Chapter 2: From Now 'Til Forever
The princesses of sun and moon circled each other in silence, letting their strength return to further fuel their senseless fight. Their hunched stalking made them seem like starved animals eagerly awaiting even the briefest chance to pounce. It was a rare lull in the destructive tempest of the past hour, a brief serenity that was nonetheless betrayed by their eyes: hatefully met, glaring daggers, refusing to relent until the other was subdued and broken.
Arcanus merely looked on in equal parts fear and wonder, nestled 'safely' behind a fallen pillar. Amidst the chaos, the ruined room had suffered and degraded as though weathered by the elements for a thousand years. Only, in this case 'a thousand years' was a mere hour, if that, and 'elements' was closer to the unrestrained power of two demigoddesses.
In a display of raw strength he had never considered, the sisters' furious strikes had proven capable of ripping chunks of solid marble apart like mere old parchment, and the shockwaves caused when they made contact had caved entire walls and uplifted parts of the floor. That said nothing of their metaphysical abilities either; the air itself hung heavy, drenched in the poisonous cling of loose magic, the few intact torches having flared on and off in a magnificent magical spectrum. Even the heavens themselves danced to their tune, with day and night having traded places many times as the sun and moon vied for dominance in bizarre sync with their masters.
It was in this moment that one sister chose to break the charged silence. "Tell me something, sister." Celestia stopped pacing and stood up straight, breathing heavily. "Dost thou remember when I put ink in thy tea?"
The dark alicorn opposite her paused as a genuine smile crept its way onto her lips at the sincere banter. She laughed lightly... and seemingly in good nature. "Yeah, I do. And I'll have you know," her tone suddenly reflected that of a whiny sibling, which of all things was a promising sign, "that stuff was a nightmare to get out. It stained my teeth black for weeks!"
Celestia's eyes narrowed as she smirked uneasily. The humour hadn't left the conversation yet, so she pressed on. "Try as I might, to this day I have yet to comprehend how thou couldst drink that... stuff," she chuckled casually, drawing on her passing knowledge of 'commoner talk.' "But thou must admit, 'twas funny."
Nightmare Moon gazed at the floor with an arched eyebrow, caught off-guard by the sudden mix of formality and colloquialism. Still, her smile grew. "... Heh, that was pretty funny, wasn't it?" There was a faint trace of warmth to both her tone and grin, and Celestia's hopes were renewed. As the sisters shared a sincere laugh, a deeper and more caring laugh than any they'd had in months, it became apparent that reason still had the potential to resolve this crisis.
Still, the shadowy mare's eyes met Celestia's own, and what she heard next caught the sun princess by surprise: "You do know this isn't necessary, right?"
Celestia was taken aback... literally taking a step back in surprise. This wasn't what she expected at all. It sounded like something she would have said, and she quickly resolved to encourage this line of reason. Hopefully it would go exactly where it needed to. "Indeed, I do."
Nightmare Moon broke eye contact and slowly trotted around the room, suddenly musing with a vague fondness. "Remember all the fun we had as mere fillies? Wondering why we were taller, and had wings and horns while our friends did not? Why magic came so easily to us, how we mastered spells that should have taken weeks in mere hours?" With a devilish grin, she threw a knowing wink to her 'pure' sister. "Or how about experimenting with, and coming to abuse our natural abilities for petty amusement?"
"Indeed, we carried ourselves particularly... disruptively, did we not?" Celestia replied, grinning impishly at her sister in recognition.
"Disruptively?" she laughed at the understatement, recalling just some of their more outlandish deeds. "Yeah, and I suppose the moon's a wax candle." She rolled her neck, dropping the whimsical tone and getting back to the point. "We were the twin terrors of those close to us, for better or worse. The pranks, the mishaps... How mother didn't disown us after the silence weed incident, I'll never know."
Celestia actually laughed aloud, relaxing slightly despite herself as the memory came rushing back along with fresh tears - born not of sorrow, but a longing for the return of the happiness those thoughts entailed. "Pray pardon, sister," she exclaimed in mock outrage, "but thou shouldst no doubt recall who started that!"
"At your advisement, sister. As always, you were forever getting me into trouble." With a thoughtful smile devoid of malice, she added: "Although... I suppose you were always there to get me out of trouble again..."
Despite this reliving of happier times, Celestia suspected it was all cosmetic. Knee-jerk banter indicative of little beneath its shallow surface. Indeed, Nightmare Moon's mannerisms all suggested the absence of aggression, from the relaxed way she stretched, right down to the way she was nodding concededly throughout their exchange. And yet, her eyes remained the picture of malevolence; it was just unfocused, for now.
Still, she had to discern why Luna had bothered to bring this up.
