Wandering. That’s all they seemed to be doing. Neither of them really had any specific destination in mind, Cale in particular. All he knew was that he was following Celestia without question. If she knew where they were going, she didn’t bother to say. She had a determined, almost scary look on her face as they walked. And it made the poor human restless. In his short time knowing her, he had never before seen her like this. Like she was preparing for the absolute worst, but determined to confront it anyway.
Once again he pulled back the need to talk; to speak at all. He felt as if breaking their silence might, in some way, turn Celestia’s foul mood towards himself. Of course, he could have no idea what it was that Celestia was feeling. She seemed to think that Princess Luna and Princess Twilight were in some kind of trouble. And he doubted that her stewing was leaving her any good mental images.
As they walked he couldn’t help but look around to try and take in his surroundings. They were sparse, mind you, but they were there. Most of what they walked through was just total darkness. But every few steps he would spot a small grove of trees in the distance, shaded and gray. Or he would see a small house. Every now and then he thought he caught sight of a pony running in the distance. But everything was darkened and bleak, like it barely existed.
Celestia had said that this was the plane that connected all the realms. And that being the case, it wasn’t a far throw that maybe sometimes what happened in the other realms bled through a little, showing glimpses of the life happening in the different worlds.
This thought process made him start. Was he thinking like that now? If someone had asked him a month ago if he believed that other worlds outside of his own universe existed, he probably would have laughed it off. But now, as he had come to so readily know Equestria, he supposed that the next step would be to admit that there were, in fact, even more dimensions out there.
Once again he replayed the conversation with Celestia in his head. The one they had shared when they had first arrived.
”Cale, this place is very different from both your world and my own. Things happen much differently. Time, for one, is no longer linear. What feels like a day in our world could be a minute or a year here. There are always fluctuations. Another is that Luna and I are not the only divine beings in the planes. There are many, and as such many foul beasts have been banished here to protect our worlds. This is not an inherently evil place, but over the centuries it has been stripped of what little purity it had.”
It had been a warning. One that he intended to heed very carefully. While she hadn’t elaborated on just what these beasts could be, he knew better than to try and find out. His mishap with the Manticore had been enough of an adventure for him when it came to wild animals. And, apparently, here in the aether, everything was evil. Which meant these creatures were out for blood.
So he made sure to stick close to Celestia’s side as they walked. From the first moment she had made sure to use no magic, or even to fly, saying that even the smallest spark would garner unwanted attention. He figured that was probably the best decision, anyway. Last thing he wanted to happen was to have his soul eaten or something.
They had been walking for what felt like hours in dead silence. And Cale was surprised and slightly startled when it was Celestia who first chose to break the silence. “Cale..?”
He moved closer to her and looked over, seeing that her determined demeanor had changed to sadness, almost to a look of pleading. Something akin to the likes of someone begging for forgiveness for a wrong. His brows furrowed, he nodded. “Y-yeah?”
The alicorn merely sighed. If this was going to be a conversation to have, there was no better time than the present to have it. After all, she didn’t know what would happen later in this forsaken place. Steeling herself, she spared a glance over to him and met his eyes for a moment. “I just wanted to apologize. I fear that I may not have been the perfect host for you over these past few weeks...neither have I been a good friend.”
If nothing else took him by shock, this did it. He gave a half grin and shrugged, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve been awesome.” He looked ahead of them and scratched his chin in thought. “An alien appears in your world and you take him in. You clean him up, give him a place to live, and teach him the ways of your world. I’d say that’s being a pretty good host.” After another moment’s thought, and noticing she was still silent, he continued. “And the friend thing? I wouldn’t really know. You’ve been extremely kind to me. You’ve been there through everything since I arrived. You’ve even put yourself out a few times to make sure I was at least moderately happy when I didn’t think I could be. Again, I’d say that adds up fairly well to you being just what you think you haven’t been.”
Celestia smiled despite herself. This human always had a way to say just what she wanted to hear. Focusing her eyes forward once again, “Perhaps. Then if I may, I would like to apologize for something else. Something I’m sure you’ve noticed recently.” When she felt that Cale had looked back to her, she continued. “You mentioned before we left that you...care for me. I believe that I’ve come to care for you in a similar manner.”
