Author's Note
I was planning on having this story be published a few months before the G5 movie would release, but I was needing to really improve the way I write stories.
One of the many songs I was using to gain inspiration to write this story of mine.
Enjoy!
Past. Present. Future.
Celestia closed the throne room doors behind her. She moved a loose lock of mane out of her eyes and smiled at her sister tiredly as they started trotting through the hallways of Canterlot Castle.
“So, what do you say about Baron Braidwater?” Celestia offered.
Luna giggled. “That old bat? I swear, he needs new spectacles. Him squinting at the paper and reading so slowly was amusing at first, albeit it started irking me rather swiftly.” Both stopped briefly to nod to two night guards stationed at the end of the corridor. The two stallions saluted and with immaculate precision opened the door for the princesses to pass through.
“Yes, he is a pleasant stallion to be around from time to time, but prolonging the cabinet meeting a few hours just because he cannot read his own scribbles is grating at best. Especially when there is more work piling on my desk every minute.” Celestia sighed when another scroll popped into existence before her. Lighting her horn, she teleported it away.
“I still don’t understand what happened, sister,” Luna remarked. “A thousand years ago, somebody wanted to build a new statue, so they just built it. Now we need to sit through a half dozen meetings and sift through countless documents on the project’s funding.” She stomped her silver horseshoe on the floor.
“You’re exaggerating, sister,” Celestia said and gently bumped her with her hip. Luna flashed her a smile, one that temporarily concealed the dark bags under her eyes.
Luna then shook her head and stepped to the stained glass windows that flanked her left. They depicted the prominent moments of Equestria's history. A few had ponies providing food to others while many more showed the heroic actions and past military successes over the course of a millenium. “The clock never truly slowed down for us, Celestia,” Luna spoke. “How quickly time has gone by for all of us.”
“Time waits for no pony,” Celestia stated. Her lips then curled into a smile. “And yet, it feels like yesterday when we were foals. Remember the prank we pulled on the royal advisor back then?”
Luna smirked. “The one with the cake cannon or the cragadile in his bathtub?”
Celestia reached out with her wing and wiped away a smudge from the stained glass. “You know, both were pretty good.” She sighed and rubbed her temple. “Equestria has changed drastically ever since we reached marehood. Our parents told us that time would get faster as we got older. They weren’t lying to us.”
Luna looked at her. “Although true, I still have fond memories of our subjects back then.” She tapped at the pony figures in the glass before the two princesses turned and started trotting again. “Though they may have passed into the afterlife, they are not forgotten by us.”
“Indeed.” Celestia put one wing over her. “Even in death, they shall not grow old. And it’s our duty to ensure that their legacies remain for future generations to read and learn from.” She cleared her throat. “Same goes for those who have joined the guard throughout Equestria’s history and are still remembered in the present.”
Celestia raised her head and nodded to a few guards they just passed. Luna slowed down her pace to momentarily converse with two guardsponies that gleefully bowed to her. She then returned their salute and trotted back to Celestia’s side with a smile on her face.
“Some of them are more like family than guards,” Luna mused.
“They sure are.” Celestia smiled and waved to a little colt hiding behind one of the guard’s legs.
While resuming through the hallway, they looked to more stained glass windows that protruded on both sides of the corridor. Similar to the previous ones they had inspected, some portrayed them as the sole rulers of their kingdom. They stood as guardians to their lands. Always on alert. Never too slow to bring everlasting peace to all corners of the world. A rigorous task, but they ensured no danger would come to their citizens.
They continued on, only to almost immediately stop at a window that showed Princess Twilight surrounded by her friends. Their expressions were that of determination, resilience, and bravery. Twilight’s wings were spread out, and her front hooves extended outwards as if she was trying to reach for the stars.
“She really grew up fast, didn’t she?” Celestia looked over to Luna.
“Indeed, she has,” Luna replied with a smile. “Not just her, but her friends as well.”
Celestia nodded while folding her wing back to her side. Both her and Luna resumed their walk through the castle. Soon, they reached the doors that led to a balcony. Celestia grabbed the door handles in her magic, and the passage opened to reveal the evening sky.
It was beautiful. Birds flew high over the orange-red scenery bathed in the glow of the setting sun. There were a few clouds that covered the skies, but they weren’t an eyesore. Rather, the cirrostratus clouds made the view even more beautiful.
To Celestia, it felt like an artist decided to treat the world below as a canvas and used the most elegant brushes at their disposal. It was such a magnificent, beautiful piece of artisanship for everypony to gaze upon. However, it was time to replace this canvas with another piece of art, one no less stunning.
Celestia’s horn radiated a golden color as she used her magic to lower the celestial object out of sight. The moon surrounded by Luna’s magic brought in the night as the stars graced the skies in their beauty.
