Silence spread throughout the room like an incurable disease, filling each corner and edge with ease as the moon slowly descended outside. Small droplets of rain poured continued their endless assault on the ground, their pitter-patter sounds never breaching the tick glass of the castle windows. Dust particles could be seen flying by as the moon’s light crept its way through a large hole in the ceiling, the feeling of anguish and sadness being the only two ways of describing the scene.
Then, the silence was eradicated when the clip-clop of hooves slowly rang through the room, just beyond the door, one at a time. Each step was careful, delicate with each hoof trying its best to not disturb the atmosphere of the area around them. Once they came to the door, the moon showed the shadow of a pony just under the cracks between the door’s end and the floor, the light from inside flickering slightly. The creaking sound of the door handle turning groaned softly, a mare carefully entered the room and closed the door with just as much care as before. In her golden magical aura was a lit oil lantern, the flickering orange glow revealing the mare’s pure white coat. Her sparkling magenta mane swirled and danced in a non-existent wind.
She sighed, holding the lantern high in her magic as her elegant wings stretched a small bit. She took a look around her, only being able to sigh in remembrance at it all. Taking in a breath, she lowered the lantern as she began to walk down the corridor, the lunar light making her lavender eyes sparkle as much as her mane.
She looked outside one of the many windows, seeing the growing Everfree Forest outside, the rain making the scene somewhat blurry, but she didn’t care. The ponies would be asleep now, or at least most of them anyway. She chuckled to herself, it would be a while before she got used to calling them “her” ponies. She continued to walk, the carpet suppressing any sound that would have echoed around the room while she held the lantern ahead of her, remembering certain objects and paintings more than others.
But then she came to a sudden stop, looking upon an old wooden door at the end of the hall.
“...Here it is…” she muttered to herself, breathing a small bit harder than before while taking in longer breaths to calm herself. “... No turning back now.”
With that, she slowly opened the door, another long, creaking groan echoing throughout the room as she opened it slowly. Once it opened completely, she stepped inside.
What stood before her was an endless sea of darkness, the same feelings of sadness and anguish becoming stronger as she looked around. She leaned over and brought her lantern down near the ground, slowly revealing that the stone, cracked stairs were still intact. She looked down, feeling her chest tighten up a small bit once she looked into the darkness, almost being hypnotised by it as she ever slowly made her way down the steps.
Each step the mare took rang through her ears, memories of this staircase coming back to her little by little. It wasn’t that the memories were bad, the opposite in fact. She remembered running up and down these steps so many years ago, when she was but a filly. But, for some reason that she couldn’t explain, the stairs made her all the sadder.
Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she reached another door, opening it and closing it behind her. She came to the last hallway before...him.
As she slowly trotted along the dark, musky hallway, she looked to her right, stained glass windows coming into her vision. Each window had the picture of an alicorn on them, with a name and title just below. She remembered reading about them when she was younger with her sister, the thought planting a sad smile on her lips as she slowly trotted over to the first picture, gently placing her hoof on the glass while bringing the lantern to the name engraved on the plague below.
“...S-Sol the First…” she read in a hushed but gasped whisper, looking up into the picture on the glass. A picture of Sol, his horn glowing a heavenly white colour while his wings were flared out, much bigger than her own wings, that’s for sure. His mane was a vast amount of different colours, all of them shining brightly while he looked down at a crowd of ponies.
“...Wow,” she thought, looking up at the picture with awe, her eyes agape with wonder at the memory of her mother telling her and her sister the creation myths around Sol. How he created all ponies from a single drop of his blood. How each strand of his hair gave each pony their individual colour. How he could see all and do everything in no time at all. In a way, she didn’t know what to believe when it came to Sol, she knew he was a very powerful being, much stronger than she could only hope to ever be. But, she didn’t really know whether to believe those stories...but, she decided to not go into it. She was here to see...him, nothing else would matter that much.
She then brought her face back up, taking one last look upon Sol before continuing the walk. Some of the windows were broken, but she could still read the names on the plagues below them. Cosmos the Wise, Amazon the Huntress, Galaxia the Astronomer...they were all here.
Then she came to the last two in the hallway, just in front of her being the door she had to pass before she reached him. To her right was the second last picture. This one, unlike the others, had three ponies represented. They stood in a triangular like shape, two sitting down with one standing up, facing the viewer. The one on her right had his right side facing her, she could see his almost fish like body, his tail having a flipper in similar size and shape to a dolphin’s on the end. His green, rubber like body stretched upwards until it was hidden by a royal cloak of blue, his face looking long and tired.
