Celestia tiredly climbed the stairs into her ornate room. With a sigh, she lifted her Royal jewelry off and tossed the fine gems in a heap at the edge of her bed. Her head was rolling with the events of the day. She tripped over something.
Celestia landed with a crash. "What on-" she muttered, searching for the thing that made her trip.
And what, send it to the moon? Celestia thought bitterly.
She froze when she finally found the offending object. It was a small, rather beaten up canister. Celestia used magic the open it. Out floated a paper. A drawing of a blue alicorn and a white alicorn with a long pink mane. Luna and Tia, best sisters FOREVER! Read the caption. Celestia teared up and quietly put the paper back into the canister as memories came flooding back.
"Come on, Tia! You're gonna hafta be faster than that to beat me!" crowed Luna as a filly.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Celestia was behind, slowly flying and allowing Luna to win.
Luna landed on a balcony facing the sinking sun. She turned to Celestia. "I'm gonna try it tonight!" she announced excitedly.
"Really? Are you sure you don't need my help?" Celestia asked curiously as she landed on the gray stone. "I'll do mine first, after that's when you can try."
"No! Tia, you said I could do it myself tonight! But you could ah, stand by me." Luna shrank.
"Okay," Celestia flew off the balcony and easily set the sun. She returned .
Luna gulped. "O-okay. I can do this." The much smaller filly flew off and with much effort, it seemed, managed to raise the moon. The young filly flew back exhausted. "Di- did I do it? Is it there?" she panted.
"The moon or your Cutie Mark?" Celestia asked.
"The moon, duh! I don't have a-"Luna's eyes drifted to her flank. "Yeah! I did it; rose the moon and got my Cutie Mark!" she punched the air.
Celestia gazed up at the sky. "The stars aren't out."
Luna groaned. "Do I have to do them, too?"
"Most nights, yes. Tell you what, if I do the stars tonight, you heve to help me with the sun in the morning."
Luna rested her head on her sister's forelegs and closed her eyes. "Okay." she murmured.
Celestia softly lit her horn and put the stars out. Then she put a wing over her exhausted sister and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Now with tears in her eyes, Celestia walked onto the very balcony from the memory. It was many renovations later, yet she insisted that a gray slab of rock stay. She turn her gaze up the moon. The shadow that was going known as 'The Mare in the Moon' was her sister, and Celestia put her there.
I'm so sorry, Luna Celestia thought. Then words came bubbling up her throat and she couldn't suppress them.
"Now and then I then of when we were together," Celestia began slowly. "Like when you said you were so happy you could die."
"I told myself I were right for you, but I was so lonely in your company," Celestia sang louder, directed to the moon. "But it was a sister's love and it's an ache I still remember."
"You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Like resignation to the end." Celestia sang a little lower, not decreasing in volume. "So when we found out how they felt about you, you said we couldn't still be friends, but I'll admit I was kind of glad we were over."
"But you didn't have to cut me off, make it like the reign of us never happened and it was nothing. I think I might need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough." Celestia sang loudly. "You didn't have to stoop so low, have your guards collect your records and then change your tune. Guess I still need that, though now you're just somepony that I used to know."
Celestia hung her head as the first teardrop fell. "Now you're just somepony that I used to know." she whispered.
Luna kicked a rock across the Lunar landscape. It flew away, then was lost in the grasp of space.
"I win , joy." Luna muttered under her breath.
She bounced around the moon once a day to stay relatively healthy. And it was really fun.
At least Celestia had the compliance to put a dolphin riding machine out in this wasteland. Luna thought. Celestia. I bet she's walking on sundrops and butterflies now that I'm gone.
She wandered around the moon until she found her Spot and sat down. Her Spot faces Equestria, so she can at least see if it erupts in a huge fireball or something.