"... Dost thou not yearn for a return to those days?" Celestia asked cautiously, quickly growing serious. Her unstable sister's mood could switch in a heartbeat, courtesy of her tainture by that foul magic and evidenced by their prior clash. She had to be tactful about her choice in words while placating these wild emotions. "I understand my mistake. Thy sadness, loneliness... my negligence, my willful ignorance, allowed them to deliver unto us this coil." She broke eye contact as a feeling of disconsolate shame crept over her. Though, a little white lie to potentially save the world couldn't hurt... "I am solely to blame. Hear my words, for I am truly sorry, dear sister. Prithee, renounce thy taking darkness and come back to me in peace."
Technically it wasn't all her fault, as she still felt a twinge of disappointment and pity at her misguided sister's display of immaturity and willingness to lash out instead of bringing her woes to light through discourse. This situation would differ little from a selfish foal throwing a tantrum, had this foal not been a particularly vindictive goddess.
It went without saying that pointing that out now would be like trying to douse fire with a bundle of dry straw. The tall princess of the day watched patiently as the nightmare opposite her contemplated the floor thoughtfully, already suspecting what was going through her mind.
"Yes..." Nightmare Moon whispered, looking up to find her adamant sister hadn't visibly reacted at all. "Yes. A return to peace and prosperity would be nice. Fighting hasn't done us any good so far, heh." She motioned toward her body, which bore cuts, burns and bruises from the vicious pummeling she had exchanged with her equally battered sister.
She coughed, and delivered the point without further delay. "All you have to do is stand aside and allow Equestria to usher in an era of tranquility and respect. My era." She looked toward the purple sky once again, frowning at the sight of her beautiful moon sharing it with that invasive, glory-stealing sun. "Beneath the cover of night."
Celestia exhaled loudly, but was not entirely surprised at that proverbial bomb. Somewhere between the overly visionary speech, considering her sister's immature motivation for doing this, and chastising herself for thinking this nightmare could be so easily talked down, Celestia wasn't angry or frustrated any longer. Memories were nice, but that's all they were.
This wasn't an attempt to vex her with flippancy. If it was, she could deal with it. Alas, her sister really was so enwrapped in contempt and self-loathing that she was truly blind to the consequences of her actions and what they would do to the world. She wouldn't bow to compromise at all, no matter how reasonable.
But then again, compromise worked both ways, and just as her sister would not back down, neither would she.
Glaring with the fury of the sun itself, Celestia charged without hesitation. She kept her eyes firmly on those of the sarcastic dark alicorn, who smirked back as though daring her to attack. Her face hardened as her horn filled with solar energy, fully prepared to bring the fight to the enemy.
Nightmare Moon grinned wickedly and reared back, ready to pound her aggressor into the ground, but no sooner had she gotten in range did the sun princess sidestep with speed to shame even the most nimble pegasus, while her horn simultaneously emitted a violent golden blaze. The black mare's hooves embedded themselves in the ground with a terrific crash, rattling Arcanus' bones and driving him back behind his makeshift cover.
The black mare growled wrathfully, blinking rapidly to restore her vision. Nevertheless, she quickly relocated her sister's position... just a few steps to the right. That was it? The big plan? "Hah! What did you-"
Her belittling was cut off by the impact of two hooves planting themselves firmly in her face. She recoiled and shook her head furiously. Sure, she'd taken many hits throughout the fight, but getting caught without proper guards in place, magical and otherwise, upped the pain tenfold. Any facsimile of humour had gone out the window, and she found herself desiring a swift end to the pounding in her forehead and the damned pony who caused it.
Despite, or perhaps because of the throbbing hoofprints on her face, Nightmare Moon was rather annoyed by her sister's sudden initiative. Beneath that, she found it brought her pause. Until now, Celestia had been hesitant to attack first, which let the darker of the two pick the terms of their engagements... or so she believed. Now, all bets were off.
"Ahah, that wasn't... too... bad," Nightmare Moon taunted, but trailed off as her vision refocused to reveal that Celestia had disappeared again. Furthermore, the slip in her composure was all too obvious. Groaning, she rolled her bleary eyes and lookied around. Nothing to the left but shattered glass and marble fragments, nothing to the right except broken wood and... well, fragments of marble. Rapid teleportation, how mundane.
"Here, sister!" a voice echoed from the window. "Thou art rather light-minded, art thou not?"
Nightmare Moon didn't even bother to be prompt in turning around, for the bright glow reflecting off what few untarnished tiles remained made her sister's position obvious. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, suppressing her anger enough to laugh at the lack of conviction in the voice.
"Wait, was... was that supposed to be a taunt?" she asked flippantly, turning and smiling confidently. "That just isn't you, sister. You have to mean it." Still, she stared with obvious curiosity, intrigued by whatever strategy was running through her idealistic sister's mind. "Eh, I'll bite. What are you up to?"
