//------------------------------// // Furious Sun // Story: The Blind Sun // by Dragonfire2lm //------------------------------// Celestia led The Nightmare King to an elegant white gazebo in a nearby section of the gardens. The floor, like many places in The Royal Sanctuary, bore the image of a stylized sun. Grimm leaned up against one of the supporting pillars of the structure as Celestia stood before him, her regal mask giving way to confusion and hint of something else Grimm didn’t care to name. Oh Tia… don’t fall now… “How can there be more vessels?” she asked. “The Pale King said he only made the one…” “The Pale King fooled all of us,” Grimm said calmly. “He was very good at making us believe there was only one.” And poor Hollow did an excellent job at making everyone think they were truly hollow… “But how can this be?” Celestia said, still bewildered. “And why are you calling them your children?” It was here that Grimm realized the level of ignorance Celestia employed in matters that did not directly concern her ponies. He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or insulted at her willingness to ignore the rest of the outside world. “…They are children Tia, his children,” Grimm explained carefully. “He sired thousands of young and tossed them all into The Abyss to infuse them with void…I found the few that still lived and took them in.” Celestia’s eyes widened as she had an epiphany. She took a step back, staring at him wide-eyed. “…The Lord of Shades returned because of the creation of those vessels…By taking them in you allowed the return of Void.” Grimm closed his eyes and sighed. “Void is no more harmful than nightmares. When given the proper respect and consideration, Void is but another part of the natural world.” “Yet your interference in the world beyond your domain is the most unnatural thing.” Celestia commented and at that, Grimm opened his eyes to fix her a stern look and walked forward to meet her in the middle of the gazebo. She huffed. “Am I wrong? Let me provide you with a few other examples,” the mare began to pace, self-assured steps leading her in a circle around him. “You took Discord’s torment on my ponies and twisted it into those nightmare changelings…” Grimm bristled at the insinuation that his changelings were monsters but kept silent. “You allowed your own sister to wage war against The Pale King, and we both know how that turned out…” At that the moth scoffed, a bitter retort on the tip of his tongue. But The Nightmare King said nothing, these arguments were centuries old, and no amount of reasoning would change Celestia’s stance on them. “And in the middle of said war you summon The Lord of Shades to a battlefield, and we lost The Crystal Empire in the process!” Celestia said. “Then you tempt my sister with power outside her influence and drive her mad with it!” He remembered the conflict in The Crystal Empire, with his sister enslaving the locals by way of an enthralled, mad king and his affinity for her crystals. He and the troupe had been summoned by the few desperate survivors that had escaped The Radiance’s reach and was caught in the crossfire. He did not summon The Lord of Shades… When he lost The Child… Ghost had reacted. Reaching and calling upon something they did not understand until after the dust had settled and The Empire had vanished without a trace. Just when he was about to finally speak up, to point out that she had no right to blame him for any of what happened with his sister and the wyrm, she stopped in front of him, wings spread and deep-seated hatred on her features. “You know nothing of the pain of losing someone you love! Luna and I were family and for the last thousand years it feels as if a piece of me is missing!” “You act as if she’s dead,” Grimm said flatly. “Mark my words, she will return.” “With the way she is now? She may as well be!” Celestia snapped and shook her head. “How could you possibly understand…” The spike of rage that followed her words was sharp, memories of The Child came to mind and Grimm hissed at her. “Do not think me cold-hearted,” he said lowly. The last wisps of his nearly bottomless well of patience vanishing into the seething fury burning beneath his shell. “I too. know pain and I did everything I could and I still--” The Sun interrupted him. “Losing the key to your ritual is not the same!” He saw red. Power and rage snapped free and with a snarl, Grimm loomed over the mare, looked down at her as swirling nightmare mandala danced off his form and the sound of his heart roared in his ears. “I lost my son!” he roared, voice crackling with power like an inferno. The Princess stepped back in shock at the intensity of his rage. “A vessel in my visage they may have been, but they were still a child! My child!” “And you dare see them as something lesser?” he growled. The Sun regained her composure, matching his anger with a heated glare of her own. “And you think that gives you the right to do what you want?” “My domain is Nightmares and Worldly Passions. I do as I see fit for the good of all because my realm encompasses all mortal souls that ever