Celestia blinked at her surroundings as the portal closed behind her. As best as she could describe it, she stood atop an asteroid floating within a nebula, with other asteroids visible in the distance connected by roads of starlight. Light seemed to shine from everywhere, and energy flowed freely within the entire Realm. She found herself spreading her wings, letting the currents of energy flow under them and between her feathers, as though the winds could carry her into the sky without effort on her part. To her surprise, she found herself gently lifting off, soaring through the incredible Realm by pure will. When her surprise caused her will to falter, she felt herself starting to fall, but she quickly regained her focus. As her flight stabilized, she pushed herself along by will from one floating spheroid of stone to another, gently exploring.
She quickly found that there was very little to distinguish any one floating stone from another beyond size. Some were small enough to catch between her hooves, while some were large enough to have cave systems she could glide through. Some had plants, some did not, but it was at best generic scrub, with no visual interest and less nutritional value. However, when she turned her gaze to the sky itself...she found herself breathless.
During the time she had ruled alone, she had on occasion slowed the setting of the sun so that the colors of sunset could stain the night sky, dancing amongst the stars as the moon rose. It had been her intention to try and create a night sky as beautiful as Luna could using her own medium, as an apology for being blind to Luna's plight by showing she had been watching. But the dance of pinks, greens, blues, and twinkling points of light here made those efforts - which had been akin to the Northern Lights that had once shimmered over the lost Crystal Empire - look like the hoofpainting of a foal that parents hung on the coldbox. She hovered there, staring in awe as she took in the majesty of it all.
"This is what happens when nature is left to its own devices," a calm voice spoke up behind her. "Forces uncontrolled create tapestries no imagination - mortal or otherwise - could conceive of."
Celestia turned to the voice, and saw golden light slowly coalescing before her into the shape of a golden humanoid woman, garbed in a regal gown of ancient design, features sculpted yet delicate, and with an odd motherly look to her face. "Welcome to my Realm, Princess Celestia," the woman greeted. "I am Meridia, Prince of Life and Infinite Energies."
Celestia instinctively bowed, knowing she was in the presence of one eons more ancient than herself. "I'm honored by this reception," she greeted warmly. "I must say, given how I arrived, I wasn't expecting..." She glanced around again, once more stunned by the beauty.
"My boy is quite a handful, isn't he?" Meridia allowed. "Even more so since he became King, instead of just Heir to a Prince."
Celestia blinked in surprise. "You are...his mother?"
"Well, I mothered him," Meridia corrected. "He was such an adorable tyke when he first arrived. I'd never seen life quite like him. Of course, Nocturnal would have it I grandmothered him..."
Celestia suppressed a giggle. She remembered times before Luna's fall began when she and her sister had competed over spoiling a particular favored foal who had caught their eye. ...they'd probably ruined the line of Platinum with their antics, if Blueblood was anything to judge... She quickly pulled her mind away from what was certain to become maudlin meanderings. "Discord said there was an...artifact I had to acquire here. One which might contain one of the Elements of Harmony?"
Meridia nodded. "Yes. His game this time. He wanted to involve as many of us as possible...but Vaermina, Azura, Nocturnal, and I strongly vetoed him involving anyone considered underage by your world's standards, with exception for those magically strong enough to thrive in our realms. He would have ignored myself, Azura, and Nocturnal...but Vaermina is his mate. She has her own ways of getting him to listen, her King or no."
"What sort of female could tame Discord?" Celestia marveled curiously.
"The Prince of Dreams and Nightmares," Meridia explained.
"...so that's why he was so insistent on involving Luna..." Celestia murmured softly, biting her lower lip in concern. Nightmare Moon was still a fresh wound in her sister's psyche, no matter how much the younger alicorn claimed she was fine now. Celestia desperately wanted to be there for her...but didn't want to risk pushing her away by pushing too hard.
"You needn't worry too much," Meridia offered comfortingly. "Vaermina is probably the wisest of us all, having the most insight into the way the mind - mortal or otherwise - works. She's also the gentlest of us unless provoked."
Celestia nodded. "Still, I hope you'll forgive me if I show unseemly haste when it comes to completing this part of the endeavor. Luna is...very dear to me. To have her involved in this again, so soon after..." She bit her lip to silence her rambling tongue.
"Quite alright," Meridia agreed. "Tell me, as Princess of the Sun...have you ever been forced to deal with the scourge of unlife?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Zombies, ghouls, vampires, necromancers, liches, or blighted?"
Meridia grinned warmly. "You seem quite experienced in dealing with such creatures."
"Vampires I find can be reasoned with, and necromancers intimidated into compliance," Celestia explained. "As for those that can't, and the rest..." Reaching into her magic, she pulled out a massive morning star that glowed with a golden light, the spiked ball at the end of the chain made of crystalized sunfire. "I find this an effective deterrent."
Meridia's grin widened. "Quite an effective weapon you have there. What do you call it?"
"The Sun Scourge," Celestia answered. "Not entirely accurate - it's a morning star, not a whip - but I was in an alliterative mood when I crafted it."
"Impressive," Meridia praised. Reaching into the ether, she drew out a wide bladed golden sword with a metal circle where blade met hilt, containing within it a yellow star that pulsed endlessly. "I enjoy my Dawnbreaker myself."
Celestia stared at the weapon in awe. "It's beautiful..."
"It's much better in action," Meridia promised. "Shall we see which is more effective against the undead blight?"
Celestia grinned, finding herself eager to put herself through her paces again after so long. "You know where to find a ready supply?"
Meridia's answering grin was vicious.
Namira stared out over the Scuttling Void at the scattered burning chunks of undead flesh of various sorts. Clenching her fists in rage, she screamed out, "Discord dammit, Meridia-"
"He won't!" Meridia sniped back.
"-I just finished making those!" Namira finished. "Why did you even do this, anyway? You were supposed to fight her!"
"One, I don't like you," Meridia stated bluntly. "Two, she needed to vent. Three..." She gestured into the distance.
The Draugr Deathlord - five times normal size - let out a guttural roar as it charged, the other Draugr surrounding it - scaling from normal size to its size - charged with it. Celestia stood there, her mane and tail literally aflame as her eyes glowed with her magic. Letting off a whinnying battle cry that hadn't been heard since the Unification Era, she lunged to meet the charge, the blaze of the Sun Scourge spinning over her head in a fiery halo that glowed brighter than the sun, even its light making the Draugr flinch back.
"I had an excess of popcorn to work through after Discord's last game night," Meridia concluded, popping a few kernels into her mouth. "Want some?"
Namira glowered angrily at Meridia for a time...then sighed and sat beside her. "Gimme." Grabbing a handful, she began to munch.