Unwanted

by Vozzle

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Sad, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance
Length: 17782

An add-on story to "Lately" (Reading Lately is encouraged but not required)

Luna feels alone, rejected and unwanted in her life as a Princess. Her beloved sister Celestia has always been their parent's favourite. All she wants is for her parents to be proud of her, to give her just a tiny bit of the admiration that her sister is given. That is all she asks for. On one faithful day, when her parents and her sister are of to celebrate The Summer sun celebration, she finds friendship in the most unusual of places. But what happens when friendship turns into love and she is forced to fight the demons that haunt her every day.

(This is an add-on story to "Lately" although it is not required to read it for the purpose of this story. slight shipping, heavy emotions, and a little bit of swearing. It is a bit dark at some points of the story and I'm sure some of the Lately readers will dislike it but that won't stop me from doing it! You have been warned.)

Published 2012-01-07 03:39:52 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-01 20:00:29 UTC

Chapter 1: Wasting moonlight.

Wasting moonlight.

The young princess walked through the gilded halls of the massive palace that she called her home. Today was the day of The Summer sun celebration so everypony was walking through streets of Canterlot, praising the name of the royal family.

The silence was so evident in the palace halls that the sound of her hooves hitting the floor echoed through the place. She sighed as she looked down at the floor. “Everypony but me..” she whispered.

Luna was as her mother so casually called “A bastard child.” A foal born out of wedlock. Her father had an affair with one of the servants of the palace and from their union came Luna. An outspoken but sweet little filly.

His wife desired that the foal was removed from her mother and placed under the care of the royal family. This way they could pretend that the child was hers. It would be a great dishonour to the royal family if the truth was ever revealed. So she lived her life, hidden within the palace. If Luna hadn't been born an alicorn things would be a lot different.

The kingdom rejoiced with the coming of Celestia's sun. After a thousand years of darkness the world was enlightened once more. Everypony walked through the daylight happily but not Luna. No, she had always been different.

When the sun went down and the sky was dark and void she made her escape. She climbed out of her window and just ran through the night. There was always something so soothing and safe about shadows.

Perhaps it was knowing that nopony could see her. That she had the freedom to be herself. On one faithful night, when she reached the peak of her power, she lifted her horn to the sky and created her beautiful moon.

She looked in awe at her own power. She remembered how proud her parents were when they saw Celestia's sun and she was so sure of the fact that they would be just as proud of her but sadly, they were not.

Nopony was.. Nopony cared.. Hell, most ponies took forever to even notice it. Her parents were furious. “How could you soil our sky with that hideous lump of rock?” they said. All she ever wanted was to make them proud. She wanted the life that her sister lived.

So every night, after the sun went down. She ran outside and used all of her power to create a single star. They represented her sister's sun but they had her touch. And every night she would show her star to her parent's but they never paid any attention to it.

Eventually she gave up but she kept making the stars, one by one. Each of them meant something to her. She associated each and everyone of them with a certain event in her life, a certain feeling. And so, year after year, the sky was filled more and more with the tiny little lights that she adored so much.

So slowly, but surely, the night became brighter and brighter until the time came that she deemed it her own. She crowned herself as the princess of the night. A reflection of her beloved sister. She loved Celestia dearly, more than anypony else, but still.. she could never shake that feeling of jealousy.

Jealousy.. one of the pony's worst demons. It slowly eats at you, day after day. Taking a bit of you away with each painful bite. Until you start to change into something that the mirror doesn't recognize. It forces you to turn on the ones you love.

But the night did not last forever. Eventually, the time came that she had to sneak back to the Royal Palace, into her room. As an alicorn she had almost no need for sleep so she used the tiny amount of time between the descent of her moon and the ascension of her sister's sun to get her rest.

But the days often got lonely and this one was no exception. She filled her hours with study, learning everything about what it meant to be a princess but some of her hours were spent simply walking through the golden halls and corridors of the royal palace.

The sound of Canterlot's masses celebrating outside of the palace filled the air. She decided to take a look out of the window. Suddenly, she was greeted by the sight of hundreds of ponies, dancing through the streets of Canterlot, having the time of their lives.

The streets were covered in white and pink, in honor of the beloved princess Celestia. A small frown appeared on Luna's face. She turned her gaze to a small group of fillies playing and dancing happily to the music as confetti fell around them.

“I wish I could be out there.. I wish I was more like them..” she said sadly. Luna never had any friends, not because she was such an unfriendly pony though. In fact, Luna had always been a kind and playful filly. She loved to dance and sing, but never in the presence of her parents. It was “Unacceptable behaviour for a princess.” as they called it.

Luna decided not to dwell on it further and continued her lonesome march through the halls of the palace. She walked past the small chapel attached to the palace. She cleared her throat as the memory of that horrible night returned to her.

She still remembered it perfectly. Her mother had taken her and Celestia to learn about the concept of Love and courtship earlier that day. They were Princess' after all and it was expected of Celestia that she would one day marry a colt so that they could rule over Equestria together.

The foals of some of the richest stallions and mares of Canterlot were gathered in the palace so that Celestia could choose one for her studies. Luna could only hope that her mother would never force her to this. She was never all that interested in colts.

She did see the allure of romance though. Sometimes when she laid her eyes on one of Canterlot's fillies she could not help but feel attracted to them. Luna was far more mature than most fillies of her age, but never paid much attention to this attraction. In fact, she never thought there was anything wrong with it until that day.

After a few hours of what Luna could only describe as an embarrassing display of begging and show-boasting from the colts Celestia had finally chosen a lucky colt. None of them actually looked like they wanted to be there. They were foals after all and much to young for romance. But every parent in Canterlot wanted their foal to become Celestia's mate.

Their mother walked over to Luna who had been sitting awkwardly in a corner of the room as she so often did, avoiding any eye-contact. "So Luna." she giggled. "Would you like to choose out a cute little foal for yourself too?" she asked. This caused the little filly to hide her face behind her mane in embarrassment before she got up and walked as close to her mother as possible, putting her head to her mother's ear.

"But mommy.. I don't want to.." she whispered softly.

"Why not dear?" her mother asked, obviously taken aback by the fillies statement.

"I don't like colts.." she whispered even softer, not wanting anypony else to hear her.

"Of course you don't Luna." she laughed smugly. "You're far too young for that. But, you might as well choose one now rather than later." she said.

"No mommy.. You don't understand.." she said as the volume of her voice descended to a practically inaudible level. "I don't want a coltfriend. I want a fillyfriend." she whispered.

Her mother looked at her with a mix of confusion and anger. "Don't talk such nonsense Luna." she snapped at the little filly in a soft but obviously angered tone. "I don't want to hear another word from you. We will talk about this later." she said with a look of disapproval.

"But mommy.."

"That is final Luna! Go to your room." she said as she turned away from the filly and walked towards their guests to wish them farewell.

The filly heeded to her mother's orders and started to slowly walk up the large stairs in the middle of the palace hall. Small tears escaped from her eyes as she thought back at how angry her mother was at her and she didn't even know what she had done wrong.

Luna walked through the hallways of the royal palace, shaking on her little hooves as she did. Her mother had ordered her to come to the small chapel that stood attached to the palace that night. She already started to prepare herself for another one of her mother's yelling sessions.

She entered the darkened chapel, the dim light coming from the candles that filled the place bounced of the walls giving the entire place a dark, medieval touch. Her mother stood at a large bookcase standing against the wall of the room. Luna slowly shuffled over to her mother, keeping her head low to the ground all the while.

"M-mother?" she said softly. "You wanted to talk to me?" A heavy storm had swept over Canterlot that night and the sound of the rain attacking the palace filled the air.

"Yes dear, I wanted to talk to you about what you told me this afternoon." she said sternly. "You see, your father and I are very worried about this.. phase of yours. We simply can't have our daughter run around the palace saying things like that."

Luna, as naive as she was, had no idea what her mother was talking about. "What do you mean, mommy?" she asked in a silent tone. "I'm sorry if I did anything wrong.. I didn't mean to.." she said as she shied away behind her mane once again.

The stern expression on her mother's face turned to one of anger. She firmly grabbed the little filly by the arm and dragged her to the bookcase. "You don't even know what you did wrong!?" she yelled. as the filly started to cry heavily.

"Mommy, you're hurting me!" she cried out. Her mother grabbed a book out of the bookcase and forced the filly onto her haunches. She opened the book at a certain page and started reading. "If a mare lies with another mare as she lies with a stallion both of them have committed an abomination and must be put to death." she yelled.

The filly, obviously terrified by her mother's tone and words, had to muster all of her courage to speak up. "I don't understand what's so wrong about liki-" Suddenly she felt a heavy pain in her face as she fell to the floor. In her rage her mother had hit the young filly.

Her crying worsened as she put her hoof to her eye. "I'm sorry mommy! Please don't hit me!" she cried.

"I don't want to hear anything more about this obsession of yours! Go to your room!" she yelled causing the filly to run away in fear.

Luna quickly tried to force the memory out of her head but it was a lost cause. Tears started to pour from her eyes as she began to run through the corridors of the palace causing small streams of tears to fly from her eyes. She started running faster and faster. She just wanted to run away from it all.

Suddenly she collided with something causing her to roll over the floor and land into the wall. She groaned as she got up on her haunches and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. She examined the hallway to look for whatever it was that she ran into.

A young white earth pony filly lied collapsed on the floor, groaning softly in pain. Luna's eyes lit up as she ran over to the filly to help her up on her hooves. "Are you all right?" she asked with a voice of concern as she pulled the little filly up from the ground.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't looking whe-" suddenly the filly's face filled with horror as she looked at Luna. "Oh my god, Princess Luna! I'm so sorry mistress! I didn't see you coming!" she said as she bowed her head in a benign manner.

Luna truly hated it whenever ponies acted so timid and inferior to her. "That's ok.. I should have looked where I was going." she said shyly. "P-please.. stop kneeling." she said softly causing the young filly to get back up on her legs. Luna's heart suddenly fluttered as she looked into the fillies eyes.

She had a short mint green mane and shining golden eyes. The sunlight reflected off of her white coat. The filly was wearing a smaller version of the uniforms that the maids around the palace wore. "Thanks." she said as Luna helped her back up on her hooves. "My name is Lily." she said as she smiled at Luna. "Me and my parents work around the castle."