Perched within the largest window overlooking the expansive chamber, Celestia lowered her head solemnly. The sun and moon, glowing with a divine tint of royal gold and brilliant silver respectively, hung in the twilight-hued sky behind her, with one eclipsing the other in a fittingly rebellious sense. Her horn and eyes were enshrouded in a fiery orange blaze as the powerful celestial bodies behind framed her figure with a majestic aura.
"I wouldn't advise it," snorted the evil alicorn, trying to sound aloof despite panting wearily with an obvious twitch to her eye and shortness of breath. Nonetheless, she wasn't concerned. Her sister had already attempted to seize direct control of the moon to lower it quite early in the battle, but doing so had left her vulnerable to a counter-attack. "Alright, fine." She lowered her head, displaying her horn threateningly. "Let us see where this leads."
The aura radiating from Celestia's horn pulsed, forcing the sun and moon apart while causing the former to glow magnificently like the mightiest of torches. At the same time, the silver radiance of the moon was snuffed out by a thick layer of black clouds.
Nightmare Moon's jaw dropped in disbelief at the blatant arrogance, playing right into the trap. "What, how... how dare you?" she snarled at the blasphemous affront, stamping the ground fiercely as her eyes burned white with pernicious intent. "You think you can brush my moon aside so easily? You disrespectful little..."
Trying and failing to fight back tears, Celestia raised a hoof and unleashed a torrent of magic from her horn. Twisting and curling in the air like an ethereal string of fabric, the golden energy fired straight into the sun and magnified its blazing rays. The sky was ignited, bathing the ground in supernatural luminescence. Arcanus barely had time to look away, but others hadn't been so lucky...
Nightmare Moon screamed and thrashed violently, falling back on her haunches to futilely bring a hoof to her burning eyes. In the throes of hubris, her vision had been shattered by a simple psychological trick. By obscuring the glow of one celestial object, Celestia had led her to focus on the other one...
"Agh!" she bellowed in hateful vengeance toward the heavens, for no amount of rubbing could make the raw, tearful agony swimming through her eyes subside. By some means she was too preoccupied to discern, the shock of the attack had not just blinded, but weakened her overall. Disoriented, she let forth an unrestrained rant in sheer frustration. "Da... damn you, Celestia! When I... find you... I'm going to kill..."
Lost in her anger, she didn't even notice as Celestia silently approached her, ignoring the literally blind threats as best she could. Something about hearing her own sister threaten to tear her to pieces and burn them to ashes didn't sit well, but she forced the feeling of revulsion into silence. "'Tis foalishness, Luna. Surrender," she pleaded almost desperately, despite being in decisive control of the battle at this point. "I beg of thee!"
It was apparent that the enraged nightmare's unintelligble rambling would be the only answer. Even as her desperate thrashing cast bolts of energy in random directions, obliterating whatever they hit, Celestia merely scowled at the pitiful sight of her sister writhing in helpless agony.
"... In the end, this brings to us no pleasure, dear Luna..." she whispered, shaking her head at the senselessness of it all. The dominant sun princess raised her left hoof, wreathed it in flames and struck her fallen sister across the face, hard. Nightmare Moon went down without a fight, concussed and still crippled by the spasmic pain in her eyes. The blunt trauma of a second unguarded shot to the face only compounded it.
On queue, the fallen jewels embodying the Elements of Harmony sparked to life faintly, once again hovering in formation around the sun princess's head. They fanned out before her eyes in a pentagonal pattern, with the brightest jewel of all situated in the center as they shimmered faintly in unison.
"Behold, sister. I trust thou wilt know what these represent."
Nightmare Moon's eyes flashed inconsistently, rippling with tears of pain and frustration as she glared up at the blurred image of her nigh-victorious sister. The sight inspired a sketchy attempt at one last mind game. "And... what would father say, knowing... that we... that you used his gift to do this to... to me?"
Celestia's glare mirrored her sister's own for a moment at the mere mention. "Nothing. Father isn't here, Luna. He was never here." The anger dissipated instantly, as she swiftly moved past that rather sensitive topic in favour of the one at hoof: reigniting the Elements. "... Thou shalt listen, and embrace the very powers that wilt bestow redemption upon thee!"
Nightmare Moon spat on the ground spitefully, trying pathetically to kick at her sister's legs. As if she gave a damn about some 'heroic' last minute lecture!
"Laughter... the essence of pleasure, what would have made our endless days worth continuing," Celestia stated, as the bottom left gem vibrated and shone a prominent shade of blue in tune with her words. "Honesty... the essence of integrity, the ability to trust, and to share our woes and joys alike without fear. Kindness... the essence of goodness, and the calling to treat all beneath us as our own beloved kin."