Sensing that there was much more than this to Celestia’s apology, Cale kept silent, listening as if in rapture. “I’ve been so foolish. In my lifetime I have met so many ponies. Some find a way into my heart, but most pass as just another face, only to be lost in the passing of time. So few leave a lasting impression on me. Don’t get me wrong, I love all my subjects, and I always will. But there’s rarely a time when I’ll go out of my way for somepony. The last to have such an effect was Twilight Sparkle. When I first met her when she was but a filly, I had no idea she would turn out so promising. And now she has joined me as an Alicorn, both blessed and cursed to live countless lives.”
Celestia hung her head and sighed, “It’s rather sad, you know. To watch loved ones grow old and die, while you stay young and continue to live. It’s a pain I myself have learned to cope with. But poor Twilight has yet to live through these circumstances. I doubt she’s even given them any thought. She’s so happy, and she loves her friends so dearly. But one day in the not so distant future, they will all pass. Her heart will break, and mine in empathy for her own.” She looked up and met his gaze once again, tears forming in her suddenly eternally old eyes. “One day, you will pass as well.”
Cale started to say something, but nothing came out. His mind was totally blank. He had never once thought of her life like this. To be immortal...he had fantasized about it, sure. Who hasn’t? But he had never thought about it like that before. She stopped then, and he moved towards her subconsciously. She sat back on her haunches and reached out with her neck, beckoning him close. He obliged and wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a hug. That was when he felt her give a soft sob.
“I’ve become so chaste over the years. I’ve not felt a surge in my heart for anypony since I was but a filly. I had long ago conceded the fact that I would never feel love, outside of the love of a Princess for her people, or a sister. And then you stumbled into my life, and ever since that day my whole world view has been in shambles. I tried to deny it, to deny you. Which is why I scarcely spent time with you. And then Luna and Twilight went off on this quest of theirs and never returned, and I suddenly realized just how much I have to lose.”
She pulled back after a moment and stood. Cale just watched her with wide eyes. This was happening. She began moving forward again, and he followed dutifully, still listening.
“While it is true that Alicorns do not die from age, we can most certainly be killed. There has only been one instance of this in my existence, and that was of my parents. Back before the aether had become what it is now. There were nightmares then, and Equestria was brand new. We were attacked, and in their last breath, they banished the beast here. It was a long time ago...and even now I can still see their faces. So happy to have saved mine and Luna’s lives. Luna and I have been truly alone since that day.”
The tears had stopped, but Cale knew that she was still hurting. It took everything in him not to stop and hug her again. She continued on almost immediately after taking a ragged breath. “I know you had a life on your world. And I can only imagine the pain and longing you must be feeling for it. I wish I could return you, to make you happy again. But I am afraid I can not. And while I am saddened with this knowledge, I am also grateful. And ashamed for being so selfish. Because I…” She shook her head and gave him a wan smile, “...because I do not want you to go.”
That was it. That was what Cale had been expecting for some time now. But even when this was put into words, it still rocked him. And as he looked into her beautiful eyes, he knew that he didn’t want to leave either. That part of his heart that made him feel like he was betraying someone slowly started to give way to these new feelings. He knew he should hate himself. That he should put forth a stronger effort into finding a way home. But all he could do was softly whisper in his mind, Goodbye Haley...mom, dad.
It was an admission of both defeat and victory. In just three short weeks his life had taken on a whole new light. It was full of magic and a strange, new land. And now, as he looked Celestia in the eyes, he knew that there was a chance for a different kind of magic. One that bloomed from the heart.
He opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped short by the sound of an ear piercing scream. He immediately looked around, trying to pinpoint it’s location, Celestia doing the same. Her mouth opened and her pupils shrank, “Oh no...Twilight.” She took off at a full gallop, leaving Cale to run behind her.
She quickly lost him, though, leaving him to follow a stream of light emerging from her horn. And he followed it at full tilt, knowing she had laid it down for him. In the distance he saw flashes of light and heard yelling. He pushed himself as hard as he could, not quite knowing what he would find when he got there.
Celestia ran. She ran as fast as she could. She could still hear the echo of Twilight’s scream fading in her mind.
Something had happened.
