Princess Celestia: Sorcercess Supreme 3

The sisters arrived at the Star Light Festival grounds. Hundreds of ponies of all shapes and sizes entered and exited, speaking and whispering indistinctly to one another. The huge sign that hung above them was bright with gold and sparkled with silver as if to shine like the stars in the night sky.



Luna’s eyes widened. A smile appeared on her face with excitement and anticipation. She had been dreaming of the Star Light Festival for years. It was a festival that happened once a year as a group of stars slowly approached their city. They would rain through space above them and present a beautiful star shower to the ponies below them. They would list constellations as they appeared in the night sky and the stories they had to tell. She had been reading up on the stars ever since she was a little filly. She could never explain it, but she felt a wondrous curiosity towards the night sky and the secrets it held within the stars.



Celestia, however, could have cared less about the constellations themselves. She was more interested in the entertainment. The Star Light Festival was supposed to have some of the best shows in all of Equestria. Shows attributed to the stars. The show typically revolved around the stories told by them. But the shows weren’t the only things on Celestia’s mind. The festival was also famous for the sweets. And if there was anything Celestia loved more than having fun, it was eating something sweet.



“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Luna cheered. “Everything that I’ve been dreaming about is here!”



Celestia nodded. “Yeah, this is going to be the best night ever! Come on!” Celestia urged as she headed towards the entrance to the grounds.



Luna followed behind her. Their eyes diverted every way they could possibly look, absorbing as much as they could. There were artist stands where paintings of the stars were hung, booths where games could be played, stands that sold treats of all shapes and sizes.



Celestia’s eyes then caught wind of a large stage where several performers stood atop it. They ponies danced in a mystifying way that captured her attention. The movements were crisp and precise, but elegant and graceful. They captured her imagination as the announcer spoke of the story that unfolded by the dancer’s movements.



“Luna, come on! Let’s watch!” Celestia suggested as she leaned against her sister.



“Tia, we are only here to look around,” Luna stated.



Celestia smiled. “Oh, come on. One little show.”



Luna sighed, but then smiled. Secretly, she wanted to see the show. “Alright, but just one.”



The sisters made their way into the crowd of ponies and began watching the performers’ spectacular presentation.



That ‘one’ performance turned into another and then a third. Performance after performance the audience cheered, laughed and cried before the spectacle. But this only made them want more. The spectators were treated to the stories of Andromeda and Perseus, the ancient dragon, Draco, and finally the mighty hero, Hercules.



After seeing the labors of the great hero, Celestia had wished to explore the rest of the festival. There was so much to see and only a limited amount of moonlight.

 

Celestia and Luna made their way to one of the stands where the slightly overweight stallion greeted the two. “Welcome to Volans. What can I offer you two fine mares tonight?”



Celestia couldn’t help but eye the strange knot-shaped treat. The golden brown texture reminded her of fresh hot bread, but she had never seen bread like that before. “What is that? The odd shaped one?” Celestia asked as she pointed her hoof towards it.



The shopkeeper took a look at the treat and then turned his head back to the princesses with a smile. “Those? I call them pretzels!”



“Pretzels?” Luna asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”



The shopkeeper placed his hoof on his chest and tilted his head up proudly. “That’s because they are one of a kind! I made them up myself!”



Celestia and Luna both glanced towards each other and then back at the shopkeeper. Celestia started to grin as the wheels in her head started to turn. “So these treats are new, you say?” Celestia asked



The stallion nodded proudly. “Yep, and one day, they’ll be big!”



“Well… Perhaps we might be able to help with that,” Celestia stated. “We are the princesses of Canterlot.” She stood up about as proudly as the stallion before her, perhaps even more so.



The stallion then abandoned his arrogant, prideful demeanor. “Pr-Princesses?!” he stammered. He then bowed repeatedly. “My… My most humble apologies, my princesses. I didn’t realize-,”



Luna shook her head and smiled. “It is really no trouble.”