The starry-maned alicorn howled defiantly as two more of those foul gems glowed hotly at her sister's whim, powerless to do anything but listen to this inane moral nonsense. She struggled to rise, but her determination to rip the pretentious mare limb from limb exceeded her stamina and saw her collapse once again.
"Shut... up..." the weakened nightmare hissed.
"Generosity..." Celestia continued, taking a confident step forward as the bottom right jewel burst into a verdurous shade of green, "... the essence of selflessness, and the ability to give unto others without want or need of favour."
"I... I said shut up!" This time it was accompanied by a swift, yet weak blast of energy. Celestia merely batted the thin magical fabric aside with a hoof, dispersing it harmlessly. A testament to how physically unthreatening her sister had become.
She lowered her head and whispered: "... Loyalty." She choked on that one word, the implications of the context eliciting a bout of hesitation. She coughed through it, and the passion in her voice flared as she stared intently at the swirling, fiery red texture of the Element as if in search of a long lost memory. "The essence of stature and reliability, a sacred bond of trust and mutual dependence that we shared..." she focused harshly on the fallen image of Luna, and let a trace of regret creep into her formal lecture, "... that I believed we shared."
The final gem resonated sharply, emitting a blinding violet flash as its energies melded with those of its brethren to form a blazing emblem imbued with the colours of the rainbow. Nightmare Moon weakly shielded her eyes as the blazing light seared and burned her coat, hopelessly fighting the holy energies that assailed her body and soul.
"The final Element..." whispered Celestia in an almost prophetic sense, her eyes ablaze with white flames as a storm of magic swirled around her. "The ultimate force that hath bound our destinies these past years, and that hath gave unto us the strength to endure the trials of Discord. Say it, Luna."
Nightmare Moon bared her teeth as viciously as her weakened state would allow, refusing to bow and partake in this dramatic foolishness. She tried another blast, but found any attempt negated by the overpowering aura that had enshrouded them both. She shook her head violently and whispered but one word: "No..."
Celestia's eyes switched from pure white to abyssal black in an instant, taking on a reflective, almost metallic quality as the rainbow energy of the Elements danced within. "Say it!"
"No!" she snarled, fighting back with the one weapon she had left. "Never!"
"The essence of friendship," Celestia declared, her amplified voice echoing through the ruined chamber and wrapping up the theatrical display. "The nexus of the Elements and the very lifeblood of Equestria. The element of..."
"No! No!" the desperate visage of Nightmare Moon screeched, letting the residual effects of her power tear away at the debris piled around the chamber. The energy danced harmlessly around Celestia, as though it knew the consequences of even trying. "NO!"
"... Magic."
Rather anti-climatically, and against her own expectations, Nightmare Moon stopped struggling as her anger subsided at the sound of that dreadful word. Hearing it given voice led her to an an epiphany of sorts. "... Wait. That... that won't work." She hesitated for a moment, but suddenly laughed maniacally as though she'd won a particularly dramatic game of chess.
Celestia fell silent and looked at her twistedly upbeat sister inquisitively. "What dost thou find so amusing?"
Nightmare Moon just laughed harder, but notably did nothing to get her unstable aura back in check. No, she was too busy kicking herself for that. How had she missed a simple little detail? How had her oh so righteous sister missed it? "You know what... what it takes... to bring that forth. The bond of... a powerful, a real friendship! Look around you! At this! At me! We are friends... no longer..." She sneered as convincingly as she could. "Your element is useless!"
Celestia shook her head at the delusional husk of madness at her hooves, before glancing over her shoulder toward the back of the room. Arcanus had hesitantly limped out from behind his cover again, but wisely kept his distance. Nightmare Moon noticed their met gazes, and with her newfound hope, managed a sarcastic groan.
"What... you think you... you can use the knave?" Her laughter grew to a point where she would have toppled over completely were she not already floored. The thought of being thwarted by such a sentimental cliché was ridiculous and impossible. She and her sister alone held the Elements, and they sure weren't a tool to be held in the hooves of a commoner. "But, by all means... entertain me! You can take it, but... but can he? Wielding this... our power, will surely kill him!"
Celestia returned her eyes to the giggling form of her wayward sister, and sighed. "Nay. Thou dost not choose to believe, but deep within thy soul, I sense an echo of our friendship hath endured to this dark hour to some extent, even if as nothing more than..." a white twinkle briefly flashed in her blackened eyes, sparking the final gem to life with a deep violet hue, "... a spark."
Nightmare Moon stopped laughing in a hurry, her eyes shooting open in fear as the realization of what was about to happen hit her in full. The shimmering rays of light emanating from the center gem had completed the divine picture and easily dispelled her delusions of grandeur.