"Pleased to meet you.." she said shyly as she hid her face behind her mane. Suddenly she could feel the little filly wipe her mane out of her face.

"What are you doing silly!" she said laughingly causing Luna to blush slightly.

"I.. I'm a little shy.." she said softly. Luna was many things but shy wasn't one of them. There was something about Lily that just made her stumble over her words. "Why aren't you outside celebrating like everypony else?" she asked curiously. This caused the little filly to frown as she looked at the ground.

"I would love to.. but I have to work today.." she said sadly.

Being the clever little pony that she was, Luna suddenly got an idea. "As your princess I command you to spend the rest of the day playing with me!" she said in a royal voice as she tried to contain her giggling. This caused the little filly's frown to turn into a huge smile.

"After you, my princess!" she said, giggling twice as loudly.

The two laughing fillies entered Luna's immense private room. Lily's eyes lit up at the sight of the princess' quarters. "You sleep here!?" she exclaimed as she looked around the room. Golden tapestries hanged above the glistening windows that surrounded Luna's room. Dark blue curtains hanged from them, swaying in the wind. several toys were scattered across the floor and a massive bed stood against the wall.

"This isn't anything like the worker's quarters!" she said in amazement. This caused Luna to feel a bit guilty. She could never sleep comfortably in her bed at night, knowing how much worse other ponies had it.

"I don't spend much time here." she said as she got up on her bed. Lily cheerfully skipped after her and jumped onto the bed. She positioned herself right next to Luna causing a faint blush to appear on the princess' face. "so.. What do you want to do?" she asked.

Suddenly the sound of the street music filled the air of Luna's room causing the two fillies to get off of the bed and walk towards the window. They saw the ponies of Canterlot dance cheerfully to the music of the Summer Sun Celebration. Lily smiled broadly at Luna as she took her hoof and ran to the middle of the room.

"Wanna dance?" she asked happily.

Without so much as a warning Luna grabbed Lily's other hoof and started dancing through her room cheerfully. Sometimes their eyes would meet causing both of the fillies to blush slightly.

Chapter 2: Fading innocence.

Fading innocence.

A year had passed since the day that Luna first met her soon to be best friend. The two were inseparable. Whenever Luna got some free time on her hooves she would happily trot over to the workers quarters to smuggle her friend to her room. They would laugh together, play together, they shared their every single thought.

Luna had made a tremendous transformation over the past year. She had changed from a shy, timid filly to an overly active, happy one. At night, when Luna strolled through the darkened gardens and hills surrounding the royal castle, she wished nothing more than for Lily to be there, right beside her.

But sadly, she was an earth pony and earth ponies needed sleep. She would, often enough, sneak past the window of the worker's quarters, wondering if she should wake the filly up but she always decided not to. If her parents would find out that she was befriended with one of the workers they would surely forbid it.

Luna could already hear her mothers voice. "We are royal ponies Luna. We do not degrade ourselves by conversing with these filthy peasants. I forbid you to ever see that girl again!" Luna shuddered at the thought. She had never been as close to anypony before, not even her sister.

Whenever she felt down Lily would always try her best to find a way to make Luna laugh uncontrollably. They became closer every day. And so days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Luna never had to hide who she was around her friend, Lily told her that she understood, even when she didn't.

Lily was just, if not twice, as happy about their growing friendship. Every night, before she went to sleep, she would think to herself: "What does someone like her see in me? I'm nothing special." Lily shared a room with the other filly's that worked at the palace. She would often keep them up all night, rambling on about the countless adventures that she had with the princess of Equestria. None of them would believe her of course. Maybe they would if the excited little filly didn't tell the stories in a way that nopony, sane or insane, would believe her.

Luna groggily wiggled underneath her dark blue, silken covers. She smiled contently as she felt the warmth of her sister's sun glow through her massive window, it's rays still shining despite of the icy weather. She smiled broadly as she realized what day it was today. It was her birthday.

She slowly opened her eyes only to close them shut a second later. The sun's morning light had pierced her eyes causing a sting of pain to appear in her head as she rubbed her eyelids with her hooves. Luna had spent a little too much time in the castle gardens, practising her magic, last night.

As a pony, who used to sleep through most of the day and be awake at night, her newly developed sleeping pattern was taking a heavy toll on her. But she wanted to spent as much time with her best friend as possible and she couldn't expect the filly to disregard her much needed sleep.

After a few minutes of slightly opening and closing her sore eyes she managed to keep them open. Ignoring the slight pain that was still stinging in her head, she got out of bed and trotted out of the door. Unlike Celestia's grand festivals, Equestria didn't really get effected by Luna's birthday.

There were no parades running through Canterlot, there were no ponies dancing happily in the streets, and there were certainly no public appearances. Luna knew that her parents wanted to keep her out of view but she could never figure out why.

Ponies were aware of the fact that today was her birthday though. In fact, the main hall of the royal palace was literally littered with countless of wrapped presents for the young princess. They came from Canterlot's riches, wanting to appear good in the eyes of the royal family no doubt.

Luna was not nearly as happy as any other filly in Equestria would be at the sight of the massive pile of toys. She had seen it all before. She didn't really have any use for them seeing that her room was already stuffed with toys. Whenever Luna would open one of her presents she felt a slight feeling of guilt, knowing that others would have had way more use for it than she did.

After she, Celestia, and her parents were done enjoying the massive feast that they called breakfast Luna decided to return to her room for the day to continue with her studies. She pushed the door open and shuffled into her room in a dull manner.

"Happy birthday!"

Luna jumped up at the sudden sound, screaming frightfully as she did. She landed on the ground of her study with a loud thud. She opened her eyes to see a filly beam at her with bright golden eyes. The filly laughed loudly. "Didn't mean to scare you there Luna!" she laughed, helping her friend back on her hooves.

"Lily! You remembered!" she smiled happily. The two fillies entered Luna's playing room. Lily's eyes grew larger as she gazed at the massive pile of toys that was lying in the room, even more so than usual.

"Where did this come from!?" she yelled happily.

"Nobles.." Luna sighed. "I get loads of these every year."

Lily gave her friend a confused look. "Are you actually sad that you got hundreds of toys for your birthday!? You my dear Luna, are insane." she laughed. "Most foals can only dream of something like this!" she said as she circled the presents, closely examining the mountain of toys and wrappings .

"That's the thing! I don't even want them, I've got more than enough toys as it is! I'd rather have them go to someone else.." she said sadly. This caused a devious grin to appear on Lily's muzzle.

"You just gave me an idea, most esteemed princess!" she said with a playful grin. "Why don't we sneak into the worker's quarters and deliver our fellow foals from the evil that is boredom!" she said as she pointed her hoof to the sky in a heroic display causing Luna to laugh loudly.

"What do you mean?" she asked the over excited earth pony.

"I mean!" she exclaimed. "That you and I go and give your unwanted treasures to the foals that live in the palace." she said as she thought of the sad state that most of the foals that she worked with were in. Their life wasn't easy, the didn't have the time to play like other fillies and colts did. They had to support their parents by working for the royal family.

Luna's eyes lit up at her friend's suggestion, she loved nothing more than making others happy. Happiness was something that was given to her freely but she knew that many others were not as fortunate as her. She looked up at her friend. "Lily, you're a crazy genius!" she exclaimed.

"Luna!" she said with a tone of disappointment. "I much prefer the term mentally hilarious, thank you very much." she said causing Luna to put a hoof to her face as she laughed coyly.

Lily happily trotted through the gilded halls of the royal palace, Luna by her side. She finally had a change to prove their friendship to the other foals that lived in the palace. They dragged a large bag filled with toys over the white, marble floor. Suddenly, Luna felt Lily release the bag from her mouth and grab her tightly, jumping behind a nearby corner.

"What are!?" she tried to speak but Lily had put her hoof to Luna's muzzle.

"shhhh! It's one of the parents!" she said, look around the corner. "I forgot everypony was still here. We'll never be able to get past 'em" she said. "But what if.. Yeah! Lets return here tonight when everypony's asleep and dumb the toys into the children's dorm! We'll be like santa!" she exclaimed.

An unsure look appeared on Luna's face. "Are you sure about that.. It doesn't sound very safe." she asked.

"Oh, and a defenceless little filly sneaking out of the palace at night isn't?" she laughed. "Come on Luna! It'll be fun! What could possibly go wrong?" she said looking into Luna's eyes, summoning her saddest of puppy-dog eyes, her bottom lip shaking slightly.

"Oh god! Stop it!" Luna was never able to resist those eyes. Those big golden eyes. She covered her face with her hooves. Lily walked up to her and put her mouth to Luna's ear causing the alicorn to blush slightly.

"Pweeaaase Wuuuuna!" she squealed.

"Fine!" she yelled, obviously fearing which manner of persuasion her friend would attempt to use if she refused.

"You're too easy!" she laughed. "Anyway, I've got the day off today, wanna hang out?" she asked, beaming at Luna. The two fillies returned to Luna's quarters. They spent the rest of the day playing and talking about whatever they had done over the last few days.

"Mother is going to take me to another one of Celestia's Lessons" she said. "You should see those colts Lily, They're so desperate. It's just sad." she sighed. “I hate it there. Especially when I think about how she wants me to do the same in a couple of years.” she shivered at the thought.

“Rather you than me!” she laughed. “I don't need no icky colts circling around me all day. What's so great about 'em anyway!?” she exclaimed, hooves in the air. “I wish my parents wouldn't talk about finding a coltfriend for me constantly!” she growled.

“I know right!? Mine are even talking about me marrying one!” she said, sticking her tongue out to express her annoyance. Suddenly Lily's face lit up in excitement.

“I know! We'll just marry each other! Then they won't be able to tell us to marry anyone else!” she said, amazed at her own genius. Luna put a hoof to her face.

“Fillies can't marry fillies silly!” she said laughingly.

“Why the hay not!?” Lily yelled.

Luna shrugged. “I don't know. But mother said so, why would she lie?”

“I don't care, I'm marrying you!” she said, obviously too young and naive to understand what those words actually meant. But she had read enough of her mother's squishy novels to know how this worked. She got down on one knee. “Luna, will you marry me?” she said.

