What was lost and what remains.
“Higher Tia! Higher!” said the high-pitched voice of young three-year-old filly. Her body a full coat of dark blue fur with an aquamarine mane, her body curled up and tightly holding onto the back of another slightly larger filly. The second foal having a long bright mane of pink hair and royal white fur that largely contrasted the formers.
“I’m trying Lulu!” the second filly replied in a slightly pained laugh as she struggled to keep them level as they rose another meter into the air. They did so in the backdrop ofan open field in the thick, lush green forest, the two mares being probably the only Ponies anyone would see inhundreds of Miles.
She said that a lot, ‘trying’. Celly always got exhausted when she tried to fly, and it would always cut Luna’s fun short, she wanted to get really high and look down on the forest, that was something she was deadset on achieving before the next storm. Unfortunately, her wings were barely six inches long and she barely had enough muscle movement to even flap them, so she had to really on Tia for it. Though that already was the preferable option to begin with, though she wouldn’t admit it.
“Just a little higher sis, please” Luna begged as she took notice of Tia’s exhaustion as they would occasionally drop a few inches. In response Celestia swallowed a deep breath and flapped her wings harder than she’d ever seen her try, being just two years older than Luna herself her wings were still developing themselves.
Her eyes sparked up as the top of the trees became more visible, but then Tia groaned inexhaustion, and they dropped likea rock in a pond, Luna Shrieking in fear as she felt herself fall off the side only to be grabbed and held tightly in Tia's hooves as they’d began a gradual, albeit clumsy decent back to the ground, where it was safe.
First Tia’s two back hooves touched down before she was gently laid on the grass, the older filly sprawling herself out next to her sister to catch her breath, her bright pink mane drooping and becoming slightly messy. Glancing down at the exhausted Mare the smaller filly looked distressed as she looked down at her elder sister.
“Tia, are you alright?” she asked with a worried look, apparently not understanding what was ailing her usually energetic elder sister.
“I’m alright… My wings just still aren’t big enough yet” she said in-between pants as she stood up and glanced at the hilltop ahead of them. Both Luna and Tia knew on a subconscious level that it was time to go back home, sunlight was very inconsistent, and it perhaps wouldn’t last more than a few hours at a time before thick clouds would cover it up.
This current iteration of the world they called Equestria was barely a few millennia’s old and was still ruled by absurdly abrupt weather shifts with the most dominant life forms being elemental monsters, immaterial life forms such as spirits and in their case, extremely rare Deities.
How did they know this? It was hard to explain when it becomes as second nature as breathing, an ability bestowed naturally upon them due to their unique connection to the planet.
“You’ve never acted like that before? I got scared” the filly said as she huddled between her sister's hooves. Tia smiled uncertainly, perhaps not understanding the sensation herself, they didn’t really feel mortal Pony needs like sleep and hunger, but their bodies did have physical limits in their current forms which were that of mere Foals, granted they were far more resilient than any of the primitive Pony tribes that lived in small pockets around Equestria, but they were far from at their physical primes.
Smiling Tia gently nuzzled her youngers head with her muzzle before looking up at the hill.
It was just… Unfamiliar territory. Getting out of breath.
“But we don’t need to breathe sister. Look” Luna replied innocently as she made the voluntary choice to block her breathing and getting a giggle of Tia.
“Let’s go home Lulu” she said as she hopped on top of one of the large boulders in front of them in a single bound. Nodding she ran after her sister, her body lacked the strength at its young level and had to gradually run up smaller boulder and rocks to get to Tia, but just as she made it to the top her sister would leap down and land on her feet softly. Using the boulder to let her get some height and was already halfway up the steep hill.
Tia loved to tease her with her larger size in these ways, though it only ever served to make Luna get competitive and struggle to catch up with her sister. She attempted to make the same jump but only covered about half the distance and landed with a slight stagger. Still she held herself up with relative ease though her feet were a little sore. Yet Tia still had that encouraging look in her eyes.
She couldn’t say she was tired already, getting to the top first would be worth it. And with those thoughts at the forefront of her mind Luna galloped up the hill as fast as she could, Tia would gradually getfaster as Luna closed the distance. Soon they were both racing to get to the top first as the summit came into view. With a determined cry, Luna leaped in a single bound and got to the top first.
“Huzzah! I win Tia!” the aqua filly chirped as she kicked her feet out triumphantly, unbeknownst to her Tia had a made a conscious choice to fall behind as she trotted to the top and ruffled Luna's mane.
“Good job Lulu,” Tia said as they both headed towards the large Cave where they resided. A single look back and would immediately notice that it was already dusk outside, clear sky’s was a once a blue moon opportunity, be it day or night and they were extraordinarily lucky to have six hours of it straight for one day. It was already beginning to rain thick ice blocks outside, a weather pattern she especially hated from the last time one hit Tia over the head while they were playing in a river. Lulu hated anything that could make her sister cry.
As they headed deeper into the cave, they eventually made it to a large cavern with a massive white glowing tree in the middle, surrounding the trees were a number of glowing white rocks and a pair of shining white eggs only half engraved in the floor, they both had two large holes in their top. It was in this exact room that the two sisters had come into the world of Equestria, their magical energy still strongly resonating from their respective eggs.
Tia came out first and spent the first two years all alone in the cave, it made Luna wonder on how lonely her sister had been before she hatched sometimes.
“We should go back to resting Lulu,” Tia said as she sat back the base of the tree, Luna pouted in response.
