I do not own My Little Pony or its characters. Many of the characters used are fan created, or my own. This is my own personal theory of what happened to the alicorns

Starlight and Moonlight

"You mustn't fight!" a radiant alicorn pleaded, her wings unfurled. "We must stand together to overcome the draconequuses!"

"Stand aside!" a scarlet alicorn bellowed. "You and your foolish husband will destroy the alicorns! We cannot follow your rule!"

The female alicorn's eyes widened in horror. "No!" she shouted. "This is not a time to secede! If we split apart, they will destroy us!"

"You speak hypothetically, Queen Galaxia," a white alicorn said, bowing his head. "We cannot blame you for your lack of support… but we must have a new leader in order to win this war."

Hurt sparked in Queen Galaxia's eyes. "Prince Cassius… I cannot believe you…"

"I see the most reason in Ares' voice," Cassius dipped his horn apologetically. "Therefore, I side with him."

"You've made the right choice," Ares smiled wickedly, and his horn glowed with bloodred light. "It is time a new king commanded the alicorns; I, Ares, of the northern tribe… challenge you…" he glared at the silent alicorn seated on the throne, "King Cosmos… for rule of the alicorns!"

King Cosmos merely stared at Ares in disdain. "You foolish being," he finally spoke, it a quiet and calm voice. "Do you really believe now is the time to begin a rebellion… I have seen you Ares… a young and naïve member of our forces… bitter and resentful… if you had the thought of challenging me before this war started… or after this war is finished… I would accept… but now is not the time!"

"Look!" Ares crowed triumphantly, his dark wings unfurling. "Our leader is a coward! He will not even stand against his own subject!"

"Ares you are the fool!" a rosy pink alicorn shouted. "Listen to your king's words!"

"No, Aurelia," Ares growled, his eyes flashing. "He is not my king… rather… he is the king of a rival nation!"

"Begone you vacuous imbecile!" King Cosmos thundered, rising to his hooves. Silence fell over the throne room, and even Ares seemed at a loss for words. The king was a rather imposing figure… taller than the opposing alicorn… his skin dark like the night sky… and his eyes blazing like the brightest of stars. "The draconequuses grow stronger every wasted moment we spend bickering… soon they will destroy us all if we do not unite."

"What do you know?" Ares maintained his courage and pointed a hoof at King Cosmos's crown. "You claim that you know what is best for your subjects… is this why we are losing the war? We need change… and we need it now!"

"Ares, please," Aurelia begged. "Leave your anger behind! We must fight this war together… once it is over… you can do whatever you like… leave and start a new colony… challenge King Cosmos… anything! But now we must work together!"

Ares glared at the female alicorn in disgust. "I once thought I loved you," he hissed. "But you clearly don't care for anything I've built for us!"

"Us?" Aurelia screeched, her horn glowing in anger. "You're destroying the alicorn tribes! Ares, open your eyes!"

"No, Aurelia," Ares growled. "It is you that is blind… we cannot follow this fool any longer. By daybreak, I will have started a new colony of alicorns… the Immortals, and we will crush our foes under my leadership!"

"All hail King Ares!" one alicorn shouted.

"Down to Cosmos!" another announced reproachfully.

"The Immortals will destroy the draconequuses!"

"A new leader!"

"I'll join you!" Cassius cried, his cautiousness long forgotten.

"Brother!" King Cosmos shook his head in dismay. "I cannot believe how clouded your judgement has grown."

Cassius glared at the taller alicorn. "It is you that I cannot recognize," he dipped his head bitterly. "From this moment, we are no longer brothers."

"There will never be a daybreak!" Queen Galaxia shouted. "I will not raise the sun for you Ares!"

Ares' eyes darkened with hate, and he stormed towards the queen, his horn glowing. "Do you really wish to stand against me, Galaxia? Against the King of the Immortals?"

The alicorn queen faced the scarlet king bravely, her chin held high. "You were never a match against me!" she spat.

"No!" King Cosmos shouted, and with a powerful burst of magic, he sent Ares sprawling across the floor. "If you lay a hoof upon her… I will and can destroy you."

Ares staggered back to his hooves, blood dripping from his mouth. "Then so be it," he snarled. "You are alone with your precious wife… all the alicorns that stand behind me will follow me…" he turned away coldly. "We leave by daybreak… no matter if the sun rises… we'll leave the rest of the foolish alicorns to slaughter."

One by one, all the alicorns in the throne room filed out behind their new leader. Some glared balefully at their former king, and others merely turned away without a word.

"Traitors!" King Cosmos bellowed furiously, but Queen Galaxia placed her wing around his shoulder to prevent him from hurtling towards Ares.

"There's nothing we can do," Queen Galaxia sighed. "Most of our alicorns have flocked to Ares… we have a limited number of alicorns still willing to fight with us."

King Cosmos straightened. "If Ares was right about one thing…" he closed his eyes. "Is that I was too cowardly."