Luna laughed loudly at the foalish display. “Sure Lil, I'll marry you.” she said, trying to contain her snickering.

“I'll keep you up on that one!” Lily laughed.

Luna impatiently lied in her bed, practically shaking underneath the covers from excitement. She was going to meet her friend at night for the first time. She stared up at the ceiling, the night sky was depicted on the ceiling, hundreds of tiny stars painted on a dark background.

In the middle of the ceiling, above her bed, a large circular window was built. It allowed her to look up at her favourite stars. She continued to blankly stare through the large window, switching her gaze to the clock ever so often.

She sat upright in her bed and checked the time. “1 am.. She's late..” Luna sighed. “Maybe she isn't coming after all.” she said, looking down into her blue, silken blanket. Suddenly, she heard a mysterious tapping noise coming from above her.

She looked up to see a white hoof tapping the glass in her ceiling, soon followed by Lily's face grinning down at her. Luna looked up in disbelief. Her horn started to glow with a shadowy aura as she used her magic to slide the window open causing Lily to fall down, landing on top of Luna with a loud thud.

“Ouch! My wings!” she said as she angrily pushed her friend off of her. She stumbled back up on her hoofs.

Lily giggled. “Sorry about that. Didn't expect the window to suddenly open.” she laughed. She walked over to the large sack that was now filled with Luna's birthday presents. “So, are you ready for this!?”

“How the hay did you get up on the roof in the first place!? Do you know how high up we are? You could have hurt yourself.” Luna said.

“No need to worry about me! I've been roaming these roofs since the day we moved into the palace. There's a small window above my bunk bed. Luckily, I sleep in the top.” she laughed. “No need for wings or magic, I've got this baby!" she said as she wiggled a bundle of rope in front of Luna.

"B-but.. I don't fly so well.." Luna said softly. Lily looked at her friend with an annoyed expression on her face. Luna stood shaking on her hooves, a bundle of rope hanging around her neck. She had lived inside the castle for most of life and she was never allowed to go outside without a supervisor.

Needless to say, she had never developed any flying skills. "Come on Luna! It's only like fifteen feet high. All you have to do is fly up on the roof and throw me the rope so I can climb up there with the stuff!" Lily said.

"Ok.. here I go.." she whispered. She started to hastily flap her wings through the air causing her to rise. She hanged in the air, her hooves just inches away from the ground. Her wings started to beat faster and harder in an attempt to ascend the little filly further from the ground.

"You're doing it Luna!" Lily yelled as she bounced on her hooves.

Luna saw the window draw closer and closer. Beats of sweat ran down her face, she had to use all of her strength to stay afloat. "Almost.. Almost!" she thought. Her head reached through the window, the rest of her body still hanging high in her room.

She peeked over the edge to see a what appeared to be a rolling meadow of white roofs. The sky was dark, except for Luna's thousands of stars. They shined brighter than ever before that night. The moon hanged in the heavens, It's dim light shining down on Equestria.

Luna took the beautiful atmosphere in. Gazing at the higher parts of the castle that still towered above her. White, flowing rooftops surrounded her in every direction. She was so taken aback by it all that she didn't even notice her wings giving in. She yelled as she started to fall back into her room, quickly grasping at the edges of the window, being able to grab hold of it just before it was too late. "Luna!? Are you ok?" Lily yelled at the alicorn, hanging from the ceiling.

Luna looked down at the ground, instantly regretting that decision. Her wings were frozen to her back in fear as she held the edges of the opening in her ceiling with her hooves. It was a pretty long way down. Nothing that would seriously injure most ponies but she was just a foal. "I am for now!" she yelled back. She felt her hold loosen. "But I can't hold on much longer!"

Suddenly, the roof slipped out of her hooves causing her to rapidly fall down, screaming all the while. "Luna!" Lily yelled, jumping into action. Just before Luna was about to hit the ground she landed on top of Lily, who had jumped underneath the falling alicorn.

Lily collapsed to the floor as soon as Luna landed on her back, both of them hitting the hard ground of Luna's bedroom. "Uugh.. I guess we're even now.." Lily said in pain. "Can't you just flash us up there with that fancy magic of yours?"

Luna brushed the dust off of her shoulders. "I'm not supposed to use advanced magic for trivial tasks. Father would have my head." she said, shuddering in fear as she thought about the last time that she had abused her powers.

Lily looked up at the window. "This is no trivial task." she said, laughing loudly. "Come on! This is the only solution. Unless you want to give flying another try." She said, sending Luna a mischievous smile. She already threw the coil of rope over her neck, knowing all too well that Luna would never try something like that a second time.

Luna turned her head upwards. in all her years at the palace the ceiling had never seemed higher. She started to shake on her hooves again as her wings refused to leave her back. "Magic it is." Luna pointed her horn towards Lily and, within a brief moment of concentration, she flashed the filly up on the roof.

“You're almost there Luna! Just a bit more!” The filly groaned as she pulled her friend, plus a large bag of toys, over the edge of the window. Luna landed face first on the roof above her bedroom. She pulled herself back up on her legs and looked around.

She could not believe what she was seeing. She had never been up on the palace roof, let alone at night. The moonlight shone upon the roof tops causing them to glisten. The normally dull roof tiles looked like a sparkling sea of white stone.

Thousands of stars hanged in the sky, enlightening the heavens above. “Beautiful isn't it?” Lily asked, smiling softly at her friend. “I love the night.” she whispered into the alicorn's ear. Luna's heart skipped a beat at her friend's words.

Nopony ever told her that, nopony ever cared about her night, let alone loved it. A tear appeared in her eye as she hugged Lily tightly causing the earth pony to blush intensely. “Thanks Lil, you have no idea how much that means to me” she smiled.

Suddenly, a loud noise shook the heavens. Rain started to pour down upon the two fillies. Flashes of lightning started to burst through the sky, piercing the air. Lily, who had always been terrified of thunderstorms, grasped Luna into an even tighter hold as she closed her eyes in fear.

Luna could feel her friend shake in her arms. “Come on Lily! We've got to get going if we want to get this done tonight!” she yelled, trying to make her voice audible over the sound of the raging thunderstorm.

Lily opened her eyes but quickly closed them again as a flash of light blasted through the air before her very eyes. “Come on Lil!” Luna pleaded. The earth pony opened her eyes once more. The sound of the rain pouring past her was only bested by the raging thunder.

She could see hundreds of little raindrops bounce off the white marble roof tiles. “Ok.. Let's go!” she yelled. The two filles marched over the tiles, heading for the roof that stood above the workers quarters.

Often enough, their hooves would slip a bit over the wet tiles, the rain had made them dangerously slippery. “Watch your step Luna!” The filly yelled, the thunderstorm still blasting in her ears. They both pulled the large bag over the roof tops.

After a minute of careful tiptoeing they reached the intersection that stood between the worker's quarters and the private quarters. It looked dangerously steep, water pouring down its tiles. The two fillies looked at each other with an expression of uncertainty.

“Come on! We'll do it together!” Lily yelled as she took hold of Luna's hoof. The princess nodded at her with a look of determination. The two fillies carefully took their first step on the wet tiles. It sure was slippery, but they could manage to slowly, but surely, walk across it.

When they had walked halfway across the roof something terrible happened. The towers of the palace, reaching high in the sky, acted as a lightning rod in the heavy storm. A bolt of lightning blasted into the side of the palace causing Lily to scream in fear as she released Luna from her grip. The bag of toys flew over the edge.

“Lily! Don't let go of me!” Luna yelled as she slipped across the wet tiles, the rain still pouring past them. In a matter of seconds the earth pony snapped out of her state of fear and jumped after her friend. Luna flew over the edge of the roof but Lily grabbed her hoof as she jumped, falling on her belly. She jammed her back-hooves into the roof to keep them from falling.

So there she hanged, at the edge of the palace roof, about a hundred feet above the ground. The only thing that stood between her and a certain death was her best friend who was struggling to keep her from falling down. Their hooves clasped tightly as Luna started to cry, looking down at the ground far beneath her. “Don't let me go Lily! Help me!” she screamed.

“I... can't hold much longer!” she yelled as the edges of the roof tiles started to dig into her legs. The pain was unbearable, but she had to hold on, she just had to. Lily screamed as she used all of her might to pull Luna over the edge.

The alicorn flew through the air, landing on top of her friend. The two of them panted heavily as they lied on the white, marble roof tiles, the rain still streaming over them. Luna looked into the Filly's crying, golden eyes. “Lily.. y-you saved my life..” she panted.

Lily sat down on Luna's bed. She was wet all over. Every part of her body was in pain. Water trickled from her wet mane unto the sheets. Her legs were covered with wounds. The sharp tiles digging into her skin had left a mark. She noticed that her blood flowed from her legs and dripped upon The princess' bed. “I'm sorry, I'm making a mess..” she said, still in shock of what happened.

Luna ,who was also soaking wet, gave her friend a look of confusion as she sat down upon her bed next to her. “I don't care.. you saved my life!” she whispered, still shaken by the fact the she had faced an almost certain death just a few minutes ago.

“I would never let you fall..” she whispered into Luna's ear. “You mean more to me than anything else in this world!” she said as she drew her muzzle closer to the filly's ear. “You are the only bright spot in my life Luna..” she whispered.

Luna responded by hugging her friend tightly. A spark ignited in their hearts. The feelings that used to confuse Luna every day since she had met Lily finally made sense to her. They looked into each others eyes as their muzzles drew closer.

Luna could feel Lily's soft breathing on her face as she slowly neared closer and closer. Finally their lips met in a small, innocent kiss. Both of the fillies blushed furiously. As they closed their eyes. For what seemed like an eternity, the two fillies sat on top of Luna's bed. Finally Lily broke away from the kiss.

“I love you Luna..”

Chapter 3: Dancing stars.

Dancing stars.

Luna sat upon the golden floor of the large circular room that served as her father's library. The entire wall was filled with huge bookcases wich were in turn, filled with thousands of books. A large dome served as the ceiling of the place, a sunny sky with clouds was depicted upon it.

The sheer size of the place was starting to intimidate Luna. It reminded her of the church that stood attached to the palace. Luna thought that the reason for the excessively high ceilings of Canterlot's churches was to make the visitors feel as small and insignificant as possible.

