For the first time in over a thousand years, Aecorum woke up on grass rather than stone. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Luna still sleeping on the ground. He stood and walked to the crest of the hill, breathing deep as the wind blew his mane. Aecorum smiled and lit up his horn, sending out the tide in full view of the ocean. He heard Luna stir behind him and he turned to face her.
Luna yawned and looked up at the sky “How long was I asleep?”
Aecorum did a few calculations in his head “I would say about six or seven hours.” He laughed “Although the last time I cast that spell I was unconscious for a full day at least.”
Luna stood and walked over to Aecorum with a small smile “Aecorum, we had better be on our way, if you’re up for it.”
Aecorum took a deep breath and nodded “I…I think I am, Luna.” He smirked slightly “But if my wings are too weak and I start to fall, you had better catch me.”
Luna laughed “Of course, Your Majesty.”
Aecorum winced slightly “Oh, why would you say that, you know I hate it.” He smiled and made sure his chest of belongings was secure on his back before he shakily took off. He flew slowly at first and strained to keep level but after a while he grew stronger. Luna flew beside him and the two alicorns smiled at each other, each one feeling happy again.
---
Celestia held back a sigh as practically every noble in Canterlot fought for the right to speak in her throne room. They had all seen the changes to the windows and books, and none of them were happy, leaving Celestia no time to find Aecorum and drag him back by his feathers.
“Your Majesty, what is going on?” A light blue unicorn stallion asked for the twelfth time. The nobles all murmured in agreement and Celestia forced a small smile.
“Please calm down, my little ponies. There is nothing to be worried about, I assure you.”
“But who is this ‘Prince Aecorum’?! Is this the work of…The draconequus?”
Celestia took a deep breath and shook her head “Discord had nothing to do with this. These changes are actually due, in part, to the actions of Princess Luna.”
The nobles gasped and looked at each other before a cream unicorn mare spoke “Why would Princess Luna do this? Nopony has ever heard of-”
The doors opened and Luna walked through, her triumphant smile soon fading when she saw the clamoring nobility of Canterlot. She took a few steps forward and raised her eyebrow.
“Hello, Sister. What is going on?”
Celestia’s eyes brightened and her voice grew slightly more excited “Hello, Princess Luna. The nobility have seen the changes made to the books and the Canterlot Castle windows and are concerned. If you could elaborate, I think it would be most helpful.” She raised her eyebrow questioningly and Luna smiled and nodded in understanding.
“Of course, Princess Celestia. I am very happy to tell you all that after a thousand years in exile, the High Prince of the Sea has returned!” She took a step to the side and pointed to the door. Aecorum took a deep breath and walked through with a bowed head. He looked up at Celestia for a second and weakly smiled before he turned away from her gaze.
The nobility gawked at the alicorn stallion in front of them and turned to Celestia. Celestia tried very hard to maintain her regal stoicism but a joyful smile crossed her lips and her eyes started to glisten. She nodded to Luna and Aecorum and the two started walking towards the throne. Luna walked proudly with her head held high but Aecorum walked slowly with his head low to the ground. As he got closer Celestia saw how ragged he looked and her heart broke slightly. Luna and Aecorum reached the thrones and turned to face the crowd of ponies. They spoke amongst themselves quietly before Prince Blueblood took a step forward.
“Aunt Celestia, I’m afraid I must protest! Who is this stallion, and where in Equestria did he come from?”
Celestia looked at Luna expectantly and Luna cleared her throat. “Prince Blueblood, a thousand years ago, soon after Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, High Prince Aecorum cast a spell to erase any trace of him from Equestrian history and memories. He blamed himself for Nightmare Moon’s actions and banished himself to pay for it, but now that Nightmare Moon is no more, he has returned to reclaim his throne.”
A pegasus noble glared and stepped forward “Princess Celestia! Forgive my rudeness, but how could you have kept this from us for a thousand years and expect us to go along with it?!”
Nobles started yelling at Celestia and Luna “Were you a part of it?”
“Why did you allow it?”
“Were you ever going to tell us?”
“What’s going to happen?”
Aecorum had closed his eyes when the Prince Blueblood first started talking but as the nobles grew louder he gritted his teeth. Finally he opened his eyes and stomped the floor with a fore hoof as he unfurled his wings to their full extent.
“SILENCE!” Everypony was immediately quiet and he glared at the ponies in front of him. “This was My doing. Neither Celestia nor Luna had any part in it! I gave up Equestria because I felt I did not deserve it, and I cast the spell. Alone. Princess Celestia was also a target of my spell and until this morning, even she did not know who I was!” He took a step forward defiantly “If you so desperately want somepony to blame for your slights then blame me! But the facts remain as such: I cast the spell. Princess Luna was not affected by it. She found me. And I undid the spell. If this is how you treat my friends after all this time then truly nothing has changed and I am glad I returned.” He looked each pony in the eye and hardened his voice “I left Celestia alone for a thousand years but believe me, I will not make the same mistake twice.”
