Act 2
Exhausted, Celestia's magic lifted her bag from her flanks and dropped it by the door along with her lantern, her heavy hooves clopping against the floor as she lumbered to her bed, Philomena knowingly hopping from down her back. She hadn't at all anticipated how hard it would be to carry such a menial load; the bag only contained the cans, bread, and various other items of importance gifted to her by Chef Cold Cut. Too, had she noticed, that carrying the bag with her magic as opposed to her flanks caused her horn considerable stress. Her magic's failing strength and functionality was beginning to frighten her, especially since it seemed to go in cycles. One day, it would feel a little stronger, and could move the doors of her room with little issue; others, her magic totally failed in the simplest of jobs.
Sighing, Celestia dropped back-first onto her bed, her blanket now sandwiched between her figure and the bed. Instantly, she felt sleepy; the soft, cushiony bed calling to her. She shuffled side to side, digging herself deeper and letting her eyes flutter closed. The flapping of Philomena's wings brought Celestia's heavy eyelids open as she observed her friend landing a short distance away, her talons sinking into the soft bed.
"Feeling tired, as well?"
Philomena nodded as she stepped over, lying down in the concave spot created in the bed by Celestia. She wiggled herself side to side to dig further into the comfy spot, Celestia giggling at the tickle caused by Philomena's soft feathers.
"Comfortable yet, young lady?"
Another nod and a happy chirp was the response.
"As are we."
Much to Celestia's dismay, there was a knock at her door, eliciting a groan of frustration from her.
"Aye?"
"Celestia, I'd like to come in and talk with you..." nervously responded Nightmare Moon, her voice bringing another groan from Celestia.
"Why? What doth thee require of us?"
"I need to explain myself."
Celestia's ears perked, her head rising from the bed. "Please, enter."
The doors opened simultaneously, Nightmare standing in the doorway for a moment as she looked at Celestia and Philomena lying comfortably together. Her previously apprehensive expression turned to a gentle smile as she stepped in further.
"You two look very comfortable."
"Aye, we were preparing for slumber. What dost thee wish to explain to us?"
"That... I haven't been doing much to try and help your magic. Things have been... well, very busy around the castle and the nation since you returned, and I haven't been in a position to devote time to you... which is horrible of me. I want you to know that my idleness hasn't been out of hatred, or out of me wanting to see you in pain, it's because I, to begin with, have no real idea on how I should help you. Iris has made some suggestions, and any free time my mind gets I try to think of someway to crush the chains I created around you... but I, I simply don't know how to yet."
Celestia stared into Nightmare's gaze for quite some time as her mind scrambled in processing Nightmare's words. She was utterly shocked and almost filled with joy. That sincerity meant that something was still good in the mind of that beast, and it meant that hope, as she thought it had been, wasn't totally lost. Though, one question still pierced through Celestia's thoughts; Nightmare had been the one to place the lock, how was it that she did not possess the key?
"We... thank thee with all our being for showing sincerity to us, but... we still understand not how thy ability to return our magic is null."
"Because, that night... my mind was not in the right place. I barely remember any of it, and I don't remember what I did to you. Things happened so fast. The magic I used to do the things I did... it wasn't normal, Celestia. It felt so different."
Celestia looked long and hard into the regretful and fearful expression Nightmare held; she was frightened of her own actions and her own powers. She was the second oldest being in Equestria, and currently the most powerful, yet she had hardly any idea of what she was capable of. So much could be read through her eyes.
"Thou art frightened of something, and tis not us."
"I'm frightened of what the future holds. I know you'll stop at nothing to bring the day back... but I," Nightmare sighed. "Celestia, I don't know what will happen if you do! You must understand this from the nation's and my perspective; the day has been gone for so long that the earth has adapted itself. There's a natural imbalance of the light magic you wield and the dark magic that now seeps through the ground. The sun was always what gave our land light, and in turn, gave it lighter magic, but it's been dormant for so long that if it all came back in a rush, it might cause problems. You're extremely smart, you can surely understand that."
"If there is imbalance, then surely returning the day would return balance, and balance is not a bad thing."
"Imbalance isn't a bad thing, either; this entire nation is proof. The darkness we all live in has been here for so long that it has not only become common but has become the standard. I, look. Celestia, all I want is for you to genuinely think about this. What if the sun coming back causes something bad to happen?"
Celestia's mouth opened, but no words came out. She shared a glance with Nightmare for a second before looking away, thinking hard on what Nightmare had said.
"What... if it does not?" she probed, raising a brow at Nightmare.