Celestia then intervened. “However, we are willing to forgive this for… Let’s say… a free sample of your pretzel.”



The stallion’s eyes widened as he bit his lip, but then he smiled nervously. “O-Of course. Please, allow me!”



The stallion was quick to deliver his products to the alicorns. “Please, enjoy!” he thanked with a big smile as the two ponies went on their way.



Celestia took a bite of hers. The warmth of the bread soothed her mouth, it was like taking a bite of fresh bread, but there was salt sprinkled on top. A sweet and pacifying treat, Celestia took another bite as quickly as she took her first one. It took every ounce of restraint she had to stop herself from scarfing down the whole thing.



“Tia, was that really appropriate? Did we just steal from that pony?” Luna asked. Celestia turned her gaze towards her sister, who hadn’t even taken a single bite of her pretzel.



Celestia swallowed her delicious snack. “Luna, you worry too much. In the end, we are helping his business,” Celestia explained. “Imagine how many customers he will have if everypony saw us, the royalty of Canterlot, partaking in his product.”



Luna shifted her gaze to the ground as if to consider what Celestia had to say. “Well, when you put it that way…”



Celestia gently nudged her sister shoulder. “Give it a try. You have no idea what you’re missing.” She then took another bite of her pretzel.



Luna finally smiled and opened her mouth to bite into her treat. Like Celestia, Luna moaned in pleasure as the warm pretzel made contact with her taste buds.



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Luna and Celestia continued to wander throughout the festival, occasionally breaking their vow to simply look around to interact with the next thing that cause Celestia’s eye.



Celestia and Luna would find themselves at the balloon and darts game several times. Ironically called ‘Comets and Planets’ to keep with the theme of the festival, Celestia was the deadeye of the stand. She would never miss a single balloon. This caused them to play several times to earn the prizes she wanted.



An green monkey with big black eyes, a childlike grin and a long twisted tale was the prize Celestia so desperately sought. And she refused to leave without him.



Normally, they would have paid to play such a game, but once Celestia told the stand-owner they were royalty, he accommodated for their games.



Luna had been silent about it, but when they decided to leave, she spoke up. “Tia, don’t you think you’re milking this a little?”



Celestia had been this way all night. She was constantly going on and on about how they were princesses. The other ponies would apologize and she would even go as far as to make them feel guilty. All in the hopes of getting free stuff.



Celestia turned to her sister, which distracted her from admiring how cute her little animal doll was. “Luna, we are princesses. We deserve to be treated as such.”



Luna shifted her gaze towards the ground. “I still feel like we are taking advantage of them.”



Celestia simply laughed. “You worry far too much, little sister. You need to be like Cosmo!”



She then levitated her green monkey in front of her sister, rocking him back and forth as if he was doing a dance.



“Yeah, Luna,” Celestia said, imitating a high-pitched monkey voice. “You need to just have some fun! Like me!”



Luna rolled her eyes and sighed. “Tia, I really feel like we should-!”



A large bang in the sky diverted both of their eyes towards a shower of light above them. A whistling sound came from the distance as a stream of light rocketed to the sky. It then exploded in a sparkle of bright lights with a thunderous bang.



“Fireworks!” Celestia declared with a bright smile.



Celestia could hear the distinctive ‘ooos’ and ‘awes’ of the crowd. The fireworks came more frequently, lighting up the sky with their sounds and lights.



Celestia was so taken by them that she had forgotten her sister, until she spoke up. “Sister, we really should be going! It’s been long enough!”



Celestia’s ears stood up as she turned towards her younger sister. “We can’t leave yet. The fireworks are the highlight of the Star Light Festival.”



Luna shook her head. “Tia, we really should go home.”



Celestia smiled and placed her hoof on her shoulder. “Luna, its just fireworks. Nothing is wrong with watching them for a minute or two.”



Luna diverted her eyes away from Celestia. She would always look away when she didn’t want to argue, something Celestia had always been able to see.



