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Legacy of the Sun - Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: Ascension
Age: 600

Normally, it is a custom to celebrate the day of your birth, with either friends, family, or both, and rejoice in growing older and learning. It's generally a time of happiness, good will, and becoming closer with those around you, while you move onto a new chapter in your life. For the alicorn spouses, living in an old castle perched in the heart of the Everfree Forest, their day was anything but.

It was on this day that Sonance woke with a jolted feeling that surged through his divine form. Sonance removed himself from the bed, covered from head to hoof in a cold sweat. He was visibly pale, and as he looked to Rhapsody, noticed that she looked much the same - to the point of her typical glow nearly nonexistent.

"Sonance..." she started. The dark alicorn could see the tears forming in his wife's eyes. "It's time."

"Is it that day already?" he asked, in slightly louder than a whisper. "It seems like just moments ago I was watching little Luna take her first steps."

"Ninety years goes by quickly, dear." The tanned alicorn spoke as best she could through her lamenting, and approached Sonance.

Sonance put a wing around Rhapsody and held her close, looking out of the nearest window. The dawn had just approached, which Rhapsody had freshly raised before the electrifying sensation hit them. It was the final call from the universe itself, ushering them into it's infinite void and inviting them to shape the very foundations of reality. All alicorns' felt this feeling, and all of them ascended into the heavens - all starting with that same sensation, and always happening on their four thousandth birthday. Despite their long years, this would prove to be the saddest day of their infinite lives.

- - -

"Celly! Get back here!" Luna yelled, chasing after her sister, who had the lunar princess's crown between her teeth.

Many years ago, Sonance had come to them both asking if they would like a piece of jewerly, and they had excitedly agreed. All they had to do was out a type of gem, and he would craft it into something for them to wear. Celestia had a chosen a vibrant, deep amethyst, which would be set into a brilliant gold. Luna, on the other hand, has chosen obsidian, a very dark and shiny material that normally wasn't used for decorative work.When asked about it, she claimed that it looked the prettiest, despite being surrounded by multitudes of other sparkling and vivid stones. Sonance listened to their requests, and within a days time, had forged two sparkling crowns for them. Celestia's was a lustrous gold, polished until it was mirrorlike, with thin lines delicately etched into loopy patterns. Luna's crown was made entirely out of obsidian, and gleamed even in the faintest of light. They both had a three pronged design at the top, with the middle piece being slightly taller. Although the two princesses were too small to properly wear them, they were cherished dearly. This fact made Luna's crown a prime target for Celestia's practical jokes.

"You'll have to catch me first!" the sun princess yelled through her clenched teeth, quickly ducking into a nearby hallway.

"That's no fair, you're faster!" Luna hastily ran into the same hallway, catching Celestia's tail disappearing through a door at the end of the hallway. She moved as fast as she could through the open door, to find an empty room. "Come out! It's not funny!"

Celestia merely giggled, which echoed throughout the room.

"I'm gonna tell mom!" Luna said, walking farther into the room. She looked around, trying to find any hint of Celestia.

"No you won't!" Celestia yelled, clearly.

Luna spun around to find Celestia hovering in the air, right above the door to the room. "Cheater! No flying!"

"You should learn how to fly then! Aren't you a hundred?"

Luna pouted and looked up at her sister, and as agitated as a small filly could sound, said "You're 600, and couldn't fly 'til you were 300! Mommy said so!"

"I guess you'll have to learn faster, then!" Celestia said, putting the crown in her teeth and quickly darting through the air and out the door.

Luna began to chase, quickly at first, before hearing a soft thud, and hard thud, the sound of metal hitting stone, and an exclamation of pain. Looking out of the door, Luna saw Sonance and Rhapsody, with Celestia on the ground in front of them. Her wings were spread under her and she was lying on her back, hooves spread  in every which way. She shook her head quickly and slowly got up, maintaining her balance. Luna spotted her crown on the ground and practically dived for it, picking it up tightly in her teeth.

