7:45pm, 11th of Viglyd, 6 Days After the Tirek Incident – Celestia’s Bedroom
Artemis had expected Celestia to respond in some way to his claws rapidly approaching her throat, but to his surprise Celestia didn’t make any move to stop him. She didn’t even flinch as his claws sunk into her throat, though they didn’t seem to pierce her flesh. His glowing claw passed right through her, and neither of the two looked surprised.
“You couldn’t just make it easy for me could you? You really won’t fight back? You would’ve let me kill you just like that?”
“No I wouldn’t, if I let myself be killed so easily I would be disrespecting everything I sacrificed to get to this point. When I look at you, when I see your true feelings, I see a lot of hurt, sorrow, and anger. Not once this entire time have I seen hatred, despite everything I’ve put you through. No Artemis, I knew you weren’t going to kill me.”
Artemis was bothered, but not surprised, by how easily Celestia had read him. Multiple millennia of fighting, companionship, and friendship weren’t going to be entirely undone in only one. He had always believed that you couldn’t truly know anyone until you have clashed with them, and while this wasn’t the most physical confrontation he certainly felt like he knew Celestia better. In his absence she had become a stronger and more confident leader, it hadn’t occurred to him before that he may have been unintentionally holding her back in the past by being a safety net. Now she seemed like the type of ruler who could protect her country from harm, and she was willing to do whatever was necessary no matter the cost. The Celestia he knew in the past he could barely believe betrayed him, but this Celestia before him had felt the burden of leadership and would do whatever was necessary for her subjects.
Although he had heard the door open, it wasn’t until he had fully analyzed Celestia that he decided to shift his focus to their mostly uninvited company. He felt out their life energy, and he recognized most of them. There was Princess Twilight, her magical power was unmistakable and he expected her to be here. Her six friends were with her, the same five mares and dragon that were in Octavia’s home. There was the magician likely to have been in charge of keeping up the barrier around the castle, and life energy seemed strangely reminiscent of Twilight and another from the past. Lastly there was one he couldn’t believe that he felt, it felt like Princess Luna, but that was impossible. After all his time grieving, there was no way she could still be alive. Why would she have left me in Tartarus if she was alive? He had so many questions, and he knew there was one mare who knew all the answers and she was still in his claws.
“Artemis?” whispered Luna gently as she stepped forward. “Is that really you?”
Artemis’s ears perked up at the sudden familiar voice, and all at once the air in room changed. Everyone’s skin began to crawl and their hair stand on end, as there was a sudden tangible bloodlust so thick it was almost choking in the air. Artemis slowly raised Celestia, still in his claws, to his mouth and whispered so quietly only the three princesses could hear.
“Damn you, this had better not be another deception Celestia. If our previous friendship meant anything, anything at all to you, you had better make sure you put me down if this isn’t real. If you don’t I promise you, I will fill the mountains with blood and watch everything in this world burn if it is the last thing I do.”
Celestia looked into Artemis’s feral eyes a caught a glimpse of the Savage Beast that lay within him, and she wasn’t surprised to see that Artemis still had his darker side. What had surprised her was the pleading in his eyes; his statement was less of a threat and more of a warning. She could tell he wanted nothing more than for this to be real, and that if it wasn’t he would rather die believing it to be true than to continue existing after. It was disheartening for her to see her old friend such a state, and it was even more so for her to remember that she had unintentionally caused this pain. She wasn’t surprised by his concerns, but it hurt none the less to know that he thought she was capable do performing such a cruel act.
After hearing his plea and seeing the darkness lurking inside him, Celestia merely nodded her head silently agreeing to her former friend’s wishes.
“Tia, Artemis, what’s the meaning of th- EEP,” cried Luna as she tried to process the blur of motion.
Faster than anyone could follow Artemis released Celestia, and he had already snatched Luna into what would normally be a crushing bear hug.
“Luna, I thought I had lost you. I’m so sorry I failed you.”
“It was not your fault, I’m just so glad to that you are alive.”
While Luna and Artemis were having their tearful reunion, Twilight and the others rushed to Princess Celestia.
“Princess, are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“Yes, I’m fine Twilight, and no, he did not hurt me,” smiled Celestia as she picked herself off the ground. “Although I would like to know what my sister is doing here?”
“Uhh well about that,” started Twilight sheepishly. “We didn’t break our promise, I swear Spike told her.”
“How did Spike find out?”
“He was around us while we were searching for Artemis, and he picked up on what was going on. We didn’t mean for him to find out, sorry Princess.”
