. One was heading straight towards us, when a yellow unicorn with a red cloak suddenly jumped in front of us and stopped the boulder in mid air!" She thought back to the mysterious unicorn and his unusual powers.

Luna stared and listened intently. "Really? That's incredible!" She said. Celestia nodded, and went on. "There was a mare with him too, she was green and was also a unicorn. She ran over to help the yellow pony who had almost collapsed to the ground. But get this, the boulder just floated there, and there was no magic around it!" Luna's eyes widened. "Really? How is that possible?" Luna asked.

Celestia just went on. "That's not the weirdest part. The green mare's cutie mark, was exactly like that pink star in the book!" She told her sister. "What? You mean those symbols were cutie marks?" Luna asked in surprise.

Celestia thought about this now. Her sister could be right. What if those four symbols were ponies cutie marks?

She put if off for now and went on. "Next, they took us to the gates to escape, but the gates were locked. The green mare picked up the boulder the yellow pony stopped, and threw it at the gate to break it open. But there was no magic surrounding the boulder that time either! We escaped the castle as it continued with explosions. After a while we found a safe place, and the green unicorn told me I was dreaming. She told me they had to go, but that I needed to wake up. She said we would see each other again, and then they both ran away."

She finished the important part of the dream and waited for her sister's reaction. "So, someponies saved us in your dream, and had strange magic powers?" She asked in confusion. "What does it mean?" She questioned.

Celestia shrugged. "I have no idea, but it must be important!" She said. "How many times has somepony told you that you were dreaming?" She asked her sister. "Never. Not once." She responded.

Celestia sighed. "I wish we could figure all this out. It's starting to scare me." She said. Luna shivered. "It's already scaring me." She said nervously.

Suddenly a familiar voice came from the other side of the walls. "Excuse us, we have something important to discuss with the king and queen!" It said urgently. Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance and moved over to see through the bars of the gate.

Celestia gasped as she saw the two unicorns from her dream. The yellow pony and green pony were there, trying to talk to the guards. "Please, this is urgent, we need to speak to the king and queen!" The yellow one was saying.

"One does not simply gain an audience with the king and queen." One of the guards said. "Unless you have been invited, or given permission to enter by a member of the royal family you may not come it." The guard continued.

"You don't understand, I know you won't believe me but the lives of the royal family are in great peril!" The yellow pony tried to convince the guards. "Let them in!" A voice called from atop the wall. Everypony looked up to see a bright blue unicorn wearing a black cape and pointed hat standing there. "I've been expecting them." She said.

The guards immediately opened the door. The two unicorns looked at each other confused for a moment, and then walked in. There was a flash, and the familiar master magician appeared in front of them, her cape shimmering with stars as the sun reflected off it.

"Please come with me." She said to the visitors. She turned around and started walking towards the door leading to the main castle. They started to follow, but they exchanged a glance with the princesses first. The green unicorn smiled faintly, then the two of them went on into the castle.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other in shock. "Did you see that? Those were the ponies from my dream!" Celestia told her sister excitedly. Luna nodded. "I knew it! Why do you think they're here?" Luna wondered. "Let's go find out!" Celestia responded.

They ran into the castle to follow the mysterious unicorns. They made sure to remain hidden so they wouldn't be spotted trying to listen in. As they were walking however, the magician turned and led them down a different hall away from the throne room.

The sisters continued to follow. The magician never said anything, but the two ponies were discussing something. Celestia listened closely to hear what they were saying.

"We don't even know her, how could she be expecting us? It makes me a little suspicious." The yellow pony was saying. "Maybe it's something to do with the prophecies?" The mare responded. "Maybe, but it still freaks me out..." He responded.

Celestia wanted to tell them they weren't heading the right way, but she didn't want to blow her and her sisters cover.

The magician turned and opened a door. "Please come in, I would like to talk to you about something." She said. "We would love to talk but we really need to speak to the king and queen." The yellow pony said. "I believe you will find it to be a great use to you, if you talk to me first." The magician answered coolly.

The three unicorns all walked into the room. Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance, then ran towards the door to listen.

"So tell me, what is it you need to so urgently discuss with the king and queen?" The magician said. "Well, you probably wouldn't believe us if we told you." The green pony said. The magician laughed faintly. "Try me." She said.