"Well, then it doesn't. I'm not the only one with concerns, I'm sure you know that. There are a lot of unknowns."
"Aye, we know well that thy Government and Military fear us, and see our motives as threatening to their way of life as Nocturn."
Nightmare looked a little surprised. "Yes... they do. Mostly my Generals and Captain think you're a threat to me, but... for the most part, I've managed to show my Parliament that you aren't bad. Despite what you might think, Celestia, the main objectors to you are those within the nation, not me."
"Aye, the Nocturn object to us, but how dost the remaining 80 percent of our population feel?"
Once again, Nightmare's expression was one of surprise. "You... know a lot more than you let on."
"Aye, apt in our research."
Nightmare cleared her throat. "Well, I don't quite know. Most of my higher-ups are all Nocturn... I don't see regular ponies very often.
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Why is there such disparity in thy Government? These Nocturn are not oppressors... are they?"
Nightmare chuckled. "No, no. Not at all. The Military is only comprised of about 300,000 Nocturn, the other 700,000 are ponies, and while my Parliament is mostly Nocturn right now, it isn't always that way. Ten years ago it was half pony, half Nocturn. Not to mention, the other branches of Government have very equal distribution of Nocturn and pony, such as the Courts. I... assume that whoever told you what you know, or what book you read, said that the Nocturn control quite a bit. That's true, but I've made very sure to keep things balanced."
"Unlike the nature of magic?"
Nightmare sighed, looking a little defeated. "Celestia... I'm trying to help you understand this world. Do you have to keep making remarks?"
Celestia took a pause to think, her eyes temporarily diverting from Nightmare's gaze. "Nay. We... apologize for our attitude. Anger still writhes within."
"I know. I-I guess, if it helps, you can say whatever you need to. I won't censor you."
Celestia gave a skeptical look. "Why art thou being so sincere with us all the sudden?"
"All the sudden? Celestia, I've been sincere with you the moment you got back." lied Nightmare.
"That is not true."
Nightmare paused, remembering her last conversation with Celestia, and too remembering a few things she had not let on. "You're right, I haven't been totally honest."
"Fear drives thy motives, and fear causes one to fabricate. We understand well."
"Does fear not drive everything we do? Fear of death, tyranny, oppression, sorrow, and evil. You and I both have done everything based on the things we fear the most, and never once have we been wrong to fear what we did."
"Doth thee fear us as an oppressor?" inquired Celestia with a somewhat hurt look.
"Wha- no! That's not at all what I was saying, Celestia! You... you're over-interpreting my words. You and I, in the past, feared those who stood in the path of freedom and liberty, and we acted justly towards what we saw as wrong. I'm not saying that I'm afraid of you being an oppressive, overbearing ruler. You're the exact opposite; you always have been, and always will be. I've spent a lot of my time trying to rule in ways similar to you; fair and honest. You may think of me as a tyrant because of my... previous actions against you, but I would rather die than become a tyrant."
"We art happy to see thy leadership hast not fallen to the clutches of tyranny. For so long we thought Equestria would be a place of inequity. Thee truly hast nay clue as to how joyed we were to see thy rule is one of fairness. For that... we do thank thee."
"You... you're welcome, Celestia."
The two went silent, their gazes remaining locked for only a short time before, almost simultaneously, they looked away from each other. Celestia rolled her head to the side, looking out the windows of her room to the outside world, dark clouds covering portions of the sky while Nightmare diverted her gaze to the floor. A quiet came over the room as each sibling remained in their own thoughts. Celestia stretched her hind legs, groaning then yawning as she settled back into her spot in the cushiony bed, her movements barely stirring the already asleep Philomena.
"Thank you for having a genuine conversation with me."
Celestia looked back, seeing that Nightmare has not yet brought her own gaze up.
"Thou art welcome, we too thank thee for thy kindness and sincerity." Celestia brought her hoof down to gently pet Philomena's feathery belly, her action once again bringing a little wiggle from the sleeping Phoenix. "We too thank thee for keeping our friend in good health. Without her, our life here would truly have nay meaning."
"You're welcome."
Nightmare finally brought her head up, sharing a glance with Celestia before getting to her hooves.
"I'll... let you two get to sleep."
Before exiting from Celestia's room, Nightmare paused at the door, looking over her shoulder. "I'm glad you've made friends with Chef Cold Cut. She's an extremely nice and loving pony."
"Aye, she is, indeed."
There was a tiny pause as Nightmare gulped, always dreading the response that her next words would bring. "I love you."
"We..." Celestia cut herself off, dropping her head back to the bed. "...love thee, as well."