“You disobeyed my wishes Twilight, but we will talk about it later. For now don’t worry Twilight, its fine. I had already learned what I needed to anyway, so it’s good that she is here.”
Celestia looked at the joy on her sister’s face, and she was content. Her sister was sure to be very angry with her soon, but it seemed to be worth the trouble. She may have lost her best friend, but she saved her sister and her happiness.
“Artemis, what’s going on? Why were you attacking Tia?”
“I know little more than you do, but I'm sure Celestia wouldn't mind explaining.”
Artemis let go of Princess Luna although reluctantly, and he started to approach Celestia. As he got closer to her, the seven ponies and baby dragon formed a defensive wall in an attempt to stop him.
“Don’t you try anything,” warned Rainbow Dash as the others nodded in agreement.
“It’s alright girls, really everything is fine,” said Celestia as she stepped in front of them and matched Artemis’s gaze.
“Explain yourself Celestia.”
“I couldn’t think of way to cure Luna back when Nightmare Moon took over, and eventually I concluded that something had to be done or all of Equestria would be plunged into eternal night. I decided to banish Nightmare Moon and imprison her forever within the moon, but I knew you would never let that happen. I also decided that I couldn’t let you stop me either, so I had to get you out of the way first. The only way I could think of doing that was through deception, so I lured you out into the forest with promise of a cure for Luna and I imprisoned you in Tartarus.”
Luna couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her sister had imprisoned Artemis in Tartarus? Shortly after Luna realized the full extent of what Celestia had done, she had sacrificed her friendship with Artemis to stop Nightmare Moon. The knowledge of her sister’s sacrifice was just another weight on her hidden guilt ridden heart. It was her fault Celestia and Artemis might never have the same friendship again.
“Tia, you told him you had found a cure? You couldn’t possibly have done such a cruel thing right?”
“I did, but it doesn’t end there though. When I imprisoned Artemis, I had every intention of freeing him afterward, but after I had banished Luna I was so guilt-ridden and ashamed at what I had done I couldn’t bear to face him,” said Celestia as she turned to look at Artemis directly. “I’m not proud of it, but I left you there in Tartarus because I couldn’t bear to face the pain I was going to cause you. Unfortunately at the time I didn’t think of how your link would be affected, I never intended for you to think Luna was dead.”
Artemis’s face was a mask. It was impossible to read his emotions because not even he could sort them out. He was overjoyed that Luna was alive and well, he was annoyed that it was slight oversight on Celestia’s part that had sent him into a 1000 year depression, he was also proud that she was now accepting what she did, and lastly he was furious that Celestia left him in Tartarus because she couldn’t take responsibility for her actions and hid herself away like a scared filly that had just wet the bed. Despite his feelings he still held her gaze waiting for the rest of her story.
“The pressure, shame, guilt, and lies ate away me, and eventually I lost my connection to the elements of harmony. 1000 years after her imprisonment Nightmare Moon returned as a result, but six ponies had already been chosen to represent and restore the elements of harmony. Those ponies are the six mares beside me, and they used the power of their friendship to vanquish Nightmare Moon and return Princess Luna to us. Not only did they save Luna, but they have done an excellent job saving Equestria from all kinds of threats, most recently Tirek."
Artemis looked to Luna for confirmation, and he was surprised to find out that she was telling the truth. It was amazing to think that the mares that came after him were the bearers of the elements of harmony.
“My shame and guilt not only prevented me from releasing Artemis, it kept me from doing my regular check-ins on Tartarus. As a result, Tirek was able to escape during Cerberus’s temporary absence.”
“That explains lot, I actually escaped with Tirek over a year ago, but somepony’s blasted sealing spell left me so drained it took me a year to fully recover my strength."
“Well it takes a lot to contain powers like ours, it was the only way I could think of sealing you without physically harming you. Though that the basis of what has happened up to this point.”
“WHY DID YOU LET ME THINK ARTEMIS WAS DEAD!?” roared Luna in the royal canterlot voice before she corrected herself. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“I tried to tell you Luna, I really did, but I could never could get the words out without tearing up. I didn’t want to hurt you more than I already had. I didn’t tell you Artemis was going to be here tonight, because I needed to see what had returned to Equestria. I wasn’t sure if had Artemis returned or had the Savage Beast? If he had reverted to the Savage Beast I was going to put an end to him, and let you remember him as he was not as what he had become.”
Luna preparing to chastise her older sister, but she was surprised to be interrupted by Artemis.