"Well, my friend here, Aevum, found a cave. A cave filled with carvings that showed things that had happened before." The green mare began. "He found that they were lit up bright green, but when he got farther down, there were some that weren't as bright."

"Hmm, sounds like prophecy to me." The magician said. "Go on." There was a sigh. "Well, I found several really disturbing carvings, that showed a rip in the sky, and a black alicorn arriving in Equestria. He was using powerful magic, and was destroying things. The next image showed Canterlot, and him attacking it." The male pony spoke up.

"That is disturbing. Anything else?" The magician asked keeping her cool like she always did. "Yes, later when I came back to my village, I found Madia, who had seen me with the runes in a dream. Later though, Madia had a vision of the very same thing I saw in the caves. We were going to go into the forest when she suddenly fell to the ground shaking." The pony, apparently named Aevum explained.

"I saw a vivid image of the black alicorn arriving, and attacking Canterlot Castle. The visions were sometimes blurred and unclear, and switched a lot. I saw the alicorn with an army, in a dark land with no stars, and he was walking up some stairs to what looked like an altar. The last thing I saw was the alicorn entering the princesses room, and getting ready to attack them!" Madia said nervously.

Celestia and Luna stared at each other. There was the sound of movement coming from the other side of the door. "That is unusual. Most visions only appear in dreams, if they appear at all. You having one when you weren't even asleep is quite concerning." The magician said.

"Do you know what any of it means?" Aevum asked her. "I know that it means you were right. The royal family is in danger." The magician responded.

"May I ask a question?" Madia said. "Technically you just did dear. Go on though." She said. "Why did you let us in, and how did you know we were coming?" Madia questioned. The magician did her classic laugh, that was more of a hum under her breath.

"I have known about you two for a long time. You were destined to show up eventually. You have been expected for five thousand years." The magician explained. "What? No that can't be right!" Aevum said. "Tell me, how does one stop, and start time at will? How does one travel through dreams and see into ponies minds? No normal unicorn can do that!" The magician said, no longer quiet.

There was an odd silence, then the sound of a page turning. "Look here. These prophecies show you, and two others, standing before the castle. Currently, there are two of you. There will be four in due time.” The magician pointed out.

“But who are the other two, and what’s so important about us?” Aevum asked the magician. “You don’t even know your own fate do you, children?” The magician said to the unicorns.

There was another pause, and then a sigh. “You are destined to control the elements of Equestria. There are four of you, there are four elements. Each of you will control one, however you’re powers have only recently begun to awaken." She explained to them.

"The four elements, are time, dream, space and law. Time speaks for itself. Dream gives you power over minds and sight. The dream element has control over what you can foresee, and allows you to do literally anything as long as you're dreaming, or in a dream."

The magician told them what each element could do. "The space element, is likely the strongest, and most potentially deadly. The element of space controls all matter and things that exist in the world, and even beyond. It can be used to make rough surfaces smooth, to teleport across vast distances, and even visit other worlds entirely."

Celestia gasped. "A single pony controls that? How can anypony be trusted with that sort of power?" She whispered to her sister. "I know, who knows what could happen?" She responded.

"The law element covers anything the other elements don't. Law, is far more than just guidelines for life. Law extends to guidelines of the world itself. This includes gravity, weight, light, and sound. Law is a mostly defensive element though. It's not meant to do physical damage directly." The master magician pointed out.

"So, are you saying we have complete control over our elements?" Aevum asked in awe. "No, not yet at least. I'm sure by the time all the prophecies come true however, you will. I'm not sure why you four are needed to control the elements, when they have been perfectly fine the last five thousand years, but it's what the prophecy says, and prophecies always come true."

"Always..." Celestia said under her breath nervously. Luna looked at Celestia, her face filled with worry. "If prophecies always come true, what does that mean about the book?" Her sister asked.

"Well, we honestly appreciate the help, but right now we desperately need to warn the royal family!" Madia said. "Yes of course. We need to convince them of this." The magician said.

Celestia and Luna pulled away from the door. "Let's go see mother and father, quickly. I want to be there for when this happens." Luna said. "Right, come on let's go!" Celestia responded.

The two sisters ran down the hall before the three ponies came out of the room. They turned and went up the main hall again towards the throne room.

They walked in and saw their parents talking about something. "Mother?" Celestia called. Their parents turned to them a moment. "Not now dear, we're discussing something important." Their mother responded.

