"Hello, everypony," the conductor said, starting the drowsy Twilight Sparkle. "We will be arriving in Canterlot in about twenty minutes, so I would reccomend that those getting off at the Canterlot station be ready to part."
All Twilight wanted to do was sleep. Alas, though, she was getting off at the next station and was staying in her old room at the castle so she could get her research project on Equestrian history done. The vast selection of books from the royal library was just what she needed to get it ready to present to her mentor, Princess Celestia.
That's why she forced herself out of her drowsy state to make sure everything that she needed was in the right place. Her friends were staying back in Ponyville, which had been here home for quite some time now. About three years, if she remembered correctly. Spike, her assistant, had wanted to come too, but she assured him that this study would only take a few days. Plus, somepony needed to watch the library, and she was not going to let Pinkie Pie do it ever again. The mess she had plenty was unbeleavable.
Before she knew it, the train came to a screeching stop, and it was time to get off of the train. She put her saddle bags on, which were stuffed to the brim with parchment and quills, and cantered onto the platform, looking around to see if her usual escorts, some of the royal gaurs, we're standing in the crowd. Eventually, she found to her surprise, her brother Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadence. They were holding up a sigh that read: 'Twilight Sparkle.'
"Shining!" She called out to her older sibling, who matched the voice to the pony.
"Twilie!" He waved, Beckoning her over, to which she happily obliged. He ruffled her mane. "It's so nice to see you again sis!"
She grinned. "You too, BBBFF!" She said, then turned to the Princess of love and nodded. Cadence winked, and the two mares started dancing and singing; "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves." They paused and turned around, " and do a little shake!" They laughed, not having done that in quite some time.
Shining smIled. He had his sister back, and they had some catching up to do.
"And then we gathered up all of the Pinkie Pies to the Town Hall, and gave them a test: Watching paint dry!" Twilight exclaimed as she told her audience about what her friends had come to call 'The Mirror Pond incident.'
"Wow, that sounds excruciating," Shining commented. "And weren't they all dead set on having fun?"
"Yeah, all except one, who we later found out was the real Pinkie. She was drawing frowny faces in the ground."
"Dang. So what did you guys do to make them go away?" Cadence asked.
"I used a spell that I found in a book. After we found out the real Pinkie Pie, she was so happy that she had her friends back, she fainted on the floor!" Twilight finished the story right as they pulled up to the gates, of which guarded the Canterlot gardens.
They went up the the royal guards, who cast a spell of all of them with blue magic, each resulting with a distinguished 'ding!' I wonder what that was all about? She thought to herself, as the guards opened the gate and let them in. I'll have to ask Shining about it later. For now, it's study time!
She said goodbye to her sibling and sister in-law, and cantered up to the library. As she went down hallway after hallway, she noticed more guards, and more paintings on the walls. She stared at the guards, some of which she recognized as being in the castle when she was a filly, but they gave no notice that she was actually there. When she looked at the paintings, she noticed that most, if not all of them, were a silent meadow, consisting of nothing but grass.
She wondered if this was a painting of what most ponies had come to call 'The Great Beyond,' or what was more scientific, the afterlife. It sure didn't look like how she pictured it though, with scientific lab tools all over, rows and rows full of test tubes. Her train of thought was interrupted when she herd a soothing voice behind her.
"Hello Twilight, I've been expecting you," The voice said. Twilight looked back to see her mentor, Princess Celestia, looking at her thoughtfully.
She bowed at her superior. "Hello Princess," she said, confused. "What do you mean that you have been expecting me? Is something wrong?"
Celestia suddenly had a concerned look on her face. "Not yet, my faithful student," She said. "But if I do not act soon, I fear that there will not be harmony in this world, and not have been for many millennia."
Twilight stood in place, shocked. "Wait wait wait," she said. "I'm looking at a random picture, you sneak up on me, and now you tell me that something very serious is going on? Why so suddenly? I thought you had me here to study for a research project for you?"
Celestia didn't look her in the eyes. "Twilight... I have to show you something." She started to walk over to the library, and Twilight followed, not sure what was going on. The two walked over to the back of the library, to where the royal archived were stored. They went through the double doors, and to the back of the room, stopping in front of a book case labeled 'C through D.'
"Celestia," Twilight started. "I don't know what we're doing here. I've been through this section a million times."
The Princess pulled out a seemingly random book, 'Royal Family Cookbook Volume fifteen,' and turned her head to her student. "Twilight, look behind this book's spot please." Twilight obliged, to find a book inside a hollow space behind where the old cookbook should have been. It read; 'The Personal Diary of' The words were scratched off for a few spaces, ',personal mentor of Celestia.'
Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked again. It read the same thing as before. "Princess, you had a mentor? Who was it?"
She smiled. "Yes, I did. If you really want to know, why don't you look at the end?"
Twilight did as she was told, and went to the last page there was before it looked like somepony had ripped the rest out. She read it allowed.
07/07/234 end of the Discord calendar
Dear journal,
I have trained my student well, it seems. She had her battle, and won, using the elements of harmony on her own, a feat of great power.