“Reckless and presumptuous. I was the one who helped you improve your combat skills, and last I checked you have never beaten me in a straight up duel before. What made you so sure you could’ve killed me? What if I hadn’t returned to settle this alone? What if I had decided to raze the city to the ground with an army of wolves instead of confronting you directly? You have no idea how close I was to actually doing so."
“Simple answers, I never planned to duel you, I had Discord on stand-by just in case. While he is unpredictable, I was certain he wouldn’t make the mistake of aiding an enemy twice.”
Artemis made a note to figure out more about her and Discord's relationship, it was strange to hear that the Lord of Chaos roamed free and their world seemed relatively unfazed. The fact that she said he was on stand-by meant that she had some sort of trust in him, but he had no idea what could've possibly changed to make her trust Discord with her own life.
This was the moment Celestia dreaded. The one she had really not looked forward to, but she knew Artemis deserved the truth more than anything else right now.
“As for your army of wolves, you couldn’t have gathered enough to pose a large enough threat to the city, and you especially couldn’t have done so without anypony noticing.”
“Well you seem to have grown quite arrogant, that or perhaps you have forgotten the capabilities of an army of wolves.”
“No, you don’t understand. That was a statement of fact Artemis, you couldn’t gather enough wolves to pose a threat to the city because there aren’t enough wolves left."
Artemis caught the slight tone of regret in her voice, and his stomach became a pit. One of his few and greatest fears had become a reality, he could feel it, but he didn’t want to believe it.
“Wha-What do you mean by that Celestia?” asked Artemis nervously as he feared he knew the answer already.
“During the time you were imprisoned, the wolf tribes fell back into their old ways of in-fighting. The griffons saw their weakness as an opportunity, and they wiped out nearly all of the wolves. There are only a couple hundred left, and many of them are slaves in the Griffon Kingdom. Those that weren’t enslaved or that escaped tried to reform small communities, but many of them went feral,” explained Celestia as for the first time all night she couldn’t look Artemis in the eyes. “I tried to help them, but they refused my help. They knew instinctively that I had something to do with your disappearance and the loss of the moon’s blessings. I wanted to go help, but if I had flown out there and personally stopped the griffons I would’ve created a rift between ponies and wolves that would’ve never mended. At least, that was what I told myself, I never would have imagined that the griffons were attempting to eradicate the wolves or I would’ve stopped at nothing to put an end to it.”
Celestia looked up expecting Artemis to deny it or get angry, but all she saw was an expression of shocked grief. She watched as Luna placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, but she knew it was little comfort to a king who had just learned his subjects were no more. From the pain in his face, she had expected him to cry, but only a single tear rolled down his face as it contorted from grief to something she couldn’t quite place her hoof on.
"I am so sorry."
“I know exactly how the wolves were Celestia, and I also know I told them that they would have to change before the day came that I wouldn’t be there to protect them. Unfortunately that day came far sooner than I ever wanted or expected,” he said as he walked past the Princess onto the balcony.
Artemis looked out at the full moon before him, and he remembered days long past. He remembered every friend he had lost and every adventure he had been on with his subjects. He wanted to weep for them, but he couldn’t allow himself to do so. There would be time to weep later, but there was something that needed to be done now.
Everyone in the room had their eyes locked on Artemis, and they were surprised when he started howling. Although it was unexpected, it didn’t sound unusual at first. As he kept going the sound multiplied, and even though he was alone it eventually sounded like an entire pack of different wolves howling at once. The howls varied in their strength, but they dipped and rose as one. Though none of them could understand a wolf’s howl, the song still touched each of them. It resonated with their very existence, and they were overwhelmed with emotions that were telling the story of a once proud race. It was a song of violence, peace, and tragedy, and like the wolves it too came to an abrupt and unexpected end.
“You will never be forgotten brothers and sisters,” whispered Artemis mostly to himself. “May your story live on forever in the sounds of nature.”
“What as that?” asked Twilight Sparkle with tears in her eyes.
“That was the story of the wolves,it is filled with far too much bloodshed and sorrow, but it will live on forever. Everypony in Equestria probably heard it, and everything on the planet felt it. Unfortunately it isn’t completely over yet."
His last howl was solitary unlike the rest of the song, and it was a bizarre combination of a snarl and howl. It made everyone’s skin crawl and itch, as it tapped into a primordial sense of foreboding. They weren’t sure what was coming, but they knew that something terrible was approaching. Though by the end it had softened up, and it sounded more somber.
“That was the end.”
“What did that mean?” asked Twilight noting the grim look on both Celestia and Luna’s faces.
“It was a message. While you rest on your triumph I will take back what was stolen, and if I can’t retake what was stolen I will take yours. The wolves will rise again. The king has returned, and he is unforgiving.”
