//------------------------------//
// Ch. 3: That Which Remains 
// Story: Once in a Blue Moon 
// by Trouble-Shooter 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Three: That Which Remains

Crypt of the Immortals, Everfree Castle: Year 0, Day 1 of Celestia's Reign

        As she and the Doctor cantered down the staircase into the crypts below the royal castle, Celestia inquired, “I don't understand, Doctor. Why do you need to examine the remains of the other Immortals?”
        Casting a glance back at the princess, the chestnut stallion replied, “Well, from your comment that this went from one Immortal to the next, it sounded rather like a disease. You can find out a lot about diseases from studying those that they kill, although I do have to admit, it's a bit macabre.” He glanced around as they entered the crypt, adding, “And the décor doesn't help one bit.”
        The princess had to concede the point. The vast underground hall showed signs of decay and disuse, with crumbled mortar and stone, mold on some of the damper walls, and half the arcane light-globes completely out. The rest glowed weakly, their enchantments not having been refreshed in centuries. Near the midpoint of the crypt, the ceiling had collapsed, leaving a hole to the upper level and smashing one of the sarcophagi open. An alicorn skull with scant bits of flesh still clinging to it leered at her from inside with blank sockets, its horn pointing almost accusingly at the mare.
        Dust swirled about their hooves as it was disturbed for the first time in decades, causing a rat to chitter indignantly in a corner. The wind from the storm filtered down through the hole, carrying a low, hollow keening sound with it, as if the castle were mourning the ancient dead that surrounded them. 
        None of this did anything good for the princess' mood. Still hurting physically and emotionally, still baffled by the strange pony who had dropped out of nowhere into her life, she felt herself beginning to doubt whether he could do as he claimed and bring her sister back to her, whole and sane.
        
        At the moment, he was staring between the broken sarcophagus and its still-sealed neighbor. Through the crystalline lid, the body of an alicorn could be seen, still largely intact. “It looks like this one's just resting,” he murmured, looking at the skeleton nearby. “But that one's almost fully decayed.”
        Nodding as she came up alongside him, the princess replied softly, “Preservation spells in the sarcophagi. This was intended to be a memorial to those that came before us, but after it was just myself and Luna, it got entirely too depressing to be down here.” Giving him a sidelong look, she added, “As someone else who is also the last of his kind, I'm sure you can understand why we did not want to linger here much, and the common ponies don't even know this place exists anymore. Discord's madness turned the Everfree Forest into a place of chaos and mortal danger, and nopony comes out now.” A wry smirk touched her lips. “We kept the name the same out of a sense of irony.”
        Crouching down near the skeleton, the Doctor had pulled out his screwdriver and was running it over the bones slowly, the buzzing noise changing in pitch and oscillation as he neared the skeletal horn of the alicorn. “Who was this one?”
        Celestia blinked. “Why are you even interested?” Looking back over his shoulder at her, the Doctor replied, “Because I'm nine hundred plus years old and I still haven't found out absolutely everything about the universe yet.” Shrugging a shoulder, he continued, “I know the big things, the big things are easy to remember: stars are born, eventually run out of fuel, and either collapse or go nova. A nebula with a charge ratio proportionally higher than three hundred parts per million will fry a stardrive every time if you fly through it. But those are just facts, things to clutter my big old brain with – I'm more interested in the people that make those facts into something wonderful, each and every day, every corner of the cosmos. Because without those souls, Celestia, all the facts and figures in the universe mean absolutely nothing.” At a chirp from his screwdriver, he let out a low sigh. “Which is precisely what I am getting from the skeleton of your relative, here.” Getting to his hooves, he gave the princess a somber look. “I realize this may be an odd question and certainly a disturbing one, but can we open up one of the sealed caskets? If I'm to understand what's become of your sister, it could be very important.”
        Celestia hesitated. She trusted the Doctor, but some instinct within her screamed at her to stop. That voice was crushed by reasoning, and by guilt and shame over letting Luna deteriorate as much as she had. Nodding, she leaned down, lighting her horn and touching it to the lid of a casket labeled with the name Tartarus. The lid glowed, and slowly slid aside revealing a smoke-gray alicorn with a mane that looked like flames, and a jagged hole in his chest from when he fell, two centuries before. “This one. He was the last of us to fall, so if you're looking for some kind of infection, he should have the most recent signs.”
        Nodding and gently touching her shoulder with a hoof, the Doctor murmured a quiet thank you and got to work, his screwdriver buzzing and chirping over the body of Celestia's eldest brother. Having little else to do, she settled down onto her knees, tears brimming in her eyes as she thought back to the fight, able to recall every detail. 

