The sun had come to the end of its day long transit across the sky, and was waiting patiently on the horizon when a blue robed mage walked out onto the Royal balcony of the Castle of the Two Sisters with his two young students in tow. They were feeling a little apprehensive this evening; something about their tutor’s demeanour telling them that something special was going to happen.
As usual, five unicorns were waiting for them, but this time they were all wearing the full regalia that reinforced their status as the most powerful and respected sorcerers in Equestria. For many months now, the two fillies had watched in respectful silence as these unicorns all joined together with their tutor and set the sun to rest for the night before summoning the moon; in fact, the ritual had become rather routine. This evening, it was their formal attire that stood out, and the Royal sisters couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
The cornflower blue filly looked up quizzically to her pure white sister, the unspoken question being met with a facial expression that clearly replied, “I don’t know either.”
The bearded grey mage stopped in front of the other sorcerers who all bowed respectfully to their Royal guests, before he turned to address his bewildered students.
“Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, I am pleased you could join us for a particularly special event this evening” he said benignly, “You are aware of the formation of Equestria from the three great tribes, each of which is uniquely powerful. You will have come to understand the individual talents each of the races has to offer because you, exceptionally, are both made up in equal parts of all three.”
“Since the tribes came together, there has been an accommodation between them so as to maintain, at least on the surface, a peaceful and co-operative society. However, look beneath the surface, and you will find that everypony still remembers the greatness of their individual tribes. Go into any pegasus house, and you will see memorabilia of great pegasi; it will inevitably be the same for earth ponies and unicorns too.”
“This means that our newly established country has no leader, since no one particular tribe will be trusted by the other two, and if anypony were to try and assume control for any reason, then order would collapse very quickly. This is why Equestria needs to have leaders who can be trusted equally by all, by virtue of being exactly as much of one tribe as both the others.”
“We have been lucky thusfar that no serious crisis has befallen us, but that situation cannot be expected to last forever” he said, recalling vivid premonitions of an umbrum unicorn and a strange part dragon creature, both of whom in their turn would rise to challenge the fledgling society of Equestria. He knew that these two young alicorn Princesses would be the only hope of protecting the ponies, and that they had to become established as soon as possible to build their confidence and experience to give them the best chance of standing up to these enemies.
"We will need leaders whom all ponies will rally behind, to act as a focal point for unity. If not, we will fall victim to the same mistrust that summoned the Windigos and caused the three tribes to leave their homelands in the first place. Now, following years of tuition, I believe you are in a position to face the final test to see if you are ready to assume the mantle of leadership.”
“Wh ... wha …?” gasped the white filly, while the cornflower blue one moved in to shelter beside her big sister, “We have not even got our cutie marks yet.”
“That is not important” Star Swirl dismissed, “For the final test will not judge you on age or outward appearance, but instead on your inner preparedness to meet the specific challenge of your allotted role.”
The sisters shared an uncertain glance between each other as Star Swirl retreated and joined with his five fellow unicorns, who moved to form a circle around them.
“Celestia, focus on lowering the sun” he said, “Luna, focus on raising the moon. We will work with you.”
“Tia, I am scared” whispered Luna.
“Be brave, little Sister” Celestia reassured, feeling just as nervous, but trying to look brave for her sister’s sake.
“Focus …” instructed Star Swirl.
Bolts of magic shot from all six of the unicorns around the circle, each a different colour of the rainbow, and all formed together to forge a ring of purest magical energy around the fillies. As they poured more power into the spell, so the multicoloured ring surrounding them started to spin faster and faster until the colours blurred into a brilliant white.
Luna was scared and wanted reassurance from her sister, but found that instead, her attention was being drawn towards the horizon where something more important than her sister, more important than anything she had ever known, called to her and drew her spirit. Gradually she became aware that it was a presence, a living entity calling to her, reaching out to be her friend.
The feeling was even more intense than what she imagined it would have been like to see her parents, something so intensely personal that she lost all fear and reached back to it in love and friendship. She wasn’t looking at it through her eyes, but through an inner spirit that drew on both her heart and head simultaneously, binding alicorn and moon together in a bond that would last her lifetime. The moon needed a friend and she felt that desire, that hunger.
“I do” she whispered, inaudible above the sound of swirling magic, but nonetheless heard clearly by the moon as a stream of blue magic rose from her horn and projected further than she had ever known in her life. At the same time she felt a warm glowing sensation flooding through her and a sense of weightlessness, as if all her cares and worries had been taken from her, and at that moment the bond was complete.
Luna felt tired but happy, happier than she had ever known, and floated back down onto the balcony as the magic dissipated. She didn’t feel any of this, but just basked in the most consuming afterglow.