“What do you plan on doing?” asked Celestia cautiously.
“That is none of your concern! You stayed out of the affairs of the wolves before and you will stay out now!”
Celestia was only shocked by the suddenness of his anger, but she understood his rage. She knew she played a part in the loss of the wolves, and she had tormented herself over it since she realized what had happened. So instead of responding she stayed silent.
“Artemis, desire for revenge will only poison and consume your soul,” responded Luna sadly. She knew the dangers of dwelling on your negative emotions for too long, and she didn’t want to lose Artemis in the same way.
“What do you expect me to do Luna? They wiped out my subjects, no my family in their moment of weakness. I have changed much of myself for you and Celestia over the years, but would you really ask me to let them get away with that? Would you ask me that knowing how it would eat away and tear me apart inside?”
Luna understood his feelings, but she didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She knew she hadn’t had the greatest track record with moral decisions and handling emotions, but she was conflicted. Something needed to be done about the wolves, but letting Artemis get revenge wouldn’t restore them and would only cause more bloodshed.
“Enough of that though, there is something else that must be done,” he said as he walked over to Twilight and her friends. “You are the ones who used the elements of harmony, and returned Luna to us correct?”
Twilight looked at all her friends before they opted to just nod their heads in agreement, but when they answered Artemis did something none of them expected. He dropped to one knee as a knight before his lord.
“I am forever in your debt. You did what I was unable to, and you returned purpose to my life once again. If it wasn't for your efforts I would be dead, as a result my life is partially yours. Will you do me the honor of accepting my blessings?”
“Is that the thing you put on Vinyl?”
“Yes it is. If you would allow me to, I would like to able to assist you in any way should you ever need it.”
Twilight was hesitant to accept his offer, but then she remembered what Artemis had said when they were inside his mind. She remembered how much he said the blessing meant to him, and she knew what she should do.
“As Princess of Friendship I will gladly accept your offer,” responded Twilight much to the shock of her friends. Though they saw the look Twilight gave them, and figured they needed to answer on their own.
“Of course, you can never have enough friends.”
“Well, it would be rude to decline your offer.”
“Ok, if they can do it, so can I."
“If they trust you, I reckon so can I, so what the hay?”
They all waited for Rainbow Dash to answer, but she stayed silent until the group turned to her for a response.
“Are you guys forgetting that we saw him try to stab Princess Celestia? You guys are going to forgive him that easily?”.
The girls went to speak but it was Celestia that answered.
“Had I really felt like I was in danger I would’ve fought back, and he chose not to pierce me of his own volition."
“But-bu-,” Rainbow Dash stammered under the pressure as everyone in the room looked upon her. “Fine I will accept it, but I still don’t trust him.”
With their reluctant agreement, Artemis cast the binding spell, though he didn’t keep them as close he did Vinyl. When he was finished a small black oak leaf appeared on their flank opposite of their cutie mark, but just as quickly as it appeared it faded from sight.
“If you ever need assistance with anything, you only cast your thoughts in my direction and I will be there as soon as possible. Also if you need to communicate to each other from a distance I can act like a relay,” explained Artemis as he turned back towards the balcony. “May it always keep you safe.”
Artemis remembered everyone he had ever given his blessing to, but he was going make sure he protected these six. He had to make up for those he lost while in Tartarus.
“I need some time to myself."
“Wait Artemis,” said Celestia as she approached the balcony. “I will not apologize for my actions, but I am honestly truly sorry for the suffering I have caused you. I know I don’t deserve it, but I have to ask. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me so we can move past this and be friends again?”
Artemis paused, he had been hoping to leave before she asked, while normally lady luck was on his side it would seem she had no intention of letting him out of this. He hadn’t really figured out how he was going to handle it, but he knew that he should give her an answer of some sort.
“Celestia you have caused me more pain than any creature I’ve ever fought. While Luna is alive and well, my family and kingdom are gone. I can’t forgive you right now, not while the wolves are on the brink of extinction. You know I don’t hate you right now, and that is a start. Maybe when the wolves bounce back, I will be able to forgive you. That could take a while, but time has never been a great concern for us.”
With those final words Artemis teleported away, leaving everyone in the room shocked. Celestia was the first to break the silence.
“Well, that went better than expected.”.
“Oh don’t even begin to think you are out of this yet,” scowled Luna. “We will have much to talk about later, but for now I’m going after him.”
Celestia smiled sheepishly as she watched her sister vanish into the shadows.