Prince Blueblood swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step back “But…Aunt Celestia…”
Aecorum took a step towards him and quickly scanned his eyes over Blueblood “You are Prince Blueblood?” Blueblood meekly nodded and Aecorum continued “I remember the day your ancestor, Blueblood the Third, was adopted by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as their nephew. I commend your family on maintaining the line for this long; you actually look quite like your ancestor. Fortunately, I am not related to the princesses in any way, so you and I have no bond, kinship or otherwise.”
Blueblood looked at the other nobles and stammered “W-what is…”
Aecorum raised his head and glared proudly at the chattering nobles as he used the Royal Canterlot Voice “Listen well, all of you! I am Aecorum, the High Prince of the Sea, and I have come to reclaim my throne!” He lowered his voice “And believe me, there is no power in this world that will take it from me again!”
Aecorum walked through the throne room as the nobles cleared a path and a few bowed down to him. As he had been speaking, Luna and Celestia had both noticed his mane and tail slowly losing its ragged appearance and starting to wave of its own accord like theirs. When he had crossed the throne room he shut the doors behind him with his magic. All the nobles turned towards Celestia and Luna with slightly fearful expressions and the princesses didn’t say anything to them.
Celestia turned towards Luna with a grateful smile and tears in her eyes. Neither one said anything for a moment but Luna smirked and spoke with a definite edge of victory in her voice.
“He’s back.”
---
Aecorum looked around his bedchamber and sighed. Celestia and Luna had somehow managed to have his old room recreated and he felt…He wasn’t sure what he felt. He walked over to the window and ran a hoof along the sheer grey-blue curtains. Aecorum turned to the dresser and saw himself in the mirror. In only two days the castle staff had restored his mane, tail, and coat to their regal state and he smiled as his mane and tail waved with no wind behind them. He looked out the window and sighed, the view was spectacular. Just like before, his bedchamber was at the top of the highest tower in the castle and he could see all of Canterlot and beyond. Aecorum could hear the midday bustle and life of the city below him and he smiled again.
A quiet knock came from the door and Celestia opened it, smiling tenderly at Aecorum. Aecorum smiled weakly then looked away. Celestia walked towards him and cocked her head “Aecorum, you have been avoiding me since you came back. What is it?”
Aecorum turned away “I…I was not sure if you wanted to talk to me…”
Celestia smiled “Why in the world would I not want to talk to you? You’re my best friend.”
“I…Abandoned you, Celestia.” He hung his head in shame “I was selfish, and I left you all alone for a thousand years.”
Celestia put a hoof on his cheek and turned his head towards hers. “Aecorum, I know you. Your emotions have always driven you, even when we were foals. You loved Luna, and when she was banished it broke your heart in ways I couldn’t imagine. I bear no ill will towards you, I’m just glad I have you back.” Her eyes were soft and gentle but Aecorum could see something, a hint of hidden anger that was quickly fading.
Aecorum genuinely smiled “Really?”
Celestia nodded and wrapped her hooves around Aecorum’s neck “Of course.” Aecorum hesitantly put a hoof on Celestia’s back. Celestia pulled away and slapped Aecorum across the face, glaring daggers at him. Aecorum put his hoof to his cheek with wide eyes and Celestia spoke harshly “But don’t you ever, and I mean ever, do anything like that ever again!” She punctuated her words with a threatening point to his chest.
Aecorum winced “I…I am sorry, Celestia.”
Celestia’s expression melted to a warm smile and she hugged Aecorum again “My foolish friend, I forgave you as soon as you walked through the door.” She looked out the window and smirked “It must be strange, being locked in a silent cave for a thousand years then coming back to the constant noise of Canterlot.”
Aecorum chuckled and turned to the window “Not as much as you might think. In the cave, there was always the sound of the ocean and the bustle of Canterlot is oddly similar.” His face fell slightly as he looked at his hoof “The strangest thing is me. Only two days ago I was a ragged husk of the stallion I was all those years ago and now…Look at me.”
Celestia nodded “You look fantastic, Aecorum. Just how I remembered you.”
Aecorum raised an eyebrow “What?”
Celestia sighed “I think…There was always a small part of me that remembered you, Aecorum. When Luna was in the moon I always felt a crushing sadness, I missed her so much. But even after she was restored I still felt sad, as if…” She smiled at Aecorum “Something was still missing. Your spell worked on my mind, but I don’t think it could ever work on my heart.” She raised an eyebrow and asked “But Luna told me about your spell and it should have killed you. When you first cast it, what happened?”
Aecorum shrugged “I lost consciousness, although I do not know for how long.”
Celestia’s eyes and mouth widened in realization “I do.”
Aecorum raised an eyebrow “What?”