Her father sat across from her, watching her with piercing eyes. “If looks could kill..” she thought as she tried to refrain from looking her father in the eyes. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, awaiting his will.

“Show me what you have learned Luna.” he said in a regal tone. That was all the encouragement she needed. She lifted her horn to the middle of the room causing it to glow with a dark aura. She closed her eyes in concentration. A spark flashed from her horn causing a cloud of black smoke to appear from out of nowhere and envelop the room in darkness.

She had to use all of her power to keep the spell up. The force pulsing from her horn caused her mane to violently blow backwards, dancing in the air. Suddenly, she could hear her father slam his hoof into the golden floor causing a gust of wind to fly through the room, clearing the smoke.

She looked up at her father's face with anticipation. She had been working on this spell for so long. She had spent so many sleepless nights behind her desk, finding the right incantation, memorizing it, perfecting it. She took pride in her magic, it was one of the few things that made her unique compared to her sister.

Her ears dropped as she looked up at her father. She expected a look of pride, of admiration. But all she could see in her father's eyes was disappointment, and anger. It was a look that she knew far too well. “What's wrong father? Isn't it powerful enough?” she said softly as she hid behind her mane.

“You have been forging spells again haven't you!?” he yelled causing the teenage filly to whimper in fear. “It is forbidden Luna, I have told you this before!” he snapped at her.

“b-but It's magic! You wanted me to learn new spells!” she pleaded.

“Don't you dare compare your witchcraft to our magic! You're making dealings with shadows you naive foal!” he yelled, placing emphasis on the last word. “Magic is meant to serve a pony, never rule over him!” He grabbed his daughter by the arm and dragged her into the palace halls.

“Father! You're hurting me!” she cried. He entered Luna's room, dropping the filly on the floor. “What are you doing!?” she asked as she saw him walk over to her little desk.

“This ends now Luna.” he said sternly. The alicorn pointed his horn towards the collection of self-written books that lied on top of Luna's desk. The filly's eyes filled with fear. She ran over to her father and tried to desperately push him away from her work but she was simply to young.. too weak.

Tears filled her eyes as she pushed into her father's legs with all her might. “You can't do this! Please, take anything from me! Anything! But not my books!” she cried.

“You must be taught that there are consequences for your actions girl.” His horn started to glow with a fiery red aura. A spark shot through the room, incinerating Luna's beloved books. She could feel a sting in her heart. The filly dropped onto her haunches, rummaging through the piles of ash as she cried heavily.

Her father said nothing. He simply observed the filly's emotional breakdown. He slowly trotted out of the room without speaking a single word. Luna gave up on her attempts to salvage any of her work after a while. “It's gone.. It's all gone!” she whispered in a pain, not even bothering to wipe the tears out of her eyes. “All those years of work.. gone.. and it's my fault! I shouldn't have disobeyed father like that! Now I have nothing!” she sobbed, her back facing the door.

“Nothing eh? Good to know how much I mean to you.” Lily giggled as she entered Luna's room through the window in her ceiling, as she had done many times before. Lily wrapped her arms around the sad filly as she smiled softly, oblivious to the miserable state that Luna was in. She planted a kiss on the alicorn's cheek, blushing softly. She could hear the filly whimper softly. She extended her neck to look straight into the princess' watery eyes. “What happened..?” she whispered as she hugged her tightly, pressing her muzzle into Luna's neck. She could feel Luna's tears dripping on her cheek.

The radiant beams of Celestia's sun shone through the window as Luna sobbed in her fillyfriend's arms, her eyes pressed into Lily's shoulder. She brushed Luna's back with her hoof, placing her head over Luna's playfully rustling her chin through the princess' dark mane. "I know you're upset but you're stronger than this Luna." she whispered into the filly's ear. "Come on.. cheer up now.. I hate seeing you like this."

Luna wiped her eyes with her hooves. She slightly lifted her eyes to look into Lily's. She could always find comfort in those big golden eyes. They always made her feel so.. safe. "Thanks Lil.. Don't worry, I'm not sad any more." she said, smiling softly. Luna shifted in Lily's arms. "You can let go of me now." she giggled.

"Yes, I can. But I won't." she smiled, brushing her muzzle against Luna's neck as she closed her eyes. "I'm going to hold on to you forever and ever! The lands may melt! The seas may swell! The skies may fall! But I will alw-" Her stomach rumbled. "Dinner time!" she yelled as she dropped Luna to the floor, trotting over to the door.

Luna groaned angrily as she rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. She got up on her legs and went after her over-active fillyfriend. Lily could sometimes be too much to handle for the princess. She didn't mind though, in fact, she always thought it was adorable.

Luna tried to avoid contact with her family as much as possible. They always found a reason to get mad at her when she was around them. It didn't even make sense most of the time but whenever she tried to reason with them she only ended up making it worse. After a while she gave up. Whenever her parents raged at her she simply stood their nodding her head, repeating the same sentence over and over again. "Yes mommy, you're right. I should have known better."

She never spent her time alone though. She could not shake the over excited earth filly away even if she wanted to. They spent all of their time together. They lived in their own little world, which was only inhabited by the two of them, far away from the hardships of reality. Far away from their families.

Luna finally caught up with the running filly. Her eyes fell upon the filly's cutie mark. It was a white lily. She had gotten it after she nurtured a little seed into a beautiful flower, with the intent of giving it to Luna as a birthday present. It was Luna's most priced possession. She kept it in a vase on her bedside table. She looked at the lily whenever the pony counterpart wasn't around to comfort her.

“quit hogging the berries!” Lily yelled as she sat in the tall, wet grass next to Luna. They were surrounded by several bowls of food. The sun was starting to set behind the horizon causing the sky to be filled with a dim, orange glow.

Luna finished nibbling on the juicy berry in her hoof and shot her fillyfriend a disapproving glare. “I'm eating them now. This is what's happening. Deal with it.” she said smugly, throwing another berry into the air, catching it with her mouth.

A devious grin grew on lily's muzzle. “Between you and me, I think you could use a little less food.” she said, nudging Luna's stomach with her hoof, laughing loudly.

Luna gasped. “My dear Lily, you always know just what to say to sweep a lady off her hooves.” she said angrily.

“Lady my flank!” Lily snickered. “A lady doesn't sneak off into the night to meet with her renegade fillyfriend!” Lily burst into a fit of laughter. “A lady doesn't munch away food like she hasn't eaten in weeks.” Luna's eyes narrowed as she started to shake with anger.

The alicorn threw the bowl into the tall grass and jumped at her target, pinning the filly into the ground. “Oh no you didn't!” Lily yelled, wrapping her legs around the filly that stood above her. She used all of her force to throw Luna off of her.

Luna felt herself tumbling over so she dropped her body onto the filly, grasping her as tightly as possible causing both of them to roll off of the blanket into the tall, wet grass. The two laughed loudly as they rolled off the wet, grassy hill.

After a minute of frantic wrestling on the uneven ground Luna got off of Lily, signalling her to stop as she panted heavily, exhausted from their playful fight. “Give me * pant* a second *pant* I can't” An evil grin appeared on Lily's muzzle. “This is my change!” she thought, charging towards the filly.

She jumped into her fillyfriend causing both of them to roll towards the largest drop in the meadow that stood next to the royal garden. Lily soon regretted her actions as she looked down at the massive descend that the two were about to make. “Oh buck..”

The fillies screamed loudly as they rolled off the hill with immense speed. They tightened their hold over each other as the wet grass rushed past them. “Lily! You moron!” Luna yelled.

“I regret nothing!” she yelled as the end of the drop neared closer. The ground underneath them became even causing the fillies to roll through the royal garden with great speed. Lily noticed that they neared a small hill. She braced herself for the jump. The two ponies flew through the air.

Lily groaned in pain. She lied on the ground, her back pressed up against the wet grass. She slowly opened her eyes. A blush appeared on her face. Luna lied on top of her, her face just inches away from Lily's. Luna's soft blue mane flowed over her face as she looked into the princess' cyan eyes.

Luna was looking at the pony beneath her with a furious glare. She was about to yell at her in anger. Suddenly, Lily lifted her head, pressing her muzzle against Luna's, kissing her softly. A furious red blush appeared on the alicorn's cheeks as she returned the unexpected kiss.

“You're really cute when you're angry.” Lily smiled. Luna rolled off the other filly, landing in the wet grass next to her fillyfriend. The two merely lied there for a while, looking into each others eyes. Luna was far too occupied with the object of her affection to raise the moon that night so the stars had the stage all for themselves.

An idea popped into Lily's mind causing her signature grin to appear on her muzzle. She quickly nudged the pony lying next to her with her hoof. "Tag! You're it!" she yelled as she ran towards the palace. Luna giggled loudly as she got up on her legs and started to chase the playful filly into the palace.

She ran through the halls of the palace, following the fluffy mint green tail as it disappeared behind the corners of the palace. Luna had to contain her laughter. She didn't want to wake the palace's residents. Luna saw the tip of Lily's tail slip through a darkened door at the end of the hall as she ran into the royal library. "Now I've got you." she grinned.

Lily hid behind a large wooden box. She muzzled her mouth with her hooves in an attempt to silence her breathing. The room was awfully dark. "She'll never find me here." Lily smiled. Her eyes shot open as she heard the sound of hooves stepping on to the cobblestone floor behind her.

She had to use all of her willpower to keep herself from giggling. Suddenly, a pair of dark blue wings popped up from above the box. "Now is the winter of your discontent!" Luna yelled as she jumped over the box and poked the earth pony in the stomach.

"Hey that hurt!" Lily groaned.

"All is fair in love and tag!" she yelled causing both of them to burst into a fit of laughter.

"Where are we anyway?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes as she peered through the thick darkness. Luna shrugged. She walked over to the wall, hastily running her hooves along it, searching for a light switch. Her eyes lit up as she felt the button with her hoof. She pressed it causing the torches that hanged from the wall to catch fire.

The large, stone room was littered with boxes and chests. A couple of bookcases stood against the walls, they were completely filled with all kinds of books and scrolls. A look of fear appeared on Luna's face. "The archives! We're not allowed to be here!" she said. But Lily was had already ran off, rummaging through the piles of books and scrolls.