“Tell you what, after the fireworks, we go straight home. I promise.” Celestia placed her hoof on her heart.



Luna looked Celestia in the eye with a stern look. “You have to mean that promise this time!”



“I swear, by the Lords above as my witnesses, we will watch the fireworks and then head home.”



Luna exhaled deeply. “Alright,” she reluctantly agreed.



Celestia leaped with joy. “Wonderful!” She quickly then grabbed her sister’s hoof and dragged her towards down the path. “Come on, I want to see them up close!”



Luna struggled to keep up with her sister’s excited movements, but Celestia had hardly noticed. She had always been fascinated with fireworks. Or more accurately, what kind of pranks could be pulled with them. This was her chance to see what fireworks could really do and she wasn’t going to miss it.



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Celestia and Luna made their way to the tents just outside the festival grounds, where a group of ponies are hard at work setting up the next firework show.


An earth stallion approached them and greeted them. “Princesses of Canterlot! I am humbled to be in your presence.” The stallion bowed before them. As he did, the alicorns noticed the others bowing to them as well.



“Thank you, kind sir,” Luna said.



With that the other ponies went back to work, while the stallion in front of them greeted them with a smile. “I am Sandy Wax. What brings you to these parts?”



“I’m really interested in your fireworks,” Celestia stated.



“Fireworks?” Sandy asked. “I didn’t think a princess would be interested in that stuff?”



Celestia couldn’t help but give a mischievous grin. “Oh, I have my reasons.” Luna gave her an odd look, as if she knew Celestia was planning something, but she wasn’t sure what.



Sandy, who was too distracted by Celestia’s interest, didn’t even notice. “Well, come with me. I’ll show you what kind of fireworks we’ve got in the back.”



Sandy marched towards one of the tents with Celestia and Luna right behind him. They entered the tent and Celestia’s eyes lit up. From one end of the tent to the other, fireworks of all shapes, sizes, and colors were scattered throughout the room. She looked like a little filly in a candy store, with the insatiable urge to touch everything she could.



“Wow, I had no idea you had so many fireworks!” Celestia stated, her mouth hanging down as she finished. She was still in awe at the variety of fireworks.



“Yep, this is where it all happens. The best fireworks in Equestria, all right here,” Sandy proudly announced.



Celestia couldn’t help but turn towards Luna. She looked impressed, yes, but Celestia was astonished. There were so many fireworks. Candles, sparklers, rockets, firecrackers, and some she didn’t even recognize.



One such devices was a large cart with fireworks attached to it. The cart had a large stand with rows of tubes cut into the stand that were long enough to house a small firework.



“What is that?” Celestia asked.



“That is our firework cannon!” Sandy stated. “It is our next show stopper.”



Celestia leaned forward with a smile on her face. “How does it work?”


Sandy giggled with excitement as if he was feeding off Celestia’s own giddiness. “We place a firework in each of the tubes and then hook them all together.”



Celestia started to imagine what that would look like. She couldn’t help but grin as the thought of dozens of fireworks going off at once lit up the sky.



Just as the sights took her in, a Pegasus appeared behind them. “Sir, we’re ready for the next show.” The trio turned their gaze to the young pony as he stuck his head from around the corner.



“Right then,” Sandy replied. He then turned towards the nobles. “My apologies, but we need to get ready for the next show. I must ask you to please exit the tent.”



Sandy made his way out of the tent.



Luna urged her sister to follow her, but Celestia wasn’t done yet. While Luna headed for the exit, Celestia noticed a stack of fireworks. These fireworks were much larger than the normal ones, though they were rather dull to look at.



“Those probably would give off a much bigger boom.”



Celestia quickly used her magic slip several of the much bigger fireworks to replace the small fireworks of the firework cannon.



“That should be so much more exciting than those little fireworks.”



“Tia, come on!” Luna called to her.



“Coming, Luna,” Celestia replied with a big smile on her face. She joined her sister, who had a serious look on her face.



“What exactly were you doing in there?”