Celestia brought a hoof to her forehead “Of course! How could I have forgotten?” Aecorum cocked his head and Celestia turned back to him “The Fortnight of Silence.”
Aecorum exhaled sharply in confusion “The what?”
“A thousand years ago, soon after Luna was banished, the oceans all over the world did something they had never done before and haven’t done since.” Aecorum raised an eyebrow and Celestia continued “They were silent. Every ocean in the world was still, not a single wave or current moved them.” Aecorum’s jaw dropped “For a fortnight there were no tides, the oceans looked like mirrors, and I tried in vain to figure out why. There was panic and the economy suffered a great deal but once the waves crashed again, I was so focused on trying to rule by myself that I let it slip out of my mind and soon everypony else did too.”
Aecorum looked out the window with an incredulous expression “The oceans…Were still?” Celestia nodded “I…I must have actually been…Dead. The spell must have taken so much of my magic that the oceans themselves were drained.”
Celestia smiled “Even Death cannot hold you longer than a fortnight. I guess that proves how much Equestria needs you.” Her eyes got a little misty “And how much I will always need you.”
Aecorum’s eyes glistened with tears and he nuzzled Celestia “I missed you, Tia.”
Celestia put a wing around Aecorum’s shoulder “I missed you too, Big Brother.”
For a while they were silent, each one enjoying the embrace of the other, but then Celestia pulled away and looked at Aecorum with pleading eyes. “You have to tell her.”
It took only a fraction of a second for Aecorum to realize what she was talking about and his eyes widened as he backed away slightly “No, no, no, Tia, I cannot!”
“Why? She’s here now, you are about to be re-crowned, why can’t you tell her the truth?”
Aecorum looked away and shifted uncomfortably “I…What if she thinks I am kidding? Or completely refuses? Or does not want to be my friend anymore? I cannot take the risk of losing her again!”
Celestia’s face grew hard as she raised an eyebrow “Aecorum, this is Luna we’re talking about. She spent a thousand years alone too.” Aecorum bowed his head “You didn’t see her when she was looking for you, she didn’t sleep, she hardly ate, and even though everypony in Equestria and beyond told her you didn’t exist, she never gave up.” She raised Aecorum’s head and her eyes softened “Do you really think she is ever going to give you up?”
“But Tia…I…She…”
“Not telling her tore you apart. You blamed yourself because you didn’t tell her how you felt. Please, please, please my friend, don’t let that happen again.” Celestia looked at Aecorum with pleading eyes that she knew he could never resist.
After a long few seconds Aecorum sighed and nodded, defeated. “Alright Tia. I will…I will tell Luna how I feel.” He steeled his expression “But only after the coronation.”
Celestia smiled and nodded “Good.”
---
Aecorum took a deep breath and nodded to the guards who opened the throne room doors for him. Once again he wore the titanium shoes, the breastplate with oceanic designs engraved on the front, and the gem encrusted crown that signified his rank, as well as the long, dark green velvet cape that was only for the most momentous of ceremonies. He walked through the throne room with his wings unfurled as scores of ponies bowed down to him. Celestia and Luna stood in front of their thrones in their ceremonial outfits and Aecorum smiled at them. He mounted the steps up to his throne and turned to the crowd of ponies. He took another deep breath and nodded to them with a soft smile, focusing on the two new alicorn princesses he had yet to meet.
He almost used the Royal Canterlot Voice, but remembered Celestia telling him that simply raising his voice was good enough. He spoke with the firm, strong voice that Celestia and Luna remembered and their smiles grew.
“Citizens of Equestria! Three days ago, you did not know I existed. This was through no fault of Equestria or her ponies, but through my own actions. I believed I did not deserve to rule, or even be remembered for my rule, and that was a lie. It took a thousand years and High Princess Luna of the Night to bring me back to my senses.” His expression softened just slightly “But do not think that I did not care for you. I may not have realized it, but I have been watching over you ever since the day the Great Spirit Discord was defeated.”
Celestia glanced around nervously, praying that Discord was going to keep his promise to stay away and let out a tiny breath of relief as Aecorum continued uninterrupted.
“Even when I was locked away in my cave prison, I still fulfilled my duty and kept the oceans moving. I have been given so much that I still do not believe I deserve: Two friends that have stood by my side in the direst circumstances, a nation that looks to me for guidance, and you.” He smiled slightly as he turned his head slightly to Luna then to the crowd “I stand before you today as your grateful ruler, and I give you my solemn vow that I will always protect and help you and never again will the High Prince of the Sea leave his throne!”
The crowd started stomping their hooves and cheering as the three alicorns sat down on their thrones, Celestia’s on the right, Luna’s on the left, and Aecorum’s in the center. Aecorum looked at both of his friends and they shared a warm smile and joyful eyes. Aecorum, the High Prince of the Sea, the Tide-Caller, and Keeper of Memories, had returned.