Stories in Stone
Last Dance
By TDR
Last Night
[70,000 years after Tirek's defeat]
They were staring.
He could feel their eyes on him, their ears raised and wary as they watched him.
He smiled a little, recalling the first time he had come here, how the owners then didn't know who he was and tried to stop him.
This family had at least an idea who he was, some of their oldest might have even seen him before. It was rare that he was even in Equestria these days, but earth ponies had rather long lifespans.
There was to much here that hurt. After all this time, after all the changes, all it took was one thing that reminded him, and he could feel the pain gnawing at him. The bonds he had made would never leave him, no matter how annoyed he got with them, he could still feel them all. All he lost, all his friends and loved ones. There were only three of them left now including himself. Every one else had moved on.
The pair of them were up in the castle now, night was coming soon and then the pair would leave this place again.
He tossed the tree aside like it was nothing flinging it into the forest as he righted the fallen stones, looking at the stone oak that cradled the near crumbled graves inside it's warped frame.
There were no bodies here any more. They had turned to dust and soil so long ago that nothing remained of any of them any more. Yet this was always the place he visited first when he came back to New Canterlot.
New Canterlot. Did any one even remember why it was called that any more? Had peace reigned for so long that no one recalled why things were the way they were, why the memorials existed?
How long had it been since he struck down a bandit, been forced to kill a monster, or toppled a corrupt government? Time was meaningless really. Anyone he cared for who would mark time was long gone and of those left, they lived as he did only following the cycle of night and day.
Well perhaps Twilight still needed to use a calender and cared what time it was. He shifted as he looked down over the gravestone, three bits of metal on a chain clinking around his neck.
It had been a long time since he or Luna had bothered with time.
He stared down at the graves not bothering to lay among them to talk. A small smile crossed his face as he recalled his parents, his grandparents, his friends. The stories he could tell them of all that had happened in the years he had been gone on this trip.
He spared a glance back to the gathered Apples, foals and adults, watching the orange and gray furred Kirin with worry and curiosity.
He turned back to the graves and let out a small sigh.
“I've a lot to tell you all. But it can wait. I'll see you soon.” Jer'rahd uttered turning away to head towards the castle.
The dark mare sighed taking a tip of the tea. It was high quality, but it tasted little as water to her tongue. There was very little in the world that she had not feasted on or drank to the point it was flavorless and bland at this point. This included her husbands chilli.
“There's a small story I have to tell you. I've only really told a few in the world of this over the course of my life and all but one of those is dead.”
The mare sitting across from her perked her ears. In truth she wasn't that much older than Twilight. Not in the grand scheme of things. It was barely a drop in the bucket.
“Then why tell me?” Twilight asked.
“Because the work is done.” Luna replied setting a small box on the table between them and opening it showing off six crystals that glowed with a soft light.” It's been close to three thousand years since we saw anything that was a threat to anyone. Our part is over. There's no need for the Last Valkyrie and the Last Knight to continue. In fact our continued presence would likely hinder your part in this.”
“ Nox has not yet been born.” Twilight responded.
“No I expect not. But the story.” Luna sighed. “I was born a Pegasus in a time of war. Luna Fantasma, my mother was a Valkyrie and my father a warrior from another land who managed to impress her enough for her to take him as a husband. My life was like many others in my village, nothing but training and fighting. The Changeling war was barely a thousand years in the past and the scars of that conflict still lingered. When the Discordian war started I was a mare of fifteen, though I was the most skilled in my village I fought for and won the honor to lead a group of warriors to aid Canterlot against the chaos.”
Luna paused looking at the tea cup in her hooves.
“It was there I first met Celestia, the Solar Flare. All her friends had died at this point in her life and she was the leader of the Equestrian army. She was driven, vibrant, forceful, and held an air of command and menace that natural born warriors were drawn to. She was also highly unhinged and was only loyal to the goddess Avianna, whom she regarded as her mother. There were many splinter nations of ponies at that time, war between them was a constant thing, and Avianna had many against her rule despite her being a god. Celestia was the one she sent to deal with these issues, and by deal with them it usually meant burn them to nothing.” Luna shifted, three bits of metal about her neck shifting and clinking as she moved. “She formed an army and set out after Discord at Avianna's whim, no pony knew what was stolen, no pony knew what had been done to Avainna by Discord save Celestia. We simply followed orders and engaged the enemy when we encountered it as we chased the monster. I made a few friends in that war party. I was young, I knew how to fight but knew nothing of anything else. Shadow, Imbrium, Nightshade, and Dusk, all soldiers from other tribes and parts of the world. I found friendship in them and many others.”
Luna sighed.
