//------------------------------// // Shattered // Story: The Lost Prince of the Sea // by Cursory Note //------------------------------// Celestia looked at the eastern horizon with a worried face. Luna had left her a troubling note about eternal night and then disappeared. She began to pace and tried to calm down but she found herself checking the door constantly. After a moment Aecorum quickly walked through the door towards Celestia and she asked “Did you find her?” Aecorum shook his head and turned to the horizon. “I searched the whole castle; she is nowhere to be found.” He turned to Celestia “We have to find her before she does something everypony will regret.” “What if this is some kind of joke? Luna always loved a good prank.” Aecorum raised his eyebrow and spoke sarcastically “Yes, because jokes about bringing night eternal to the entire world are always funny.” Aecorum shook his head “This is serious.” Celestia nodded and rubbed her forehead with a hoof “Where would she go? Luna has never done anything like this before.” Aecorum sighed “I do not know, Tia.” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath “We have to stay calm and think about this. She is not in the castle, so where else might she go to…Do whatever it is she is planning?” Celestia’s eyes widened “She is not in this castle, but what about the old one?” Aecorum nodded “Of course! Come, we may not have much time!” Aecorum ran towards the nearest balcony with Celestia close behind. --- Celestia and Aecorum walked cautiously into the throne room and as they grew closer to the three thrones Aecorum called out. “Luna!” “Not another step.” Luna walked out from behind her throne and stood in front of it, a harsh glare on her face. Luna’s glare hardened and she spoke harshly “Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?!” Aecorum and Celestia shared a confused look as Luna walked to the raised dais behind Aecorum’s throne and continued. “There can only be one ruler in Equestria! And that ruler,” She raised her front hooves “Will be me!” She stomped on the dais and cracked the front, sending pieces of stone flying as her eyes glowed white. A crack in the wall traveled up until a large square of stone was destroyed to reveal the sun in the sky. Luna crouched and rose up into the air as the moon rose behind her, covering the sun and instantly turning it into night. Black streaks flowed from the moon and circled around Luna, carrying her into the air as her horn glowed and her eyes dilated. A sphere of black and orange flame surrounded her, increasing in intensity until Aecorum and Celestia had to cover their eyes with their hooves. The sphere went black and then turned into a deep blue that exploded into the large amorphous mane and tail of a black alicorn with silver armor. Her irises shifted to resemble a cat’s and as she laughed maniacally her teeth grew into fangs. She landed on the dais as she continued to laugh and the moon completely covered the rays of the sun. Aecorum gasped and shouted “No!” causing the alicorn that was once Luna to stop laughing and bare her teeth. The dark alicorn’s horn charged up and she fired a bright blue blast at the wall and ceiling, completely destroying it. Stone fell from the ceiling and Aecorum and Celestia took a few steps forward. Celestia wore a sad expression as the smoke cleared and the black alicorn walked towards them. Celestia flew into the air and faced the alicorn as she bared her teeth and shot a magical blast at Celestia. Celestia dodged it and the blast tore a hole in the ceiling, revealing the full moon. Celestia landed next to Aecorum and all three alicorns stared at each other in silence with firm faces. Celestia folded her wings to her side and shook her head “Luna! We will not fight you! You must lower the moon!” Aecorum nodded “It is your duty!” The black alicorn spoke “Luna? I am…Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now:” She charged her horn and blasted at Aecorum and Celestia “To destroy you!” Aecorum and Celestia dodged the blast and flew through the hole in the ceiling out into the open sky while Nightmare Moon smirked and followed them while she called “And where do you think you are going?” Aecorum and Celestia had been hovering above the castle but flew down to the castle and in between parapets and towers as Nightmare Moon continued to fire blasts of magic at them. The blasts destroyed much of the castle during Nightmare Moon’s chase and while they flew Nightmare Moon fired another blast that hit Celestia and knocked her down into the throne room, screaming. Aecorum gasped and flew after her as he cried “Tia!” Nightmare Moon hovered in the air and laughed maniacally as Aecorum landed next to Celestia’s unconscious body with a panicked look in his eyes. He put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her lightly “Tia! Tia, wake up! Come on, wake up!” he shook her more fiercely and yelled “Celestia!” Celestia stood slowly and looked up at Nightmare Moon while Aecorum exhaled in relief “Oh, Tia, thank goodness.” He turned to Nightmare Moon and sighed “We have to stop this.” Celestia closed her eyes and turned “Oh, dear Sister, I am sorry. But you have given me no choice but to use these!” Celestia’s horn glowed and