“Oh, nothing,” Celestia played innocent and trotted forward. Luna simply shook her head and joined her.



Celestia had a feeling what she just did, was going to be a showstopper.



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Celestia and Luna placed themselves in the middle of the large crowd. They imitated excitement and anticipation of the group surrounding them, but none was more excited than Celestia. Her mind was frantic as the thoughts of lights and sounds filled the night sky with her little change. She began to wonder what every pony would think of it. She could hear the ponies now.


“That was the best firework show I’ve ever seen!”


“The best in the world!”


“You are wonderful Princess Celestia!”


As she repeated those thoughts in her mind, she smiled.



Reality came back to Celestia when a pony finally stood up on the pedestal before them. “Fillies and gentlecolts!” He announced loudly. “We, of the Star Light Festival, are proud to bring back, the firework cannon!”



The audience roared with cheers of joy, overpowering Celestia’s, no matter how loud she cheered.



“The firework cannon has been a proud tradition of the festival for years and tonight it will light up the sky with its power and beauty.”



“Come on. Light up the fireworks already,” Celestia mumbled to herself in excitement. She was shaking with exhilaration, silently counting every second they delayed.



“Now without further ado, let us begin!” the pony finally stated.



Behind him, a single pony lit the fuse to the firework cannon. Second after second, the fuse grew shorter and shorter as the tension built in the air.



Celestia couldn’t help but have her mouth open in excitement. Her eyes widen, focusing themselves on the fuse that seemed to take a lifetime to burn through. She was ready for the show to start at any second.



Finally, the fuse separated to divide into each separate rocket and ignited them.



Within a moment, the rockets fired into the air, one after the other. Shattering at a distance in a bright display of color and beauty.



However, once one of the larger rockets finally launched with a tremendous amount of force. This caused the cart to jerk back just enough to send one of the other rockets to be launched off course.



The tiny rocket swerved out of control landing straight into the firework tent. The firework cut through the fabric like a knife through butter. As it passed through, it caused the fabric to catch a blaze.



A trio of ponies rushed out of the tent with great haste in a frenzy. “Everypony get back!” Celestia heard Sandy scream. “The tent is going to blow!”



As soon as Sandy finished his sentence, the tent exploded in a blaze of fire and colors. A series of pops and bursts follow.



Celestia felt a cold sweat slither down her back. The ponies around her started to whisper among themselves, asking each other what could have gone wrong or if they were in danger. Celestia, herself, hadn’t expected such a result. It worried her.



“If that was just one... What about... the others?” she panicked.



Two more of the larger fireworks burst from the cart, causing it to tilt again. This time as it tilted it turned and launched another firework. The rocket swerved around and cut into one of the canopies, causing it to catch fire. The fire was quickly spreading into the tents surrounding.



Ponies screamed and panicked as the fire was slowly spreading throughout the festival grounds. Celestia, Luna, and the hundreds of other ponies started to push and shove one another out of the way, attempting to escape the fire’s path.



Celestia fought to stay with her younger sibling. She held her sister’s hoof as tightly as she could, a cold sweat filling her hoof. Her mind raced with panic and guilt as the screaming of hundreds filled her ears.



“This ... this isn’t what I wanted?! I just wanted a bit of fun. Not... not this!”



As Celestia made her way through the crowd, one of the ponies bumped into her hard, causing her to let go of her sister’s hoof.



Celestia turned around to attempt to find her, but all she saw was face after face of ponies she didn’t recognize. “Luna!” she cried, but it was useless, her voice couldn’t be heard over the screams of everypony else.



The fire was coming fast. It would be on top of her in mere moments. She quickened her pace on hoof. There were so many ponies near her; she couldn’t even spread her wings. She was forced to the ground until she could get away from everypony.



Her thoughts were still consumed by her sister. “Lords above, where are you, Luna?” Out of all the questions she had, all that matter was if her sister was safe.



“Lords above, I didn’t want this! I didn’t want to cause this! What have I done?!”