have and ever will walk this world.” Grimm explained curtly as he stepped back. He was struggling to reign in his fury. It would be so very easy to simply gather up his children and Hearth… and walk away. To rescind his protection over The Sun and her subjects, let them wander lost in their sleeping hours as the nightmare essence generated by their own minds took hold and spun the most delightful terrors… He did not create nightmares, he kept them in check. But there had been enough fighting. He was tired of fighting, of being painted as some cruel master of the terrifying, twisted, and dark aspects of the mortal soul. He governed passions and emotional intensity. Fear was but one aspect of his nature. And here, with tempers flared and magics barely kept in check, The Steward of The Sun sealed her fate. “Then perhaps this world no longer needs nightmares.” Hearth had been frozen in place since sensing the storm of emotions Celestia had gone through upon seeing Ghost and Petal. Something was very wrong with The Sun. It screamed of something dangerous and yet her body had refused to move, the mothling was gripped in her own spike of panic and terror. Since Grimm had left, the group had been silent. Cadance stood up and walked over to the young filly looking at the spot Princess Celestia had been just moments before from over the top of Petal’s notebook. The older mare got the filly’s attention with a wave of a wing. “Twilight? Why don’t we take Spike and go have lunch? I’m sure Princess Celestia will be back in time for your afternoon lessons.” Twilight glanced between the path Celestia had gone down and Petal, who was looking around and starting to fidget. “But…” “I’ll talk to Petal’s father about letting you visit or write to each other, alright? I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Cadance said reassuringly. The princess looked over at the others present. “Will you guys be okay? You can come with us if you want.” Ghost immediately shook their head. “I agree with them,” Hearth said. “I’ll stay here and wait for Grimm.” Cadance nodded sympathetically. “You’re more than welcome to join us later.” With a final glance their way, the princess rounded up the filly and dragon and left the group of bugs in the quiet of the gardens. Twilight waved goodbye to the bugs as she left. Once the trio rounded the corner, Ghost nodded and waved Petal over. Hollow poked their head out from their hiding spot within the shade. I’ll take Petal back to Hallownest. Ghost said, their telepathic writing decisive. Stay safe. “We’ll just wait here. Things’ll be fine.” Hearth said. Ghost watched the two of them for a few seconds. Once the bug was certain they would be fine, Ghost stood beside Petal. The younger bug had gathered up their notebook and was looking forward to leaving based on the way they fiddled with their cloak in excitement. And in a swirl of shadows, the two of them were gone. Which just left her and Hollow. The eldest sibling was just as worried and scared as she was and so the two of them had remained silent as Hearth struggled to get her emotions under control. The farewells had been but a brief respite, now with nothing to distract her and the only other person there also too wrapped up in their worries, Hearth was left with naught but the uncertainty of the situation and the worry it planted in her mind. So, she waited. It was then, just when things had begun to return to a sense of normalcy, Grimm strode up to them. The power rolling off him made her worried. She didn’t like it. “We’re leaving.” He said curtly and looked around. “I take it Ghost escorted Petal back to Hallownest?” Hearth nodded, too intimidated to speak. Grimm heaved out a sigh, the magic he was letting out eased. “I apologize, Celestia crossed a line.” “I crossed a line?” Hearth turned around at the sound of Celestia approaching them. The mare looked furious, her mane and tail whipped into a frenzy and a steely gaze fixed firmly on Grimm. Hearth’s fear and worry was pushed aside by her protective instincts, The Sun’s behaviour screamed of danger and the mothling put herself between the alicorn and the target of her rage. Celestia looked at her, the two almost eye to eye, and frowned. “This doesn’t concern you, stay out of this!” “Just what exactly are you going to do?” Hearth asked. The last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out between anyone. But Celestia wasn’t going to let them walk away. “It’s clear to me now that my ponies don’t need nightmares, Grimm and his magic have done nothing but frighten and twist innocent souls,” Celestia stated. “My ponies are doing just fine without dreams, and we do not need nightmares plaguing our rest!” Hearth barked out a laugh in shock. The comment was so absurd that she didn’t know how to react. “You’re… joking right?” She couldn’t wrap her brain around the logic The Sun was using. “My people are born from nightmares! It’s our lifeblood, our food source, and in turn we ensure everyone else aren’t affected too deeply by their subconscious mind when they sleep! Removing nightmares would… would…” Hearth