//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: As the Sun Sets 
// by Mystic 
//------------------------------//


As the Sun Sets


by Mystic



Prologue








A very long time ago...

The alicorn swept down through the battlements like a ghost. She was a whisper amongst tall pillars of stone that glowed like polished pearl in the moonlight. The castle loomed behind her, a vast behemoth of a domed building, surrounded by sharp towers that raked the night sky with their proud spires. The ceiling of the central dome was crafted out of the purest gold, and in the daylight it would shine as bright as fire.

Her wings trembled against the buffeting airflow keeping her up, and her horn tingled uncomfortably. She had to be careful; she was so close to burning out.

She landed along the high outer wall, unmanned despite the constant threat of assault that lurked over the citadel. Magic was a far better lookout than the eyesight of anypony under her command or her own. Even if the wards failed, they would have far larger problems.

Her armour was battered and rent in many places, lined with filth and dirt. She came to a stop along the parapets, looking out over the river. The water caught the moonlight and sent up sprays of light as if it were mist. The plains beyond quickly disappeared in a veil of shadow, immense in size and far too close for her liking. Great statues of stone flanked her, mighty swords resting in their iron grip, the sentinels modelled on the very enemies they were created to destroy.

She let her head fall, breathing deeply, her wings hanging limply against her sides. Her armour was heavy and felt poorly-fitted, but she did not have the strength to even attempt removing it. Perhaps she would later, but later never seemed to come. She was always being called out from behind the wall.

It wasn't the rustle of wings or the sound of hoof-steps that told her she wasn't alone. She was the only alicorn who could tell, but she always knew when her sister was nearby. Try as she might, and to her intense chagrin, the younger sibling could never surprise the elder.

"Your thoughts are dark, Sister."

Celestia turned to face her younger sibling. She was silent as she moved, her hoof-steps graceful as a dancer's.

How had she known? Her mask must be slipping. "My thoughts are tired, Luna. Nothing more."

"Tired? Most likely. Fatigue does breed despair."

Celestia allowed herself to glare at her sister for a second. "Despair? Where is your faith? What do I have to despair over?"

"You despair about everything. You despair about me, about home, about the others. You worry about the world, about the fate of all things to come. And at the moment, you are worried about the fate of the citadel."

Celestia turned away, annoyed. A cold wind whispered over the wall, and her mane blew unchecked about her face. "I shall not let the citadel fall."

Luna looked at her closely, her teal eyes completely unreadable in the darkness. Celestia realized her sister was always harder to read in the night. It was hers, after all. "You will not?” Luna said. “Is this your burden and yours alone now?"

Celestia sighed, suddenly drained of all enthusiasm to stand, let alone talk. "We will not let the citadel fall."

“Is it ever that simple?”

“I... No. It never is.”

Without warning, Luna stepped in faster than Celestia could blink, nuzzling her like she used to when they were foals. "I am here, Sister,” she whispered, so quiet that the wind almost tore her voice away. “Please do not forget it."

Celestia resisted the action for a second, more out of surprise than anything else. "He's so close, Luna," she whispered, afraid to talk any louder, should her fears be realised. "Every day we weaken while he grows stronger out there in the darkness. He is toying with us. The citadel cannot hold him forever."

Luna wrapped a wing around her, pulling her closer. "Then we burn the light brighter."

"Burn brighter? What does that mean? We cannot burn any brighter!" Celestia snapped, fatigue beating down on her temper until it shattered. "I cannot burn any brighter!"

Luna pulled away, her wing sliding back against her side. Her eyes were still warm, but vague, veiled, almost. "You can always burn brighter. You are the light of the sun."

There was something to Luna’s words, an edge that made Celestia swallow and look away. She was so tired, though. "I burn until there is nothing left, and then I burn some more. And yet, Moriath still edges closer." She paused, casting her eyes down to the stone floor. "We won today, little sister. We shattered his attack and routed his forces. But do you know what he did? He laughed. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him. Even as his monsters fell back into the forest, leaving the dead behind, he laughed at me. Laughed at by the Black Dragon! He knows that we are weak. He knows we can’t withstand him forever."

"And you will let him get to you? You will let his games fool you into believing that you are powerless to stop him?"

Celestia frowned. She hadn’t mentioned feeling powerless. She opened her mouth to respond, but then she closed it again. She was many things, but a liar she was not. And neither was her sister.

Luna moved closer, lowering herself down to Celestia's height to whisper in her ear, "You are not alone. Please do not forget that." Her voice was a caress soft as silk.

Celestia wanted nothing more than to race forward and hold her sister and be held in return. A chance to forget the world and the war surrounding them on all sides––forget the Black Dragon and his army breathing fire down their necks. Yet she did nothing, letting the thick chains of weariness sit heavy on her body. She turned away, clinging to her crumbling mask, trying to hold it together with her pride.

"I know," was all she said.

They both saw it at the same time. Gems inlaid on their chest pieces began to glow, a pulsing light that sent ghostly shadows over the stone. The light was blue, harsh and glaring compared to the moonlight.

"Eyres," Luna whispered, looking at the colour of the light. The blood rushed from her face. "That means Moriath’s at Galathadros––”

“He is attacking." Celestia stared at the gem on her chest, unable to tear her eyes away from the beckoning light. Not now. Not tonight. She was so tired; she barely had the strength to hold back tears.

"Don't go," Luna said, her voice stern. Shocked, Celestia looked up, not comprehending what her sister had just suggested. “I'll go. I'll take Aurvandil with me in your place. You can stay here and guard the citadel.”

Everything screamed at her to say ‘yes’, but that was not her role. That was not what her duty asked of her. Finally, she shook her head. "No. I must be the one who goes."

"What you must do is rest! You cannot be everywhere! You cannot protect everyone and everything, Sister!"

"If I do not, then who will?" Celestia snapped, not thinking.

Luna’s jaw tensed, but she held her sister’s gaze. "Alone? None of us."

Celestia had heard enough. She spread her wings wide, wincing as her muscles screamed in protest. "Wait for me on the dawn, Luna," she said. "Hold the citadel till I return."

Luna stared plaintively up at her, the night-time shroud over her face melting away. Celestia could see the helplessness in her sister’s expression as clear as day now.

"Trust me, Celestia,” Luna said. “Please trust me."

I do. I do trust you. But she didn't say it. She pushed with her tired wings and took to the night sky, rebuilding her depleted shields as she flew.

She would hold the Shadow. No matter what. No matter the cost. For her sister, for her family, for herself.

Because she was strong.