“Aww, but we were just awake for a few minutes…” she let out a soft yawn, suddenly feeling her exhaustion catch up with her. She could already feel the tree compelling her to draw nearer. “Aww, fine” she said as she cuddled up at Celestia’s side, her sisters responding accordingly by pulling her into a warm hug and letting herself take a protective position for the brief hibernation period their bodies would be observing for the next couple months.
2000 years later
“You did what?!”
Luna generally considered herself a Pony of calm temperament, she rarely ever felt anger, whether it was a servant’s incompetence or a royal meeting with entitled Royals from some of the opposing kingdoms. She’d kept her decorum through it all, but when such a transgression reached a point to which her subjects had settled on mediocrity, had an insolent tongue or in this case, outright slighted her. Then the princess of the night deemed that a matter worthy of her ire.
Right now, perhaps the first time in centuries she felt outright rage. And what’s worse the source of that outrage was from the last Pony she’d ever expected.
“Luna, you couldn’t simply expect me to wait after what those Griffiths did to the Ponies” Celestia said as she glowered down at her sister. Luna felt her teeth clench at the dismissive way in which her sister spoke of the matter.
“What they did to our Ponies? You mean those same Ponies that lumbered their trees and killed their civilians that fought back?” she rebuked. Celestia took a sip of her wine from a shiny gold Chalice before answering
“I won't excuse what may have happened, but the Griffiths have committed themselves to conducting war against us. I will not have a single drop of my subject’s blood drawn and not expect any repercussions.” She stated simply. “I would expect my own sister to understand such things”. Of course, she’d try to play the guilt card, the conceited witch.
“This was MY responsibility to handle, Tia, this is the third time you’ve completely disregarded informing me of a political decision before taking action. Bounds are being overstepped!” the moon goddess bellowed, anger radiating off each word. The guards and any passing nobles could probably hear her yelling, but she didn’t care.
Celestia sighed as she finally looked up from her chair to fix her sister a composed look, her bright pink mane giving her a regal look. “Luna, your awake all through the night and can barely keep your eyes open during the average Ponies waking hours, the council could wait no longer for you to yield results and thus I ratified a retaliation strike” she said with a calm smile as she reached to caress her sisters cheek and frowned when Luna brushed her off.
“Like you did with a zebra clan to the east when they lost their goods from the draught, and what did they get? Deportation”
“We had more than enough reason to suspect they were stealing from our crop plantations. Ponies don’t appreciate being asked to pay an inordinate amount of money for crops that were already theirs.”
“The trade was being conducted by only a handful of zebras, the dealers were Ponies themselves and even then how could we justify displacing an entire zebra tribe for what a small minority of their population did” Luna yelled with a hoof stamp.
Celestia sighed at her sister's anger and fixed her a look.
“Sometimes things just have to be that way Luna, we’ve only sat on this throne for fifty years and are still too fragile as a nation, we must look out for our own ponies first and foremost,” Celestia said rather bluntly and causing Luna to hoof stomp in anger. How could she say such cruel things about other beings, so what if they weren’t Ponies, because of her sister's insistence on dominating threats rather than spreading a hoof of friendship her plans for a unified Equestria were being pushed back further and further
“Why?! We should be accepting of all cultures, why make an enemy of all these other non-Ponies sister?” she questioned but to no avail, Celestia shook her head and frowned as if Luna had just said something ignorant.
Using her magic to fill up her chalice again, the purple wine cascading from the glass bottle and filling up the chalice with a trickling sound. She was about to raise to her lips again but was cut off by Luna slamming a hoof on the table. “Answer me sister!” Luna bellowed, nostrils flared.
Celestia sighed in response and lowered the chalice “Luna, your much too naïve. Making friends with non-Ponies? The same ones that beat and pillaged our people's farmlands during the stone age. The Griffiths that mercilessly mauled my royal guards trying to reach me? Or the Zebras that attempted to poison my drink and ended up killing all my ambassadors instead twenty years ago? Their no different than their parents and their parents are no different from their forefathers!” Celestia yelled back as she stood up and glared back at Luna “So no Luna! I won't simply, let you take your time to make peace with murderers and criminals.”
“Their not all like that sister! You’d punish a child for the sins of their father, Celestia? Even when the child didn’t choose to be sired into that family?” Luna questioned her sister, their eyes locking intently.
“If the actions of the father affect the children of my subjects gladly, and even without that yes. Ensure no threat shall ever arise from them again. What your suggesting is sparing the rod Luna and what happens when you do that? You spoil the foal.”
Luna was beyond frustrated with her sisters bullheadedness. “Ugh, your so insufferable Tia. Despite what professor Starswirl may have taught us. Might does NOT make right, neither do two wrongs…” her sister raised a brow at her, narrowed violet eyes digging into Lunas… This was a waste of time. “UGH!” she wordlessly wheeled around and walked towards the door.
“And where do you think you're going?”
“Out, perhaps you’ve forgotten with all the tedious daylight hours, but I control the dreamscape and have duties to attend to, sister,” she said, venom seeping off the last word like it was poison to her tongue.
Looking back on it, that was perhaps the first time she had legitimately hated her sister, she’d always loved her dearly but decades of political involvement made their outlooks on life change as the matured into adults.
“Hold on. We aren’t done talking Luna!” Celestia yelled in annoyance from being brushed off. But Luna had already dematerialised her physical form as she trotted into the dream real.
“Yes, we are sister” were the last words spared her sister before cutting off the waking world. Celestia would have to go to bed with that bit of unresolved frustration, it was small but a no-less worth it blow to her sister's ever-expanding ego.