Suddenly Luna jumped up in a fit of rage. "Four hundred years, Tia! That's how long I've been here while you chat it up with nobles and party hard and, and..." she sat down again. "Four. Hundred. Years. That's an awfully long time, Tia. I want to go back. At least that ghastly Nightmare Moon isn't here." Luna gasped, for she was subjected to a memory, Luna-style.
It was a cold night in late fall. It was in the early creation period of time, and Luna was tired of yelling a slugs to hurry up and evolve.
When Celestia got home to their tree, Luna was waiting.
"Hi, Tia! What did you do today?" she bounded across the massive bough.
Celestia looked at her oddly. "You're a ball of sunshine today. What did you do? Did you kill another species?"
Luna grit her teeth. "Those dinosaurs were scary. And I didn't 'kill another species'. Could I help you with creations tomorrow?"
"Sure." Celestia said suspiciously.
The next day, Luna went across the mountains with Celestia. It didn't take long, they were still forming. They landed on the lip of a cave with strange light dancing across the walls.
"This is the Hall of Creation. Luna, you can only make a few things a day, so don't go crazy with ideas." Celestia walked forward, towards to light. Eventually, they reached a split in the cave. One was how dark it should be, and the other changed color repeatedly. Celestia turned to the lighter path, but Luna paused. The dark tunnel beckoned her.
"Luna," Celestia warned.
With a fleeting look to the darkness, Luna dutifully followed her older sister. "Coming,"
Not long after, the pair found themselves in a circular room with a huge ball of ever-changing light. Celestia stood in front of it, seemingly absorbed in her work immediately. Luna slowly backed away and took to the air silently. Luna was small enough the she could fly through the tunnels with room to spare.
When she reached the split, Luna turned onto the dark path,flying until it was took dark to see. Luna landed as quietly as she could and used her small horn to shed a little light. Luna tripped on a rock and fell. She accidentally ate a small pebble. Luna got up, brushed herself off and continued her journey. A little bit of light glimmered in front of her, so Luna picked up the pace. She found herself in a cave much like the one Celestia was in, except that the ball of light was deep blues, purples, and greens.
Curiously, Luna approached the ball. A tendril spread toward her and before the young filly could react, touched her.
Luna's body went slack, like a puppeteer cut her strings. Luna could feel something probing the depths of her mind, searching for... something. What felt like hours later, Luna was released. She scrambled up and before she fled, she looked back. What she saw made her blood run cold. The very worst things her in her imagination were faintly silhouetted inside the ball. What will later be called Draconequus, Changeling, Timberwolves, and Hydras. All in one place. Luna fled the evil place, taking to the air when she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. She slowed her paced and landed near the warmly glowing ball. Another tendril reached out and warmth flooded Luna's body. A moment later, it released Luna. Inside stood the first pony. It was rather ugly, Luna decided that this would be the first, not the last.
A few seconds later, a hoof was placed on Luna's shoulder.
Stifling a scream, Luna whirled.
"That's very good, Luna." Celestia scrutinized the pony. "Very good for a first try."
"Th-thanks." Luna stuttered.
Celestia cocked her head. "Is something wrong?"
Luna went stiff. "No. Nothing's wrong."
The guilt had weighed heavily upon Luna when the creations began terrorizing ponies. Stress and guilt took it's toll, andone night it was too much. Luna refused to lower the moon and Celestia, being the prick she is, banished her. To the moon.
The Night Princess dropped her head and sighed. When she raised it again, she gazed sadly at the vibrant planet in front of her.
"Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over," Luna muttered to herself. Then, as if remembering that nopony could hear her, she sang louder. "But you had me believing it was something that I'd done."
"But I don't wanna live that way, reading into every word you say. You said that you could let it go, but I would want you caught up on somepony that you used to know!"
"But you didn't have to cut me off! Make out like it never happened and I was nothing," her eyes blazed. "But I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough. You didn't have to stoop so low, send me to the moon and then change your mind. I guess I don't need that, though. Nowyou're just somepony that I used to know."
With a sigh Luna got up and once again strayed to the dark side of the moon.