Nightmare's lip quivered, her eyes shutting as a single tear rolled down the black fur of her cheek. Her breath shuttered a tiny bit as she finally departed from the room, leaving before Celestia could see her tears. Celestia sighed deeply as she closed her eyes, her mind recapping on the previous words. She had trouble deciding if she had truly meant them, and more than that, she had trouble deciding if she was lying more to herself than her sister about how she truly felt. It seemed that with each moment her theory of Nightmare Moon being a façade faded. It might be her foreign appearance, or strange new way with words, but as time passed by, Celestia could begin to see her sister inside that body.
Her eyes came back open, her mind far too active for sleep to be possible. Sleep too had become somewhat of a burden; the old, familiar world her mind built, while pleasant in their current, left a knot in her stomach and a sense of dread once they had passed. That feeling of dread didn't stick around long, but what always seemed to stay with her was the memory of what dream she had. It lingered, and brought itself up at odd times when her mind was on other subjects. The dreams were always so similar in content. Sunny skies, bright halls of a nevermore home, faces of friends and cohorts who have long since passed to a better place, and the love and warmth of a sister who had not yet ruined the life of her elder sibling.
With sleep, came waking, and with waking, came the heaving and coughing brought on by the pains in her stomach, something she had come to hate more than any aspect of her situation. Waking too meant the aches in her body reset, becoming worse and worse with each past slumber. While lying down and holding still helped to quell her pains, she found such action to be, if nothing else, boring. She had been lying down for the last 700 years, her time would not be spent with such terribly idle action when there were things to do and ponies to talk to. At first, she had dreaded leaving her quarters and dreaded seeing the faces of those around the castle. Now, she welcomed the idea, and she now saw how silly it had been of her to do in the first place. Her life held some true joy because of proactiveness; Chef Cold Cut and the castle's wonderful spa had been two of the grandest things to meet her acquaintance since her 'return'.
Her mind wandered to the relaxing waters and soothing notes of music the two nice spa ponies would put on the phonograph. She almost wanted to abandon her bed and make the trek to the spa, but a combination of laziness and comfort kept her firmly in bed. She stirred, feeling a little chilly without her blanket draped across her. Carefully, her magic embraced Philomena's sleeping figure, lifting her away from her side as she quickly sat up, a second spell taking the blanket from beneath her body. She covered her entirety with the soft, blue sheet, holding her forelegs to her chest to and pulling her hind legs in to curl up under its warm embrace. Once she had settled back in, Philomena was gently brought back to rest in the nook at Celestia's back, remaining above the blanket so she could be free to depart when she pleased.
One final wiggle brought Celestia to a position of nearly perfect comfort, a gentle smile resting on her lips as she closed her eyes, a sudden feeling washing over her. Happiness. It came not from a comfortable place to sleep or the company of a friend. It seemed to come from the knowledge that the one being she had thought cared not for her, did in fact care.
Periodic thunderclaps broke the tranquility of the rain pattering against the windows. Ripping winds swayed distant trees as if they were mere shrubs and rattled the panes of glass, occasional whistle through the gaps being like the howl of some creature. Celestia watched as the dark clouds continued their assault, blotting out what light the moon provided and replacing it with a harsher, seemingly more consuming darkness. This storm seemed far more powerful than the last, and as a spectator, Celestia was quite content with where she sat in her room. Beautiful in observation, wretched in experience. She would much rather the dry heaving and aches plaguing her stomach to double than be trapped in such a flurry.
She had risen from bed some time ago, the norm of life being resumed as she had spent a considerable period hunched over the basin in her kitchen, heaving and coughing up her previous meal. It was a feat she was able to salvage any nutrients out of what she ate, it always seemed to come back up so quick. Celestia remembered back to the first time she had woke to such an experience, the terror of that moment having faded into routine. She had never, in her life, experienced such a thing before that night, and within a few nights she had somewhat gotten used to the feeling. Though, she still saw the permanent night as totally foreign and had still not adjusted. She thought it to be quite amusing that her body had gotten used to something as purely uncomfortable as vomiting and still failed to see the night as norm.
Much to her surprise, Philomena appeared through the heavy rain and murky darkness, landing on the window ledge without her usual grace due to the high winds. The two shared a look, Celestia cocking her head in confusion as Philomena pecked at the glass.
"Doth thee wish to enter?" Celestia spoke loudly, hoping her words made it through the glass.
Surprisingly, Philomena shook her head.
"Then, what doth thee wish?"
Philomena tapped at the glass with her talon, her head bobbing in a motion Celestia deciphered as a coaxing motion.
"Thou... wish for us to go outside?"