"N... no... n- agh!" Wave upon wave of searing holy magic lashed at the younger mare's limp body, unhindered by her desperate pleas. She tossed about, wailing like a panicked animal inches from death, fearful for her life or worse as she stared into the blazing white abyss of the unknown. "No! No! W-wait... we can..."
"I am sorry, sister, but thou hast given to me, to us, no alternative," Celestia whispered emptily, leaning on the Elements and their neutral sense of justice for strength. "This resolution... it pains me deeply. But this madness must come to an end."
With enough effort to bear the weight of the sun itself, Celestia forced herself to ignore her sister's last ditch effort at shallow reason - insincere promises born of desperation and helplessness in the face of defeat. Dark magic was thinking for her now, and she wouldn't hesitate to finish this at a moment's notice were the situation reversed.
With one final pulse, the elemental emblem flared out into a powerful rainbow of light and bore down upon the screaming form of the disgraced moon goddess.
"I know thou still hast a faint glimmer of goodness locked away within thine heart, buried beneath the shroud of misguided wrath," Celestia shouted to be heard over the divine storm. "In time, I pray thou wilt also find it. Search thy soul, seize that goodness, and cherish it. Nurture it. For in time, thou shalt be redeemed. It may take years, or centuries, but I promise thou shalt be redeemed!"
As the glowing rainbow wrapped around the fallen sister's body, clashing violently with her dark essence and threatening to engulf her completely, so too did her fury reach its peak. With barely enough time or energy to finish the thought, she rasped the first and last words that came to mind: "I... h-hate...!"
Celestia covered her eyes as the storm of harmony exploded beyond her direct control, the containment spell beginning to run its course without her aid. With the last of her energy, emotionally and otherwise, she kneeled and made a subdued pledge: "Do not despair, my beloved Luna, for I shall not abandon thee. I swear it!"
"Thou shalt not enter," grunted the deep blue unicorn sentry, gaze bearing heavily down on the diminutive colt as he blocked his attempt to pass. "Her highness is tending to her injuries, as thou shouldst be to thine own." He pointed to the prominent mark on the visitor's leg.
Arcanus frowned, following the guard's gesture down to the sole injury he had sustained that night: a moderate burn to his upper left foreleg. In his eyes it had been a fitting turn out; the princess told him to stay out of the fight, and like a mindlessly dedicated fool, he had attempted to intervene the moment she showed even the slightest difficulty. The pain had dulled to a faint throb, persisting just enough to remind him of the consequences of indiscretion.
He sighed, modestly unimpressed. He had gotten off quite lucky, considering he'd stood between two angry alicorns going for each other's blood. Had fate played its hand differently, he could be dead or worse. Furthermore, his 'battle' damage would heal in time. It was nothing compared to what the princess had suffered - both emotionally and physically.
But that was all beside the point. In all fairness, he was certainly there for a reason, but the fortress of a stallion towering over him at nearly twice his size didn't look to be in the mood for discussion. It didn't help that his sharp, spiky crimson mane protruded from beneath his helmet, which complemented his equally threatening scarlet eyes.
"I... um," Arcanus tried to say, but faltered under the guard's arched eyebrow. "I... believe her highness is expecting me..." Perhaps walking away and coming back later or waiting until he was personally summoned was the more prudent course.
"That remains to be seen. I shall make inquires on your behalf." The armored unicorn turned to face the door. "Wait here."
"It is alright," echoed a subdued voice of reason and wisdom from within the chamber, before he even had a chance to knock. The door creaked open with a gentle yellow glow and hum of magic. "Please, allow him to pass. We requested his prese-" she paused to cough through what was unmistakably a sob, "... I-I asked for him."
"Very well," the guard acknowledged, moving aside without hesitation. Keeping a stern eye on the ash coated colt, he leaned in close and whispered: "Ye are privileged with her highness' favour. With due respect, choose your words carefully. Would ye please not burden her highness with the mundane?"
Arcanus gulped and nodded sheepishly. The iron in the guard's jarringly formal whisper made it clear he didn't say that for him to agree with. Quickly edging through the door, he was greeted with the most... unbecoming image of the mighty princess he had ever hoped to see.
Kneeled before a massive statue situated along the far wall, looking rather defeatedly up at it, was a battered Princess Celestia. Despite the numerous injuries dotted around her body, ranging from minor grazes to deep gashes, light singes to fierce burns, she appeared none too concerned. To her left sat a pail full of warm, soapy water and an assortment of plump cushions. Atop a thick table sat a silver tray lined with a modest assortment of foodstuffs, a large golden pot and an array of smaller cups.
None of these items showed any evidence of use.
The dried tears lining the despondent alicorn's cheeks were all too obvious, her mane seemed noticeably dulled and her usually immaculate horn lacked its shine. Arcanus winced and looked away, shamed into silence at the mere sight of his idol in such an exposed and, dare he say it, pitiful state. He didn't deserve to see her highness like this. No one did.