could only stare as Celestia remained steadfast, her muzzle still locked in a frown and unmoved by her statement. “Do you even care that removing nightmares would be the equivalent of burning every single farm in your kingdom?” Hearth blurted. Surely this was just a misunderstanding. Hearth hoped that she could talk Celestia down, show that nightmares were a part of life, they happened but they weren’t inherently dangerous. The longer the tense silence went on, the less sure she was. Puzzled, she focused more on the surface layer of emotions Celestia was exhibiting. What she found disgusted her, it was unfathomable to her, and she spoke up again. “… You think you’re justified…” She could see the alicorn was just waiting for a chance to lash out, to be proven right, and eliminate both Grimm and The Scarlet Hive in one go. Hearth was insulted. “How can you think that?” she demanded. “I thought…” she paused and took a deep breath. Opinions long suppressed in the wake of Chrysalis’ tyranny returned in full force alongside her indignation. “We’re not monsters! We’re not any more dangerous than one of your ponies!” “Be that as it may, Grimm has overstepped his bounds and is not welcome is the waking world--” “And how are you going to get rid of me?” Grimm said pointedly. “You invited me here, no Nightmare Lantern has been lit, there is no Ritual to banish me with,” the politeness and flair in his voice felt forced, a farce everyone present knew was a show. “If you wish for me to remove my gifts to ponydom, then I will do so and never set foot in your kingdom again.” “Oh, I will make certain you will never give your gifts to anyone,” Celestia stated, horn alight, “The Nightmare Realm is no longer needed, and I will see that your magic will never harm anyone else again!” Hearth was pulled behind Grimm, the taller bug calling forth a pillar of red flame to shield himself from the beam of solar magic. There was a flash of red smoke as the pillar burned itself out and Grimm had vanished. “Enough of your trickery!” Celestia shouted and followed him in a flash of yellow light. It was too much for her to take in. Flashes of Grimm’s black and red form skittering away from blasts of golden light and striking out with an uppercut or a lunging charge whenever Celestia attempted to strike him with hooves or horn. Hearth was frozen stiff. Everything was happening too fast, escalating too quickly. She scrambled to think of something to do but came up blank, which only fuelled the steadily building feeling of helplessness. I have to do something, don’t I? Why is she doing this? She watched as a beam of The Sun’s magic splashed against Grimm’s cloak after he’d been baited into a swipe at the mare. He hissed and teleported once again, Celestia hot on his heels. “Hollow, what do we do?” she asked quietly and looked down at the shade as they watched the conflict unfold. Hollow tilted their head in thought. …Father does not want to fight The Sun. Hollow pointed out. But if this continues, he will be pushed to engage properly, for there is no such thing as a harmless Higher Being. They all have fangs, but some merely choose not to bare them. “Yeah…” she agreed. “…But this? This is horrible even if he’s just defending himself. It shouldn’t have reached this point to begin with.” It could distract The Sun for a moment and allow father the chance to flee. “There has to be another way… what if we could, I don’t know, immobilize her or something?” she suggested. She wished she had more time to get used to her new form. But her magic was basically useless until she could adapt to it and control it. Cadance might be able to do something. The God of Empathy is a powerful force of the living soul. If anyone can stop the fighting, she can. Hollow pulled themselves out from the shadows, preparing to jump into the fray. Their next line of telepathy was accompanied by a sense of respect for The God of Bonds. There is a reason The Old Light brought an end to her previous life. “Okay.” She said as she stood up, a plan was already forming, a half-baked, desperate plan, but it was better than nothing. “You distract Celestia, I’ll go find Princess Cadance.” Hollow summoned their nail as Hearth hurried out of sight. Celestia was still doggedly pursuing Grimm and the moth teleporting with more frequency, putting more power behind his blows, and it had the vessel worried. They watched the chaos unfurl and as The Sun moved to dive bomb Grimm, they acted. In a swirl of shadows, they reappeared before the angered mare, nail raised to block the blow and sensation returned with the formation of their physical form. Celestia was pushed back, stunned by their sudden appearance. Like their siblings, they body was black chitin and their head encased in a white, mask-like shell. Their cloak, long and pale grey, grew from beneath their mask and hung off their form like a cape. A form greater than that of even the Pure Vessel, a reflection of glory and what might have been. They stood in a defensive stance, nail held in both hands and angled so the alicorn would strike the flat of the blade should she