Chimes In the Dark

by Faindragon

The day after

Luna could not understand what had happened. One second she was full of rage.
The next she laid on the cold stone floor in the ruins of her once beautiful castle.
The only thing she had left was small memories, memories that she could not fit together.
She had been as small as she had been the day she was... born was not the word.
The first time she had stepped down to Equestria.
What had happened?

And here she was, after a nights sleep. It had felt as if she had not slept for a thousand years. And the worst part was, that of all the ponies she had meet since she had came back to consciousness were it only two she recognized. Celestia, and the unicorn that now trotted beside her through the hallways in this new castle. The moon, her moon, shone in from one of the windows; illuminating as she made her way to, what her sister had called, the throne room.

"Tell me, Starswirl," she said, addressing the phantom unicorn trotting beside her.

The old unicorn sighed. He had waited a thousand years for this question.

"What happened? Where are the rest of the guardians? What did I do?" Luna's head hang. What had happened?

"Luna, what happened was not your fault," the ocean blue unicorn started, his once powerful voice now nothing more than a faint whispering in the air. "Discords corruption had gone deep, it twisted your entire being. The hate, the anger, that called forth and gave the demon we know as Nightmare Moon entrance to your body and heart was not yours. The feelings emerged from Discord, his magic still strong after all those years."

The old unicorn sighed. "And for the guardians. I was the first of us, I knew you better than anypony else, more so than your own sister, so when Nightmare Moon sent the armor command did I stay strong, repelled it's effect from me." he said, a sad expression on his face. "The others was not as strong. They attacked your sisters and her guards."

Starswirl looked away.
"I'm sorry to say this, but not a single one of Celestia's ten honor guards survived. In fact, the death count were probably ten times as big before Celestia had shielded the entire city from us. I stood alone when Nightmare Moon challenged your sister."

Luna could not keep her silence.
"What happened?"

Starswirl chuckled.
"You know how Celestia is, would not kill a parasprite if it so feasted on her dinner. No, she refused the challenge, tried to talk with you. But the demons power was to strong, it held you within its grasp. So she turned the elements against the demon, banished it to the moon. And with it did she also banish you my goddess."

It was Luna's turn to sigh.
"All as the prophecy said. So many years to prepare and still I could not do anything. It is all my fault. How many ponies died because of me?"

Starswirl firmly walked in front of Luna, his lighting blue eyes looking her in place.
"I will not let you blame yourself goddess. If anypony is to blame is it we guardians, we who were to blind to see the change in you. I was there when the prophecy was spoken, I knew as well as you about what was to happen, but each sign went by me without me noticing."

Luna could not look away.

"Luna, goddess of night, understand this. You could not control what happened to you, the god Discord's magic was overwhelming. You could not resist it, your and Celestia's strength lay in your number, and she could not help you without her corrupting herself. I should not have to say that to you. And remember, I will be with you during the meeting, I will talk when I am needed to. But trust my word when I say that I will flog you if you let yourself be destroyed by blaming yourself or something that childish."

Luna looked at Starswirl in shook.
"You would not."

Starswirl smirked.
"I would, and you know that. I know you, Luna. It would be hard for me not to after all those years I spent with you. I spent two hundred years with you, creating the spell that would allow a pony to die and go to your side without any harm be done to their body. Two hundred years, and I was the first to use it, just to be at your side for the rest of my life, and longer." he nuzzled her gently. “ Now, step forth and enter this chamber, the room that your sister asked you to visit when you returned. And I promise you, I will tell you everything she does not, you deserve to know the truth.”

Luna returned the nuzzle, tears in her eye.
“I’m afraid, Star. What if I can not handle it? What if the corruption is still deep inside of me?”

“You are strong Luna, stronger than anypony I have ever meet. Now go, we will talk more later. And Luna. It’s good to have you back.”

“It is good to be back, Star.” Luna said as she rose to her full height, her self-confident boosted by Starswirls words.

And with her head high did she enter the room, in every inch a goddess and a princess.