"You are not a coward!" Queen Galaxia pressed against her husband's side reassuringly.

"I will no longer be," King Cosmos nuzzled Queen Galaxia closer. "I must join the war… Galaxia… I must be on the frontlines."

Queen Galaxia's eyes widened in shock, and she pulled away. "You cannot!" she cried. "What if you are killed? What of our daughters?"

King Cosmos' gaze was sad but determined. "Then let them know their father's love exceeds all the stars in the sky."

"Your Majesty," Aurelia spoke hesitantly. "It isn't necessary… the wise alicorns that remain… they know of your support."

"My court is gone," King Cosmos bowed his head, and both the mares gasped at how defeated the powerful king looked. "I serve no purpose here… I must fight."

"I can't believe Ares would be so ignorant!" Aurelia wailed, burying her face into her pale wings. "I thought… I thought he…"

Queen Galaxia placed a reassuring hoof upon the smaller alicorn's shoulder. "I didn't think he would either," she admitted softly. "I could see he was bitter, but I never saw him as a foolish alicorn."

"It's my fault!" Aurelia sobbed silently. "I… I… didn't give him enough attention… I didn't know what he was planning! If I had been closer to him, m-maybe he would have told me, and I c-could have stopped him!"

"Don't blame yourself," Queen Galaxia said gently. "No pony could have foreseen what Ares had planned."

"Aurelia," King Cosmos ordered. "Call for the children… I-I must see them before I go."

The pink alicorn dipped her head. "At once Your Majesty," she said respectfully, then, with a flash of violet light, she disappeared.

Galaxia's eyes clouded with fear. "So soon?" she whispered.

"I must depart tomorrow at daybreak," King Cosmos bowed his head. "We must defeat these draconequuses if we wish the land to be safe for little Celestia and Luna."

Queen Galaxia's gaze softened at the mention of her precious daughters. "But I cannot bear to lose you," she murmured. "I can't Cosmos… I love you too much… I want to accompany you."

King Cosmos shook his massive head. "I cannot allow that," he said. "If you fell under my watch, I would never forgive myself… and the children need you."

Queen Galaxia's muzzle drooped. "Cosmos, you must let me come with you," she stared into his deep blue eyes. "Every moment I spend here without you will be empty… every night I will be consumed with fear for your safety."

King Cosmos smiled at her faithfulness. "Just know if you see the moon rise, that I am still alive Galaxia."

"Surely I should take the moon into my own hooves?" Queen Galaxia protested.

"No," King Cosmos said. "Every night, I will create a dazzling display of starlight and moonlight… and no matter how far away we may be… I will always think of you and our daughters."

A tear welled in Galaxia's eyes, and King Cosmos wiped it away gently with his hoof. "Don't be afraid Galaxia," he smiled. "If I am to perish, I will know that it was for you."

"Don't speak of that," Queen Galaxia sniffed.

There was a brilliant flash of rosy light, and Aurelia reappeared with two young fillies strapped securely to her back.

Queen Galaxia wiped her tears away at once and tried to appear calm.

"What did you want mother?" Celestia asked softly, her soft pink mane unusually frizzy.

"Your father wants to speak with you," Queen Galaxia's voice trembled, and little Luna looked up at her in concern.

"What's wrong?" the tiny blue alicorn blinked. "Where'd the court go?"

King Cosmos stepped closer to his two daughters as they slid off Aurelia's back. "I'm afraid many of the alicorns are not happy with me, and they have left and created their new colony."

"That's foolish!" Celestia cried indignantly. "We're in a war, aren't we?"

Queen Galaxia managed a small smile of pride at her eldest daughter's response.

"Are we going to lose?" Luna asked. "Is that why you have summoned us father?"

"No," King Cosmos looked at the heavens determinedly. "I am going to join the war effort, it is going far too poorly, and the alicorns there need my help."

Celestia and Luna's eyes widened in dismay and horror.

"You're leaving?" Celestia wailed. "But you can't! What if you die out there?"

King Cosmos smiled gently upon his daughter and nuzzled her close. "I will do what I must… as the king of the alicorns… I have a duty of fulfill."

"Be safe," Luna whispered, her wings drooping.

"Nothing will take down your big, strong father!" King Cosmos laughed, affectionately ruffling Luna's mane. "And nothing will ever harm you as long as I live."

Luna smiled half-heartedly, fear darkening in her gaze. "I'll miss you," she murmured. "Go kill some draconequuses for us."

"Absolutely," King Cosmos promised his younger daughter. "But you must promise to keep your mother and sister safe for me."

Luna perked up slightly. "I will!" she swore.

"Then I have nothing to worry about with you guarding them," King Cosmos chuckled lightly, and Luna began to smile.

Queen Galaxia bowed her head, and King Cosmos wrapped a wing around her. Then he extended his other wing to draw Luna and Celestia closer, and the four of them huddled together under the moonlight.