a panel in the floor opened to reveal the pedestal where they had stored the Elements of Harmony. The pedestal rose and Aecorum shook his head “No, Celestia, there has to be another way!” Celestia’s face was hard as she spoke “There is none.” “We cannot use the Elements on Luna!” Celestia simply said “You know we must.” before she flew up to the large sphere on top of the pedestal and used her magic to gather the six elements. She held three around her and gave Aecorum the other three. He shook his head but sighed and grasped them in his own aura. They used their magic to spin all six elements around them in a circle and a rainbow light shone from them as they flew up to face Nightmare Moon. The Elements of Harmony kept them stable in the air as Nightmare Moon faced them with glowing white eyes and a white light beneath her. Celestia’s eyes filled with tears as she and Aecorum lit their horns and activated the elements which surrounded them in a sphere of magic. Nightmare Moon fired a beam of magic at them and Aecorum and Celestia fired a rainbow beam from the elements to meet it. The two forces met and Nightmare Moon’s was instantly pushed back until it reached her horn. Her pupils shrank as she was engulfed in the golden light and screamed “Nooooo!” The light shot up towards the moon with a rainbow trail and when it hit the moon a rainbow ring emanated from it. A dark formation of craters formed on the moon’s surface that looked like Nightmare Moon’s head. Celestia and Aecorum landed in the throne room and Aecorum used his magic to put the Elements of Harmony back in the secret chamber in the floor. Celestia stared at the moon with tears in her eyes and her chin began to quiver as Aecorum walked up next to her and looked at the moon with her. Tears began to flow down Celestia’s cheeks as she whispered “What have I done?” Aecorum tenderly put a wing around Celestia’s shoulders and pulled her into a gentle hug. Celestia shut her eyes tightly for a second before she buried her face in Aecorum’s chest and started sobbing uncontrollably. She started yelling “Luna!” over and over while Aecorum leaned his head on hers and softly stroked her mane with his hoof. “I know, Tia, I know. Shh, shh. I am here, Tia, you still have me.” Aecorum fought the wave of emotion and looked up at the moon. He continued to soothe Celestia while he stared at the shadow on the moon’s surface and thought. I have to be strong. Tia needs me to be strong for her. I cannot let her see; I have to stay strong for her. I have to be strong. I have to be strong. A few tears flowed down his face. I have to be strong. --- Aecorum sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof. The past three days had been nothing but dozens of long speeches explaining where Luna was, why she was there, and what was going to happen next, even though nopony was sure about the future. Celestia was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and a dark depression so Aecorum had taken over Day Court and Night Court on her behalf. It had been difficult for them to lower and raise the moon but as long as Equestria had some semblance of normalcy it didn’t matter. The doors opened and a few nobles walked through, making their way towards the throne. Aecorum straightened up and cleared his throat for the Royal Canterlot Voice. All the ponies bowed and a unicorn noble in front spoke “We beg your pardon, Your Excellency, but we wish to speak with High Princess Celestia of the Day.” Aecorum nodded slightly “We art afraid that Princess Celestia is resting. Perhaps We can help thee with whatever thou wish.” The unicorn stammered slightly and nodded “O-Of course, Your Majesty. It is just…” He turned to the other nobles “We wished to give Her Highness our deepest condolences for the loss of High Princess Luna.” Aecorum smiled slightly “Thou art most kind. We will be sure to send her thy condolences. If that is all, thou may depart.” The nobles nodded and bowed as they left the room. An earth pony turned to face Aecorum just before she left. “Prince Aecorum?” “Yes?” She smiled “Thank you. Equestria would not have survived this tragedy without your strength.” Aecorum nodded as the doors shut behind her. He sighed and leaned his head on his hoof with a weary expression, the young noble’s words echoing through his mind. “Strength? If I was strong, this would never have happened. I should have seen it. I should have…I should have told her.” --- Aecorum stared blankly at the wall of his bedchamber, sitting silently on his soft bed but finding no comfort in it. Night Court had been canceled indefinitely by the nobility and he was forced to remember the fact that was threatening to tear him apart. Luna was gone and there was nothing he could do to bring her back. He stood slowly and wandered over to the window, trying hard but failing to keep his eyes away from the full moon. Aecorum’s breath hitched in his throat as he looked at the set of craters shaped like a mare’s head that was now the symbol of Nightmare Moon’s imprisonment. He sighed and turned away with pain in his eyes and sadness lining his face. He was about to walk to his bed when he caught his reflection in a large mirror across the room and turned to face it. Aecorum stared himself