//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - The Talk (Unedited - again) // Story: I am Living Lava? // by Shadow of doubt //------------------------------// Celestia's point of view Looking around my room, I find myself staring at the small fireplace as the last embers die out, looking above the mantle I can feel tear's in my eyes as I look up at the gift's friends left me from times most ponies won't remember. Sighing to myself I turn my head out to the clear window to watch the world I helped grow. So many ponies that live happy lives, knowing we alicorns keep them safe from harm and pain. Eventually, I find myself gazing out into the stars, fighting the fact that I must sleep and face Luna, tell her what happened all those years ago and when she learns I hope she won't turn away from me. Soon enough the stress from the day made itself known through a large yawn. As I Heading to the bed looking at the small wooden alicorn toy next to my dresser I can feel a small smile grace my tired face as I mumbled under my breath about time and how unfair it can be. I slump down onto the mattress of my bed, too tired to pull the covers on me. I sigh in content as I look down at a valley of green from atop a hill, resting next to a great oak tree with leaves greener than emeralds reflect the moonlight, I see the moon shining especially bright tonight. "T'is beautiful sister," I Luna announced from behind me. I continue to look over the valley, a place forgotten in time. "Yes, it was quite a lovely sight wasn't it," my voice even in the dream realm feels dry and horse. shifting my wings and letting the memory of wet grass override my senses, as I gaze back at the valley full of small houses and if I were to squint I know I would see shadows that resemble ponies moving too and throw, I have had this dream many times. "You promised me an explanation for your hostility toward Rose sister," Luna whispers to me, trying not to break the quiet and scenic atmosphere. I flinch as she settles next to me, using her wing to cover my back. "What is this place sister," Luna's smile lifts my mood as I look into her eyes, her brilliant sapphire eye's. "Dreemur valley, a small village that was founded about twenty-three years after your banishment, I visited here a lot back then," I shift my gaze from Luna's serene face as I look at the sky and a moon that still show's my sister's profile. "You talk as if this place no longer exists?" Luna's question makes my breath short, I knew she would pick up on that, I just thought I would be prepared. "It doesn't exist anymore, my own fault as well. Tell me, even if it pains you, do you know what Nightmare Moon was?" Luna's face darkens even the moon's gentle glow and the small breeze failed to bring light back to her face before she sighs the light returns with small tears in its wake. "Me, my own emotions, She was me with a different mindset, I remember her as though I made all those choices yet I also remember her voice she wasn't me but she was close, but still a cruel creature, born from my own hate and jealousy, in truth not even I know what she truly was but she made herself out to be me, just different." Luna looks away, a small empty chuckle escape her mouth before she continues. "Such a fool I was, tell me what does that have to do with your hostility?" Luna says as she continues to look at the small village going about their business. "T'is really easy to appreciate what we do when I can see happy ponies enjoying their lives, tell me why does this place bring such heartache to you?" "Fear I fear Flare, and I fear for all those ponies that could lose their live's to Flare, to my fear. I was so scared without you, I always had you with me. I thought I could do it, Thought I would be able to send you away and forget about it yet, It still haunts me. When I banished Nightmare Moon and in turn you, I was alone, Starswirl tried to help me, but I was lost in my own sorrow. I was so selfish back then, I didn't know at the time but I wasn't the only one to lose some point close to them," I can feel tear's falling free from my eye's now, I can't hold them back anymore. Looking to Luna for support I lean against her barrel and embrace her wing. "A Long time ago, when I just lost you to Nightmare I founded this town after a dream I had ponies were outside during the night watching the stars and playing games while spending the early mornings resting, It was a nice place somewhere I could relax and let it all go," Looking up at the night sky just to see if it was the same as that night, and indeed it is. "I was scared that I would fall to my own emotions of grief and self-loathing, so I study magic that would remove any chance of that happening. Starswirl was at his last days during the time, he warned me that if I continued it would only end in heartbreak, What a fool I was... am." Dropping my head back down onto the soft grass shivering at the cool feeling on my neck before I huddled closer to Luna. "It was right here that I doomed this place, I took a large crystal designed to hold magic and I ripped out my hate, grief, and jealousy. In doing so I gave it life, it's own mind and before I could fix it, The spell backfired and I became Solar flare." I can feel it now once I uttered those words it was day, there was no transition it just became day and I could already feel my fur burning and mane crackling. Luna only held me tighter while putting her head in the crook of my neck. "Solar flare destroyed this place, all of it if you were to return, you would find the badlands, I was in my mind fighting for control when I fought her. I couldn't see any mind just rage and envy the designer to destroy everything to burn and burn and Break." Hearing my own voice break and change to have an echo effect made me blink, and in that blink, the valley was on fire the hill I was on was burnt nothing but ash remained the great oak that once stood was gone and I was a monster of death and destruction. "I, The only reason I'm sound of mind is because Star Swirl was able to banish the other presence from my mind. But in the process, it latched onto the focus crystal and gained a form of its own, when I came too, I was here, back on this hill with a severely burned Starswirl," Stifling my tears with my hoof, Luna was looking back at me with... Pity? "He told me on that day, the day he died that he shattered the crystal and banished the largest piece to another dimension, a place she can't reform, then with his last breath, he told me how much of a silly mare I had been and that he still loved me. Luna, why didn't he hate me, why aren't you punishing me? please say something! DO SOMETHING!" Instead, Luna only hugged me tighter, wetness fell onto my burning facade. "How can I hate you, you're my sister. I'm always going to be here for you, just as you have always been here for me." Luna, oh how I missed her always so loving, forgiving and generous. "You should have known that even the darkest of shadows has light still burning within and that even the brightest of light still has darkness within. The Anger, Jealousy, and regret came back, didn't it." I could only nod at her words, even after I ripped them out it only dulled them for a time, Starswirl died for nothing. "Sister, you should know Starswirl loved us, would do anything for us so do not feel bad for what he did for you because in doing so, you would just spit on his final gift to you. So do not regret, it will only bring pain, and that pain will only get worse unless you share it with someone you trust, so please let me help you, I am here for you no matter the cost." Luna nuzzled me before letting her wing fall back to her side. "Let me change this dreary place to something better, my treat Tia," Luna said as she stood up and lit her horn before the memory wavered before collapsing into a small town setting during the day, stalls littered the place and foals ran around with candy. "Come, Tia, let's be foal's for one last time, take your mind off of the somber topics, there is fun to be had." A small alicorn filly said with a mane of the softest blue, youth in her eyes and a smile that was just as wide, yet still held the stress of life behind it. Only now did I notice that I was also a foal, surrounded by a fair with my sister, I shouldn't ruin this.