Redemption.

by Lord Vinder

The Die Is Cast

Italics denotes Celestia reliving old memories.

The Castle in the Forest was known by many names. It’s official title was ‘The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters,” but it was also known as ‘The Last Place of Time.’ No one knew exactly what that meant, but anytime it was brought up, Celestia ensured it wasn’t said for a long time.

A she touched down, she was taken back to the last time her hooves were there. 1000 years ago. Her solders, and what remained of the Rebels stood outside it. The door was guarded by two ponies, wearing radially different robes; one of white and yellow, the other of blue and black.

“Your Majesty, thank you for coming. The situation is getting serious,” the pony of white and yellow robes said.

“Yes, my colleague is correct. The moon will not lower,” the pony of blue and black robes said.

Celestia had to blink for a moment. “The moon?”

“Yes. While the rebellion took place; Princess Luna still lowered and raised the moon, and you the sun,” her pony official said looking a little off. “Oh dear, has the day been that long?”

‘“It seems like its about to get longer,” Celestia said with a smile. “Why won’t she lower it?”

“Final act of rebellion,” Luna’s advisor noted. “She’s practically dismissed all of us; hence why the army has been disarmed. She won’t talk to anyone, or listen. But she isn’t alone.”

“Who is with her?”

“Her student Waterwheel, and Ace went in as well. I have no idea where they are, but before you came, some of the unicorns in her army, and yours mentioned they could sense ponies being teleported out of the castle," the advisor added. "I would assume she is alone in the castle currently."

"Any idea where?" Celestia asked, glancing at the towers of the castle.

"She mentioned the Hall of 1000 Ponies, before she went in. So that would be my guess. Otherwise, I don't have a clue."

She said nothing, but looked through the gate to the large building in the center. It was a little dark, but mostly visible if one knew where to look. Her eyes focused on it and she blocked out the noise of the ponies around her. She stared on and, if only for a moment, felt the plus of magic. A kind of magic she knew, but distant as well. It was not only of her kin, but of something else. Not a one, but a thing.

"I will go in," she said, pushing the gate open with her hoof. "Do not close it behind me, and do no enter. Leave it be. I will return shortly."
Before those around her could reply, she was in the castle's inner walls. No pony had walked the courtyard since just prior to the rebellion, and it showed. The grass was unkept, the flowers were dead, and the trees seemed empty. Still, she had a job to do. Celestia pressed on to the doors. The giant things of oak were unlocked, and she pushed them open, revealing Luna, sitting on the rug in the center of the room. She entered and closed the doors behind her.

"That's close enough," Luna said after Celestia took a few quiet steps towards to Princess of the Night. "That's close enough indeed."

She stopped, and took a seat on the rug. She watched Luna with soft eyes, and a small smile.

"It's good to see you again," Celestia said after what felt like long enough silence. "How have you been?"

"I didn't want this to happen," Luna mused with. "A rebellion, that is."

"I know."

"I just wanted to be known."

"I know."

"To be loved, respected. That's all I wanted. No blood."

"I know."

"And I found it, I found love and respect."

"Did you really find it?" Celestia asked, kind of regretting asking after the glare from Luna.

"They talked to me, asked me for advice. Respected by opinion. I don't know what it might be to you, but it was love to me," she said sternly. "I was allowed to be a ruler, and they wanted for it to happen."

"Yet here we are."

"They wanted to be free. They wanted me free, free to dictate life with them. They wanted me to be their ruled, Celestia," Luna explained, her eyes cool and composed.

"And you?"

"I wanted what they gave me. It was to be a win-win situation."

"Yet here we are. Mounds of corpses across the country, lives broken, homes ruined, and civilians hurt," Celestia noted, her tone bitter and dry. "Tell me, who won?"

Luna said nothing, but looked away from her sister. She stood and walked to a nearby window.

"A whole army, mobilized for me, marched for me, fought for me, it's uplifting, isn't it?"

"What in Equestria are you talking about? Ponies are dead, Luna," Celestia all but screamed out, yet she made no move closer to her.

"Don't pretend to have the higher ground, ponies did all that for you as well," Luna mused. "The only difference is you forgot what that kind of love feels like, while I only just learned it."

"I am not some heartless-"

"I call you nothing of the sort, Celestia. You seem to not be listening," Luna said with a smile. "I am simply telling you what I finally got to feel. Any issue you take of that, is your own."

"Luna, just raise the moon," Celestia said with a sigh. "We can discuss this later."