It went on explaining how the battle 'Raged on for days' and of Celestia's victory. And then,
Also, it seems I have become impregnated. Thats right, I am pregnant with a foal, who I can sense is a powerful Alicorn, most likely a mare. I have gained a promise from my student that she will be trained to be her counterpart, the moon raiser. I think I will name her Luna if I can. I have to leave now for the celebration party, but will write in you soon.
For always a moon raiser, Mentor of Celestia, and Element of magic,
Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight let the diary slip from her magical grasp, letting it almost drop to the floor before being caught by Celestia's own magic. She wanted to speak, she really did. She had to get answers, and truthful ones at that. Had Celestia been keeping this a secret, waiting for just the right time to tell her? Was she really Luna's birth mother? How?!
Celestia noticed Twilight's look of mixed distress and shock. She put the book back in it's hiding spot, and applied a relaxing spell to her student. Or should she call her her mentor now? No, she thought, I think I'll just stick with 'student' for now.
As she began to calm down, she looked up at Celestia and managed to ask, "Is... Is it true?"
Her mentor smiled a bit and said, "Yes, Twilight. You were my mentor." She saw her faithful student's eyes grow larger, as if accepting the truth now that it had finally been said out loud.
"But," Twilight asked. "Why are you telling me now? Why at this exact point?" She looked up to notice her mentor begin to bit her lip and tilt her eyes in a way to suggest there was something she wanted to say, but couldn't say too much.
She furrowed her eyebrows as Celestia finally spoke. "She, I mean you, Spoke to me the last time I saw her and said, 'When I come to you in search of need as a filly, help me, guide me to realize my true destiny. And when I turn of age, and only of that age, send me back in search of truth.' And that's what I have begun to do."
Twilight put a hoof to her chin, a habit she did when thinking. "My true destiny... Back in search of the truth... But that means-"
Celestia cut her off. "-Your true destiny is to go back in search of the truth. Twilight, my magical abilities are fading- and fast. I have waited far to long to show you what you are meant to do, and now both Luna and I are paying a harsh price."
Twilight gave her a confused look, making Celestia sigh slightly. "Luna," she began, "Could you come her please? Somepony special wants to see you."
Suddenly, a magical voice echoed around them both. "Sister, why would you say that when you know that I am... partially disabled at the moment? Can you just let me-" She stopped for a second, as if she was mentally looking around the room. "Oh. I guess she makes a difference though, doesn't she? I'll be right there, and I hope you told her everything."
The voice ended and Twilight was left in suspense for a couple of minutes before the doors opened, shining sunlight everywhere. Both Alicorn and Unicorn shielded their eyes with their hooves, not realizing that the room wasn't well lit before. Luna walked into the room, a somewhat smile on her face.
"Hello, Mother." She spoke In a somewhat unrecognizable tone.
Twilight cringed. She still hoped that this was just some crazy dream, but being called a mother- that was going to get used to. "Uh, hi, Luna."
"Don't you mean daughter?" Luna smirked and giggled to herself a bit, earning a disapproving glare from her sister. "Heh heh, sorry Twilight Sparkle. We are just a little happy that though knows that thy kin is close."
Twilight gave a nervous chuckle and nodded absentmindedly. Then she noticed what was different about the Princess of the moon: She was now partially see through.
Her eyes grew wide. "Luna! What... What happened to you?! Is there a spell on you, because I can help you get it off, I mean-" She was stopped short of the sentence by Celestia's hoof on her mouth, closing it shut.
"Luna here is not under a spell. Sadly, it is not that easy. Since she is your 'Daughter', and you only have a period of time to go back in time and... Get impregnated," Twilight winced at that word. "She is getting, lets say the word 'unborn.' If you miss out on your period of time to go back, than she will not have been born, and will have not existed."
"So," Twilight said to try and sum it all up, "If I don't go back in time to do... Stuff... Then luna will fade out into nothingness?" Celestia nodded. "I think I got it." She finally said after a moment of more thinking.
"Good. Now, I'm sure you remember that you wrote that you were 'Forever a moon raiser' in the journal." Nodding. "Then I have to give you the power to do so."
"But Princess!" Twilight gasped a little dramatically for her likings, though Rarity would have been proud. "Doesn't that mean You will be less powerfull? What if something evil attacks?!"
"Relax, Twilight," Luna said. "Its not like your going to be turned into an Alicorn, that ones WAY to overused!" Celestia and Twilight looked at her curiously with a little tilt in their heads. Luna just rolled her eyes. "Never mind," she said.
The solar Princess turned her head towards Twilight. "Relax my Faithful student," She said. "All that I am going to do is give you the power to raise the moon. I built it up while Luna was in the moon."
Twilight nodded. I think I might be starting to understand this, just a little bit, she thought.
"I'll do the spell, sister!" Luna suddenly had a deranged look in her eyes. She lit her horn and shot a powerful beam of dark blue magic at Twilight. It hit her and began swirling around her and then began collapsing in on her.
Celestia's eyes widened and she shouted, "No sister, Not the time spell, not yet!" But it was too late. The room cleared of all light and Celestia found her sister slumped on the floor and her mentor and student... gone.
In it's secret spot behind the cookbook, the diary lost four words from it's last page.
Forever a moon raiser was gone.