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The room was a smaller lounge room. Midnight-blue curtains drifted slowly in the night wind that gently washed over Luna. The moon was illuminating the room through two enormous windows, making the room bath in the glory of her night. Three cushions lay in front of the fire place, a blazing fire crackling within. One of the cushions was occupied by her sister, the pinkish white alicorn sitting on it and talking softly with her guest. It did not seem as if they had noticed her yet, or at least not the guest. Luna could feel the warm presence of her sister, in the same way that she knew that she could feel hers.

She took the time to look at the guest. It was an unicorn.

With two wings...

Who was this third alicorn?

Luna’s eyes went to the cutie mark on the black mares flank. Four stars.

Had she been replaced during her absence? But why could she not feel the presence of this alicorn as she did with her sister? And why was she so small, nearly as small as herself, with horn no longer than the average unicorn?

Then she noticed it. The wings were not the unicorns. They had been sewn onto the body. But why? And who?

A small memory from the night before. She had walked forward this unicorn, who had turned around and quickly dropped to her knees.

Could it be? Was this the unicorn that had released her?

She trotted forward. Celestia looked up at her, her sister’s sad eyes meeting hers.
“Welcome sister. I hoped you have slept well.” she said with a cheerful tone.

Luna could hear that the tone was forced, but she did not comment it.
“As well as I could hope. I have trashing in my sleep the entire night, nightmares haunting me.” she said honestly before she turned to the unicorn. “Is this who I believe it is?”

Celestia’s smile had faded as Luna spoke, her sadness had shifted to concern. She followed her sister’s eyes to the unicorn. She did not even try to sound cheerful this time.
“Yes, this is her. ‘Her name will be the name of the brightest part of your sister’s celestial masterpiece’. Luna, this is Four Star, the one who have lived through the nightmare to release you.” Luna flinched at the name. Four Star, it had to be a coincident.

The unicorn had felt to her knees, eyes looking down at the ground.
“Rise, Four Star, you have no need to kneel before me. In truth, it should be the other way around. I’m the one that owe you my freedom.”

Four Star slowly rose, her ice cold laughter filling the air, freezing Luna’s bones.
“You do not owe me anything, Goddess. I went into your sisters service, I got a mission and I fulfilled it, no matter what the cost.”

Luna sighed. She really did not feel well, did she have to do this? Was she strong enough? Of course she was strong enough. Starswirl trusted her!
“Tell me, Four Star, what was this cost? And what was this mission?” she said, motioning to the unicorn to sit down.

“The cost was the life of my comrades, of my friends, of the ones I loved. The mission? To serve the princess and releasing the demon that scourged this land a thousand years ago.” Four Star laughed again. “I must have been insane to take that mission, and it will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“I’m sorry for everything I put you through, Four Star, if there is anything I can do let me know; I will make sure it is done.” Luna said. How could the unicorn live with this, and how could she look so self-confident around it? “How many died to release me?”

“Fifty ponies lost their life to release you. And I would not ask for anything either way. This was much better than the option that could have been. In fact, if it wasn’t for my own mistakes than I would maybe ask you to wipe out my memory, but those mistakes is something I will live with until the day I die.” Four Star said, and just like that her self-confident was gone. She staggered over, softly landing on the cushion. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she silent wept.

“Fifty ponies...” Luna turned to her sister. “How could you let this happen? Fifty ponies just to release me? What could possibly be worth that cost?”

Celestia looked at Luna, her eyes teary as well.
“Nothing should be worth the life of fifty innocent! Do you not think I hate myself for this? Do you not think I hate being this weak? I had to do it, sister! My magic is on the brink of giving up, I could barely raise the moon this sunset!” she sniffed loudly, tears streaming down her cheek. “I did this to prevent a war, Luna! A war! Equestria have not felt war since briefly after the demon took you over! I could not plunge Equestria into war! It was for the better good of Equestria. Equestria needs you, Luna. I need you! We are weak apart. It is together we are strong.”

Four Star looked at Celestia, her own tears had stopped to fall. Luna slowly trotted forward and lay down besides her elder sister, embracing her with her wing. Celestia borrowed her head close to Luna, whispering between sobs.
“Fifty ponies dead, I could not stop it. The elements was to strong, I could not just cut the magic from it. The magic was still firm, it held Nightmare Moon banished to the moon, and nothing I did could stop it. I do not even believe that Discord’s magic would have been able to cut the bonds between the banishment and Nightmare Moon.”