Her eyes fell upon a heavily reinforced chest that stood in the back of the room. It looked really suspicious, as if someone tried to keep it away from sight. She trotted over to the chest and inspected it closely. Her eyes shot open as she read the text that was written over it. "Hey Luna! This one's got your name on it!" she yelled.

"Really?" Luna said as she trotted over to Lily with a curious look on her face. "What does it say?" she asked.

"Nothing beside your name really. I wonder what's inside." she said as she poked the lock with her hoof. "Can't you use your fancy magic to unlock this bad boy?" she asked.

"Probably." she shrugged, pointing her hoof towards the heavily locked chest. Her horn started to glow with a dark aura as a bolt of black magic shot into the centre of the lock. Suddenly, The chest started to emit a loud noise as a blast of air shot out of it causing the fillies to fly through the room, hitting the wall.

Luna groaned as she got back up on her hooves. "It's protected against magic." she said as she walked over to her fillyfriend to help her up. Suddenly a voice could be heard coming form outside the archives.

"What is causing that ruckus!" and old stallion's voice said. The two fillies eyes shot open in fear. They franticly looked around the room for a way out. Hoof-steps could be heard just outside the door. "Did the rats get into the archives again!?" the pony grunted. Suddenly, they heard the sound of keys shifting into the keyhole.

Luna threw her arms around Lily, holding on to her fillyfriend in fear.

Chapter 4: Broken Families.

Broken Families

The two fillies stood shaking in each others arms. The doorknob started to shake. The old custodian could be head grumping on the other side as he struggled to open the door. Lily desperately shifted her head in an attempt to find a way out. Her eyes turned wide as she noticed a large, wooden chest, lying a corner of the storage room. It was unlocked and stood wide open.

Without so much as a warning Lily grabbed Luna by the arm, dragging her towards their salvation. “What are y-” Luna uttered until she noticed what Lily was planning. Lily practically threw Luna over the edge of the large, opening, dropping her inside. She quickly jumped after her and closed the chest as the door to the storage room swung open.

The old, grumpy pony stumbled into the room, holding a lit lantern in his mouth. Lily was too scared to look, too scared to even breath lest the pony should hear her. All she could do was cling to the shaking ball of fur that lied beneath her.

Luna could hear her own frantic breathing as her heart pounded in her chest, faster than it ever had before. The only thing that overwhelmed the sound of her own fear were the custodian's hoofsteps. Her eyes shut tighter with every step that seemed to draw closer to their location.

The old pony swung his lantern through the darkened corners of the room. It looked old. Older than any other room in the palace. A layer of dust lined the books that laid in the creaking, unstable bookcases.

The gloomy light that glowed from the iron lantern reflected from the dusty, broken mirrors, creating a shimmering, dim light, flowing through the room. Luna knew what was at stake. The custodian would surely inform her parent's of her nightly adventure. She could only imagine their rage.

The grumpy, old pony let out an angry sigh as he checked the last corner of the room, swinging his lantern over the chest that the two frightened fillies were hiding in. Lily could hear the old pony's heavy breathing as her back scratched against the top of the wooden chest, they could barely fit into the thing, having to hold each other as tight as possible.

The custodian mumbled several curse words before he started to make his way towards the exit. The moment the door closed behind him the two fillies let out a heavy breath and closed their eyes as the tension left their shoulders. Lily kicked the top of the chest with her hind legs causing it to swing wide open. Carefully, she climbed out of the thing, helping Luna out afterwards.

“So what do you think is in thi-” Lily said until Luna jumped into her, hugging her tightly as a tear escaped from her eyes. The filly was clearly upset and frightened after risking the loss of her friend. Lily closed her arms around Luna as tightly as possible, brushing her nuzzle against Luna's “Hey.. come on Luna. It's over now. We're safe.” she whispered into the filly's ear.

Lily always acted the though girl but she had the biggest soft spot for Luna. That filly could get her to do anything, although she would never admit it. She felt Luna's frantic breathing soften as she calmed down. “So what do you think is in this chest?” Lily asked as she walked over to the large reinforced piece of wood that had the princess' name written over it. Suddenly, she felt Luna grab her arm. She looked over to the filly to see her look back into her eyes with a begging stare.

“I don't want to be here any longer Lily.. Let's go” she pleaded, still clearly distressed.

Lily sighed as she looked into Luna's blue eyes. “But! Who knows wha-” Luna's begging stare intensified causing Lily's legs to weaken. Lily turned her head to the chest and then back at Luna. “Fine.” she groaned.

“Come on Luna!” Lily exclaimed with her hooves in the air as she sat atop Luna's blue, satin covers. “We got in there with ease. There's no reason why we shouldn't be able to do so again. We just sneak in grab the thing and run out!” she said, bouncing slightly on Luna's bed in excitement as she did.

Luna, who was sitting at her desk, turned her head to the over-excited filly. “Why is this so important to you anyway?” she asked with a confused look. “It's probably just filled with dusty old tomes.

“They wouldn't lock it like that if it wasn't important. There's something in there that they don't want you to see. It should be important to you too.” she said pointing at Luna with a displeased look. “Aren't you the least bit of curious about it?”

Luna put a hoof to her chin in thought. “You can't open it anyway, It's immune to magic.” Luna shrugged. “You'd have to find some sort of dispel that can bypass magical defences. But I don't even know if such a thing exists. Give it up Lily, It's not worth the trouble.” she said.

A sly grin appeared on Lily's face as she turned to Luna's pillow and pulled out an old, black tome from underneath it. “Why don't we check this baby for help?” she asked playfully, swaying the book in front of Luna's eyes.

A shocked look appeared on Luna's face. “I promised father I wouldn't use that magic any more!” she exclaimed, grabbing the tome out of Luna's hooves and holding it tightly.

“Then why do you still have it?” Lily asked curiously. “Why keep it if you're not going to use it.”

“It has sentimental value OK!?” she said, walking over to her bedside and storing the tome underneath her pillow once again. Lily walked over to her stubborn fillyfriend and summoned her most adorable of looks. She pouted her lips as she batted her eyelashes.

“Pwease Wuna? I pwomise to be a good girl.” she said causing Luna's legs to become weak as she looked into Lily's begging golden eyes.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this.." Luna sighed as she sneaked through the gardens of Canterlot at night, Lily by her side. The black tome was strapped to her side. The tall grass, still wet from last night, rustled past their legs, creating a soft soothing sound. The sky was cloudy that night, Luna's stars could hardly be seen. The moon's light shone through a crack in the clouds, dimly illuminating the royal garden.

"You know you can't resist this!" Lily laughed as she swayed her mane back and forth causing Luna to put a hoof to her face in annoyance. "There it is!" Lily exclaimed while she pointed at the large, gilded door that stood at the side of the palace. Lily ran over to the door and nudged it open with her hoof. "You know, for the biggest palace in Equestria, this place is poorly guarded." she giggled.

The two fillies proceeded inside. The castle had a fearsome feel about it at night, especially with the moonlight hiding behind the clouds. they had entered the older part of the castle, the floors creaked with every step, even the princess of the night found it unsettling. Luna turned her head from left to right, searching for the door that led to the storage room.

She turned her head to see Lily, running off into the darkened corridors of the palace. Luna quickly ran after her. She turned around the corner to see Lily, stomping her hoof into an old wooden door. "Why won't you open!" she hissed. Luna quickly ran over to her fillyfriend, silencing Lily's mouth with her hoof. "Are you crazy? You'll wake someone if you keep shouting." she whispered angrily.

"The damned thing's locked!" Lily whispered.

Luna walked over to the lock and examined it closely, squinting her eyes as she did. "Don't worry, I can unlock this easily." she said pointing her horn towards the keyhole. A small string of blue light shot through it. Suddenly, a click could be heard coming from the other side and the door swung open, creaking softly.

A frightful silence greeted them as they slowly trotted into the darkened storage room. They could feel the cold stone underneath their hooves. Luna walked over to the large chest, unstrapping the book from her side and laying it out in the floor in front of her. She turned her head to Lily. "You guard the entrance." she whispered. Lily nodded and turned away from the princess.

Luna sat down on her haunches in front of the black tome. She salvaged through the pages, looking for the exact spell, mumbling words as she did. She narrowed her eyes as she found what she was looking for. "Voracious dispelling.." she whispered. "Attempts to consume all magical effects.. Yup, this should work." she mumbled to herself.

She pointed her horn towards the chest, lowering her gaze to the words that laid below her. Her horn started to emanate purple and red sparks as she whispered the words. Suddenly, a flash of magic jumped from the chest, seeping into Luna's horn. Luna felt a power that she had never experienced before. The large, wooden chest jumped open. Luna walked over to the thing to examine it's content. Several scrolls and letters seemed to be stored inside, along with a small purple book with the text "My little Luna." written over it. She carefully grabbed the first letter she could find.
____________________________________________________________________

Dear sir,

It goes without saying that I expect you to wipe every trace of the mother from
the archives. The girl will be removed from her and placed under my protection.
I expect your people to handle this with utmost discretion. If my husband's
mistakes are ever revealed to the people it would bring great shame to my
family.

Solaria, Queen of Equestria.
____________________________________________________________________

Suddenly, Lily fell to the ground as Luna rushed past her. She landed on the cold, stone floor with a loud thud. She groaned as she put a hoof to her head in pain. She could see Luna disappear into the darkness. Completely unaware of what was happening, Lily turned her head to the chest.

She noticed that an opened letter laid on the floor in front of it. She slowly walked over to the chest and picked the crumbled piece of paper off the floor. Her face went pale as she read its content. She walked over tot he opened chest to look inside. She saw several more unopened letters inside. She quickly scanned through them trying to contain her tears.

Lily stashed the Letters and the little purple book away in a bag and grabbed it in her mouth as she ran off after Luna. Lily knew where Luna would go. She ran outside, rushing through the royal garden. The tall, wet grass rushed past her legs as she ran. She would stumble over a rock from time to time, falling to the floor, but she quickly got up and continued every time.

Lily neared the centre of the garden as her legs started to bruise from the constant damage. She ran through the large, leaf-covered portal, entering a grassy clearing that was surrounded by bushes filled with roses as white as winter. She could see what appeared to be Luna, standing in the centre of the clearing, looking up at the sky.