in the eye for a few seconds before he took a few steps toward the mirror. “No…” His voice was barely audible as he took a few more steps and began to bare his teeth in anger. “No.” Aecorum’s voice was slightly louder. A few more steps and his entire face became contorted with unbridled rage as he got closer to his reflection. “NO!” His horn flashed suddenly as he shouted and grasped the mirror, throwing it on the stone floor with enough force to shatter it within its frame. He took another step and looked at the cracked mirror with nothing but hatred in his eyes. He stood silently for a split second before he growled and began stomping the mirror with his hoof. “NO! NO! NO!” Aecorum punctuated each word with a stomp, disregarding the pain and blood coming from his hoof. “HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?! HOW COULD YOU ABANDON HER?!” The mirror was almost completely destroyed but he kept going, adding his other fore hoof to the fray. “YOU SWORE YOU WOULD PROTECT HER, BUT INSTEAD YOU HID LIKE A COWARD! A FILTHY, LYING, TREACHEROUS COWARD!” Aecorum took a breath and saw a single piece of the mirror that hadn’t been obliterated and he raised his hooves and yelled at the reflection. “YOU LET IT CONSUME HER!” He brought his hooves down on the glass with a crash. “YOU KILLED LUNA!” He yelled even louder and gritted his teeth as he stared down at the tiny shards that surrounded him before he scrunched his eyes shut to hold back his tears. Finally Aecorum shook his head slightly and screamed, raising his head towards the ceiling and letting the tears flow freely down his face. His scream echoed through the room and was filled with heart wrenching pain and grief. He stopped screaming after what seemed like hours and collapsed, once again ignoring the pain of thousands of glass shards digging into his body. Aecorum’s tears created a small pool under his face as each desperate sob wracked his body and tore at his soul. His mind was filled with only one thought as he lay on the cold stone and cried. Luna was gone. And it was his fault. --- Celestia sighed and walked to the throne room for the first time in days. She was still heartbroken about what happened to Luna but the time had come for her to take responsibility of Equestria. She knew that Aecorum hadn’t slept since Luna had…Since Nightmare Moon had been banished, and that had to stop. She walked through the doors and dismissed her guards; she needed a moment to talk to Aecorum alone. Aecorum immediately got up from his throne and walked over to Celestia, embracing her in a gentle hug. After a moment he smiled at her warmly and spoke in a soft voice “How are you feeling, Tia?” Celestia sighed and nodded slightly “Despite circumstances, I feel better. My sister is still in the moon, and I feel as though Mother and Father have left again, but…I will get through it somehow.” Aecorum smiled and nodded “That is good.” He turned to the rising sun and his face fell “Tia, we need to talk about the moon.” Celestia bowed her head and he continued “We cannot keep raising it together; our magic is just too different. One of us needs to take control of it and I think it should be you.” Celestia furrowed her brow “Me? Why not you? The tides always get stronger when the moon is full.” Aecorum turned to Celestia and spoke sadly “That may be, but the sun and moon are sisters in the sky. Your bond with Luna will make it easier for you to control the moon.” Celestia nodded “I…Suppose you are right. It may take me some time, but I…I will raise and lower the moon.” Aecorum smiled “I know you can do it. Besides,” he laughed hollowly “I do not think it would be right for me to take her place, after all, I was responsible for this.” Celestia’s eyes widened in shock “Aecorum, how can you say that?!” “Because it is true.” Aecorum turned to Celestia with sad eyes “I was supposedly her best friend; I should have seen this coming.” Celestia shook her head “No, Aecorum, if anypony should have seen this, it was me!” Aecorum sighed as his patience wore thin “She was jealous of you; of course she would make sure to hide it from you. I had no such excuse.” Celestia exhaled sharply “I cannot believe what I am hearing! Aecorum, I was her sister! “Tia, I-” “How can you possibly even think that any of this was your fault?! I knew her better than I know myself, and I did not suspect-” “I loved her, Celestia!” Celestia furrowed her brow as Aecorum stared at her with a hard but sad face. “Of course you loved her, we all did.” Aecorum sighed and Celestia’s eyes widened “You…You mean…” “Yes.” Aecorum turned towards the window “That is the first time I have said it out loud. And it should not have been.” He turned back towards Celestia with tears in his eyes “I should have spent every day telling her how beautiful she was, how much she meant to me, what I thought of the wondrous night she created, how much I…” His breath caught in his throat “How much I loved her.” After a moment Aecorum’s face grew hard and he spoke through gritted teeth “So do not dare try and tell me that I could not have stopped this.” He walked towards the door and opened it before he turned back to Celestia “Nightmare Moon was able to consume her,” He turned his head away “Because of me.”