attack again. But The Sun merely stood before them. “No…” she said weakly, recognition dawning on her face. “How can this be?” Grimm spoke up, bitter and tired. “I gave that blasted Wyrm exactly what he wanted. A vessel with no will.” Stop. Hollow instructed both higher beings. There has been enough fighting. “I agree, my child,” Grimm replied from behind them. He elaborated when it became clear that Celestia could not hear Hollow. “We should indeed end this before it gets out of hand.” “If you think I’m going to just let you--” Do. Not. Ponies were not a naturally telepathic species, Hollow knew this, and so to be heard, the vessel forced the message directly into the alicorn’s mind. The mare winced in pain, the sensation akin to tapping a hammer against her skull, and Hollow was more than ready to continue the onslaught if it got her to stop. That was all they wanted, an end to the fighting, to the bitterness. Do not… Celestia grit her teeth. Her horn lit and Hollow’s nail caught the steady beam of magic that followed. They dug their feet into the dirt, pushing back against her. All they had to do was keep her occupied long enough for Hearth to get help. But they were disappointed. At their father for letting this go on for so long, at Celestia for being blinded by her emotions, and at themselves for not wanting to get involved until it was too late. I will not let you hurt him. Each word thrown at the princess only added to her struggle, the magic pouring from her horn wavering with each brief lapse in concentration. I will not let you two destroy each other. Hollow took a step forward, blade still braced to take the continuous stream of magic as Celestia glared at them. Maybe, just maybe, they could resolve this on their own. It was a nice thought, one that bolstered them even as their arms shook from the strain. Princess Celestia, just st The Sun let out a scream, muzzle morphed into a snarl and wild look in her eyes. Light exploded from her horn and the sheer amount of power sent Hollow sliding back. The vessel shifted and dug the point of their nail into the ground to stabilize themselves. The light before them was-- It was too bright. Was it just their eyes burning? Or were their insides burning too? Were they not chained? Was this a dream? A sickly-sweet taste filled their non-existent mouth, thrummed beneath their shell, and their very thoughts felt as if they were on fire. An enraged roar filled their ears, they lifted their nail and prepared to fight The R-- And golden light gave way to a familiar shade of red as Celestia’s pain filled scream filled the air. Hollow returned to their senses to see The Sun engulfed in a towering inferno of red flames. Grimm stood next to them, impassive as The Sun burned. Father? The Nightmare King kept his gaze firmly on the crimson fire. “…I will not lose another child.” He said in quiet fury as the flames dies out and Celestia, the tips of her horn and wings charred black, and her blue dress reduced to cinders, collapsed. Hollow placed a hand on his shoulder, concern shining clear through their telepathic bond. You did not have to do this. “You are correct, but the fool of a mare will be fine,” Grimm replied. “As dramatic as that looked, I merely forced into slumber.” A painful slumber. “Yes, she was trying to kill you.” He stated. And you! Hollow insisted. Grimm chuckled darkly. “I would have given her the same treatment I gave her sister had you not intervened,” Grimm said coldly. “I do not regret sealing Luna away when the alternative was so much worse…” Are you alright? They were worried he might be hurt, that the heightened emotions that still lingered in the air had awakened something in the moth. Does The Ritual call to you? Grimm looked up at them, eyes wide in surprise. He sighed and took a deep breath. “…So, you already know…” They nodded. The Pale King. “Of course he told you, bastard…” Grimm muttered. Hollow turned to face their father and leaned down slightly so the two were eye to eye. It worries about you! The Pale King shared what he knew of The Ritual so It would be prepared if… if… They didn’t want to acknowledge it. The fate that awaited the one that pulled them from a life of agony, that saved them. Grimm pulled them into a hug, their head resting on his shoulder. “Oh Hollow, my body may perish but my soul remains. Upon my final performance, The Ritual will remain incomplete, and I will be sealed within The Nightmare Realm and my heart along with me,” he said soothingly. “Why do you think I taught you and Ghost to traverse my realm?” But… “Hush, we shall speak of this later, when we’ve both had a chance to clear our heads.” Grim said and pulled away. Hollow stood up and looked over at the unconscious mare. Hearth went ahead to find Princess Cadance. She should be back soon. They looked at the moth, sending him their exasperation. We will leave The Sun be. “I like to think I’m deserving of letting her suffer through at least one night terror,” Grimm huffed but remained by Hollow’s side as they waited for Hearth to return. “She made it clear she didn’t want my protection.” No.