Lily ran over to Luna, putting a hoof on her back. "Luna?" she whispered. Luna didn't respond. She simply stood there staring into the sky. "Are you ok?" she said softly in a caring tone. Luna quickly turned around to face Lily, her tears jumping through the air. Her face was covered with tear drops, glittering in the moonlight.

"No I'm not ok!" she yelled causing Lily to cower slightly. "I'm a no good bastard child! My mother left me because she hated me! I don't deserve this life! I don't deserve to live in a palace! To sleep in a bed!" she yelled, aggressively swaying her head as she did causing her tears to fly through the air. "So no, I'm not ok!"

Lily's eyes started to fill with tears. She couldn't stand to see Luna like this. No words could describe the amount of compassion that she felt for the crying, broken filly. "I'm useless.." Luna whispered in a hurt tone. That was it, Lily wasn't going to stand idly by as her love talked herself down like that. She stepped closer to Luna and hugged her tightly. She could feel Luna's tears roll onto her shoulder.

"I'm sure your mother loved you Luna.. Why wouldn't she? You're not useless, you're amazing and kind and caring." she whispered into the fillies ear as she brushed Luna's back with her hoof. She felt Luna push her away causing her to fall into the wet grass.

"Then why did she discard me like I was nothing!? Why did she let me go like that!?" she yelled angrily, barely able to talk through her sobbing. "No.. she didn't love me.. Nobody does.." she said before running off into the meadows that stood next to the garden. Lily quickly got back up on her hooves and ran after her.

The clouds that once roamed the sky had left Canterlot, leaving the sky open and clear. Every single star in the heavens could be seen clearly, shining down upon the lands. The crescent moon stood high in the sky, looming over Equestria. Lily had to muster all of her strength to catch up with her broken friend.

The wind blew past Luna's head as she closed her eyes in pain, trying to block out the thoughts that haunted her mind. Suddenly, she felt Lily jump atop of her causing her to fall into the tall, wet grass. The two ponies panted heavily as the raindrops that lied in the grass graced their coats.

Lily lowered her head to Luna's ear. "That's not true.." she panted. "I love you.." She rolled the crying filly over and hugged her tightly. Luna could feel the grass brush against her back as Lily held her in her arms. "You are my everything Luna. You are far from useless." she said as she let go of the alicorn.

The two fillies sat atop Luna's bed. Lily smiled softly at Luna as the weeping princess wiped the tears from her face. Lily grabbed her bag, removing the little purple book from it. "Here, read this." Lily said as she handed it to Luna. The filly accepted the book with a curious look on her face. She read the cover. "My little Luna." it read.

She opened the book, causing a little note to fall out of it. She tilted her head as she looked at the curious note. She picked it up and slowly opened it.

____________________________________________________________________

My little Luna,

I know sometimes everything might not make sense to you right now but know that I did
what I did because I wanted to give you the life that I never had. When I close my eyes
I can see you crying, I can see you sad. That's not I want for you. I allowed them to
take you because I knew that you would have a better life there. I could never give you
what you deserve.. My little Luna. You are in my prayers, every night.

You're lying here next to me as I write this, fast asleep. My beautiful girl, I am giving you
the chances that I was never given. You are destined for greatness. This life is not good
enough for you, you deserve much, so much more. And I know that I will regret this
decision. And I know that I will hate myself for letting you go. But, it's for the best. It would
be selfish to keep you.

I smile as I look at you, sleeping softly, without a care in the world. Did you know that you
used to refuse to go to sleep unless I held you? You were such a stubborn little filly, and I
loved you for it. Know that I would have given an arm for you. I would have given anything
to make sure that you lived a good life. So the best thing that I can do right now is give you
to them.

You will always be my little princess.

____________________________________________________________________

Luna's tears fell upon the old piece of paper, causing some of the words to fade. Suddenly, she felt Lily nuzzle her neck as she wrapped her arms around her. Luna turned her head and softly kissed her on the lips as she returned the embrace, tears still falling from her eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" Luna whispered.

Chapter 5: Darkened suns.

To clarify: The age of the main characters increases as the chapters go on. They are both sixteen years old during the events of this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Darkened suns.

“Come on Luna! We'll be fine. It's not like anyone ever noticed us leaving before.” Lily said, lying on top of the covers of Luna's bed. The princess, who was sitting on her haunches before her desk, turned her head to face the stubborn earth pony.

“No, Lily.” she said sternly. “It's too risky. Besides, no one ever noticed because we always went out during the night. I'm sorry but we simply can't risk it.” A frown appeared on Lily's face. Luna sighed as she walked over to the bed and climbed on top of it, lying down next to the sad pony, folding her wing over Lily's back. “Can't we just have fun here?” Luna asked, burrowing her nuzzle into the young mare's neck.

“I just wanted us to go on an actual date for once, like normal couples..” she said softly. Luna felt her heart sink in her chest. Lily was right, she was so sick of always having to hide from the judging eyes. Luna could never leave the castle during the day, she would attract to much attention.

She turned her gaze towards her bay window. It was a clear night, the full moon stood high over Canterlot, illuminating the many corners and streets of the Noble’s district. “It would be nice to go out into Canterlot sometime.” she admitted to herself. “It's funny.. I've lived here for sixteen years yet I have no idea what the city is like..”

She looked over to the pony lying next to her. Lily was lying on her stomach, her chin resting on the blue, silken covers. She looked forward into the night with tired eyes, enjoying the warmth of Luna's wing, the soft feathers rustling against the length of her back.

Luna lowered herself unto her stomach, placing her head right next to Lily's, their cheeks brushing against each other, Luna's wing still resting on Lily's back. She turned her head to softly kiss her marefriend on the cheek. “Fine Lil, you win.” she smiled softly. “Tomorrow." she giggled as she saw Lily's eyes light up in excitement. "We can at least have lunch some place nice for once.” The earth pony wrapped her arms around Luna, holding her tightly as a big grin grew across her muzzle.

"I know just the place.." Lily yawned. Her eyes started to get heavy. She sheepishly crawled over to the top of the bed, letting her head drop on top of Luna's soft pillows. Several feathers flew out of the pillow on impact, drifting slowly through the air. Luna shot her a playful look.

“Go on, your room is that way remember?” she giggled. Lily could just fall asleep right there on the spot. Her bunk bed was nothing compared to the silken piece of heaven that she was currently lying on. She had made her decision. She was going to sleep here tonight. One way or another. She turned her back towards Luna as she lied on top of the bed.

Luna was starting to lose her patience. She slowly sneaked towards the drowsy mare. Lily's ears perked as she heard the sound of Luna's hooves dragging over the sheets. A playful smile appeared on her face as she pretended not to notice. Luna pounced on top of Lily like a lion assaulting it's prey.

Lily's eyes shot open as the two of them rolled over the large bed, throwing the covers all over the place. The young mares giggled like little fillies as they fought for ground, trying to force each other down. After several violent tumbles Lily ended up on top of Luna, the alicorn's head resting on one of the soft pillows that lied on top of the roughed up bed.

Lily smiled suggestively at the squirming princess. “You're mine!” she laughed as she dove her head down, burying her muzzle in Luna's neck, playfully tickling her coat. Luna laughed frantically as she squirmed under Lily's hooves.

Luna saw a window of opportunity. She quickly folder her legs around Lily's, throwing her off. In a matter of seconds she jumped atop the laughing mare, giving her a lot less personal space than she was granted.

Luna brushed up against a blushing lily, their faces merely inches away from each other. Suddenly, the laughter died down as they stared into each others eyes. Silence filled the air. Lily felt Luna's warm breath on her muzzle. Luna smiled softly as her horn started to glow, magically lifting the sheets and pillows off the floor, draping the the two of them in a silken cover. The blanket flowed over Luna's back, covering the two mares up to the shoulders. "Good night, you silly filly.." Luna yawned as she rolled off of Lily.

The two mares lied next to each other, Luna's arm wrapped around Lily's stomach. Luna smiled softly as she listened to the sound of Lily's adorable snoozing. Her bed had never felt more comfortable than it did that night. Lily blushed softly as she felt Luna's muzzle in her neck, brushing up against her mane. She slowly started to fall asleep to the sound of Luna's rhythmic breathing and the warmth of her coat, brushing up against her back. "I could get used to this.." she thought as she drifted into sleep.

The princess tilted her head forward as she walked across the white marble streets of Canterlot's noble district, making sure that her eyes remained hidden behind the black, leather cloak that covered her back and head. Lily walked right beside her. She simply smiled at Luna as she felt the princess' coat brush against her side.

“I'm not sure about this Lily..” Luna whispered as she felt the piercing stares of Canterlot's nobles upon her. The ragged cloak didn't really increase her subtlety. In fact, it made her look rather suspicious. Whenever she looked somepony in the eyes she saw them stare right back at her as if she was some common pickpocket that somehow managed to sneak into the Noble's District.

The smell of various Canterlot delicacies filled the crowded streets and in turn Luna's nose. She kept her wings safely tucked to her back, hidden underneath her disguise. Canterlot's easily impressed nobles would surely freak at the sight of an alicorn roaming the streets.

“Don't worry. Just enjoy the sights of the city.” she smiled as they entered Canterlot's Light District, the pinnacle of Equestrian religion. Morning Square was the largest area of Canterlot that wasn't crowded by buildings. the square was crowded with busy ponies. Luna turned her head to the massive cathedral that stood at the end of the stone clearing. She marvelled at the sheer size of the thing. She had stared at the top of the structure from her living room window many times before. But it wasn't until now that she realized how intimidating it looked.

The cathedral, much like the other buildings in the Light District, was lined with golden statues of alicorns, gleaming in the bright sunlight. Luna knew the figures who the statues represented. They were her ancestor's, she recognized them from her history books. Luna wondered why the people revered them so much. The alicorn's were powerful yes, but in all of her studies Luna had never came across a pony who she thought deserved the rule they were given.

No, her view of what a ruler was supposed to be was different. “A king is someone who has earned his status through an act of heroism or selflessness” she thought. And from what she had read, most of these alicorns were self-centred dictators, ruling with an iron hoof. She thought back at the quote that she lived her life by. “Mercy wields the broken sword, and separates true kings from tyrants.”

