Narrator: The two sisters would wake in the middle of a horrible forest. Luna noticed right away and started wailing in distress.

Luna hung her head. “I was barely talking at that time. One could say that I was a sitting duck.” She straightened up and tightened her face. “Thankfully, I am much more powerful and I now can take care of myself.”

Applejack tilted her hat down. “Yer lucky ya have such a brave sister, yer highness.”

Celestia deeply sighed. “I think our bravery was really needed during those times.”

Twilight sniffled. “You really are the bravest ponies ever!”

Celestia starred in worry, but quickly got into comforting Luna. “It’s okay, it’s okay…” She looked around, mind in frenzy, “...we just have to find out why we’re here.”

Luna whimpered. “B-but I want mommy and daddy…!” her little tail whipped in distress.

Celestia pushed a few strands of her mane away. “I’m sure we can find them.”

“Uh, why does she sound so much older?” Rainbow nervously laughed. “She’s barely Scootaloo’s age in that moment!”

“Alicorns age a bit..differently than usual.” Celestia explained.

Luna nodded. “That was another hint that our parents got that we were destined to control Equestria. Our sudden tendencies to act much older then we really were stopped after we turned 700 years old, but it was nice while it lasted.”

Twilight made more mental notes to get her hooves on old texts.

“Not for a while, or maybe even ever.”

Narrator: The god of Earth made his appearance. Luna screamed and hid in her older sister’s legs.

“Rude.” Twilight sniffed. “He couldn’t be a bit nicer?”
“Uh,Twi?” Rainbow deadpanned. “Last I saw, the gods are not nice.”

“They’re quite the vague ones..” Rarity remarked.

Celestia whined, making sure she was closer to her younger sister still. “W-who are you!?”

“I am the god of Earth. If you wish to return home you must find your destiny.” The god had twisted horns and was made of dirt and leaves.

“W-what do you mean by our destiny?” Celestia asked, her tail thumping a little for emphasis.

“You make your own destiny. Not us.”

“What’s THAT mean?” Rainbow scrowled.

AJ shook her head. “It means that only ya can choose what choices ya make, not other ponies!” she huffed in annoyance.

“Or it can mean that you sent helpless filles into a world that seemingly wants to make sure they suffer…” Luna said darkly.

Twilight whimpered. Poor Celestia and Luna. They were still so young, and yet the gods tore them away from the ponies they needed guidance from!

Celestia grimaced as she watched the scene play out. Another memory she wished to never relive…

“Are you ok, Tia?” Luna tilted her head at her sibling.

“It feels...awful to see this again, I’ll admit.” Celestia responded, painfully looking at her sister.

Luna gave the elder alicorn just as painfilled expression.

The god vanished. Luna was sent into a sobbing crying mess, wailing for her parents.

Rainbow turned her head away, not wanting to see the screen in fear of tearing up. “I feel bad….”

“As ya should!” Applejack hung her head. “Can’t believe the gods would just throw young filles into a forest! There could be Timberwolves!”

Luna visibly blanched at ‘Timberwolves’ and suddenly looked like she was eating a lemon.

“Wolves…” she whispered, trembling violently.

Celestia immediately came to her sister’s comfort, holding her and using her wings to shield her eyes. Luna was thankful for her sister’s actions, but she was afraid that any attempts of talking would turn into a blubber.

Celestia was confused, scared, but not alone. She turned her attention to Luna. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna change all of this. Somehow.”

“You p-promise..?” Luna sniffed. She was still so little and weak, there was no way she could fend for herself at all.

Celestia nodded. “I promise.”

“We should all aspire to be like you, Princess Celestia!” Twilight sniffed. “I feel like a foal whenever I see how much you bear for the sake of other ponies…”

“You do your best, Twilight. You all do.” Celestia complimented. Rarity and Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush at that.

Rainbow smugly took in the praise before pointing at Pinkie. “I think Pinkie is somepony we could never be like! I mean, she once crawled into my cupboard and somehow ended up in Twilight’s house!”

Twilight’s blush disappeared as she scowled at her crush. “Really, Rainbow? Why did you feel like saying that?”

“And how is that related… to the topic at hoove?” Luna croaked at the Element of Loyalty, still somewhat hidden by Celestia’s giant wings.

Rainbow let out a bunch of letters before huffing and drooping her ears. “W-whatever, let’s just watch this dumb show.”

Pinkie giggled knowingly, then turned her attention back to the screen.

Luna whimpered before ducking from her sister’s legs. “W-where are we?”

Celestia looked around. “Uhh...I don’t know. Just looks like we’re in a random forest.”