He instead distracted himself by focusing on the statue. The magnificent stone carving depicted the royal sisters facing each other, with their right hooves outstretched and touching in the picture of symmetry. The figures' coats were painted in a basic contrast - one glowing white and the other deep black, with solid eyes of polished steel that matched the other's shade. At a guess, it was modelled after an old emblem Arcanus had seen in many philosophy texts - two adjacent raindrops in opposite colours, with a tiny piece of one present in the other.
As was the nature of such things, historians could never quite agree on what exactly this was supposed to mean, but the common interpretation was something like 'even the most fundamental opposites exist in a sort of interdependent tandem.' Some philosophers with a notable sense of humour had even taken to satirizing the inherently vague nature of the topic by casting the symbol in such ridiculous colours as blue and orange.
The weary princess slowly turned to face the quiet colt, and sighed obviously enough to break the silence and his thoughts alike. "I am sorry thou hadst to see that," she whispered, "We had no right to burden upon thee our affairs. For this, we feel nought but regret."
Arcanus seized up and stood anxiously at attention. The hollow tone of self-loathing in the dishevelled princess's voice was undeniable, and in his self-conscious paranoia, gave the discomforting impression of unwantedness. As though his lowly presence was making matters worse. "N-nay. Not at all, your highness." He held his stoic facade and kept his eyes very much to the floor.
"Do not fear for me, young one. I think I'll survive." He looked up to find the princess wearing that all-knowing smile again with her hoof outstretched invitingly. He could feel the involuntary frown he'd failed to suppress even now, but was his pity really that obvious? "I encourage of thee to speak thy mind. Thou hast witnessed us in such an embarrassing state. Formality need not influence thy composure."
He looked toward the door uncertainly. "I... promised the guard..."
"To not 'burden me with the mundane.' I heard." Celestia frowned, noticing Arcanus had bowed his head. She cleared her throat, attracting his attention long enough to notice her signal to rise. "Noble young Aegis, the guard outside the door, has much on his mind. Thou must understand that he represents the pinnacle of royal guard philosophy. Unwavering loyalty to us, my sister in particular, that runs deeper than family." She gave him a knowing smile. "Not unlike thy dedication to our tutelage. Having lost one princess, he hath dedicated himself to ensuring he doth not lose the other."
Arcanus returned the smile, relieved at the princess's sudden rise in mood and his own along with it. "Your highness, there are... things I wish to know," he almost squeaked, diverting his gaze and fidgeting to steady his nerves. "If... if I may."
"I would assume they concern our prior engagement," Celestia stated with little inflection, leaving Arcanus rather unsure if he should continue. She sighed, shaking her head in reservation. Would she ever get over that night's events if she couldn't talk about them with someone she trusted? "... Please, do not hesitate. We risked thy life by requesting thy presence earlier. There are... things concerning this night thou dost deserve to know. Consider me an open book before thee."
With a deep sigh, Arcanus nodded and pushed his comfort zone. He'd know soon enough if this was reaching too far. "... What pushed her highness Princess Luna to do what she did?"
Celestia shut her eyes and rolled them, in that order. It figured he'd skip to the thicker chapters, but that was the way he had been taught... that she had taught him. To identify the premise of the issue by diving straight to its heart, and letting everything else fall into place. This was probably for the best.
"That's... easily explained," she lied. There was nothing easy about it, but she managed. "Thou dost remember that black book?" Arcanus nodded as the ruined text appeared between the two ponies with a flash, floating silently toward the colt at the princess's will. "'Tis badly damaged, but read from it what you will, and tell me."
Arcanus briefly ran his eyes back and forth down what few pages remained, filling in missing halves of words where he could, before realizing: "This book describes..."
"Dark magic," Celestia finished. "'Or rather, evil magic. In her normal frame of mind, Luna would detest the implication that her night was in any way associated with evil."
Arcanus nodded knowingly, having no trouble recalling the tendency for fiction to overlap the two.
"'Tis an academic text," the princess continued her expository spiel, "written to describe its sources, and the effects of exposure to it. 'Twas intended as a learning resource for royal knights and researchers, should they find themselves faced with such elements in the future. Unfortunately, such information indirectly enables one with a studious mind to discern ways to apply it."
Arcanus raised an eyebrow, largely for effect. The princess's words described a rather basic concept, and he'd figured it out easily. "So by studying a guide to dark magic, her highness... deduced how to access it?"
Celestia smiled sadly, but her pride as a teacher shone through all the same, albeit fleetingly. "Indeed. Evidently, my sister believed she could handle the burden... whatever effect a saturation of dark magic has upon the mind."
She turned completely away from her company, and fixed her eyes upon the statue once again. The smile dropped. The ancient monument almost mockingly represented a unity that had, in the course of a single night and a few bad decisions, become mere history.
