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// 4. Jewel 
// Story: The Name of Our Mistakes 
// by ObabScribbler 
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4. Jewel





The Elements of Harmony sat on their pedestals, glittering like they were stars that had been plucked from the sky and encased in metal settings. Celestia bid her guards wait outside the chamber and approached them as one might a sleeping dragon.

Before she was less than twenty feet away she felt them buzzing in her mind, washing over her with their strange ancient magic. She had asked before how and why they had come to be but they never responded. It was not until they blessed her with the powers of an alicorn that she was truly able to hear them at all, and even now it was mostly whispers, like foals hiding behind doorways and giggling as she passed. 

She cleared her throat. “Elements, I have come to thee above all else because I, Princess Celestia, Sunlight of Equestria and Its Guiding Light, am … worried.” She dropped her gaze, staring at the floor. “My sister has not been herself of late and I hear rumours that her strangeness continues in unpredictable ways.” She shut her eyes, trying not to think of the shouted conversation in her chambers only three days ago. “I thought her merely unwell but now I begin to wonder whether something more may be at work. I confess, I know not what this might be, therefore I do come before you now to ask for thy assistance.”

The Elements glittered. Celestia listened hard for actual words but, again, she heard only inaudible whispers. She pawed the ground in frustration.

“Elements of Harmony, I do beseech thee! Thou art our greatest weapon and our greatest hope for Equestria’s future. By thy will did my sister and I begin our reign of this land. By thy will did we defeat King Sombra and beat back the griffin hordes who did seek to invade our borders and dine on our citizens. By thy will did we select this place for our capital, call it ‘Everfree’ and build this castle to herald the new world order of that name. Please, do not forsake me now.”

The Elements went suddenly silent. 

Celestia took a step forward but stopped when she heard breathing behind her. Scratchy, laboured breathing, as of one who is ill but has galloped through the castle regardless. She turned to see a silhouette framed in the flickering light of the torches.

“L-Luna,” she stuttered, guilt evident in her tone. “I … I did think thee abed at this noontime hour.”

Luna said nothing. Since her face was cast in shadow, Celestia could not see her expression. They remained where they were for a long moment, the air fairly crackling with tension. Finally Luna turned, kicked dirt in Celestia’s direction, and galloped back the way she had come.