At first, there was nothing.
Until suddenly there was.
She was.
She was Light. She existed wherever her influence took her, which was everywhere all at once.
Until suddenly it wasn't.
There was a single spot that existed where she hadn't. There was a single spot not touched by Light. Not like the void that came before all, but something that existed in the absence of Light.
Someone that existed outside of Light.
Created by Light, Shadow was born.
Her daughter was born.
Her daughter.
Her beloved and precious child, who lit up her world more than Light herself.
But they could never touch. They communed, they felt, they loved, but could never truly meet.
Until her child had a brilliant idea. She could pool her power. Pool it together until it creates a form. The mother followed suit.
They could see each other; they could meet each other for the first time. 'I love you' no longer had to be commune from out of view.
So, their forms existed, the Sun and the Moon.
Time passed in a blink for the Mother and Daughter. They felt other life. Not like their own, but unique in its own way.
A rock, a planet. Larger than the Daughter but dwarfed by the Mother formed and on it: life. It took on so many forms and names, but there was one that sparked interest.
Ponies. They'd soon learn. Powerful creatures capable of emulating the pairs' strength in many ways. Two stood out and spurred an idea within the Moon. These two ponies stood above their brethren, they possessed just enough control and capability to be useful.
You see, the forms that were the Sun and the Moon allowed the two to be closer than ever before, but this new life raised the bar on what it meant to be close. When watching the little ponies, the Mother could not help but be jealous. She saw mothers find love, raise a child and get to see the child prosper. Whereas she could only gaze upon her daughter from a distance.
To hug and hold her close would mean the world to her.
The daughter agreed and the daughter enacted her idea.
She shared a bit of herself with the younger of the two most powerful ponies. The one named Luna. She gave that pony the power to control her Moon's movements. The Sun saw her actions and replicated them.
Soon the two ponies were Princesses of their world, and the pair were just a little bit closer.
The next part of the daughter's idea was slow even by their standards. The Princesses' bodies could only manage so much, so they had to be molded, fixed.
They wouldn't make good vessels otherwise.
The Daughter went first, so that the Mother could follow her lead. She poured her power into Luna, increasingly more of it until their very thoughts mingled. Luna had to be persuaded, but eventually the daughter had a body.
Nightmare Moon was born.
Nightmare Moon was imprisoned.
Downsizing their scale to mere celestial bodies had handicapped their strength, but it was all worth it. Downsizing yet again was an endeavor worth the world, but that meant that they'd have to follow life's rules.
The ponies were their means of salvation but were also such annoying roadblocks. Downsizing meant growing closer, but also meant that life could fight back.
When Nightmare Moon was banished to the husk that had previously been her child's form, the Mother wanted to raze. The Sun wanted to bring herself upon the creatures that tore her opportunity away from her, that pushed her daughter further away than she had ever been.
But she soon calmed. She was Light. Light would persist. She would follow through Shadow's plan and once she was released, they would be together.
Everything would be perfect.
Now, if only the Solar Princess would stop resisting.
Through fear and pure determination, Celestia hadn't fallen under control like Luna before her. Every bit of power taken from the Sun was cast out before any grip was made. The Princess used the power to heal, fight, restore and repair the small planet she lived on and the life that was upon it. She could hear the Princess' thoughts but was not allowed to interact with them. So many needless things were being broadcasted every day and everyday sent a pang through her heart. A small piece of her, the exceedingly small piece of the Sun that managed to find hold, had the gall to consider the effort fruitless.
Until Celestia stopped expending her power.
Something changed. The Princess found something that made her keep hold of that power instead of dispersing it. That something was more important than anything else, that somepony was more important.
The Mother analyzed the thoughts of the princess until she found a name.
Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia's daughter.
Perhaps not in blood, the Sun did not care. In the Princess' heart, Twilight Sparkle was her daughter.
And she was perfect in every way.
The Mother implored the Princess to hoard her close and she responded. The filly was taken from the parents she was born with, she was encouraged to study, learn and develop under her watchful eye. She would remain within Canterlot, where she could be protected and cherished.
Things were approaching perfection.
Until Celestia sent. HER. AWAY.