"... Perhaps, in her anger, she simply didn't think things through... didn't consider the consequences." The princess hunched slightly and trembled. "Blind to all but spurious accusation, she succumbed to the unknown for an inkling of power she didn't need!"
Arcanus winced and jerked his head away as the infernal book burst into a plume of white flame mere inches from his face. Celestia snapped her head around, scowling at what her brief rage had done.
"Art thou alright?"
Arcanus nodded weakly, forcing a goofy grin onto his face. "I-I'm fine, your highness."
Celestia looked to the floor in shame, coughing awkwardly. She could add 'losing her temper and endangering a student' to the list of mistakes for the evening. "I... am sorry, Arcanus."
"T-think nothi-"
"Though it is perhaps for the best that I vented that anger. However, I had no right to endanger thee again."
"'Tis alright-"
"Wouldst thou forgive me?"
Arcanus had to hold back the 'Princess!' interjection he had prepared. Instead, he bowed formally and assured her with no hesitation: "'Tis done, your highness." He held off the 'everypony makes mistakes' part; something about that felt insolent and judgemental. "It is I who should be seeking forgiveness, for... for knowingly speaking of these matters at such time."
Celestia laughed and shook her head. "Nonsense, I shan't hear another word to this effect. It is my invitation to thee, as my loyal student, to inquire on such things. Thou hast earned that right. Now, to move on to more pertinent matters, art thou satisfied with thy question's resolution?"
"Yes, your highness."
"And dost thou have another?"
"... Yes, your highness. Two, in fact."
Celestia nodded, trotting casually over to the bucket of water and levitating the drenched, soapy cloth. "By all means," she said, gently applying the soothing towel to one of her many wounds.
"What happened to her highness in the end?"
Without uttering a word, the princess fell silent and proceeded to the window, motioning for Arcanus to follow. She unceremoniously threw the curtain open. The night had lasted long past its natural timeframe, a fact she would attend to later, and as such the moon was still in full view. She pointed to the rather overt dark patch etched into it, the appropriately titled lunar maré, which curiously took the form of... a pony?
"I couldn't bring myself to do it," Celestia whispered reflectively, more like thought aloud, "Despite her transgressions, she is still my sister, and will be as such from now 'til forever. Her words, her actions, were not her own." She gave the colt a look that made it clear she wasn't really certain of that, but convinced herself of it anyway. The alternative, while possible, was too much to bear.
"She... her highness, I mean... is in the moon?" Arcanus whispered incredulously, as the sheer absurdity of it would be laughable had it not come from Celestia herself. Ah, but it had, and that in turn suddenly rendered his rather simplistic wording woefully inadequate.
Celestia nodded very gradually, the resigned way one would were they deciding to break a vow they'd held for decades. "I believed all she needed was the opportunity to allow her emotions to settle. With a clear mind, I am sure she will be open to peaceful discourse. Also, if luck is in our favour, the evil magic misguiding her will expire in time."
She emphasized that last word rather bleakly, which the colt couldn't resist the pedantic urge to question. "May I ask... how much time?"
Celestia grimaced. "... Understand that it could be years, or decades," she admitted just as much to herself as the colt beside her. "Beyond thy lifetime, Arcanus. Beyond the lifetimes of thy furthest descendants. They will live and die many times over, while I remain in wait of my sister's return. For the sake of thy conscience, I wouldst not advise thou concern thyself with the far future." Her frown lightened as Arcanus looked away apologetically. "'Tis alright, young one. Just one aspect of immortality. A rather..." she broke the formal mood by twirling her hoof in the air, a colloquial representation of trying to find the right word, "... different sense of scale. Thou hast no need to grieve for us."
Arcanus retreated to silence, watching as the princess returned to the table and set about pouring a drink from the large urn. She sniffed at the scalding substance, visibly twitching as the steam invaded her sinuses. She raised the cup, but abruptly lowered it inches before taking a sip. "Didst thou not have one more question?"
Arcanus nodded, quietly approaching the table. Without prompt, he began to scan the various fruits and sugary snacks as though he'd only just noticed them. The extraordinary ordeal had distracted his wine-driven hunger for too long, and now was the time to chow down. Despite his ever-present demeanour of restraint, he had relaxed enough to trim down his assertion of the tray's contents from 'that's the princess's food' to 'that's food.'
Celestia smiled gently and nodded reassuringly. "By all means, enjoy."
Without hesitation he did just that, hastily seizing a pomegranate and picking away at it hungrily. In a short time his voracious frenzy had fallen back into a relaxed, good-mannered pace, but Celestia merely watched with seemingly limitless patience and more than a hint of amusement. She continued to sniff hesitantly at her own cup, 'savouring' its aroma, but never once drank from it.
