//------------------------------// // Memories // Story: Fallen // by ElementOfKindness //------------------------------// Celestia stood on her balcony and looked out over her empire of dust, absorbed in painful memories. A thousand years she had wrongly banished her own sister to the moon, and now she had paid for it with ten thousand of her own. Those past years had been filled with loneliness and regret, but it was only recently that she had been able to accept the truth: It was her fault and hers alone. The sky was a dark red shade; Celestia was unable to raise the Sun or Moon as she had once done and the world was stuck as it was at the time of The Fall. At first it had been colored the many beautiful shades of sunrise, not hinting at the devastation about to occur in the land down below, but over time it had become dull as the world slowly decayed. She took a last, long look at the waste before her, then turned and slowly walked back inside what was once her castle, now just a hollow ruin, her head bowed and her mind clouded with depressing thoughts. *** Luna had been complaining of nightmares. That in itself, while unusual, had not been enough to cause Celestia concern. However, when reports began to filter through to her about her sister acting out of character, snapping at guards and other ponies over tiny mistakes and at times being offhandedly cruel, the princess of the day saw the need to talk to Luna. It was well into the night when Celestia came across her sister. Luna’s back was turned and when the white pony made a noise close behind her, she gave such a start that Celestia took a few steps back. Luna turned with a look of fear on her face, though that quickly turned to a subtle sneer as she gave an odd-sounding snicker. Celestia, unsure whether the snicker was self deprecating or aimed at herself but suspecting the latter, only felt her anxiety increase at this, as she had not seen any of this odd behavior first hand before that point. “What is troubling you, Luna?” “Nothing of your concern, sister.” Luna turned her head to the side in a dismissive manner. “You have not been acting like yourself lately,” Celestia insisted. “Leave it be,” Luna said. It was clear that she was barely able to keep control of her temper; The look in her eyes was laced with malice as they stared unblinking at the other alicorn. Taken aback, Celestia mumbled an affirmative reply before slowly backing out of the room, hardly able to restrain herself from running once she escaped that terrible gaze. *** Celestia barely raised her eyes as she passed through an archway and into a great hall. Once the archway had been covered in intricate carvings; once the walls had held brilliant paintings. Now it was a hollowed out husk, barely able to prevent itself from collapsing under its own weight. In the early days the happy memories brought by this place, those of the annual galas and other joyous events held here, were enough to bring a smile to her face. Now, nothing did. She could remember nothing but despair for what had been many years now. She continued on, walking outside towards what had once been a beautiful garden, now just an expanse of dirt and dust, bordered by piles of rocks under fallen masonry. Not paying attention to where she was walking, Celestia caught a hoof on some rubble and fell awkwardly, landing on her wing. There was an audible snap and she stifled a cry of pain as she felt a bone in her wing break in two. She stood up without bothering to dust herself off, absent mindedly casting a spell, and the bone knit itself back together almost instantaneously. She was still nearly omnipotent, though in a small corner of her mind Celestia wondered why she even bothered anymore. For all her power, she hadn’t saved a single pony from the cataclysm she had caused. Not even one… *** Something was clearly wrong with Luna, but Celestia had no idea what. She had never come across a condition such as this before, so she resolved to ask her student Twilight Sparkle to look into what may be causing her sister’s strange behavior, quickly writing and sending a letter. She knew Twilight would be awake: she always stayed up late reading some book or scroll and that was exactly the reason Celestia was asking her. She received a letter back a few hours later; Twilight had indeed been awake and able to find an answer. Dear Princess Celestia, Luna sounds to be showing some form of multiple personality disorder. This is commonly caused by misuse of certain powerful magic, or occasionally by intense emotion in magical beings. It will require more than one magician to successfully remove the false personality and return Luna to her normal self. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle The princess sent her another letter immediately. Twilight, come to Canterlot at once. I need your assistance to restore Luna. Celestia *** The princess’ hoof scuffed against the edge of a dirt mound, and she took a few steps back. It was fitting, she thought in feelings more than words, that she should come to this place while thinking of when she first brought Twilight into this tragedy.