//------------------------------// // Last words // Story: Time never stands still // by Dradavar //------------------------------// Chapter 11 Luna was resting in her bed, tears still streaming down her face. I wasn't better, I had failed my oath, sadness and desperation were embracing me like a heavy cloak, pulling me down, deeper into the depths of this emotion. 'Emotion?' my eyes widen, I take the two strange crystals out of my bag, one in each hoof. The feeling was indescribable. Coming from the one hoof was warmth, happiness and calm and the urge to smile and laugh. From the other hoof came wrath, fear, hatred, the urge to kill and devastate. Like I had the 'good' and the 'evil' in my hooves. "How are you doing?" 'Twilie' asks me, sitting right next to me, a worried look on her face. "What do you think how I'm doing?" I put the crystals back into the bag, looking up at her, waiting for an answer. "Not too good, I think" she answers quietly. Silence. Everything was quiet besides the calming sound of three breathing ponies. A soft knock at the door ruines the quiet. I sigh, get up and walk to the door, prying it open I see Shining Armor in front of me. He nods at me, I nod back and open the door for him to come in. He walks in quietly, seeing 'Twilie' he walks up to her, hugging her. "How's she doing?" he asks in a whisper. "Not good" 'Twilie' answers, "the doctor said she had a psychotic shock" Shining nods, looking at Luna. Something is off. Shining seems to look at Luna with an unnatural glare, cold, menacing. His expression was one of calm and sorrow but his glare, his eyes told something complete different. "Hey Shining?" he turns to me, a asking expression on his face, "why are the creatures we fought called changelings?" he was still wearing the asking expression after hearing my question. "They're called this way because they can copy any pony" 'Twilie' answers, looking at me, "why you ask?" Green blood gushes out of Shinings throat as Garnjiel flies through the air impaling itself in the wall. 'Shining Armor' screeches and gargles trying to get some air through his open trachea as he falls to the ground, green flames engulfing him and burning his white coat away. The changeling looks up at me, still trying to breath and to stop his blood from fleeing through his throat. "Your eyes" I say, walking closer to it, leaning down, "I don't know Shining long enough to actually say something about his personality, but his eyes never showed such a cold glare when he looked at any of the princesses." The changeling gargles something, his eyelids droop, one last twitch and he's dead, blood still flowing out of his throat. Luna was sleeping quietly, apparently ignoring the ruckus around her. 'Twilie' was shivering as her eyes jump between me and Shining Armor. "H-H-How did you-" she starts, stottering. "As I said" I cut her off midsentence, walking up to Garnjiel to pull it out of the wall, "Shinings eyes were never this cold, this menacing, even as we fought against the changelings. They had a hard look sure, but never this way" I lean Garnjiel against Lunas bedpost, the blood still flowing down it's blade. 'Twilie' only nods, looking down at the dead changeling. She sighs, "I'm going to talk to the guards, maybe I can get someone who can clear this mess" I nod at her. I'm sitting next to the bed again looking at Lunas quiet sleep, even now, tears were still flowing. Her eyes open. Still lying there she looks at me, a sad expression. She whinces, "tell me it's a dream" she says quietly. "I can't" I answer, "I wish I could, but I can't" closing my eyes, trying to stop the tears from welling up. Luna sits up, looking through the dark room her eyes fall on the dead changeling, she looks at me. Before I can say anything she shruggs and stands up, going through the dark, around the blood, and sitting down at her table. Opening the curtains with her magic, light invading the room. The light falls on the big clear crystal, it's sheen reflecting through the whole room. It's reflection seems to suck up the sadness, the sorrow, the heavy feeling of lose. "Please, leave me alone right now" she states quietly, not looking at me, "I have to-" she stopps, sighing she looks out to the clear blue sky, "I have to take my sisters position." I bow deeply, grab Ganjiel and walk out of the room, my ears perk. Right before the door closes i hear Lunas soft sobs. I turn around and impale Garnjiel into the marble, leaning at it I sit in front of the doors, waiting. 'Sorrow' a cold voice whispers, reminding me of the darkness I was once in. 'Sadness' another whisper. 'Despe-' 'Happiness, warmth, joy' another voice echoes through my mind. A voice I know, the voice of- "Sister!" Luna cries in her study behind me, I jump up, grabbing Garnjiel I open the door, I stop, mouth agape. In the middle of the room is a ghostly image of Celestia. A smiling image. "Do not wheep" she whispers, "immortality has something good to it. Even if my corporeal form is destroyed, my soul will live on" she looks at me, a warm smile flashes through my mind. "Luna" she looks at her sister, "go to my study, the bottom drawer of my table, you will find answers there" she turns around, "and newly made orders for you" my eyes widen. The image is getting weaker, slowly fading. "Luna, do you remember the day you were born?" Luna nods, "liar" Celestias image chuckles, "you were so adorable. The very first moment my eyes fell upon you I knew, you would become that what you are now. Remember this, you will have one day the same feelings. But this time..." the image disappears, "... you will be the big sister." Lunas ears perk, she nods and bursts into tears, but this time she smiles, tears of joy running down her cheeks. "Until then" Luna whispers. The giant crystal on the table behind Luna shatters into million pieces, each piece hitting something shatters again, again and again until only one piece is left. The black crystal that was in the middle of the clear crystal. Luna walks back to her table, wiping away the day from her cheeks, she looks at the crystal. Pale magic surrounds the crystal and destroys it, breaking it in half. "Siren" she looks at me, "would you like to follow me to Celestias study?" I nod, "of course princess" I answer, she nods. Her pale magic surrounds me and in a flash we're gone. We reappear in Celestias study. 