Luna watched Celestia with a neutral expression, before giving a long sigh.

"You do not listen."

"Luna, not now."

"Then when? When will you actually listen?" Luna yelled out with. "You know as well as I do you can raise the moon right now. But you don't. This isn't about the moon at all, is it? It's about things going back to normal. Don't you? Admit it!"

"Raise the moon!"

Luna said nothing, but ran deeper into the Hall of 1000 Ponies. The Hall wasn't long, but Celestia really didn't want to chase her far.

"Princess!" the oak doors opened behind her. "You must hurry, the moon needs to be lowered soon; there isn't much time left."

"I know, I know. I'll deal with Luna, just hold on," Celestia said, running down the hall. Former Prime Ministers of Equestria, some Generals, civil servants of note, and some inventors; the Hall held them all. Portraits of them, ready to remember. Celestia ran past them all, unable to meet their eyes, but she could feel their painted ones cover her.

"Not. Another. Step," Luna yelled out as Celestia entered the room. "Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light?"

Celestia watched Luna, stand upon the podium and yell at her, unable to respond. Her thoughts filled with wondering how this could have happened, and how to stop her. For a split second she felt a bit of magic in the area, not from her or Luna, but someone else.

q"There can be only one Princess in Equestria! And that Princess, will be me!" she yelled, destroying the podium.

"Luna, I will not fight you. You must lower the moon!" Celestia begged. "It is your duty."

"Luna? I am Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!" Luna yelled. Celestia took flight, trying to escape. "And where do you think you're going?"

Luna attacked Celestia, striking her with a bolt of magic; it's aim was true and slammed into the Princess' body, causing her to fall. With Celestia down, Luna took flight, through a hole in the ceiling she made. The army may have fallen, but not her.

Celestia, her pride wounded more than her physically, stood, held her head low and sighed.
"Oh dear sister, I am sorry," she said softly, more to herself then the air around her. If only to alleviate her own pain, and accept the future.

"But you've given me no choice but to use these," she said, raising up an old statue with six stone orbs. She smiled at them for a moment, and spun them around her in a perfect circle. Celestia shot into the sky, and flew around, looking for her sister.

She didn't have to look long, seeing her flying around the castle.

The two engaged in battle for a short while, but Celestia easily won. With a tear in her eye, she shot the final blast at her sister. Striking her in the chest, within a second, the blast took its effect and sent her higher, flying towards the moon. Luna cried out in distress, but nothing came of it. She was gone, moments later. Her time in Equestria, no more.

Celestia flew down, touching down in the bushes, in present day. The castle had become old, since the last time it had been visited. She watched her student, Twilight, and her friends run into the castle. A sigh left her lips, and a smile. She was ready to confront Luna, once and for all, and deal with what had happened.

Memory was a strong thing to the alicorn, and she wasn't about to let it ruin her future. Luna would be brought into Equestria society. Luna. The Princess of the Night, would be her co ruler, as she should have been. No longer would the country be deprived of its other Princess, regardless of the limelight.
Soon, there was a massive flash from the castle, from the old audience room if she guessed correctly. It was bright, and reminded Celestia of the last time. It wasn’t something to be feared, or violent, but a call. A call to a chance to come back.

Celestia wasted no time in flying towards it, as fast as her wings would take her. A smile not on her face, but in her soul. Her lips read a calm, if excited demeanour, but her eyes, her eyes told all the stories she’d tell Luna. Her eyes betrayed her.

Somehow, Celestia didn’t mind that.

Author's Note:

TWO UPDATES IN TWO-THREE DAYS?
Insanity.

And that’s how I cross the Rubicon!

Well that was an adventure, wasn't it? I've got plans for a sequel, thats splits off at this point. I don't know which I will do, if I'll do either or anything else. But enough about that stuff. Onto the more important business.

Namely, YOU PEOPLE!

My goodness, there's been people who have stuck with my long, long period between updates. That's insane, but also humbling. My deepest thanks to those who stayed. For those of you who are more recent, I also thank you for reading. I am honoured that you would choose to read my story. Again, it’s very humbling.

About half a year ago, there was a suggest to clean up the earlier stuff. I will. Scouts honour. That's my first item todo, and no matter what, the editing will get done.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment telling me what you thought; feel free to tell me it sucked, or that it was totally, completely, jaw-droppingly incompetent . I won't hate you or get mad. I promise. I’m here to learn, but also share. And if I can learn how to tell a story better, than that means I get to share better.

And better is great.

Again, thank you for reading.