"Celestia, what have we told you about picking on Luna?" Rhapsody said, looking down at her light coated daughter.

"Sorry mom..." Celestia dejectedly replied, pawing her hoof at the ground. She looked back to her mother, and noticed something peculiar about both her and Sonance: their eyes were red around the edges, as if they had been crying. "Mom... are you and dad alr-"

"Come with us, both of you." Sonance said, cutting her off.

"Uh... okay." Celestia said, getting that familiar feeling that she was about to be punished. Luna said nothing, but nodded her head, due to the crown she was holding.

The four of them walked together silently, through the stone hallways. At this point, grass was starting to creep through parts of the floor, which had been unmaintained by neither Sonance or Rhapsody recently. The castle was showing it's age quite clearly now, similar to it's ancient inhabitants. Their hooves echoed against the floor, but the sound softened as they reached the grass that was outside of the main entrance to the building. Celestia looked around, noticing the sun slowly rising, the forest encompassing them, and parts of the night sky hanging above, and could only wonder one thing: What are we doing?

Rhapsody and Sonance turned to face their two young daughters, and they stood there silently for several moments. Finally, Sonance broke the lingering speechlessness.

"Celestia, our eldest daughter. You are Regent of the Sun. Bringer of the Dawn. Light of Equestria. Princess and one of the heirs to our throne." he turned to Luna. "Luna, our young daugher. You are Goddess of the Night. Princess of the Moon. Beholder of Dreams."

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Rhapsody silently motioned to stay quiet.

"The two of you have been gifted with great power and divine rights to rule Equestria and keep it's balance and harmony maintained for generation upon generation. You must use your powers to lead this land into peace and prosperity, and cultivate it's ponies into a great civilisation." Sonance looked to Rhapsody and nodded.

"Celestia, my love, since you are eldest, it is up to you to teach young Luna all she needs to know about magic and being a respectable princess." She said this with a straight face, but on the inside she was screaming at herself. She didn't want to leave her only daughters to fend themselves. Rhapsody knew it was going to devastate them, but she had to lead them on the right path before she left. This was required of alicorns, nay, it was their destiny. As much as it was tearing her apart, she had to do this.

"Mom... dad... why are you telling me this?" Celestia asked, inquisitively looking up.

Rhapsody ignored the question, continuing her speech. "As you rule, you must show kindness to any pony that you may meet, and treat them with the same respect you would treat us or your sister. When making decisions, you must think for the good of the land and of the ponies, not yourself. Celestia, my young princess, you must protect Equestria... and Luna... with every fiber of your being. Do you understand?"

"I... I think so..."

"Do you understand, Celestia?" Rhapsody asked again, sternly.

"Yes. I understand."

"Also, Celestia, your mother and I must warn you of the dangers lurking outside of this forest. Should you ever leave, there are creatures and rulers that not even we know of. We merely raise the sun and moon. It is up to you two to carry on our legacy and protect Equestria." Sonance gave Celestia a very concerned look. "Please, take care of yourself and Luna."

"Dad... father... I understand what you're saying, but why are yo-" Celestia began, but trailed off as she noticed what was happening to Sonance and Rhapsody's hooves. A soft glow encased them, and bits and pieces of their essence appeared to break off and float away. They were extremely small fragments, and the drifted endlessly into the sky. Rhapsody's bright particles circled Sonance's dark ones, creating a dark and light spiral that shone and glimmered in the air.

"Wha... what's happening to you?!" Celestia exclaimed, watching her parents slowly dissolve in front of her. They didn't appear to be in pain, either, so the young princess was extremely confused.

"Celestia, darling... your father and I... we're ascending." Rhapsody said, her eyes beginning to tear up.

"What it means, daughter, is that we are moving on into the endless universe, to help shape and form it."

"I... I don't understand!" Celestia was begin to stutter, due to her quickly onsetting panic. Even Luna, who wasn't sure what was going on, began to get nervous at the emotions surrounding her. "Are you... are you going to come back?!"