Celestia stopped whisper, she only lay still against her sister’s side, sobbing. Luna turned to face Four Star, who had been sitting still during the goddess crying.
“Four Star, if it is not to much to ask for, would you please explain this? All of it.” she said, her own throat tick by withheld sadness.

And Four Star spoke. She told everything, from how she found the prophecy the first time, how she translated it and understood what was about to happen. How she had talked with Celestia with it and how her squad had walked up there. She told Luna about how Notharam had betrayed her trust, how he had refused to sacrifice himself for the life of thousands of others. Of how she had quickly understood how the spiritual thing had worked, at least the basics. How she had felt anger and hate against Notharams betrayal and how she would make sure that he would change his mind, how important it was that he did it. How Celestia reacted when she had heard that Four Star had started the operation before it was time and how she planned to proceed.

She told her about how she took Snowfang into her service and how that ended. And she told her about the nightmare, the nightmare that was killing innocent, telling each of them why they died and what impact it did on the world. Telling every one of them the same story and get a reaction in turn. Most was angry at her, why just them? A few had accepted the fact for what it was.

And she talked about Zinky, Notharam’s filly, who had even comforted her when she was ready to give up, who had given her the power to continue. She spoke about the power that existed on the Great Plains of Harmony, how it was used to cut the bond between her sister and the banishment spell.

Luna listened through the whole thing, asking brief questions on some of the places but mostly sitting still. In the end had she tears rolling down her cheeks.

Four Star looked at Luna, a sad smile on her muzzle.
“Anything more you want to know, goddess?” she asked, concern in her voice.

How can you live with this? Luna wanted to ask. But she asked something else.
“What about the wings? From your story do I take it as that you keep them for memory and that it is the wings of Notharam and Thunder. But memories of what?”

Four Star snorted.
“The wing from Thunder is a reminder of the gravest mistake I ever have done, releasing a wolf on a wounded pony that the wolf loathed. Thunder died in horrible pain, and that I will never forgive myself for. The wing of Notharam is a reminder of this entire nightmare and the pony who shared the destiny to release you with me. That is why I keep these wings.” she said softly, her voice betraying the sadness she must feel inside.

Four Star turned towards the door, turning to leave.

“Wait, where are you going?” Luna asked, her voice thick with sadness.

The unicorn stopped and looked back at Luna.
“I’m going back to the sanctum. I will live the rest of my life there, reliving this nightmare over and over. That is my choice, and I will live with it. I will never fit in around other ponies again, so why bother trying.” she said and walked out of the door.

“Thank you.” Luna whispered softly into the night.

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The night was almost over when Celestia spoke up, her sobbing had long since eased.
“I have killed them all sister. I cursed them, I removed the gift they where all born with.”

“What are you saying, Tia?” Luna asked, nearly afraid of the answer.

“When that demon took over you... that night when my guards were killed by your guardians... that entire event. It... paralyzed the whole of Canterlot for weeks. I could not do anything against it, the citizen feared. They feared what they did not understand.”

“They feared death.” Luna filled in.

“Yes, they feared death. They feared Nightmare Moon, they feared what death would do to them. Would they turn against the one they loved? Would they wander Equestria restlessly for the rest of their life? And I could not answer them. What would happen with you, the goddess of death, gone?” She sighed and looked at Starswirl, who had entered the room recently. “It was then Starswirl spoke to me. He had watched when you was banished, and he said that the ones who died and your guardians did not just disappear.”

“Something else happened.” Starswirl interrupted. “Their souls, small orbs in the color of their coat, started to float upwards before they travelled into a portal of some sort. I could feel the magical energy from the portals, it felt as if I had stood between you two, Discord and the Elements of Harmony. I realized that I probably looked into something that had been created during your battle with Discord. A place the souls of the dead searched themselves towards. I could feel it draw me in, that pure power. It was not harmony, it was not chaos. It was something in between. I knew that I looked into the only thing that would ever be able to cut of the bonds that the Elements had created.” he smiled at Luna. “And I could not follow my souls wish when my hearts desire was to see you again. Instead did I start to study it, knowing that it one day would bring you back to me.”