Luna noticed a change in scenery as they entered Canterlot's Commons, The city's most crowded district. She could not help but notice how different the attire of these ponies was compared to those living in the Noble's District. Most of them wore rags or simple robes. “Peasants” her mother used to call them. Suddenly, Luna's disguise got a lot less prominent.

Lily seemed to know the place inside out. She guided Luna along the poorly built, cobblestone paths that ran through the dusty square. They neared a small restaurant that seemed to be built into Canterlot's massive wall. It looked a lot better than the other buildings in the district. The walls of the place were made out of white marble, shining softly in the sunlight. “Come on!” Lily smiled as she opened the door and trotted inside. Luna followed in tow.

The structure looked a lot bigger from the inside. Several ponies were seated at the wooden tables that were divided amongst the corners of the room, enjoying their meals. The owner, a stuffy old pony with a gray mane and a big grin, noticed the two mares enter. His smile intensified as he saw a familiar face. “Lily my dear! Have you and your parents decided to return so soon!? Couldn't stay away could ya?” he laughed.

“Dusty, you old rogue! Good to see you!” she smiled. Luna's ears perked up at the name. Lily had told her about this pony before, he was a trusted friend of Lily's family and a personal role model to the reckless mare when she was growing up. "It's just the two of us." she said. "This is who I've been telling you about." Lily smiled.

Dusty looked over at the cloaked pony that stood beside Lily. A puzzled look crossed his face as he dug in his memories. His eyes widened in excitement as he realized who stood before him. He grinned at Luna. "Follow me ladies." he smiled as he trotted towards the stairs.

"Best spot in the house!" Dusty exclaimed with his hooves in the air. Luna and Lily were sitting across from each other at a white, marble table that stood atop the large white, stone balcony that stuck out of Canterlot's wall. A great lake stretched out beneath them, glittering in the sunlight. The older stallion trotted off, leaving the two loving mares together. Lily stretched her arm across the table and took Luna's hoof, giving her an affectionate look.

"That was nice.." Luna smiled as she walked across the streets of Canterlot's Light District. She decreased the distance between her and Lily, brushing up against her marefriend as she smiled contently. Luna unfolded her wing from underneath her cloak and draped it over Lily's back causing the earth pony to blush as she nuzzled Luna lovingly.

Little did they know, that their little show of affection didn't go unnoticed. Several ponies shot them shocked looks. Mother's turned their foals as far away from the couple as possible. They however, didn't notice a thing, still lost in each others presence. It wasn't until a group of ponies followed them into the alleyway that they started to get worried. Luna gave Lily a desperate look. "Just keep walking." Lily whispered as they increased their pace.

After a few minutes Lily looked behind her, she let out a sigh of relief. "I think they're gone.." she said, clearly exhausted from all the running. Their sense of safety quickly faded away as they heard hoofsteps drawing closer.

"No Storm, our orders are simple. Find the princess, return her to the castle. Use force if necessary." The deep voice of a stallion said. They could hear the shaking of armour as the ponies drew closer.

"Y-yes, Captain Cloudhammer! I apologize. According to our sources they have to be somewhere around here." The stuttering voice of a younger colt replied. "Stop right there! Requesting reinforcements!" He yelled as he saw the two mares run off into the streets of Canterlot.

Luna ran as fast as her legs could take her. She didn't think, she didn't look back. Suddenly they stopped in their tracks. "A dead end!" Lily yelled. she turned her head to see several armed guard ponies rush to their position. Luna didn't want to believe what was happening. Her mind was so overtaken by fear that she lost the ability to think straight.

"Hand over the princess scum. You have committed crimes against Canterlot and her people." Captain Cloudhammer snapped as he drew closer to the frightened mares, backed by several armed guards. The burning sunlight reflected off their golden armour.

"Stay back!" Lily yelled. "D-don't make me hurt you!" Suddenly, the guards started to charge in their direction. Lily had never been so afraid in her entire life. She ran back into Luna, holding her tightly. Luna, now snapped out of her shocked state, looked up at the guards. There was no other option. She didn;t want to hurt them.. but she didn't have a choice, they forced her to this.

Luna stepped in front of the cowering mare, shielding her from danger. Her eyes and horn started to glow with a dark, red aura. The guards continued their assault, violently charging towards the two. Luna got up on her hind legs, staying in that position for several seconds before she brought herself down, slamming her hooves into the ground. A red spark ignited from the charging guards causing them to scream in terror as they collapsed into the cobblestone floor.

Cloudhammer looked at his royal guards, lying on the ground. "Those were some damn good men.. You will pay for this." he growled as more and more guards started to gather at the dead end. They slowly marched towards Luna. The princess looked back at Lily. Her eyes showed an emotion that Luna had never seen in them before.. Helplessness.

Suddenly, A spark ignited within her. It was as if all of the emotions that she had bottled up inside of her burst out at once. Her normally soft, blue iris turned black. She lifted her horn towards the sky, a huge black aura emanating from it. The unthinkable happened. The moon shot through the sky, making it's way towards the burning sun. The ponies of Equestria looked at the heavens with amazement and fear. The moon slowly drifted in front of the blazing sun. A wave of darkness crept across Equestria, enveloping the lands in shadows.

The shadows reached Canterlot. Suddenly, the alleyway was completely darkened. Some of the guards dropped their weapons and ran away in fear. Those that stayed stared up into the sky, gazing at the frightful sight.

Chapter 6: Dying hopes.

Dying Hopes.

The solar princess sat in Canterlot's royal garden. She extended her neck, lightly touching the luscious red rose in front of her with her muzzle. She inhaled deeply, smelling the flower's aroma, letting out a happy sigh. “I can see why Luna likes to come here.” she whispered as a smile grew on her face.

Her father had finally agreed to give her a day off from her intensive studies. Most of Celestia's life was spent either by joining her parents during royal events, being swayed around like some sort of prize trophy or hidden within the palace's libraries, studying her magic. She could never afford to spent time with her little sister, to her great dismay.

Not knowing where Luna had ran off to, Celestia retreated to the royal garden. She could remember her sister calling the garden a place of tranquility. Truer words were never spoken. It had a certain sense of peacefulness about it. The way the beautiful flowers softly rustled in the wind. The princess could still take pleasure in the little things in life, things that others might not even notice. The peace would not last long though, for today was the day that the sun went black.

Celestia got startled by the sudden cries of the birds that lived in the gardens, it sounded like they were in distress. The quick, frantic chirping could be heard throughout the place. She wasn't sure what was going on at the time but all of that would soon change.

Several critters left their underground homes, running through the tall grass in a state of fear. Animals always had a way of feeling certain things coming before they happened. Earthquakes, downpours, and so on. “But what are they afraid of now..” She though to herself.

A cold feeling swept over her, a heavy feeling. Something wasn't right. She instinctively turned her gaze upward towards her beloved sun. An intimidating sight presented itself, the moon stood high in the sky, slightly touching the image of the sun. aggressive shivers shot down her spine as the moon started to slowly cover the sun.

A wave of darkness shot over her Canterlot, enveloping the city in its shadow. Celestia looked at the grass beneath her hooves. She saw the line that divided light and darkness flow over her. She collapsed, her haunches landing in the grass. She felt.. disconnected. She felt weak. As if a part of her was suddenly missing.

She looked around, observing her surroundings. It was like she had arrived in a completely new world, like she wasn't even in Canterlot any more. It was dark, darker than she could ever imagine. She looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, but instead of the usual fluffy white wanderers the sky was filled with dark, gloomy clouds, looming above her.

A silver ring of dim light encircled the moon. As if the sunlight tried to escape from its captor, but its struggles were in vain. “Where's Luna!?” was the first thing that popped into her mind. She tried to run towards the palace but she was exhausted. The eclipse had drained her of her power. She wanted to feel the warm glow of her sun, she longed for it.

The alicorn stumbled through the massive garden. She could barely make out her path through the thick darkness. Celestia collapsed to the ground, her face landing in the grass. She stumbled to get up. Suddenly, she could see two vague forms approach her.

They appeared to be members of the royal guard. Their normally shining golden armour looked dull and gray in the shadow of the eclipse. “Princess Celestia! You have to come inside now!” the larger guard said sternly as he beckoned towards the palace gate.

“Where's my sister!? Is she safe?” she pleaded, still stumbling on her hooves from fatigue.

"There is no time princess, into the palace now." Celestia nodded timidly. She just had to get away from all of the confusion.

The door slammed shut behind her and instantly an overwhelming silence filled the room. The questions clouded her mind. What's going on? Where is Luna? Why would she block the sun? Nothing made sense as she stared at the ground.

Suddenly, Celestia could her the muffled voices of the guards on the other side of her door. She sneaked closer, putting her ear to the wood. The alicorn desperately tried to make out the words. “Yes ... princess … been taken away ... an unknown assailant. All guards … report to Light's Square.” Celestia's eyes opened wide. Her sister had been taken? By who? And why?

She continued to listen intently to the conversation until the sound of hoof steps faded away. Celestia gave the door a slight nudge causing it to swing open. She carefully sneaked through the now darkened halls of the palace. This wasn't the world she was used to. Nothing looked like it was supposed to. The night was so strange to her, so foreign.

The princess made her way to Luna's private quarters. An unnerving feeling swept over her. She had never spent a lot of time in her sister's room. She felt like a stranger, as if she had entered a stranger's home, one where she wasn't welcome.

She began scanning the room for any sign of her missing sister. As she rummaged through Luna's belongings she realized how little she knew of her sister, her own sister. She had no idea who her sibling really was. It gave her a sense of guilt, of regret.

Her eyes fell upon a small purple book that was tucked away underneath the blue satin pillow that laid atop Luna's bed. She tilted h er head in confusion as she took the object in her hooves. “My little Luna” the cover read.

As soon as she opened the small book a note fell out of it. She clumsily picked the piece of paper from the floor and opened it. The ink was faded and vague but still readable.

Lily looked up at the sky with amazement. The streets of Canterlot were dark and shadowed. The dim light that shone through the windows of Canterlot's houses was the only thing that illuminated the city. She looked up at Luna. The normally timid mare seemed to tower above her in stature. Lily had never seen so much sheer determination in a pony's eyes. Never before had Luna looked so.. Intimidating.

The startled guards regained their composure. Sure, they were afraid, but theirs was not to question, only to act. They blindly charged towards the couple. As blinded by rage and survival as she was, Luna knew that she could not keep the guards off forever. They had to get away.