The one on the left side of her had his left side facing her, a helmet of soot black covering his face completely. His body was covered by a long, black cloak, the bump of a wing visible on the cloak’s surface.
That last one stood tall, his blue fur in great contrast to the others as his wings flared outwards his horn aglow with a beautiful cayn aura. His white toga and beard mixing well with his long mane, reaching his chest. The plague below showed what she had guessed, remembering these three personally when she was a foal.
Poseidon, Hades and Zeus, the three fallen brothers. She didn’t need to look at them any longer, not wishing to feel the disdain grow within her. But it was the last picture on her left that she dared not look at, a picture that she was sure would only bring tears as she opened the door and quickly entered, closing it with a grand noise of it hitting the stone wall, echoing throughout the room.
The room she was in was just as dark as the staircase, a stone table lay in the middle of the room with a chair laid out for her, she knew that she had been expected. With a small sigh, she trotted over to the chair, placing her lantern down and taking a seat, waiting.
But the longer she waited, the slower time seemed to pass, each dust particle seeming to slow down to a snail’s pace in comparison to how they zipped by when she first arrived. Maybe it was something in the air or maybe it was him, she didn’t know. But...she felt small in this place, unwanted and powerless. However, after a few minutes, she finally called.
“F-father?”
After what seemed like eternity after eternity of waiting for an answer, one came in the form of raspy breathing. The sound of chained hooves slowly made their way towards her.
“Cel-Celestia?” a voice asked, sounding restless, alone and scared. “Is that you, my little star?”
Celestia felt like crying, she felt like letting it all out but she knew she couldn’t at the moment. “Y-yes, father...It’s me.”
The chained hooves stopped for a second, almost as if the one who owned them was thinking. A second later, the hooves almost seemed to sprint straight for Celestia, making her gasp and raise from the chair. She could only see his eyes, bloodshot and filled with so much emotion. It honestly made her feel scared, intimidated, but when he spoke…
“...Celestia..” he started, his eyes softening after a few seconds, moving as if he had shaken his head. “I-it is so good to see you again.”
When he spoke, his words broke through her worry, causing her to almost want to run up and hug him. “...Please, sit down, we have much to discuss,” he then said, his tone filled with the want and need of sleep.
So, she sat down, nervous as she looked up into her father’s purple eyes, smiling. “I-it is so good to see you again, Fa-father…” she choked up. “I hope you are we-”
“Well?” he asked, his tone of voice a bit different, darker. “How could he be well, chained up like this? You, you did this to him…” her father suddenly spat, moving just enough for the lantern to reveal his bared teeth from the shadows.
“Wha-what?! N-never!”
“You know what you did and you lie in your father’s face!?” He shouted, his eye twitching slightly. “We all know how much of a foul, disgusting creature you are...yet you try to deceive yourself of that...pitiful if it weren’t so pathetic.
Celestia was angry, raising her hoof and slamming it on the table. “You let my father have control, you monster!” she demanded, her horn glowing in anger with tears slowly falling down her face. “Let him...please…”
“Why should I?”
“You know exactly why!”
“Oh…” The eyes moved to show that he was shaking his head slowly. “I do know why...your sister,” he said, his tone harsh, filled with madness. “I should have expected this fate for that idiotic harlot you call a sister…”
Celestia’s eyes filled with fury as she looked at him. “Take that back you foul creature.”
“I’ll take it back once you make me...and I don’t think you’d like to harm the only family you have left, would you?” the voice responded lowly, staring her down as she looked back with plain fear.
But, before the voice could continue, Celestia’s father fell limp, only being held up by his bounds.
“Daddy!” Celestia shouted, rushing over to her father and hugging him tightly, crying. “Please...be alright…”
As she cried into his chest, a hoof stroked her mane softly, causing her to look up into her father’s boney face, causing her to gasp. “...You’re practically a skeleton..”
“Honey...you should not mind me,” her father replied, a pained moan escaping his lips slowly as he placed his arm back down. “...I just need to know that you are safe, nothing more, nothing less.
“But what of Babble?”
“That blasted inner demon can remain in me for all eternity for all I care…” he said, his nostrils flaring slightly in anger. “...I-I’m sorry.”