Narrator: The two sisters looked around, stumbling across a city next to the woods. It was filled with ponies who didn’t give a rats ass about anyone, nevertheless homeless ponies. Celestia and Luna soon got beaten and starved on a daily basis, fighting with the other homeless ponies and fellow filles for water and trash. Soon it had been months.

The entire theater gasped, and Robot paused for she figured a conversation was about to happen.

“You were… homeless beggars?!” Rainbow Dash’s face was conflicted and torn. It was so hard to see Equestia’s tall, proud royal sisters begging for food on the street. “That’s a bunch of haystack…!”

Twilight stared, her jaw hanging at the sight of the scrawny, dirty filles that would become powerful rulers. “Oh my gods…”

Applejack lightly slapped Rainbow. “What did ya expect?! They had no choice!” tears burned in the farmer's eyes and it took a lot of effort to not make them spill over.

“How did you two even live like this!?” Pinkie asked, tearing up. Celestia cringed a little as she watched the scenes.

“I… I don’t…” Luna pawed at her face, trying to calm down the hurricane in her head. “It was too long ago… it was mostly big sister getting the scraps or dirty water.” The Moon Princess let out a sad sniffle. “Those days were almost as bleak as my banishment.”

“I tried my hardest to keep us two together and alright. But it couldn’t stay like this forever.” Celestia hugged her sister, tighter this time.

Robot unpaused the show, annoyed that the conversation wasn’t longer then he predicted.

Narrator: Celestia was trying to rest on her scuffled bed, made with materials laying around her, but the stress was too major. With trying to protect Luna and surviving on the streets, things just didn’t seem to be looking bright anymore. She longed for her parents and the kingdom again.

Luna whimpered and nudged her sister. Her fur was clinging onto her frame, and she looked more frail by the day. “M-maybe we should go back to the woods…”

“What?!” Twilight screeched. “Why would you do that?!”

Luna let out a low growl. “You would be wise to shut your mouth,” she began,”...Before I snap.”

Twilight whined and sank into her seat. “I... understand.”

Celestia held her sister’s hoof to calm her once more. “We didn’t really have any other better options at the time.” She explained.

“It was that or starve on the streets, and I don’t know about ya guys, but the woods would be a better option!” Rainbow waved her foreleg in dismissal.

Applejack looked down. Sure, her family farm could be much better if it wasn’t on the edge of ponyville, but she had learned to appreciate the fact that she had a roof to block out the bad weather and a bed at night. Luna and Celestia were taken from a royal family, and to go from having everything to nothing must have been awful.

Celestia weakly replied. “Perhaps, this place isn’t doing us any favors…”

Rainbow blinked. “No bit, sherlock.”

Luna let out a loud growl.

“Uh, Rainbow, maybe it’s for the best to not comment on this like that…” Rarity said.

The mare fearfully nodded, the hint given and accepted.

Luna wailed. “No! It’s smelly and everypony here is mean and I am so hungry!” her frame shook violently.

Celestia held her closely. “Exactly.”

“Damn… she even says the same tings she does nowadays…” Applejack let out a low whistle in awe. “Always the caring one…”

Rarity couldn’t help but think about her own past actions as a sister. “If only I were the same a few years ago..” She lamented.

A blue leg rested on Rarity’s shoulder. “Come on, Rares, stop beating yourself up about it! You give Sweetie Belle plenty of attention nowadays, so don’t sweat!”

Rarity gently smiled back. “I suppose you’re right.”

Luna blinked, her tiny horn had a crack in it from when some crackhead(no pun intended) had smacked her after the fily attempted to steal his rubble. “So we can leave?” she said hopefully.

Celestia stood up, getting herself together after almost tripping on her makeshift bed. “Yes, let’s go.”

“Thank the gods,” Twilight sighed in relief. “You two would not have lasted one more week! I could see your ribs…”

“I can't even think about a world without the princesses!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Luna’s face twisted into a painful smile. “We thank you for the kind words, but that world did exist more than 2,500 years ago, and Equestia fared just fine.”

“You’ve managed to save it from harm numerous times. Who knows what could’ve happened if you two weren’t around…” Fluttershy shivered.

“Dude, you two are epic!” Rainbow went slack jawed. “Without you two, our butts would have been handed to us long ago!”

Twilight tilted up her chin. “You two make Equestria such an amazing place to live in. A world without you is a world I refuse to live in!”

“Ah agree with the others! You two do a mighty fine job keepin’ this place from falling apart!” Applejack smiled. “Wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Celestia smiled. “Thank you all.”

Luna bowed her head. “Thank you truly.”

Author's Note

Every time I see my past self use she/her pronouns I die a little more inside..
-Robot, who now uses he/him