“But the thing was that the only way for a pony to die was still violence, and that normally never happened. But war was on our doorstep. We were paralyzed. The guards knew what they had to do, the entire army marched and defended our land. And they died. They died and for each death did our country become more and more paralyzed. That was when I spoke to the elders. But they already knew what had to be done.”

Celestia shrugged, tears rolling down her face again.
“I killed them all Luna. With the power of the Elements of Harmony did I gently wipe out every memory of eternal life. Then...”

Celestias voice failed her.

“Then she ripped away what made every pony immortal from their body, giving each living pony a life span. Many of them died, but now it was natural, they where old. But Celestia did not stop. Equestria had to be able to handle it, the life would have to go on. Equestria nearly lost a war because of the paralyzing that happened when a few died. We could not risk that again.” Starswirl concluded.

“I’m no longer goddess of the life, just like you never will be the goddess of the dead again. Now, we are only the goddesses of our celestial eyes.” Celestia said, tears streaming down her face. “I had to do it, I could not fly out and end the war myself, my wing was damaged after the fight that had been between me and the demon that called herself my sister. If I would have teleported myself out then I would be too weak when I arrived to the battle field. It was as if they knew that it was time for them to attack. I could have just erased their memory, but what if it would be a new war?” she said. “That memory would return, and who knows what would happen. What if it had been another war? I could not take that risk.”

Luna could just look at her sister.
“No, Celestia. You were not the one who killed them. I was. If I had not given in to the power of Discord, if I had not let the anger and hate consume me would nothing of this have happened. But we can change it back, we can change it with the Elements. Everything can be as it once was.”

Celestia shook her head.
“No, Luna, that is not a possibility. None of us is the bearer of the Elements any longer. I have passed that legacy down. That power is not for us to handle, it will only lead to things like this, one way or another. I can not let that happen again, it would destroy Equestria.”

Luna held her head low, tears dripping from her eyes.
“So we will have to live with lives passing as we blink, pony dying under our eyes? We are immortal, Celestia, but we are not cold hearted beings.” she said, when realization suddenly came. “How have you been able to live with it for a thousand years? I remember how you cried and begged Philomeena to be okay when she turned to ash the first time. How have you been able to live like this for all these years?”

Celestia looked at Luna.
“In the worst possible way. Or maybe the best since I’m still standing here. I befriended everypony I came across. I talk with most of the staff in the castle every day, as I have done since the day I casted the spell. I have been on every funeral that have been for the past thousand years, and I have known every one of the ponies that have been put to rest. I have cried, and I have found comfort in knowing that they will be reborn. It was Starswirl who gave me that information.”

Starswirl smiled.
“The portals are not one way only. It was one subject I had never studied during my time in life, or in the time there after for that matter, and that was the subject of birthing. But one day, when I threw a visit to one of my past students grand daughters, did I arrive there just as she was about to have a foal. It was then I saw it, a small portal opened and a lavender colored orb found its way down. I could feel the power from that portal, and I knew directly where it went. To the same place as the dead traveled. Now, that in itself did not prove anything, but the fact stood that I had seen that very soul only a couple of... what was it, day? months? ago. It had a pattern in it that I could not forget. Either way, I saw it touch the belly of the mare giving birth, merging inside of her. And a couple of hours later did the same mare lay with a little lavender colored filly next to her, a newly proud mother. That was eight hundred years ago, and I have seen that soul more than once since then.”

Celestia smiled fondly at Luna.
“They are not gone for ever, their memory might be but not the soul. Every soul has their own resonance, all of them are destined for something, be it this life or a life thousand years away. And I try to befriend them all, guiding them on their way. That, Luna, is what have kept me going for all this years.”

The elder sister stood up.
“And an era of nightmare have come to an end, you are finally back, and we can once again rule together. It is at it always have been, we are strongest together. Will you join me to lower the moon and raise the sun? A new era is about to dawn, unnoticed by the ponies of our nation.

Luna smiled at her sister.
“I would love to.”

And so, the twin sisters walked out on the balcony that overlooked Canterlot, and Luna lowered the moon before Celestia raised the sun.

Equestria had finally found balance, harmony, once again.