But Celestia just held him closer, nuzzling the right side of her face just under his chin, causing him to return the gesture. “No...father...it’s alright, I understand.”
As she began to cry harder, sniffling a small bit, she looked up at him, his fiery goatee tickling her nose a small bit. “...I’m so sorry, Celestia…” He choked, a tear escaping his eye.
“No...I’m sorry, father,” Celestia sobbed gently, looking into his eyes before looking away. “...I wasn’t strong enough to save her, if I had known how she was feeling...I-I..”
“Shh…” He reassured, kissing her forehead. “You didn’t know...you did all you could,” he whispered in her ear. “That’s all I could ever ask for either of you when your rule began.”
She didn’t respond, holding him tighter as she cried. “...but at what cost?” she asked. “I banished my own sister to the very thing she controls, and we both put you into this...prison.”
“You did this because I am a danger to the country,” her father reminded her. “...Cele, I know this may be hard to understand. But you must realize that ruling a country, taking care of all those who live there, it can change you for both better, and for worse...you must remain strong.”
He then stepped back, the lantern making the shadows on his straight jacket flicker in orange glow. “Can you do this for me?”
“I...I…”
“All I ask is for you to try…” he said, looking into her eyes sadly. “...Sol forbid you have to do this without your family, I would accept you not wanting to rule after all of this…”
Celestia looked to the ground, thinking. After a small moment, she looked at him, a small amount of hope in her eyes. “...I..I will, Helios…”
But her father did not respond, instead he just looked at her as if she were a stranger who had offended him. His eyes twitched as she looked into them, knowing this wasn’t him. “...F-father?”
“I’m sorry…” A different voice called out from his mouth, just as mad as the last one who had come but a dark, sinister twang in it .“But, Helios is not here at the moment...I am, though,” he said with a small, almost evil smirk.
“...B-Babble…” Celestia gasped in horror, backing away slowly until she hit the table. “..N-no, please...just leave him be.”
“Oh, I’m afraid I cannot do that even if I wanted to, your newly crowned majesty,” the voice replied. “...But, I am here to give you a message.”
Celestia just shook her head, weeping. “NO! Just leave him alone!”
“I am here to tell you that nothing your father says shall heal your broken heart...his broken soul,” he began, stepping forward only to be stopped by the chains. “No matter how honied his words be…”
“No! Please stop!”
“No matter how much you hope nor how much you pray,” he continued. “I will always be there to remind you that you cannot help him...you can never help him.”
Celestia was sobbing loudly. “...No...I-I don’t believe you…” She objected, staring him in the eyes with streams of salty tears running down her face. “Why can’t you just leave him be!?”
“Because...” the voice began again, his tone cold, heartless. “Every being like your father must have a being like me within them...they are not perfection embodied like the common folk portray them as, nor are they not as susceptible to falling from grace like your little ponies.”
“...We all have demons…” Celestia said with a small frown, whimpering a tiny bit before a hoof lay against her shoulder, causing her to gasp as she looked up into the scared eyes of her father.
“...Y-you have to go…” he said, truly frightened as he looked at the door. “Please, don’t listen to him...but I don’t wish to hurt you.”
Celestia looked at him for a moment before she stood up, defiant. “But father, ple-”
“I SAID GO!” He practically screamed, his voice straining from the volume of the demand.
Celestia shook her head slowly, backing up from her father before she turned around, heading for the door before looking back. She saw only the eyes of her father, the lantern slowly dying.
“...I love you, Father…” She whispered quietly, opening the door and leaving, the door’s slam causing the lantern to completely die out, leaving the stallion in complete darkness once more. However, he didn’t move from his spot, still watching the door.
When Celestia reached the hallway of Memorial, she looked to her right, which had once been her left when she entered. She gazed upon the picture of her father, clad in golden armor that seemed to glow a holy aura around him. Instead of the frail, unfortunate soul that she had witnessed in that room, she saw only a false ‘stallion’ before her on this windowframe. She looked down at the plaque below, Helios the Brave.
She sighed, tears staining her face as she made her way out to the room with the massive hole in the ceiling, she looked up and saw the moon, seeing the outline of a mare. She sobbed quietly to herself as she left the castle.
Helios continued to look at the door and did not much else, each chain wrapped around his body swayed gently from left to right. But, he had a sad smile on his face. She said that she loved him, that was all he needed to be happy with his situation for another ten thousand lifetimes.
“..I-I love you too, my little star..”