        The curse of the immortal is to remember everything.




        “Tartarus, I don't want to fight you. WE don't want to fight you, either of us! Stand down while you can!” Celestia's horn flared, lighting with a layer of overglow as she readied every combat spell she knew, casting her white coat into pink. Her horn was answered by a blue glow from her side, looking like a distant star gone mad as Luna did likewise.
        “Tartarus is no more, you foals. You have crossed me for the last time, and yet, as you are my dear sisters, I feel I can be merciful in my victory. Kneel before Perdition Blaze, and you may yet live.” The gray alicorn's coat had shaded to black, his mane and tail a shifting mass of fire that scorched anything it brushed. His eyes, though... his eyes were the worst part of it all. Normally a gentle golden hue, they had become sullen red coals, sunken into his face as if they had burned their way in. That same hellfire felt as if it were burning into Celestia's soul as he gazed at her, lips twisting in a mockery of a smile. “After all, we're all one big happy family, aren't we? Well... not so big, any more. Certainly not happy, either. It's very simple, dear sister of mine: Join me, or die.”
        Celestia stood her ground as she felt his will pressing in on hers; Tartarus' magic had always been bent more toward the mental and emotional than the physical realm. With a spark from her horn, she sheathed herself in a psychic barrier, blocking out the images of torment and fire and horror that the thing that was once her big brother threw at her mind to break it. Planting her forehooves in a spread stance, she pawed at the ground and snorted, lowering her horn. “...No.”
        “Well then, what about little Lulu? What say you, baby sister? Are you going to stay with Celestia as always, let her guide your will, as always? You have a choice, you know.” 
        Luna gave her sister an unreadable look, and stepped forward to join Perdition Blaze's side. “If it means none of us have to die, brother, then I'll do whatever you ask.” She bowed her head submissively as Blaze turned a gloating smile upon Celestia. 
        “Well, well, well. Two out of three isn't bad, but I feel like going for the full collector's set. Last chance, Celly-Belly. Are you going to join us, or will you continue to cling to the hope that you can make this world any better than it is right up until I tear it all down to start anew?”
        Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head, whispering, “I yield.” Blaze tilted his head and stepped forward, his smile taking on a decidedly smug taint. “You what?”
        Louder, the alabaster mare murmured, “I yield.” Cocking a hoof to his ear, Blaze cantered closer. “You yield? To what do you yield, dear sister?
        Looking up and fixing him with a glare, Celestia smirked. “Nothing. I was just distracting you to let Luna get behind you.” Whirling in place, Blaze turned to face Luna, then stiffen in shock as the midnight blue alicorn's horn pierced his chest and released the spell held within it. Arcs of arcane energy crackled over his body, finally gathering in his head and building force until they exploded out of his eyes, mouth, and horn in a brilliant flare of eldritch light. As Luna backed off, the fire in his mane and tail faded, his coat returning to its normal charcoal gray as he staggered to his knees, and fell to his side. 
        As the light died in his eyes, Tartarus whispered, “Th-Thank you... sisters.”




        Celestia emerged from the memory trance, the old feelings of horror and guilt sweeping up out of the past to overtake her again. As the Doctor continued his examinations with a look of growing worry, she leaned over the edge of the casket and lightly kissed Tartarus' forehead, tears running off her face and onto his. “I'm sorry, brother. I miss you.” 
        “Celestia?” The mare kept her eyes closed and shook her head. She didn't want to deal with this strange stallion right now. She just wanted to sit and remember her family the way they used to be, but a light nudge at her shoulder wouldn't let her do so. “Celestia, I need you to listen to me very closely. Are you listening?”
        Voice grating, she growled, “Great Maker damn it all, Doctor, can I just have a bucking moment here?” A moment of silence followed, and she felt some relief before the Time Lord said very quietly, “I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry, but I don't think we have a moment. I know you're hurting, I know this is hard for you, but I need you to do something very, very important for me.”
        Sighing, she opened her eyes and looked at him, then paused in shock as she saw a strange glow of what she could only think of as “un-light” building around her brother's corpse. Answering glows came from the neighboring crypts, growing in intensity until finally, with a bright flare, they died, sinking into the bodies. 
        That's when she heard the scraping noises of dozens of sarcophagi sliding open. Eyes wide in alarm, she looked at the Doctor, a soft “...What?!” escaping her lips.
        “RUN!!!”