“Princess what do you think Artemis is going to do?” asked Twilight tentatively.
“I’m not sure honestly, but I am sure that his thirst for vengeance can be sated without bloodshed.That’s why I am so proud that you accepted his offer, you six have the opportunity to save another species. Similarly to how you reformed Discord with friendship, I’m hoping that you will be able to cause a change of heart when it comes to his revenge.”
Twilight wasn’t fond of the idea at first, but then she remembered Artemis’s chastising when they were in his mind. This was an opportunity to advance her magical prowess while saving another species from extinction, and she figured it would be in the best interest for both of them.
“I will do my best Princess.”
“Good, it has been an emotionally draining day, We can discuss this at further length tomorrow, I’m sure you are all tired as well.”
Everyone but Twilight nodded in agreement and started yawning; it really had been a long exhausting day.
“Thanks Artemis,” whispered Twilight through grit teeth.
“You are welcome to sleep in here or return to your suites,” said Celestia as Philomena landed on her shoulder.
“Even me?” smirked Spiral.
“No, in fact everyone but you, get out of here you old codger,” teased Celestia.
They all opted to return to their suites for the night, but as they left Celestia couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had happened. In the end, the night hadn’t turned out nearly as bad as it should have. Luna and Artemis were reunited, and Artemis didn’t hate her. It was the first night in a millennia that she was able to dream about the possibility of the three of them having a future together, and she was content.
12:00am, 12th of Viglyd, 7 Days After the Tirek Incident – Devil’s Cliff
Artemis rested on one of the moss covered horns of the Devil’s Cliff, and with his night vision he could see Canterlot’s bright lights even in the distance. He noticed it before, but hadn’t really paid all that much attention to how much the world around him had changed with him gone. He looked up at the full moon in the sky and he sighed. He was more grateful for the full moon tonight more than any other; it had always calmed and helped him think. Before he could dive into his thoughts, he heard the grass rustle and a gentle voice behind him.
“I know you said you wanted time to yourself, but do you mind if I join you?” asked Luna quietly.
“Luna, you are the better half of me. It wouldn’t truly be time to myself without you, of course I don’t mind,” Artemis sighed with a pathetic smile.
Luna merely nodded in response before sitting next to him. Together they sat looking at the distant city in silence, both of them enjoying the other’s company. Neither of them moved to speak until Luna realized that Artemis was crying.
“I know it has been an emotional day, but why are you crying?”
“I’m scared Luna.”
Luna was slightly taken aback by the revelation. Fear was nothing new to anypony, but Artemis was always a great advocate for facing one’s fears head on and conquering them. There were few things that scared him, and there were even fewer things that he would admit to being afraid of.
“You? What are you afraid of?
“Afraid doesn’t cover it, Luna,” started Artemis he began shaking slowly. “I’m terrified of it. You, Celestia, and few others were all I thought about every second of every day for a thousand years. Luna every day in Tartarus I dreamed that you were alive and that Celestia’s betrayal was all a nightmare. Now I’m terrified that this is all a dream or madness induced hallucination, and that when I wake up I will be alone in my cell again.”
To many it would’ve sounded like a paranoid fear, but Luna knew better than that. It was a fear that she had experienced long after she had been freed from Nightmare Moon’s grasp, and as the Mistress of Dreams it made her dreams all the more realistic and harder to differentiate from reality. It was one of her greatest fears that could even keep her awake through the day, and she knew how hard it was to ignore it.
“I know exactly how you feel, there are times when I feel like my escape and freedom were all too improbable and that I’m really still trapped in the moon. You can’t worry about that though Artemis, it will drive you mad to do so. If this is a dream, memorize and cherish every moment of it, and remember that you are never alone and I will always love you,” said Luna as she kissed him deeply.
When Luna eventually broke the kiss, Artemis was noticeably calmer. He had stopped crying, and his shakes were gone. Though the look of weary had returned to his face, there was also a slight smile there.
“I love you too,” said Artemis he pulled her into a closer embrace. His fears weren’t gone, but she had a point. Dream or not he needed to cherish this moment and hope he never woke up.
There they sat all through night in silence, two lovers merely enjoying the company of the other as they gazed upon the night sky. Before either of them had realized it, the sun was gradually rising into the sky.
The sun rise roused a feeling within Artemis that he had long thought dead. Hope. It had been so long since had anything to hope for, he had nearly forgotten the feeling.
“Yesterday I had nothing,” thought Artemis as he squeezed Luna. “Today I have the love of my life, a couple of friends, and goal. It would seem that today is a new beginning and the first step towards a brighter tomorrow.”