Believe in the Heart of the Moon

by HeartlessSpartan

Heartsfire

Heartsfire

Terra followed Princess Celestia through the gardens of Canterlot to the castle. As they proceeded through they passed Discord’s solid stone prison; which was moved back to the gardens after he was defeated again. Terra remembers his own battle with the spirit of chaos and disharmony; though he knows he cannot remember what he had lost, taken from him as a greater pain than the physical injuries that discord had inflicted on him so long ago. It felt agonizing to stroll past his nemesis in a matter that told the world that there was no danger lurking beneath the magic and the stone. It was fortunate that Discord had decided to toy with the Elements of Harmony because he believed they were inert, however if he had known they were active within the six mares, he would have killed those girls for sure without hesitation.

“Your Elements of Harmony still remained a valuable defense even after you vanished from the world,” Celestia complimented.

“They are our Elements of Harmony Celestia, except now they are in the possession of six young mares. What compelled you to take such a risk?” Terra asked as they proceeded into the castle.

“The return of my sister was foretold by Starswirl, he told me that you limited my eternal sentence of Nightmare Moon to only a thousand years,” Celestia said thankfully.

“My use of magic is forever scarred from that event as with my minor ability to fly due to the wounds inflicted by my battles,” Terra said sadly, the many wounds he experienced flashed through his mind with the faces of those which inflicted them.

“We are grateful for your sacrifice Terra; you still have as strong a heart as ever. Now the Elements of Harmony are strong as well. They were inert for some time as you know they require a harmonious friendship to power them,” Celestia said proudly.

“I understand, ours died out long ago; Luna was imprisoned, Starswirl vanished, and I hid from the world, leaving you alone with a kingdom in fear and chaos,” Terra said apologetically.

“Starswirl ensured that the new castle be constructed here, where the unicorns once claimed the land for themselves. He left just as the kingdom was returning to a state of stability. Do not blame yourself Terra for I do not blame you either; It hurt me when you left me alone, but time has passed and we all must move on Terra,” Celestia said in her calm manner, it seemed as though if it were anypony else they would have been deeply saddened.

“I can’t just let the past remain as the past, I have to prevent history from repeating itself again and again,” Terra spoke with a minor amount of worry.

“I don’t expect you to Terra; it seems as though you were destined to make the sacrifices you face. It is your decision, but as always you would choose the safety of others over yourself, it is who you are,” Princess Celestia said in a sweet manner of persuasion.

“My sacrifices are for the love of others… and doing so will mean my own destruction,” Terra said in a manner that sounded as though he was quite familiar with the phrase.

“Are those your words or Starswirl’s?” Celestia asked as they entered the hall that contained the Elements.

“These words are true,” Terra said sadly.

“There is no shame in such love,” Celestia said to reassure Terra, however she knew that he would make the proper choice; whatever it may be.

Celestia opened the vault that at one point held the Elements of Harmony, except now she removed something unexpected. A chest plate similar to her own and Princess Luna’s drifted out of the vault and hovered just in front of Terra. This plate was uniquely decorated by those forgotten in time, and enchanted by the great wizard Starswirl. These chest plates were created for the protectors of Equestria so that they may be recognized by those of power and grace, good and evil, peaceful and barbaric. Recognized and respected, these mystical jeweled plates were specially created and bonded to the intended wearer; Terra’s cutie mark of a flaming heart in the center of the plate.

“Even after time has passed and the world has forgotten you, the aura of the Heartsfire still burns Terra,” Celestia said as she latched the plate around Terra’s shoulders.

“Do you truly believe I deserve this?” Terra asked.

“The old kingdom loved us Terra, and those who remain still believe we can rebuild what once was. Now there are others, and they will need my help as well as yours,” Celestia said just as she directed her attention towards a scroll that appeared before her in a burst of green fire.

Celestia read the scroll and calmly sent it elsewhere so she didn’t need to carry it. The letter had been from her star student Twilight Sparkle informing her that Luna would soon be returning to Canterlot but perhaps not as herself; and that they will also be coming in the event that Nightmare Moon were to take control once more. Celestia found no need to tell Terra this directly; instead she preferred that Terra discover this on his own accord. After all it is based off of his actions that all of this may end. It was true that Terra has to regain her trust, now she wants to see if she can entrust him once again to keep her sister safe.

“It would be nice if you’d stay the night in the castle Terra. I shall have a room arranged for you and shall inform the guard that you have full access. You are free to venture as you wish Terra, perhaps we can reinstate you as a prince,” Celestia said with her all too common smile, just before she left to resume her duties.

Being a prince was not something that appealed to Terra, even in the old kingdom it wasn’t his purpose; he isn’t royal blood either. This new kingdom seems to be fairing very well without him under the rule of Princess Celestia. Yet it seems as though she holds onto the past as much as he does. She wants the original court back but times have changed so dramatically that the four rulers of Old Canterlot may never reunite.