“Then we found Discord. And Celestia lost it. An army of Ponies. All dead save five and that was due to little more than luck and Imbrium's skills with a shield. She didn't even realized she did it until long after Discord fled. The realization of it nearly broke her, she had killed untold numbers before, but never her own, never those who were there to help her, whom she had trusted to watch her back. And in an eye blink she had destroyed them all and accomplished nothing in the process. We spent two years in the newly created badlands as she made monuments to the ones she killed. When we finally left again she was barely able to function. I led the continued pursuit after Discord into the Darklands. It wasn't until an encounter with the Children of Discord that she recovered enough to help us. Her actions were stunted and slowed but, but during that fight I preformed the Sonic Rain Boom for the first time. One of my remaining friends had been flung through the air by the so called children and I needed to rush to save them, in doing so I pushed past what any one before me had done and created an explosion of light and noise that was more than enough to distract the trio enough for Celestia to turn them to stone. After that the powers of the moon and sun that the three had came to myself and Celestia.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Twilight asked.”Celestia is long dead. I doubt anything could change my opinion of her now.”
“This is not her story Twilight it is mine. My sister simply featured prominently in it. We had been through war and conflict, we spent years in the Dark lands that first time, I was twenty three by the time we found the castle of Discord and confronted him. We had all grown closer than simple comrades of arms, we were a family and our goal was insight. We fought Discord, battled him for what seemed days as he egged us on and taunted us. In his madness he let slip what we thought was his weakness, the Element's of Harmony, Items he conveniently left around his castle. We faced challenges to find them and in the end we did. I know now it was his plan to be blasted by them, he likely could have destroyed us utterly with his power, but instead he fought his madness and forced us to bond and become friends during our time in his lands, just so we could stop him.”
Luna sighed setting the bland tea down.
“We returned and Avianna suddenly announced her retirement, upon finding I had the power to the moon she granted me her place as a pony god and retired, but not after seeding Celestia's mind with her failures and forcing her to become soft with all her regret. I took up her mantle as a warrior helping everything remain at peace, by being the sword to Tia's olive branch. My loss of my friends, the loss of Hooper, The first dragon war, the conflicts that followed. I pressed through it all with a warriors mindset, something my sister no longer had.”
Luna leaned back closing her eyes.
“The point of this little tale Twilight is this. I've fought and killed gods. Slaughtered armies. Found love twice in my life. Made and buried friends. Made new ones only to see them pass on as well. Moved the moon and the stars in the sky. Talked with the First Gods. Read more tomes than perhaps even you have. I have been corrupted by evil. Become a nightmare. Born a foal of my own and then been forced to bury her. I've preformed a Sonic Rain Boom. I've raised the sun. Forged great weapons. Obliterated nations. Wiped entire species and races off the world. Been to my moon. Been to Tartarus and back. Traveled through time with a mad pony in a blue box. I've been cloned, killed and kidnapped more times than I care to count. I've wielded the Element's of Harmony twice in my life with two different sets of bearers. I've seen kingdoms rise and fall. Watched the sky light up with colors unseen by most eyes. Preformed acts that have never had the like shown again. Made love in the rain and snow and sea and any where else one can think of, including your throne. I have stalked some one I loved to try and ease his pain. I have cried an ocean for one who died. Ravenged cities and parts of the world in revenge. I have Spoken with Windigo in the fresh driven snow. I have seen Caribou fly on a ice cold night. I have seen a near extinct race rise from their own ashes. I have seen a great tree harboring the ultimate evil and been part of destroying that evil. I have been a Valkyrie, a solider, a Princess, a Queen, a Regent, a Mother, a wife, a superhero, a villain, and a monster. I have made foals cry and I have made them laugh. I have brought together families and torn them apart. I have become a bug and brought more power to bear on a single creature than anyone has ever had the right to wield. I have heard songs that brought about every emotion conceivable. I've held grand foals for the first and last times. I have tamed a beast and become one myself. I have given chase to death itself. I have saved the lives of millions and killed just as many. I have danced rituals with Buffalo. I have feasted with Seaponies. I have married my love and stayed with him longer than many mountains have existed. I have spoke in hushed tones to hidden races of distant lands that called themselves Bunyip. I've heard an anguished scream of a filly that could be heard around the world. I've seen things ponies wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the coast of Orion. I watched mage beams glitter in the dark near the tears in the world. If I do not tell some pony, all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. “ Luna let out a small sigh her ears perking up as she heard hoof steps approaching and the door to the sitting room, before the door creaked open. “I am very tired Twilight, it is time to die.”
“Did you tell her you also finally managed to boil a pot of rice without setting a kitchen on fire?” Jer'rahd asked getting a tea cup thrown in his face for the joke as he trotted in.
“I was trying to be serious here.” Luna growled.