A smile came to Luna’s face. “The night is beautiful, isn’t it, Tia?” She glanced at her. Celestia gave her a cheery grin.
“Always has been, Luna,” Celestia said while both oversaw their city. Seeing the moon’s light shine upon Canterlot and its inhabitants was something they both looked forward to checking every night. They both glanced up to the stars that shone bright in the night sky as the street lights flickered on.
There were still ponies roaming around the city. The princesses could hear some of their conversations while they watched fillies and colts with their families still playing in parks or heading home from restaurants.
Luna’s eyes wandered to the silhouette of Ponyville in the distance. She turned to face Celestia.
“Sister,” Luna said calmly, “how well do you believe Twilight will do when we pass our power over to her?”
“I know she will do well,” Celestia responded while she too looked over to Ponyville. Her eyes focused on the castle that Twilight was living in, lit up along with the rest of the village. “She has proven herself worthy of our subjects. When the time comes, she will be ready to become the leader of this kingdom.”
“And what of the generations of our citizens who she will lead?” Luna asked with a voice of concern. “We’re not talking about one generation. We’re talking about a thousand years worth of generations, maybe even more depending on how long she wants to remain the ruler. Is she going to be able to see to their needs?”
Celestia was silent for a minute, her eyes still focused on Ponyville.
“Tia?” Luna prompted.
Celestia clopped her hoof on the balcony’s railing, then spoke calmly, “Her generations will do better compared to ours, Luna. I have faith in her. It’s time for the torch to be passed on to a new leader that will surely not fail them in their time of need.”
“Even so, sister, can you truly put all your faith in her? She’s one of the youngest alicorns that you and I have known. Flurry Heart is still a foal, yet I know she’ll have an easier time learning how to rule the Crystal Empire. We’re talking about Twilight, sister. She wasn’t born from royalty like we were.” Luna sighed when Celestia just grimaced.
Before Celestia could get a word in edgewise, Luna continued, “We can’t simply allow ignorance to blind us when talking about her.” She pointed a hoof at Celestia. “Faith can go so far, and I fear that both of us are prematurely throwing her into something that she’s not emotionally ready to embrace.” She stomped her hoof. “We’re also talking about politics, diplomacy with other nations, the economic and financial institutions of Equestria, and plenty of other complex problems that could cause a power vacuum that she’ll have to fill on her own. Can you even be certain that she will provide peace and security to her kingdom?”
Celestia put a hoof under her chin. “There are two things that you and I have yet to discuss, Lulu.”
“And what might that be?”
“Determination and hope.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “Determination? Hope? Enlighten me, please.”
“Determination is something that you and I have always stuck by, Luna.” Celestia turned to face her. “Whenever there are turbulences that strike us in our darkest hour, there’s always going to be a sense of hope and determination. No matter how hard the road may be for her, these virtues will be her source of light down this road that we took back when we were her age. Through darkness, ambition will guide her in her goals.”
Luna nodded after a short moment of hesitation.
“Never stop fighting, no matter how hard things may get,” she remarked. “You make a good point. Still, some may be led astray by mere ambition alone, but I believe her friends will be there to aid her as well.”
Celestia bobbed her head and returned to gazing over the darkened streets of Canterlot. The two of them stood in silence, listening to the distant sounds of the bustling city going to sleep. “I apologize, Luna,” Celestia said after a while, “but I sense it’s time for me to retire back into the castle.” Luna nodded as Celestia turned around and trotted away, leaving her all alone on the balcony.
Luna looked forward, straight into the unknown. She bit her lip. Despite what her sister told her, there was a sense of uncertainty. Was Twilight truly ready to rule Equestria?
Can she really continue on to grow as a pony, propelled ahead by friendship? Luna thought while looking down. I know I learned much from her on this, but will she have the endurance like we do?
She sighed and used her magic to right a stray star in the sky. Could she lead Equestria to a dark path while we are no longer in control? We spent ages to ensure that everything runs smoothly, but the one thing I fear most is that she might unravel everything that we’ve set up. Friendship means everything to her, but what if that philosophical mindset is eventually rendered obsolete in the future?
Then again, Twilight knows that society continues to evolve, Luna thought. It was then she recalled one of the last sentences Celestia said to her.
It’s time for the torch to be passed on to a new leader that will surely not fail them in their time of need.
“Is the future going to be bleak… or be beneficial for her?” Luna asked aloud with hestance. “When me and Celestia are gone, Twilight might be unable to govern Equestria.” Her frown turned into a smile when she felt more and more minds of dreamers pop up in the city below.
But maybe. Just maybe Twilight was ready to take that extra hoof. It was then Luna looked up to the stars, seeing them shine brightly as if they were trying to talk to her. A noticeable grin crossed her lips.
“I believe that time has already come, sister.”