As the fire continued its seemingly unstoppable march, a crack of thunder is heard overhead.



The thunderclap caused all the ponies to look up and see a soaring figure above them. A white Alicorn and two gray pegasi. The Alicorn’s horn started to glow as the sky thundered once more with a flash of lightning.



Following that, drops of rain fell upon the flames like a typhoon. The flames fought against the rain, but slowly after several seconds, the rain purged all the flames, soaking everything around them.



The Alicorn set herself on the grounds of the festival. The ponies in the crowd all turned towards their savior and bowed their heads to the ground.



“Thank you, Queen Faust.”



“Lords Above, thank you Queen Faust.”



“You saved us.”



The ponies indistinctly praised their Queen. She bowed her head in humility and thanked them in silence. But as her eyes opened, they were filled with antagonism.



“CELESTIA!” she shouted to the heavens in a much larger voice than a normal pony could muster.



Celestia knew that voice well. That meant she was really in trouble.



“Uh oh. Royal voice.”



Celestia slowly got up off the ground and steadily trotted towards her mother, her head hanging towards the ground.



Celestia approached her mother from behind and slunk silently to the ground. She wished with all her might that the ground would just consume her. The mud beneath her hooves felt more significant than her. She wanted to just watch the fireworks. Instead, she destroyed the Star Light Festival. She felt a huge void in the pit of her stomach as she slowly opened her mouth to speak.



“Mother… I-“



The Queen turned quickly towards Celestia with an aggravated look on her face. “You deliberately disobeyed me!”



Celestia leaned back in shock, her eyes started to water by the sheer stark of her words. “Mother… I’m sorry…”



“Guards!” the queen turned her attention from her to the two pegasi with her. They presented themselves before her and bowed their heads.



“Yes, your highness.”



Faust then took a look at Celestia, her eyes still as enraged as the moment she arrived. “Take Celestia back to her room. And make sure she stays there.”



The soldiers nodded and trotted to the princess’s side. “Come, princess.”



Celestia wanted to explain herself, but she knew it was pointless. Her mother wouldn’t listen to a word she said. Not tonight. She thought it was best to just do as her mother wished.



She joined the guards as they silently escorted her home. She didn’t like the silence. It gave time for the guilt to fester in her stomach. It had only been a few minutes and yet she felt as tiny as an ant.



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Luna had been separated from Celestia by one of the panicking ponies. She screamed her sister’s name as loud as she could, but she couldn’t hear any reply.



“Did she hear me? Did she reply? I can’t hear over the crowd!”



She looked behind her to see the flames coming even closer now. She knew she didn’t have long before the flames were on her. She followed the crowd’s pushing and shoving, attempting to distance herself from the flames. However, she wasn’t quite large enough to make much headway. She was small compared to most other ponies, but only because she was young.



Luna then heard a crash of lightning across the sky. She looked up to see her mother and a duo of castle guards high above the crowd.



“Thank the Lords. Mother has come,” she silently praised.



A few moments later, the queen unleashed a rainstorm that quelled the flames. Luna watched as her mother set herself on the ground.



“CELESTIA!” her mother shouted in the royal voice.



Luna shivered in fear as the booming voice overpowered the surrounding area. She hated the Canterlot Royal Voice. It was an old tradition that was cast away even before she was born. Still, it was used every so often by her mother, who was still used to that tradition.



“Oh, Tia. Why? I knew we should have left. Why didn’t I stop her?”


She watched as Celestia dragged her feet through the mud that was quickly replacing the dirt, her head hanging down. Even from a distance, Luna could tell that Celestia was sincere in her apology.



However, mother was still very upset with her. While she couldn’t hear what they were saying, her actions spoke volumes.



The guards gathered Celestia and escorted her out of the festival grounds. It was silent for several moments. She looked upon her mother, who still hadn’t noticed her.



Her eyes were closed, her head hanging down towards the ground. She felt as if she was sad about something.