Philomena nodded, her squawk being muffled by the glass.
Celestia shivered at the thought.
"Young lady, thou art far from thy mind. We shalt be staying indoors... departing for our home now should prove to be a most horrible journey."
Philomena's wings spread as she fell backward from the ledge, falling into the abyss only to re-appear moments later, her hard wing-strokes carrying her through the rough winds as she traveled upwards and out of view. Philomena was a tenacious creature, and typically wouldn't give up on a goal so easily; something Celestia found to be curious. She thought for a moment, remembering her friend's flight path; she had gone vertically, presumably over the castle, and most likely towards an entrance so she may come to pester her further. Smiling to herself, Celestia struggled to her hooves and slowly made her way from the window to the doors of her chamber, where she sat back down before the two wooden gates in waiting.
As she expected, only a moment or two went by before a scratching came through the door, the sound originating at a Phoenix's height in relation to the floor. Chuckling, Celestia's fizzling magic opened the door to see a perfectly dry Philomena standing a distance from the entrance. She hopped past the open door, coming up to Celestia and taking the nappy fluff of her chest in her beak, pulling at it to coax Celestia forward.
"Wha- we hath stated our intentions, young lady! The outdoors doth not appeal to us in the slightest at this time!"
Philomena only pulled harder, her talons slipping against the smooth floor as she struggled for traction, trying her hardest to move Celestia.
"Art thou bored and wishing for companionship?"
Philomena released the tuft of fur from her beak, hoping to Celestia's side and nuzzling herself under the blue blanket and then under her large, furled wing, causing Celestia to giggle at the ticklish sensation.
"Companionship is what thou seek." Celestia laughed to herself. "Thou should have said so!"
Philomena came from under Celestia's wing, shaking her head and taking the leading edge of Celestia's wing with her beak, pulling at it as if trying to unfurl it. Realization hit Celestia, her eyes widening as she gasped.
"Thou wish for us to fly with thee?"
Philomena nodded, chirping happily.
"Wha- thou art truly far from thy head! Our body aches, our head pounds, and the conditions are far from optimal!" Celestia paused a moment, shuttering. "Forget not the conniptions frigid water brings to our mind."
Philomena tugged at her wing harder, causing Celestia to fully unfurl the large, feathered limb and pat Philomena with it.
"Worry not, young lady; in due time we shalt be in the skies together." Celestia brought her head close, holding her voice at a whisper. "Once this storm hast faded we shalt depart for our home."
Philomena shook her head, hopping from beneath Celestia's wing and back to the doorway, squawking and motioning towards herself with half-furled wings. She turned, fully spreading her wings and taking flight down the hall, the tips of her tail feathers igniting to create a trail of light down the dark, curved path. Upon coming to an intersection, she landed, her tail remaining ablaze as she stood in the darkness, looking at Celestia from the distance. With a sigh of defeat, Celestia groaned to her hooves and stepped out of the room, keeping her blue blanket draped over her back as she shut the door and began down the nearly pitch black hall towards her waiting friend.
Like a beacon, Philomena took back to the air, her gentle flame being the only thing visible through the blackness of the hall as she continued on, Celestia slowly following the flame while knowing quite well where Philomena was leading her.
"Taking us to the gardens, aye?" called Celestia, looking up into the abyss of the high ceilings, knowing the many Nocturn guards stationed above listened and watched as she walked.
Philomena's responding squawk echoed through the hall as she landed some distance ahead at another intersection.
"Thou needest not to lead us. We hath learned the path to the gardens quite well by this point."
Philomena took back to the air, flying towards Celestia and landing a short distance in front of her, her tail remaining lit as she hobbled along beside Celestia, acting as a lantern.
"Thou art an odd creature, young lady." commented Celestia, she and Philomena sharing a glance.
Philomena peeped, Celestia looking back down to her as she laughed at the adorably clumsy trot Philomena maintained.
"Thou shalt stand upon our back if thee so wish; the lack of light bothers us only in the slightest."
Philomena didn't accept the offer, continuing to trot along much to the amusement of Celestia, as she found it quite hard to draw her eyes from the Phoenix.
More minutes of slow walking, and three pauses to let Celestia's exhaustion and pain calm, finally led the two to the tall, open arch of the garden's entrance, wind and tiny droplets of water whipping in through the arch and chilling Celestia to her core. The rain was incredibly loud from where they stood, the heavy sheets pounding the stone pavers and close by trees filling the air with a rumbling cacophony. Simply observing the storm through the windows of her room had made Celestia shiver; standing on the fringe of it while being beat upon by the wind and mist was worse by ten-fold.