“Yes I know. And you should stop it.” Jer'rahd claimed. “It's not as if it's going to do any good.”
“I almost liked it better before you developed a sense of humor.” Luna snorted.
“You told me to lighten up and I have, it just took ten thousand years or so.” Jer'rahd smiled nuzzling against Luna's neck.
“So this is it then? You're just going to go die?” Twilight asked with a frown.
“Nothing quite as dull unfortunately Sparkle.” Jer'rahd sighed. “ Our part in this is done. Everything else is up to you.”
“Tia may have tried for this, but you have a chance of making it work Twilight. A lasting peace. Over all of Equss.” Luna sighed.”This is the eve of your start, the Harmony project. It's all in your hooves now Twilight.”
“ No pressure right?” Twilight sighed.
“Twilight as impressive as my list is you have done things that I have not and you will do far more than that by the time you are done.” Luna smiled. “ You still have a task before you , our part is done in this.”
“Besides. We have a lot of friends and family waiting for us.” Jer'rahd smiled.” I think it would be rude to keep them waiting much longer.”
The moon shone brightly in the sky far above them, millions of stars seeming to cluster around the massive glowing orb as if looking down on the night touched landscape of Equss. A soft wind blew across the grassy plains, making the tall strands of grass rustle and shift almost musically.
A brilliant flash of light lit up the empty field and as it faded there were three figures standing there.
A orange scaled and gray furred Kirin with a damaged horn a body covered in scars. His short cropped amber mane and tail looked like he had hacked his hair off with a blade. A silver kite shield cutie mark adorned his flank, with a black chess piece of a night in the middle of it, though the piece was decorated with spines and fangs like a dragon. His red and green eyes stared up at the night sky.
Next to him was a platinum blue haired pegasus with aqua eyes and a purple splotch across her flank with a silvery crescent moon decorating it.
Behind them stood a tall lavender furred alicorn mare. Her darker purple mane and tail streaked with magenta, and flowing over her back looking like the last light of the setting sun before the encroachment of a beautiful night.
On the alicorn's side was a harness and belt that held a sword.
A single handle wrapped in purplish blue silk, perhaps two apples across sat in the middle of the weapon. Twin curved blades of a dark blue metal flared out from the guard-less grip on either side before thinning out into slightly curved blades, each was perhaps six apples long and sharpened on both sides, the soft curve of the blades gave the weapon the impression of a sliver of the moon when it was just about to go dark. The weapon was unadorned, but highly polished. It was simple, yet beautiful in the simplicity, like it was designed to be art rather than to take lives.
This weapon was very dangerous.
The Waning Moon glowed softly on the side of it's new owner.
Six small bits of metal attached to two thin chains rested around the alicorn's neck as she watched the two.
Her gaze shifted over the land scape, not reconizing it at first, though thinking of maps and old maps she recalled the land that used to be a barren desert controlled by a Diamond Dog pack calling themselves the Bone Hounds.
It was the valley where Luna and Jer'rahd had met for the first time. Where Luna had reattached Jer'rahd's leg after he saved her life, a scar he still bore.
A river had been diverted long ago and the land was flush with life now.
In this distance a black shape stood seemingly absorbing the light around it. Twilight met the gaze of the black alicorn and nodded lightly her attention turning back to her two remaining friends from long ago.
She watched as the pair of them walked away from her to the small rise of a hill, a place a road used to be. Both of them looking up at the moon and the mass of stars that had gathered, making the night glow with an unearthly light.
She watched as the two leaned in and had a last kiss, before there was a surge of magic and both of them were gone. No bodies remained, no marks on the grass, the two had simply given up the corrupted power that kept them alive and they were no more.
No.
That was not quite correct.
Twilight's gaze shifted upward to the moon she controlled. The stars were spreading out away from the moon now. Many of them ready to move on as the last of them had finally joined the celestial choir.
Of course, simply vanishing was not how those two did things.
The silvery surface of the moon was marked, as it had been so long ago when a young student of Princess Celestia first learned the story of the Mare in the Moon.
Only this time, the dark silhouette on the moon was not of a alicorn mare. The dark spots could just be made out to be a pegasus mare, and a unicorn stallion. Their noses nearly touching as the two lovers made their last mark on the world.
Twilight sighed her mind darting over several options over what to tell every pony about the moons new decoration. It would easy to spin this into an Old Pony Tale about the lovers Jer'rahd and Luna.
She added it to a long mental checklist, she had a great deal to do yet before she herself could follow them.
And after many many years, The Demon of Dullahan, General of the Lunar Republic, Jer'rahd Kaisur, and The Princess of the Night, The Astral Queen, Luna Kaisur, finally departed Equss.