'Wait!' I think quickly, 'in the study?' I look at Luna as she notices my confused expression. "Celestia and I are the only ponies who can teleport directly into these rooms" she explains quickly. I nod. Luna walks to the big table and opens the drawer. She gasps. "What is this?" she falls to her haunches, I rush to her and look at the drawer. It's empty. I facehoof. Celestia had the bad habit to hide every important thing in a way only she, or the ponies who knew where to look, would find these. I walk closer to the drawer and stomp at the bottom inside of it. A heavy, wax sealed envelope falling from underneath the drawer. "How did you-" Luna starts. "I told you" I answer, cutting her off midsentence, "I know her since she has become the queen of the sunstrider clan. And there is a reason I was her vassal, not only because I was one of her guards. We were friends" I look at Luna and point at the envelope, "maybe you should pick it up" I say quietly. "Why?" she looks at me with confusion. I sigh, "Celestia had the bad habit to shield these documents in a way that it would be impossible for normal ponies to read them, and ponies who knew how to break the wards were few" I explain. Shuddering in remeberance of the one maid who had the bad luck to find one of these hidden documents. The only things that were left of her were a scream echoing through the halls and a charred corps. "So?" Luna asks. "The only pony" I start to explain "who can pick them up without setting off the wards is Celestia herself. But she wasn't stupid, she also inserted a few names into the ward who would be allowed to carry and read the documents." "That still doesnt explain why I should pick it up." I sigh again, "I was gone for almost two thousand years, do you think my name is still on the list of those who can read them?" Silence. Luna nods and picks the envelope with her magic up. She falls to the haunches as the envelope emits a bright light. I close my eyes and turn away shielding them from the light. The light ceases and the wax seal on the envelope breaks off. Opening itself another light shines out of the envelope. "Two ponies are present" Celestias voice comes out of the envelope, "please make sure that you are alone" the light ceases, the envelope closing and sealing itself again. Luna looks at me, I nod. "I got the hint" I turn around, "I will guard the door" I open the doors, closing them behind me I stand there, waiting. The castle was pretty quiet, atleast this part of it. I could hear the shouts of the ponies in the other parts of the castle, shouting to each other what has to be repaired, what they would need for that and all that stuff. Stuff I didn't care about. Five minutes. Ten minutes. I take Garnjiel off, leaning it against the wall, close enough to be in range for me to pick it up of course, I lay down on my belly, waiting for Luna. Twenty, thirty, forty. The door opens quietly, I stand back up and turn around. Luna looks at me, tears in her eyes. "Your turn" she say as she walks out, the big envelope in her magic, I raise a brow, "in the envelope was a little letter adressed to you, I can't open it" I nod and walk in. Luna closes the door behind me. My steps, muffled by the fluffy carpet, were quiet as I walk through the silent study towards the table. My eyes fall on the letter, a small letter. The old sunstrider clan wax seal on it, my eyes widen as I see the seal. It was a nostalgic feeling, seeing the seal again. The seal I served under for five years. The seal charres away and the letter opens himself light shining out of it. "Siren present" Celestias voice, quieter than before. The letter opens completly unfolding itself on the table. I walk closer, looking on the neatly hoffwriting. It was definitly Celestias writing. I take a deep breath and start to read. Dear Siren, You reading this means that I'm no longer there to tell you this in person. After your return I wasn't sure what to do with you, on the one hoof you are one of the greatest warriors there was, so many years ago but I've also seen you in a dress, shining from the inside. So while I write this I don't know what eactly to do with you, my mind shouts to give you a high position in my army using your skills. My heart wheeps at this thought, it wants to see you in a position in which you don't have to wear a claymore or any other weapon. So while you read this it is up to you. It's your chance, your choice. Luna has two orders for you, in whatever way you decide to life on she can help you. She will either take you in as a keyfigure of the equestrian army or she will release you from any oath, the only rules that will bound you then are the laws of Equestria. I'm sorry that our time together was so narrow, the first weeks after you disappeared were the worst. I had almost no friends and your brothers-in-arms were also strucken by sorrow, these days were the darkest I had before Nightmare Moon. And by the way, I really missed our chess games, I never got a chance to return. What was the last count we had? 22 to 7 for you? Siren, I'm really glad that you are back and wish you every good that you might find on Equestria and don't wheep over your loss, remember, I will always live on in, your heart, in the light that shines down on Equestria and everything related to it. Be embraced by the suns bright rays, Celestia 'Sunstrider' Solaris One last warning, while I won't tell you everything, this is up to you to find out, don't believe what my father told you about the Eclipse-Weapons. There were more ingredients to them than that what you know. Sadly not every ingredient is a 'good' one. I close my eyes, a tear falling down on the letter. "You loved our games" I sniff, "because I was the only one who wouldn't let you win on purpose. And you're wrong. The last count was 22 to 4, silly" The letter closes itself, the seal reappearing on it and light emitting from the seal. "Purpose fulfilled. Dispense magic" the letter said in Celestias voice as the magic disappears from the letter. 'Two paths' I sigh, looking down on the letter. "What should I do?"