“Could she feel guilty about what she was forced to do to Tia? Mother... I know you can be hard on her sometimes, but she... she’s ... she’s irresponsible.”



Those words dug like knives into Luna’s heart. She hated admitting them, but she knew she was right.



“Tia is an irresponsible … ungrateful… pony that takes advantage of everypony else around her.



A large hole filled her heart and was steady growing larger with each new revelation.  It tore her apart to speak so cruelly about her sister. The sister who had been there for her when their father passed away. And even before that, Celestia had always put Luna ahead of her own needs. She was not only her sister, but her best friend. A friend who had always been there for her.



But sometimes, a pony has to grow up.



“LUNA!” the queen shouted.



Luna felt a cold sweat come down her neck. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she stood up from the mud and trotted out of hiding.



“No sense in hiding. I agreed to go with Tia. I failed to stop her from going. I failed to stop all this. This is my fault too. Time to accept my punishment.”



She marched forward with her head drooped to the ground. She continued until she stood before her mother.



“Mother… I …”



“Luna. You are my daughter,” the queen started. The queen slowly opened her eyes; tears started rushing down her face. Her eyes weren’t full of anger or disappointment, but sadness and loss. “And you know I love you with all my heart.”



Fear started to swirl in Luna’s stomach. She wasn’t sure how she should react. This certainly wasn’t the reaction she had expected.



“Mother?” Luna asked, afraid to find the answer but eager to know.



“Come with me… Please,” the queen asked. “We have to talk.”



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Celestia hardly got a wink of sleep that night. She couldn’t stop thinking about the events that unfolded at the festival. But they were never the thoughts of the fun and excitement she experienced.



They were always of the terror and horror that she caused, the lives she nearly destroyed. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see the flames dancing menacingly around them, the fear and alarm of the ponies at the festival, or the scorn in her mother’s eyes.



She tossed and turned all throughout the night, desperate to put that horrid memory away. But the memory still burned, as strongly as when it happened. Tears began to stream down her face when she thought of her sister and how scared she must have been.



“If she got hurt… if anypony got hurt… It’s all my fault…” she silently wept to herself. Her tears swam down her like a dam that had finally burst. They dripped down to her pillow, staining it with her guilt and regret.



The next morning felt as if it would never come. As if she would never be able to put that night behind her.



She was slow to rise out of her sheets as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. She was tired, hungry and sad.



“Last night was supposed to be the best night ever. But because of me, it turned out to be a disaster,” she continued to ridicule herself.



She forced herself off her bed and looked out the window as the sunlight shined through the glass. The sun was brutal on her already red and puffy eyes. “I’ve got to talk to Luna. She’s got to know that I didn’t want this.”



Celestia escorted herself out of her room and started towards her sister’s room on the other side of the castle.



A few moments later, she appeared at the door to Luna’s room. She gently knocked on it, hoping to wake her, but not abruptly. “I need to talk to her. I need her to see that I didn’t mean for all this madness to happen.”



Celestia waited for a moment, but there was nothing but silence. She pressed her ear against the door to try and sense movement, but there was not a sound, save for her own breathing.



“She must be exhausted. Who could blame her? After the night she had, she’ll probably just want to forget about it.”



Celestia slowly turned the handle to her sister’s door with her magic and gently opened the door.



“Still, I need to see her. To convince her it wasn’t what I wanted.”



She slowly walked through the door and walked into the room. Everything was in its proper place, as was usual for Luna. However, the bed was perfectly made. It looked like it hadn’t been spelt in at all last night.



“Luna,” Celestia called, but there was no response. The room was completely bare of any other pony. She thought about all the places Luna would go in the early hours of the morning.



“The library! Luna’s always there in the morning!”



Like a lightning bolt, Celestia rushed towards the library. Within a few moments, she had arrived at the Canterlot Library. Luna had spent many of her days here. She would study all types of literature, always with diligence and pride. Celestia was only ever here because of her sister. The library wasn’t Celestia’s favorite part of the castle. No, her’s was the kitchen.