Just a few hours before her Daughter's vessel could be abandoned for somepony more fitting. The Princess sent her baby girl away the moment she saw that letter.
The moment she was reminded of her beloved sister.
For that small moment, for the very last time, Celestia's thoughts were entirely her own. Long enough for her to write a reply and have Twilight Sparkle leave for Ponyville.
That night was the worst in existence.
For the Sun to be brought so close to her child after so much time spent apart, only to have her consciousness dispersed across the globe....
There aren't any words to describe that rage.
It made the Mother respect the Princess for not caving into the hatred forced upon her. She had been driven so close to twisting Luna's neck during that loving hug.
Unfortunately, those emotions wouldn't go unnoticed. The Princess, normally so rational and open, allowed fear to take greater hold of her actions. She was smart to be afraid, but it didn't quell the Sun.
It was just a delay.
Thirty painful years passed, the slowest she's ever felt.
Celestia had distanced herself from Twilight Sparkle. The filly was her student, her student, student, student. Twilight Sparkle was her faithful student. She'd learn, grow and diversify so much better with a change of environment.
And had she.
Twilight Sparkle stood against monstrous foes, she evolved into an alicorn, even learned how to control the husks that were those celestial bodies.
She was the Princess of Friendship.
She was Ruler of Equestria.
She was perfect.
The Sun could be denied no longer.
. . . . .
"Sister?"
"No." The Sun spoke.
Those were her first words.
She felt them leave her lips, she smelled the ash in the air, she heard Luna cry out in shock, she saw that dumb look on that pony's stupid face.
The Sun held a hoof to her chest.
Is that what emotion felt like to a living being?
She liked it.
She looked Luna over, realization and horror finally dawning upon her 'sister.'
Daybreaker would very much enjoy this.
. . . . .
Luna would survive. She would reach Canterlot and from there, allies were called, and resources gathered.
Daybreaker had planned for this.
The Everfree was razed. The Pillars went missing. The Crystal Empire was attacked, its Crystal Heart shattered. Discord was strewn about. Even a certain trio of stone statues were reduced to rubble.
When the day approached that Canterlot would make its final stand, the ponies grew desperate. Luna grew desperate. She called upon power that she hadn't touched in over a millennium, a force that hadn't been felt in thirty years.
The Mother's heart rate rose with elation. Her Daughter had returned.
Nightmare Moon had returned.
Nightmare Moon was abandoned.
Shadow could see it as clearly as Light that Luna was not the proper vessel. Not when the Princess of Friendship was right there.
. . . . .
"Twily!" Shining Armor, mane dotted with gray hairs, held his sister closely. "Not you, too! Please, Twily!"
Twilight Sparkle convulsed and twitched in his grip. Her eyes wild and throat raw from screaming.
Daybreaker hated the noise. Each shriek sent shivers through her body. Yet, she could understand her Daughter's haste. Returning to consciousness after several decades had spurred an eagerness to rush things. That eagerness led to Twilight Sparkle's agony as her body was rapidly fixed.
"What did you do?!"
She wanted to laugh but realized that the stallion wasn't talking to her.
"It left me." Luna lay limply on the floor. "I failed in fighting it for centuries... and it left me."
The room went quiet. The Princess was still.
"Twily?" There was hope in Shining Armor's voice. The poor boy.
"M- moth-"
Daybreaker waved her wing and removed the others from their presence. She was quick to approached and embrace the other alicorn. She whispered hushed nothings and did all she could to soothe the pain.
It wouldn't be long now. Just a little bit longer and things would be perfect.
"Mother?"
Until the end of time.
Author's Note
Random idea I had a few days ago, so I decided to write it down. A mixture several topics I got from reading a few other stories and listening to Scribbler. I just wanted to create a grimdark-esqe story that could swing either way at the end.
Read a story where Celestia had a serious case of empty nest syndrome after Twilight left, and another where Daybreaker was in love with Twilight so she hunted her down and corrupted her.
It wasn't until I listened to a story where Celestia dies and Luna loses control of the Sun that I had this particular idea. The specific line I remember was "They've gone feral" (chills by the way), which somehow fused with what I was reading at the time and turned into this?
Anyway, please comment what you think. I'd love the validation.
Also, I'm not sure what tags would be best for this, so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.