Luna swayed her horn through the air, a black glow following it. She arched her head before she quickly brought it down, pointing her horn towards their assailants. The eyes of the guards turned to a pure black as their vision became blinded. They stumbled around, some falling to the ground, others colliding with each other.

This was their change. Luna nudged Lily who nodded in return. They quickly rushed past the blinded guards.they debated where to go at first. It was to dangerous to head for the main gate, it was too heavily guarded. But Lily had an idea. She beckoned Luna to follow as she turned to The Commons.

With a quick buck the door to the restaurant swung open. Dusty turned his head to the couple in anger. "My door!? What did you do that for?" he groaned. Lily quickly explained the situation to her long time friend and guardian. He nodded in return, a sense of determination in his eyes. Lily had never seen him act so serious before.

The two ran up the stairs, making their way towards the balcony. Luna looked over the darkened lands spread out before her and she realised that her actions had not only affected the city but the entire land of Equestria. There was no turning back now.
She bent her knees and spread her wings as wide as possible as she looked at Lily, beckoning her to get on top of her.

"Are you sure about that?" Lily said in a confused tone.

"No time! Get on!" Luna pleaded. Without hesitation the earth pony climbed atop the alicorn's back. She knew how bad of a flyer Luna was. The image of a little filly desperately flapping her wings to get trough the open window in her roof flashed through Lily's head as she wrapped her arms around Luna's neck.

In a matter of seconds Luna charged towards the end of the balcony and jumped over the edge, her wings snapped open aggressively. A liberating sensation shot through the two of them as the wind rushed past their heads. Luna glided over the massive lake, trying not to fall under the weight of the other pony resting on her back.

Luna landed into the tall grass with a loud thud, Lily rolling off her back. The earth pony felt the long grass rustle past her body as she violently rolled over the ground. Luna stumbled back on her legs and looked over at her love with a look of worry. "Are you ok?" she asked in a concerned tone as she helped Lily up on her hooves.

Luna lowered herself into the grass. The world finally started to slow down, the fog in her mind disappeared. She let out a heavy sigh as Lily sat down next to her. They sat silently sat next to each other for a couple of minutes, not one word was spoken. But reality was catching up with them. There was no escaping the simple truth.

Lily looked up at Luna with tears in her eyes. "This is all my fault.." she sobbed as she lowered her gaze to the ground below, her tears dripping down into the grass. "If I hadn't.. If I didn't" She got silenced by Luna, forcing her muzzle onto hers. Tears started to escape from Luna's eyes as well. The moment was perfect. In a way, the darkened version of Equestria felt so safe to Lily. It was as if Luna's wing was shrouding her at all times. No one could see them, no one could judge them. Their perfect world.

But they knew that it wouldn't last forever. Luna broke the kiss, hugging the earth pony tightly. "We have to get away from here. Far away." she whispered into Lily's ear.

"But.. Where will we go? What will we do!?" Lily pleaded.

"I don't know.. But I won't allow them to take you away. I promise." Lily was still looking down into the grass with watered eyes. Luna put a hoof to her chin and forced Lily's eyes to look into hers. "Look at me! I promise." Luna was doing everything in her might to stop the mare from crying.

Lily nodded, hugging Luna tightly. They raised themselves from the grass. For a moment they just stood there looking back at the massive palace that towered above every other structure in Canterlot. The reinforced walls of the city surrounded it. "It's funny.." Luna whispered. "When I was a little filly, Canterlot's walls and towers.. they made me feel so.. Safe."

Suddenly her eyes opened wide in realization. How could she have forgotten. "Lily! My book! I have to get my book!" she yelled. "I left it under my pillow! How could I have been so stupid?" She wasn't going to leave Canterlot without the only reminder that she had of her mother.

"Are you ready for this?" Luna asked. Lily stood next to her, arms wrapped around the alicorn. She nodded in response. Lily buried her muzzle into Luna's neck as she prepared for the spell. "All right.. Hold on!" Luna yelled as the tip of her horn started to glow violently, sparks of magic surrounding the two of them.

A purple glow filled Lily's vision. She closed her eyes for a mere second as she felt the spark rush through her body. Suddenly, the sound of the raging winds was replaced by a powerful silence. She opened her eyes to a change of scenery. They were standing in Luna's room.

The princess walked over to her bed. Her face turned pale as she noticed that someone had gone through her belongings. Her shelves and closets stood wide open and the covers of her bed were roughed up. "No.." she thought. "How.." Lily noticed the sudden change in Luna's behaviour.

"What's wrong?" She asked hastily as she trotted over to Luna's side. Luna quickly turned her head to the earth pony, tears flying through the air.

"It's gone! Someone took it!" she cried. "Why would someone take it!?"

Lily looked through the large bay window to see several guards with flash lights attached to their armour patrol the darkened streets of Canterlot. "I don't know Luna, but we have to leave now!" she pleaded. "What if they find us?"

Luna looked back at Lily. She didn't want to go but the earth pony was right. She sighed as she walked over to Lily, allowing her marefriend to wrap her arms around her neck. Luna rested her head upon Lily's shoulder as her horn started to glow. Tears started to roll down her cheek, knowing that she would never see her mother's book again.

Suddenly, her horn lost its glow. Lily stepped back, looking Luna in the eyes. "What's wrong? Why isn't it working?" she asked.

Luna's eyes shot open in realization. "No no no! Why didn't I think of that!?" Luna raged.

"What!? What's going on?" Lily pleaded. Luna stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

"It's a fail-safe mechanism." Lily said in a worried tone. "When disaster strikes a magical barrier forms around the palace, preventing the use of magic within its borders." She sighed as she looked at the entrance of her room. "I'm afraid we'll have to walk."

The two mares rushed through the halls of the palace. Luckily, all of the palace guards were out in the city, looking for Luna. The sound of their hooves hitting the white marble floor filled the air. Never before did the hallways of the palace seem so large and intimidating to them.

The ending came in sight. The throne room neared closer, and with it the palace entrance. They charged through the large doorway that lead to their destination. They entered the massive gilded throne room. It was the largest room in the palace. Banners with alicorns depicted upon them hung from the ceiling. Two golden thrones stood at the end of the room. The stained glass windows of the room depicted the greatest moments in Equestrian history. They ran towards the door. Luna reached for the handle.

"Luna wait!"

Luna stopped in her tracks. "No.." she knew that voice, she knew that voice all to well. She turned around. And there she stood. Her sister Celestia. The white alicorn wore the most intense look of worry on her face that Luna had ever seen. She sighed. "Stay out of this Tia." she said sternly. "We're leaving and you can't stop us!" she yelled.

"I don't understand! Who is we!?" Her sister pleaded as she looked over at Lily. "Who is this?"

Lily was about to speak when she got cut off by Luna. "The less you know the better. Go away Tia." She said with a hint of anger in her voice. Luna was about to open the door when she felt a force throw her away from it. She hit the floor with a loud thud. A feeling of pain appeared in her shoulder as she got back up on her hooves.

Celestia now stood between her and the door. "I'm sorry Luna.. But I can't let you leave!" she cried.

"I'm warning you Celestia.." she growled. "Get out of the way." Luna noticed that Celestia was wearing a saddlebag around her waist. A little purple book could be seen inside. "Where did you get that! Give it back!" Luna yelled.

"Luna.. I know what happened but it's no reason to leave. Mother loves you very much." That was it. That was the last straw. Luna's anger boiled inside of her. How dared she mention her mother. How dared she. A look of rage appeared on Luna's face.
Her horn and eyes started to glow with a black aura.

"Are you really that blind!? Are you really that naive!?" She growled. "Must be nice, living in that perfect little world of yours. Mother hates me. Father hates me. You are just too busy playing their perfect little princess to notice!" She yelled as she picked Celestia up with her magic and slammed her into the door.

Celestia let out a cry of pain as her back hit the wood. She feel to the ground. Her hoofs scraped across the golden floor as she got back up on her legs. "This isn't you Luna.. I don't know what they did to you, but I will help you out of this." She whispered.

"Shut up!" Luna yelled angrily as she slammed the princess into the door once again. This time it broke open causing the white alicorn to fly through the darkened streets of Canterlot. A heavy storm had formed outside and rain was now streaming down upon the city. Luna and Lily charged outside.

Celestia stumbled on the wet, cobblestone floor as she got back up. "You leave me no choice Luna.." She said sadly. Celestia closed her eyes as she got up on her hind legs. A massive bolt of bright light shot out of her horn, Illuminating the shadows of Canterlot as it spiralled towards the couple.

Luna jumped in front of Lily and a cloud of black smoke shot out of her horn, absorbing Celestia's magic. Her sister's eyes opened wide in surprise. She had never seen that kind of magic before. She didn't even know it existed. "Get out of our way Celestia! I won't hesitate to hurt you if you get in my way!" She screamed, trying to make herself audible over the raging thunderstorm.

How could her sister, her little sister, be so much more powerful than her. The two mares started to charge past her. "I won't let you!" she yelled as a wave of force shot out of her horn, pushing the two back into the palace walls. Luna was now boiling with rage. She focused all of her power into her horn. Black sparks started to pulse from it as she got up on her hind legs.

Suddenly, a prison of shining light appeared around her as her horn lost it's glow. She opened her eyes to see her mother, towering above her with a furious look on her face. She grabbed the mare in her arms.

Luna violently struggled in her mother's grasp. "Let me go! Let me go right now!" she screamed. Lily started to step back with a terrified look on her face. The thunderstorm still raged around them, the sky still dark from Luna's eclipse. Luna violently kicked her legs in all directions as she squirmed in the alicorn's arms.

The queen turned her gaze to the frightened white mare that stood a few feet away. "Take the servant girl!" She yelled sternly at her guards. "Remove her and her parents from this city, from this land!" Suddenly, several guards grabbed Lily tightly.

"Luna!? Help me!" Lily cried as she tried to squirm out of the guard's hold. She extended her arm to Luna. The princess did the same, she extended her arm as far as she could. She could feel the pain in her shoulder as their hooves nearly touched, the thunderstorm still raging in their ears. Their hooves were shaking, merely inches away from each other before they got pulled away.

"No! Lily!"