Her most faithful student was in trouble. And she still had no idea what had become of her sister. She knew she shouldn’t have left Cale like she had, especially not after coming clean to him like she had. But she had lost herself in fear and panic, and she knew that she would never reach the two that have always mean so much to her without racing ahead at full speed.
At least she had thought enough to leave a trail of light for him to follow. That, in of itself, should be enough. So long as he stayed on that trail, he shouldn’t encounter anything until he arrived.
She stopped suddenly as she came upon the dimly lit scene. On the ground in two crumpled masses were her student and another pony whose name escaped her for the moment. And standing above their bloody bodies was none other than her sister. But she was as she had been all those years ago. No longer was she the regal, elegant companion whom she shared so much.
The Nightmare had reclaimed her.
Celestia ground her teeth and snorted a challenge. “Nightmare Moon.” She dug at the ground with a forehoof and shook her head, never taking her eyes off the one before her. “Sister...what have you done…?”
The night mare shook her head and laughed that cold, maniacal laugh. “Sister? Ha! Don’t speak to me as such. You know very well what and who I am. Your hatred filled sibling is merely a vessel. And now,” she raised her head derisively, “it’s time for your rule to come to an end.”
When Cale finally reached the area where Celestia’s light had guided him, he could hardly believe his eyes. Above him were Celestia and what looked like Luna engaged in some kind of crazy battle. And before him lay two barely breathing ponies. He had to rip his eyes away from the spectacle above as he rushed to their sides.
Both were badly injured, the powder blue one much more so, but they would survive. Hopefully. He wasn’t exactly sure, but they didn’t look like they had any fatal wounds. Cursing under his breath he tried to stir Twilight from unconsciousness.
A few shakes and some loud words proved to be enough before the lavender mare slowly opened her eyes. She quickly inhaled and then shook, overcome by a fit of coughing. “Nnngh!”
Cale stroked her cheek, “It’s okay! Celestia is here.” He tried to give a reassuring smile, but it faded just as quickly.
Twilight looked around for a moment, then her eyes met the fight going on above them. She whimpered for a moment before looking to her side and seeing Trixie. “I-is she...okay?”
Cale looked to the pony in question before looking back to Twilight, “I think so. She’s a lot worse off than you are, but I think you’ll both make it.” His brow furrowed and he sat down fully, letting Twilight rest her head in his lap. The look of pure concern on his face made Twilight worry. “What’s going on, anyway? Why is Celestia fighting Luna? Did she do this to you?”
Twilight shook her head, still unsure about her ability to speak. But she knew she needed to tell someone about what the Nightmare had said. If for nothing else, than to know that someone knew the story. “It’s the...Nightmare. It t-took over Trixie because Trixie has hate in her heart. Even a small amount is enough to allow it entrance. When Trixie was f-fully subjugated, it put together a plan to bring about P-Princess Celestia’s end.”
Another fit of coughing took her, this time ending in some blood splattering across her lips. She wasn’t sure just how much damage she had taken from being so brutally beaten by Nightmare Moon. But she knew that at least two of her ribs were cracked. Maybe a punctured lung, too? That would explain all the coughing. Her vision spun for a moment before she could think clearly again.
“S-she said that she brought you into our world for Celestia t-to fall in love with you. Said it would make her...weak. Weak enough to be defeated.” Her eyes went once again to the battle above. And, sure enough, Celestia was losing ground. Cries of pain could easily be heard.
Cale followed her gaze and groaned softly. From fear of Celestia’s life or his own, Twilight did not know. When he looked back, though, he asked the question she fully expected. “What is the Nightmare though?”
Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “B-best I can tell, an evil from the beginning of Equestria. B-born from fear. It took over Luna once...but my friends and I defeated it. We thought it had been destroyed. We were wrong.”
Any further talk was disrupted as another brilliant cry of pain echoed above them. They both quickly looked up, only to see Celestia falling from the aether to land with a loud crash not ten feet from them. Cale carefully lowered Twilight’s head back to the ground and rushed to Celestia’s side, dropping to his knees and whispering words of hope to her.
Celestia’s eyes flickered open, and she gave a soft smile as she saw him there. Before any words could be exchanged, however, Nightmare Moon towered over them both. “Ha! The human. It only figures you would rush to her side like this.” She snorted and dug into the ground with her hoof.