Celestia looked around the library, going around corner after corner, table after table, row after row. Still, she was unable to find Luna.



She finally spotted the librarian pony and spoke to her. “Excuse me, servant.”



The librarian cringed at her title, but quickly dismissed it and replaced it with a half-smile. “What is it, your highness?”



“Have you seen my sister? I can’t find her,” Celestia asked.



The librarian shook her head. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday, your highness.”



Celestia started to worry as a cold chill slithered down her spine. It wasn’t like Luna to avoid the librarian. She and Luna were good friends. They always spoke to each other.



Thoughts of fear crept into her mind. “What could have happened to her? Was she hurt last night?!”



Celestia rushed out of the library as fast as her legs could take her. She headed straight for the throne room to seek an audience with her mother.



“Mother, please tell me that Luna isn’t hurt! Please Lords above, tell me it isn’t so!”


Celestia burst through the double doors to the throne room, where her mother stood by the glass paned window. Her eyes continued to stare out to the mountains beyond. She didn’t even turn towards her daughter as she marched towards her.



“Mother, something is wrong!” Celestia started, her heavy breathing breaking her sentences. “It’s Luna. She’s missing! I can’t find her!”



The room was silent. The silence made Celestia’s hair stand on end, as if foreboding news was on the horizon and she was the only one kept from it.



“Mother!” Celestia shouted in fear.



The queen turned her head and faced Celestia with a disapproving look. “She’s not missing.”



A brief sense of relief came over Celestia. Very brief. It was then replaced with confusion and frustration. Her mother was angry with her, again. She figured it was still from the events of last night.



“Then where is she?” Celestia asked.



Again, silence overtook the throne room. Celestia was growing impatient. She wanted to know if her sister was safe. She wanted to know now.



“Mother, please!



“Somewhere you cannot mislead her anymore,” the queen retorted.



Celestia wasn’t sure what to say. “Mislead her? What does that mean?!” She took a step back, as if she had just been stabbed in the heart. She was afraid to ask, but still, she had to know.



“What are you talking about?”



The queen lowered her head, but still kept her disappointed scowl. “I have sent her somewhere where she will be safe from your negative influence.”



Those words cut into her chest like a cold knife, slowly slithering down into her gut. Celestia had never been assaulted by such callous words. Not even from her mother. She attempted to speak, but she couldn’t even get a single word out.



“I have sent her to where she can grow to become the future ruler of Canterlot. Unlike you.”



The cruelty in her mother’s words burned away at her patients. She couldn’t hold back her rage any more. All the years of pressure and restraint had escalated into this one moment and like a volcano erupting, her voice broke into violent screams.



“Yes! Unlike me!” Celestia shouted. “Because everypony knows that Luna is the favored child of Canterlot! Me? I’m just the stupid daughter you never wanted!”



Silence fell over the room, but it was only so Celestia could catch her breath. “And how dare you?! How dare you take my sister from me?! I loved her in a way you will never understand! But I guess that’s alright because you never cared about what I wanted! You never loved me!”



Faust attempted to interrupt, “Celestia-!”



“No! I hate you!” Celestia then darted out of the throne room with tears streaming down her face, leaving the queen alone with Celestia’s last words echoing throughout the hall.



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Celestia crawled into her bed, sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow. The guards had knocked on the door to check up on her, but she demanded that she be left alone.



“Stupid mother…” she cursed to herself, “Stupid guards… Stupid… everything…”



Her mind continued to scream of the memories she had with Luna. They played before her like a living tapestry. The good times, the bad times, the happy times, and all the sad times. But no matter how bad life got, they always had each other. They could get through any problem, any situation, anything, as long as they were together.



But now, those days were gone.



“Oh, Luna. I’m so… so very sorry,” she silently sobbed. “I’m sorry... I’m so very sorry…”



She cried herself into sleep’s deep embrace, finally knowing that she was not in some nightmare world, she was in reality. And the reality was: she would never see her sister again.