Gradually she became aware of reality pushing at the edges of her newfound happiness, but fought off doing anything about it until the inner peace she had been enjoying ebbed from her consciousness, and she was unable to fend off the inevitable any longer.
She opened her eyes blearily and saw Star Swirl laid down in front of her. This was most unusual; he was always dominant, in command, and had never before put himself down to a position where he was not in obvious control.
“Princess Luna?” he enquired softly, “Take your time to recover; there is no rush.”
She tried to move, but her body was wracked with lethargy, and it was as much as she could muster to raise her head.
“What happened?” she struggled.
“If you look up to the sky, you will see” he replied sagely.
His tone was subdued, yet somehow carried an understated gravitas that demanded her compliance. Just at the same time, she felt a soft nuzzle from the side where she vaguely remembered her sister to have been, a gentle nudge that seemed to be encouraging her to raise her muzzle and look up.
She began to raise her head and saw reassuring wisps of her sister’s pink mane flutter across her vision, smiling in recognition of her comforting presence. She was about to turn to face her sister when she caught sight of the spectacle that awaited her in the sky and froze in bewilderment.
The moon had risen; not just that, but the sun was keeping it company as they both looked down to the ponies on the balcony.
Suddenly, Luna was wide awake and swung her head back to face her tutor.
“Star Swirl, what has happened?” she gasped.
“You have come of age, Princess Luna” he replied, “I bow before you as Diarch of the Night.”
“Lovely cutie mark, Woona” Celestia commented, filling the awkward silence when her sister’s mouth fell open.
“I have my cutie mark?” she gasped, turning her head to catch sight of her flank, “What is it?”
“It is beautiful” exclaimed Celestia admiringly, as her sister tried to twist her body round to see, “A crescent moon – I cannot imagine anything more fitting!”
“Your Majesty” said Star Swirl, “You received your cutie mark when you bonded with the moon. The two of you have become extensions of each other, and will now be so forever.”
“Have you got yours too, Tia?” she asked excitedly, “Show me … please!”
“No Woona” she replied sadly, turning once more to see if it had appeared from when she had last checked a minute ago, “I guess I am just not ready yet.”
“Princess Celestia did not accede as you did, your Majesty” said Star Swirl, “But I do believe the time to be close at hoof.“
“But why have I got my cutie mark and Tia has not?”
“All of your studies have their roots in the darkness; especially your dark magic, your dream walking and painting the night sky. It is only natural that in these solitary occupations you would have already developed a subconscious relationship with the moon, as it has been your constant companion. Celestia’s studies have become more focused on politics and other inter-pony relations, denying her the opportunities to bond with the sun. While you are both equals and will rule Equestria together, you, Princess Luna, are the first to accede.”
“Will there be a coronation?” asked Celestia.
“Yes. Such a special event needs to be celebrated across all three tribes to cement their unity.”
“Can it wait until Tia gets her cutie mark too?” asked Luna, her sister's ears pricking up noticeably at the suggestion.
“This will be your choice as the sole Diarch of Equestria and therefore the most powerful pony in the land. A coronation for you would be a grand affair and help bring the unification of Equestria forward; it would also take the pressure off Celestia to feel she has to hurry her studies to meet a deadline.”
“But I love Tia” protested Luna,” You say I am a Diarch, not a Monarch, so we must be equals. I do not think it would be fair to hold this coronation and leave her out of it, since we are clearly meant to rule together. If it were the other way round, then I know she would do the same for me; Tia would never place herself before me, nor shall I ever pretend to be more important than her.”
The two alicorns rubbed muzzles in a gesture of sisterly solidarity, sparking a dark shadow of foretelling to flash suddenly through Star Swirl’s mind. He didn’t know whether it was to do with Luna's insistence to suspend the coronation or not, but the premonition was disquieting, and played off the inevitable differences between the two roles the sisters would each fulfill.
Try as he might, the mage could not get his thoughts to coalesce, as if trying to comprehend the texture of a cake from the raw ingredients. He would need time to think things through in the company of his scrying ball, but for now he had nothing specific to support his feelings, just a sense of future rift and isolation.
He bowed solemnly. Princess Luna had come of age and at a stroke had become his superior. He knew that the tribes remained fundamentally divided beneath the surface, and it was still by no means certain that the alicorn Princesses would succeed in being accepted, but they were not just the best chance for unifying Equestria, they were the only chance.
He had taught her all he could, and he knew that it was now essential for him to stand back and allow her to exercise her judgement. After all, if he were to expect everypony in Equestria to accept her as their leader, then he had to lead by example to do the same and respect her decision.
Although he knew Equestria was desperate for a leader to emerge and become established in preparation for the trials to come, he kept his counsel. He knew that a bumpy ride lay ahead, but openly arguing with the new Diarch was not the way to start, so bit his tongue and replied, bowing respectfully.
“Yes, your Majesty.”