Right then the throne room door opened again, and the master magician came in. Only a moment later she was followed by Aevum and Madia. "I beg your pardon your majesties, but I wish to discuss something urgent with you regarding the ah, magical surges." She said.

"Narcian, who are these ponies? Why are they here?" King Nocturne asked. Celestia and Luna backed away to watch the discussion.

"There is an important prophecy regarding these two ponies that I must speak to you about." The magician explained. "You see this pony here is responsible for the "magical surges" that happened earlier. You see he-"

She was interrupted by the king. "What? How? Not even we can stop time entirely!" He exclaimed.

Celestia was surprised at her father's interruption. He had always been so cool about everything before, why was he acting so unnatural now?

"Please your highness let me explain. An ancient prophecy stated that these two, and two others besides them, would arrive to control the elements of Equestria. He has control over time, and she has control over dream." She quickly told the monarch.

"That's impossible. Only me and my wife have any remote control over the elements, and hardly any at that! What purpose do you have for stopping time!" Nocturne advanced on the ponies. "Your majesty, please calm down! We haven't even reached the most important part yet!" The magician tried to stop him.

"I think this is plenty important. Now we know why the elements are falling apart. They're in the hands of these... children!" The king said. "Dear, this isn't like you. Please, control your anger." Queen Alaria said. Nocturne turned his head and looked at her a moment, then took a deep breath.

"Narcian, I want you to find the other ponies who control the other elements. Until then I want these two to remain in this city. Do not let them leave unless I let them." He said, addressing the magician.

"But your majesty, there's more you haven't hear-" She tried to tell him. "That's enough! We need time to concentrate. We must bring the elements back into balance." He said facing away from them. "But you don't understand, you are no longer in contro-"

"Narcian, it is probably best if you go." Alaria said to her. "Your majesty, this prophecy has to do with you and your daughters! There's something incredibly dangerous that's going to happen!" Aevum finally spoke up for himself.

"Your highness, we mean no disrespect! Equestria's safety is in our best interests, if you'll just let us explain!" Madia spoke too.

"Go, find the others, then we will talk. Guards, take them out of the castle." Nocturne replied.

Immediately, several royal guards blocked them off from the king and queen, and started pushing them out of the throne room.

Celestia looked at Aevum nervously, and Aevum looked back, his face desperate, before the door to the throne room slammed shut.

The king walked over onto the balcony and sighed looking out over his kingdom. Celestia and Luna left the spot where they had been standing that whole time, listening to the conversation. Their mother looked at them, concerned, then she went to join her husband on the balcony.

"Tia, what just happened? Why did father act like that?" Luna asked. Celestia let out a sigh. "I don't know Luna, all sorts of things have been going wrong lately..." She said her thoughts aloud.

"Father never raises his voice... and why wouldn't he listen to them?" Luna wondered. "Who knows..." Celestia responded. Then an idea struck her. "Wait a second. He wouldn't listen to them, but maybe he'll listen to us!" She told her sister the idea.

Luna smiled. "Yeah! He wouldn't send his own daughters away." She reasoned.

Luna and Celestia walked towards the balcony. "Father?" Celestia called. "Yes dear?" He answered. His voice was calm again.

Celestia gulped as she prepared to give her father the entire story. "There's something we need to tell you." She said. "And what's that?" He asked, turning towards them. His eyes were tired, and sad.

"Well, you see, we know about the prophecy the magician was trying to tell to you. We overheard her talking with the ponies about it." She began. "I think the prophecy is really dangerous, and from what we heard, I'm afraid of it." She tried to bring out her fathers sympathy.

"You see, I was wondering if we could tell you about it. If you hear about it I would feel much safer knowing you were ready for it." Celestia finished. Her father had a look of understanding in his eyes. "Alright, fine. Tell me what it is, and i'll be sure i'm ready for it." Their father said.

Their mother smiled warmly as their father finally decided to listen.

She began to tell her father how they had come to find out about the prophecy. She told him how her and her sister found the book in the library and carried it to their room. How some images were blurred out and how they found a way to translate it in their history book.

"So that's why you two were asking me about prophecy earlier." He said in realization. Celestia smiled. "Yes, that's exactly why!" She said happily.

Celestia took a deep breath to continue telling the story, but then the sky flashed a bright white colour. The clouds turned black, the wind began to blow, then finally, the sky turned blood red.