“You know, I really must thank you. You did your job perfectly. She was so conflicted, her heart wavering, that defeating her was a simple matter, really. Especially without those pesky Elements around.” The silver adorned mare lowered her eyes to meet Cale’s, and she smiled wickedly. “How about I send you home now? Back to the life you left behind? All you have to do is abandon this feeble excuse for a princess and it shall be done. So…what say you, human?”
Cale blanched. A way to go home…? After all this time. After everything he had come to know and love about Equestria. After coming to terms with the fact that he would never see his family or Haley ever again. He stood and took a couple steps back from Celestia, who just looked on in both understanding, and sadness.
Cale’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two princesses. The sun and the moon. It really came down to this, didn’t it? He knew what would happen if he stayed. He would die, right here with these ponies. But if he went home, he could pretend it never happened.
Yeah, right.
His jaw set, he stepped between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, holding his arms out defensively.
“Fuck. You.”
Nightmare Moon rolled with laughter, actually taking a step back to truly appreciate the scene spread out before her. “Oh! This really is too much! The human has decided to stay and protect his protector, has he? How very noble of you. I suppose you fell in love with her as well, then? It makes no difference. On more stain on my hooves means nothing.”
She lowered her horn and took a step forward, the black magic already swirling out in a corona of power. “Make sure you wait for Celestia in the afterlife, human.”
Cale closed his eyes and waited for the magic to take him. His mind raced with all sorts of ways he would die. Explode, ripped to shreds, simply evaporated.
But when that black ball of mana struck his chest, none of that happened. All he felt was a warm tingling in his chest. His eyes opened and he looked around, only to find three auras wrapped around his body. His body which...was vanishing…
Celestia stood to his right, her golden aura stretching from her horn, lines of concentration pulling at her face.
Twilight to his left, albeit on much shakier limbs, with the same strain pouring into her purple aura.
And, surprisingly, the last, dark blue, aura belong to Luna herself, who seemed to be at battle with the monster inside her.
With an enraged cry Luna fell to her knees, “Get out of me, beast! You’ll control me no more!”
Then, just like that, the black spirit of the Nightmare rocketed out from Luna, taking on a shapeless cloud above them. Without missing a beat, all three auras of magic around Cale’s body shot up and encapsulated the cloud, then shrunk to nothing.
All four of them collapsed, and the last thing Cale remembered was that warm feeling returning to his limbs as he slowly drifted off.
Celestia stood on the balcony to her chambers once again, overlooking the rising sun with as little disdain as possible. Only this time, she was not alone. Twilight and Luna stood on either side of her, comforting her in their presence.
They had returned only days before, and none of them had been able to truly understand what had happened in the aether. Somehow Cale had managed to take hold of all of their magic and redirect it back to the Nightmare. They didn’t know if it was defeated for good, but it was gone for the time being.
When they had awoken in the aether they had originally rejoiced, thinking that the matter had been resolved with them coming out mostly unscathed. Only to realize upon trying to awaken Cale that the strain upon his body had simply been too much. He wasn’t meant to channel magic at all, especially not the magic of three Alicorns at once plus the magic of the Nightmare.
In the end, he had sacrificed himself for Celestia, refusing to leave her to her fate and return home. It was ironic, really. Nightmare had never planned on the human to fall in love with the pony. So the sacrifice was made, just not the one it wanted.
Celestia shook her head and closed her eyes, tears forming and falling silently. The funeral had been the day before. And it had been a grand spectacle, even if a small and private one. Only the ponies who knew him directly were invited, and each gave their best wishes to the four that had survived.
Luna and Twilight and exchanged looks before leaning over and resting against Celestia. The diarch took what strength she could draw from her closest friend and her beloved sister, and opened her eyes to gaze at the new light breaking over the horizon.
With what resolve she could muster, she spoke softly, where just Luna and Twilight could hear.
“Thank you, both of you.”
She pulled away and made her way back into her chambers, her heart aching and her mind dull. The world did not wait on her, so she could not wait on the world. Duties had to be attended. The country needed to be ran.
But for her? She’d never be able to watch the sun rise the same again.
FIN