"W-W-What be the p-purpose of this? W-We fail t-to see how t-this s-should fall under a-any category of 'f-fun'!" chattered Celestia, looking down at Philomena as she hopped out of the archway and into the whipping rain.
Philomena turned around, squawking quite loudly and flapping her wings at Celestia.
"T-Thou know well w-what our m-mind experiences when t-the cold strikes us! W-We wish not t-to go through such a t-thing again!"
Philomena shook her head, hopping back into the arch from the rain to Celestia's front leg, standing behind it and leaning in to push against the limb in a feeble attempt to force Celestia outside.
"D-Dost thee wish for our m-mind to go t-through such horrors again?!" exclaimed Celestia, now becoming a little annoyed at her friend's tenacity.
Philomena nodded, causing Celestia to pause in surprise. The two stood with locked eyes for a time before Celestia looked back out to the rain.
"T-This is not about f-fun, is it?" she inquired with a somewhat flat tone.
Philomena squawked, nodding. She gave a few hard wing-strokes to lift from the wet floor, landing at Celestia's back and leaning down to peck at her wings, which sat furled tightly at her sides. Celestia looked back, slowly unfurling her wings to their full spread, giving a few little flaps to adjust her feathers. She looked to Philomena, who simply nodded to her.
"What is this about, Philomena?"
Philomena stepped across Celestia's back, wrapping her damp wings around Celestia's neck to hug her, the action causing Celestia's breath to catch in surprise. There was something deeper to what Philomena was trying to accomplish, deciphering what it was would be the hard part.
"Is... t-this about w-wanting the old us back?"
Philomena let go, stepping back and shaking her head. She flapped her wings, holding her posture straight and proud, puffing out her chest and holding her head high.
"T-This is about... being tough?"
Philomena nodded.
Celestia looked back out to the rain, giving her large, fully spread wings a few more small flaps.
"Thou think we art not tough?" inquired Celestia, looking back with a raised brow.
Philomena nodded.
Celestia kept her glance on Philomena for a moment, her mind finally beginning to truly piece together what Philomena was doing.
"T-Thou art making us face fear, aye?"
Philomena nodded.
Celestia chuckled. "Thou art a f-friend g-greater than anypony could a-ask for..."
She sighed, looking out to the cold sheets of rain as she hesitantly took a few short steps forward, the large, harsh drops beginning to pelt her head, back, and wings. The sensation sent shivers through her entire body, her motion totally frozen from not from cold, but fear of what was to come. But, the longer she stood, and the longer the rain fell against her, the visions did not come back. She stayed stood right where she stood and her eyes continued to see the nearly pitch black garden, dark clouds, and sheets of rain. No stones formed beneath her hooves and no ocean surrounded the place she stood. Philomena tapped at Celestia's back with her talon, causing her to look back.
"Aye, o-our mind is s-still here."
With an excited chirp, Philomena bolted into the sky from Celestia's back, doing a few rolls as she more or less disappeared into the darkness, moments later the tips of her wings igniting to show her position. Celestia gave a shivering sigh, her tired wings flapping hard to carry her figure into the tormenting sky. She began accelerating forward, gaining speed and altitude as she joined her friend. Her airborne dance was somewhat clumsy at first, her wings seeming to have forgotten how to control gusts and high winds, but after only a few moments did her senses kick in. Her body's shivering fell to the back of her mind, the cold no longer seeming to be a bother as flight began feeling more and more natural.
Soon, the castle was no longer visible, the only point of reference being the horizon and the dark blanket of clouds above, as well as Philomena's guiding flame as she gained altitude. With flight, came an incredible serenity. The feeling of temporary freedom overtook the feeling of cold and the fear of what her own mind could create. She began remembering just how blissful the skies could be, remembering the times that she, Philomena, and Luna had flown together on stormy nights and calm days. She remembered how, after long days and long nights, she and Luna would retreat to the tranquil Everfree forest not far from the castle with books and treats to build a fire and indulge in the poems and stories crafted so wonderfully by the ponies of their time. As memories ran through her mind, one very fitting poem rose to her thoughts, a poem she had recited many-a-time to Luna. Barely audible through the winds, Celestia sang.
"Oh, we hath slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; sunward we hath climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, wheeled and soared and swung. High in the sunlight silence. Hovering there, we chased the shouting wind along, and flung mine eager figure through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, we hath topped the windswept heights with easy grace where never lark, nay eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind we hath trod the high un-trespassed sanctity of space. Held our hoof out, we hath, to grace the face of the sky."