The discomposed colt stopped gorging on water just long enough to meet the princess's gaze. He laughed uneasily at her unnervingly glamorous smile and hung his head respectfully.
"If thou art sufficiently revitalized," Celestia teased, lightheartedly cutting off his attempt to excuse himself, "wouldst thou not hesitate to ask whatever else is on thy mind? We have a schedule to keep," she winked and motioned toward the moon with a painfully forced laugh, "lest the night indeed last forever."
"'Tis done," the colt quickly chimed in before the princess's impromptu, cynical joke could drag the mood down. "What 'task' did your highness intend to ask of me earlier, before..." He coughed awkwardly and stopped there.
"I was wondering when thou wouldst recall that," The wise princess smiled knowingly, likewise forcing the positive mood to stay intact. "'Tis in fact the reason I asked for thy presence at this time. We indeed have a task we wouldst request of thee, following the conclusion of thy study."
As before, Arcanus tensed up and saluted formally. He was prepared, perhaps blindly so, to carry out whatever this mystery task was before even hearing it. Imitating military behaviour? Celestia mused, He's been watching the knights too much...
"At ease, soldier," she said with a playful smirk, "our assignment is both voluntary and decidedly non-military." She nodded approvingly as her student relaxed his hoof, despite his eyes retaining that sense of recalcitrant discipline usually found in the more experienced royal knights. Had he even heard the word voluntary in there?
"Your highness need only name it, and it is done."
Celestia pursed her lips and shrugged. "There is one very specific avenue of study we wouldst ask of thee to pursue." Arcanus didn't react, but the princess sighed nonetheless. She hadn't dropped the more... inflammatory detail yet. "Full-time, to the exclusion of thine other studies."
Arcanus immediately broke formal conduct, his mind suddenly ablaze with conjecture and paranoia. There were a dozen different reasons why the princess would see fit to ask this of him, and none of them sat particularly well.
Questions regarding her intent swam chaotically in his head; questions like 'Why wouldst your highness ask this of me?' or 'What have I done to warrant such penance as for your highness to suspend my studies?' Or better yet... "Your highness, what avenue could possibly be so specific, and..."
Important? Imminent? Relevant?
"... demanding as to require my full attention, to the possible detriment of all else?"
"Love," she said simply. Arcanus's eyes went wide, rebelliously so, but if the princess noticed she didn't see fit to comment. "Thou art the most promising apprentice by which we have ever been honoured. Thy potential for learning hast never been rivalled, and probably never will be. However, academic study is not the essence, the be-all-end-all of life. A mortal lifetime is incomplete, unfulfilled, without the magic of friendship... and love.
"I am admitting my own inability to experience one of the joys of thy mortality. I will be honest with you, Arcanus, as I always have been. Immortality has precluded me from truly living out a mutually full romantic companionship with another pony. They would grow old, and after a heartwarmingly sincere farewell, they would die. What mortals only truly experience once, we - my sister and I - have enjoyed, and suffered repeatedly, and will continue to do so. She was the only long-term companion I ever truly had, and the bond of friendship carried us through the maddening ages. Now that even she is gone, I am alone."
Arcanus watched her warily, silently processing the information and eagerly, but patiently, awaiting the 'point' of this lecture. Fascinating as it was, the age old alicorn was clearly expositing at length to set up for a major point at the end.
"In so many words, Arcanus, I am asking of thee to not throw thy life away. There is more to a young pony's life than studying. Thou hast already seen the power that true friendship can bestow upon its bearers, and even Equestria itself was founded upon it. To study love would be to do us both, and the kingdom, great favour. But, as we said, it is thy choice and thy choice alone. All we have done is offer to thee an opportunity, not a royal order. Thou dost not have to decide immediately."
With a satisfied sigh, Celestia fell silent and sniffed once more at her cup, allowing her disciple a quiet moment to consider her words. Just as she had broken the ice and laid down her offer, so too was she ready to...
"Bleuch," she practically spat, though remaining graceful enough not to make a mess. Arcanus snapped out of his brooding to grin sincerely. Her highness Princess Celestia, the immovable picture of discipline and wisdom, gagged audibly and scowled at the floating cup and the sickeningly sweet liquid it held.
With little more than a raised eyebrow, the grinning colt leaned over the golden urn and cautiously took a sniff. The sweet, delicious smell signalled for him to smile at the irony, the decision at hoof falling by the wayside to be handled later after he sought the counsel of rest. "... Tea? Pray pardon, but didst your highness not... express a distaste for tea?"
Celestia pouted, but soon joined in the laughter as she took one last look at the moon. "Aye," the rugged way she pronounced that one syllable only made Arcanus laugh harder. "I figured I would try it my sister's way for once, but... I suppose I could get used to it."