Rhapsody and Sonance both knelt down in front her, becoming eye level with their snowy pink daughter. Celestia's fear and turmoil was written all over her face, and was only magnified in her slowly misting magenta eyes. The princess could also see her parents pain and sadness deep within them, and something inside her told her that this would be the last time they saw her. The following words had been enough to push the young princess over the edge.

"...We're sorry, both of you."

Celestia frantically looked between both of her parents, before completely breaking down into wracking sobs. The sight of their heartbroken daughter finally cracked Rhapsody and Sonance, who also began to tear up and cry.

"P-Please... don't... don't go!" Celestia cried, burying her face into Rhapsody's chest.

"I'm sorry, Celestia, but we have to go. It's our time."

"No! It can't be! I'm... I'm not even g-grown up yet!"

"Celestia, dear, you are old enough to survive without us. We've seen this in you." Sonance said, softly stroking Celestia's hair.

"I... I don't want to! I want you and mom!"

Luna had caught on to the situation, and was now worriedly looking at her parents and Celestia. The small princess moved closer to Celestia, who was continuously crying into Rhapsody's coat. Her and Sonance's bottom halves were beginning to dissolve now, nearly up to their tails. The two didn't have much time left, and they all knew this.

Celestia looked up, her two red, watery eyes locking with Sonance's equally tearful ones. "I'm scared... I don't want you to leave."

"Do not fear, young Celestia. One day, we will meet again, among the stars."

"That... That's too long!" she cried, her sobbing reaching full force again.

"We don't have much time, my love." Rhapsody said, her sorrowful droplets falling silently to the earth. Luna began to cry as well, her sorrowful weeping mixing in with Celestia's sobs.

"You can't leave... you can't!" the light alicorn said, now falling to the ground out of despair and hopelessness. The slowly rising sun made her tears shine and glimmer brilliantly, in harsh contrast to her mood.

"Celestia, Luna, we believe in both of you. We know you can rule this country." Sonance said, somberly. Though barely visible on his dark coat and astral mane, his tears flowed as well. They dripped down his neck and fell off, with a lack of material to cling to.

Young Luna, through gasps and cries, said "Mommy... d-daddy... don't go."

"Both of you... we're so sorry for this." Rhapsody said, closing her eyes briefly. "It's time for us to leave."

"No... no..." Celestia said, attempting to crawl to her hooves.

Sonance looked to both the princesses "Do not grieve for us, my daughters. We will meet again."

"No, no, no..." she wiped parts of her pink mane out of her wet face, looking sadly up to her parents. Their luminous shards towered high into the sky, creating a spiral pattern reaching for the cosmos.

"Farewell, young Celestia." Rhapsody said, kissing her distraught daughter on the forehead, which was followed up by Sonance's kiss.

"And farewell to you, too, little Luna." Sonance added, delivering the same loving action to the moon princess. Rhapsody gave her own, one of her tears falling and gently hitting Luna's small cheek.

"Don't go... please don't go..." Celestia said, almost silently. The princess had almost completely given up. The ascension was nearly finished, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sonance and Rhapsody closed their eyes, and the last pieces of their bodies broke off and ascended into the heavens. As the last particle drifted off, the sun rose beyond the treeline, casting it's rays over the ancient castle, nestled on a small cliff, deep in the heart of the Everfree Forest. This was where the two great alicorns, Rhapsody and Sonance, had helped nurture Equestria and it's inhabitants for generations. This was where those two alicorns gave birth to princess Celestia and princess Luna, heirs to the throne and caretakers of the sun and moon. This was where those four alicorns had been a family, and lived together for hundreds of years.

And now, on the four thousandth year of their parents rule, this was where two young princesses laid in sorrow.
Chapter 4.

2,395 words. I was le sad.

Part 5: [link]
© 2011 - 2024 Alexstrazse
Comments4
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Kirkwood89's avatar
I... I'm not crying. :'(

Well done.