Terra roamed throughout the castle, receiving cautious glares from the guards and looks of bewilderment from citizens who work within. He made his way to a low wall that dropped very far down below but offered a grand view of the city. Here Terra stopped to watch the city below. After centuries of ruling on her own with the assistance of Starswirl in the very beginning; Celestia has managed to rebuild the Kingdom of Canterlot. Making it the glorious hub of Equestria, a greater glory compared to the old kingdom, but at such a cost to their beloved Princess. Terra contemplated over what his life would be like if he accepts the elegant title as the sun set.

“Why do you wait here?” A mysterious voice asked, like a feminine echo.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Terra asked looking for the source of the voice but nobody was within sight.

“Maybe it is like a filly tale,” the voice joked.

“How so?” Terra asked, growing ever more suspicious of the voice.

“Does the prince seek to save a princess in such a tale?” the voice inquired.

“Occasionally,” Terra said with light irritancy.

“Where?” the voice asked with a trailing echo; drawing Terra’s attention to the wizard’s tower of Canterlot.

Terra did the last thing he wanted to, he followed the voice towards the tower. As he climbed the steps and crossed the bridge to the tower he noticed that the moon rose to a noticeable level past the tower. As he continued, the voice carried on; luring him further into what he knows is a trap.

“Like a dream, your own tale to rescue your own princess. You can be a prince, why would you refuse?” the voice questioned as Terra made his way up through the tower.

“A prince attracts attention, the public view centers on what they can see. I am certainly not open to the opinion of everypony else,” Terra said, deciding that being a prince again would go too far.

“A prince must slay the dragon to save the princess!” the voice proclaimed.

“I am not a prince, and perhaps the danger is not a dragon,” Terra said as he opened the door to the room at the very top of the tower.

The room turned out to be a very old study, the private library of Starswirl the Bearded. Bookshelves lined the rounded walls. A desk rested before the great window, but what was most magnificent was the enchanted painting on the domed ceiling that displayed the stars themselves. There was no dragon here; rather another danger. Nightmare Moon stood in the center of the room waiting for Terra.

“That is all that remains of our lives Terra, twisted filly stories. As though such sorrow is entertaining,” Nightmare Moon said in an unfortunately sad yet hateful tone.

“That isn’t all there is Luna, we are all back. You, your sister, and myself; we have you back Luna. What more could we wish for?” Terra inquired in a pleading manner, hoping that Luna will overcome Nightmare Moon.

“My sister abandoned me!” Nightmare Moon shouted with rage and prepared to attack with magic but stopped herself when she saw that Terra simply stood like he was willing to take it.

“Your sister loves you,” Terra said calmly.

“What of you?” Nightmare Moon demanded as she circled around Terra.

“Always Luna, but I can’t leave you like this,” Terra said as though he were blaming himself for her state.

“You lie!” Nightmare Moon cried out from behind him.

“I am not lying to you Luna,” Terra said as he turned around to look her in the eyes.

“What is it you want then?” Nightmare Moon asked, furious rage building within her.

“Luna,” Terra said honestly.

“I was hoping that after all we have been through, that you would be the one to understand,” Nightmare Moon said with tears rolling from her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Terra said quietly as he walked up to Nightmare Moon, their eyes just inches away from each other.

“Not yet!” Nightmare Moon declared as she immediately charged a spell.

Nightmare Moon discharged the spell into Terra, thrusting him through the solid oak desk; shattering it to pieces. He flailed through the air and crashed through the glass window and slid to a halt on the railing of an outside balcony. Nightmare Moon stepped up through the shattered window. Terra lay lying battered and broken; he looked up at Nightmare Moon.

“You would not kill me, you would only destroy yourself,” Terra said painfully.

“I won’t kill you Terra, you were my only friend and my last hope,” Nightmare Moon said.

“No, there is still hope for you Luna,” Terra said attempting to stand, but sliding back down to the floor.

“How can there still be hope if I am so lost?” Nightmare Moon was interested to know.

“Faith Luna, faith in what we accomplished so long ago; with our friends together,” Terra said as he staggered to his hooves.

Far behind Nightmare Moon, by some amazing form of luck, or perhaps faith, the six Elements of Harmony entered the study. They were shocked to find the study torn apart and Nightmare Moon standing before the beaten Terra. They stood together, as one, as friends; seeing this Terra realized entirely that he had lost so much more than he initially thought. Celestia was right, they had lost their friendship, and all any one of them would want most is to go back to the way things were. When Celestia, Luna, and Terra were like family, a friendship known well across the land of Equestria! Now it seems like that was just a dream, far from the reality that they seek to grasp for themselves; missing the fact that they need to accomplish it together. The question is, can they?