Deep Dark

by Dragryphon

Chapter 2: Implications

Equestria was wrapped tightly in the dark embrace of Luna’s night, and the Moon Goddess herself had been outright confused by the night’s happenings. She had just come out of the library and was taking the long walk back to her quarters, the implications behind Celestia’s actions gnawing at the back of her mind. While Luna had herself found nothing within the parchments that she had looked through, her sister seemed to have discovered plenty of things of interest to their search. And yet...

I can understand that she’s tired. We’ve been awake for so long, but... Not only did she tell me that she would ‘explain everything to me when it’s day again’ in reference to what she found, but she also took the findings with her to bed! Why would she do that?

The hallways to the Goddess’ chambers were quiet and empty, everypony already in their own beds. For Luna, however, as much as she knew she should sleep, there were other things to do and think about.

Looking down at her gray, dust-covered self, she decided the first thing that she needed was a long bath... and the second was something to snack on. Marching up to her chamber doors, she threw them open and slipped in before shutting them behind her. Sitting upon her desk was a small stack of mail awaiting her attention, and ignoring everything else, Luna stared at it for a moment before sighing softly and shaking her head.

I wonder how many of those are actual letters from ponies who adore my night. Usually, all I get are letters from scientists who want to study how different my magic is from my sister’s; historians who want to get my point of view on things, even though I can’t remember them; and I swear, I must get at least three marriage proposals a week from ponies I don’t even know!

Scattering the letters over her usually neat desk, Luna continued to wade deeply through her own thoughts as she half-heartedly looked over the pile. I must have a hoard of gems and other shiny baubles that would-be suitors have sent to me. Wasn’t this what I wanted over a thousand years ago?

Ignoring the pile of scattered letters, the Princess turned her back to her desk and glanced out her window at the dark of the night sky, picking out each thread of her woven tapestry. After staring blankly out the window for several long moments without a thought crossing her mind, the alicorn gave another long-winded sigh before shuffling her hooves over to the wash room attached to her chambers, removing her breastplate, shoes, and crown before entering.

As her hooves clinked upon the tiled floor, Luna took notice of her sorry state in the wall-sized mirror across from her, sticking stuck her tongue out in disgust. Not only was her entire body covered in a thick layer of dust, but her eyes seemed to have dark bags under them, her mane and tail were heavily frazzled, and she looked like she had actually lost some weight, which in and of itself wasn’t a bad thing, but it had been hard to find time to eat as of late.

Maybe a midnight snack wouldn’t hurt after all. It would be nice. I wonder if there’s cheesecake. I certainly hope so, I’ve been trying to stay away from it lately so that my rump wouldn’t rival my sister’s in size. I had enough trouble with that when I first got back... so many new things to eat and taste!

Giggling softly, the Goddess of the Night... or “of the Dust” at the moment, set about filling her immense bathtub with water, the steam rising from the water making her shiver in anticipation. Now this I deserve, a time for me to finally relax. My night court has been canceled for the next week to give us time to search the archives, and oh how I do not miss it!

 The depression in the floor housing her bath, which was large enough for not only an alicorn, but also a ruler, filled quickly while Luna was in thought. It was the sound of the water draining down the hole in the side of the bath that prevented the whole thing from overflowing that brought the Princess back to reality.

Oh! Whoops!

With a flick of her horn, she shut the water off and stepped slowly down into it, her whole body shuddering at the luxurious feel of the heat soaking into her tired limbs. Lowering herself into the water, Luna submerged herself fully once before pulling her head out of the water and settling it upon the tiled floor.

Sighing in relief as she relaxed, the Bringer of Night retreated back into her thoughts as she used her magic to keep the water around her piping hot.

I know Celly trusts me. At least, I think I do... so much has changed since before. She spends so much more time with me, and even stays up late to watch my night. But... What was within those old scraps that she couldn’t just tell me outright? Was... Was it really that bad? Was Celly trying to protect me?

Nothing answered her question, which in a way, Luna found to be a relief. The alicorn had once heard that ponies talk to themselves all the time; it was only when you answered back that you had to worry. Of course, if she had gotten an answer back, it would have meant that her old friend and enemy wasn’t really gone. But... she hadn’t heard a single peep from Nightmare Moon in weeks. Luna hadn’t even felt a shadow of her presence, so perhaps she was really and truly gone.

Giving yet another sigh, Luna levitated a scrub brush over and went about vigorously getting all of the dust that hadn’t washed out of her coat during the soak. It took several long minutes, but as she added a strawberry-scented shampoo she preferred to the mix, she began to feel much better overall.

Amazing what a simple bath can do.

Rinsing herself off, Luna begrudgingly lifted herself out of the water, using her magic to squeeze most of the water out of her coat, mane, and tail. I learned never take all the water out. An unruly coat and mane is hard to brush when it’s dry...

Stepping out of the large puddle, Luna walked past the various other installations of the washroom to stand in front of the mirror once more, levitating a fancy brush over to herself so that she could begin taming the water-crazed remains of her coat and mane. After several long moments, the Princess set the brush down in satisfaction before walking out of the washroom back into her quarters.

Noticing the time on her old grandfather clock, Luna stepped out onto the balcony to stare down upon the city of Canterlot. There were lights on all over, but they were mostly there for the occasional pony to be able to see the streets upon which they walked. Of course, too, she knew all of the lights that she saw were for that, but still... An entire nightlife lay below her that she couldn’t entirely see, but definitely knew was there. Her sister had shown it to her once the diminutive alicorn had finally shown a bit of reason, and left the library after trying to learn everything that had changed in the time that she had been imprisoned within the Moon.

 Luna smiled in remembrance of the first time she had entered a nightclub. It had been chock full of ponies of all ages who used her night as a refuge from the labors of the day. They played, sang, danced, and just partied in her glorious dark.

And she had cried.

Cried because this was exactly what she had wanted. For ponies to love her night. There was even an entire branch of the Canterlot University for astronomy now, and she was highly revered, respected, and sought after there.

Shaking her head of the memories, Luna cast her gaze back out across Canterlot and began to touch upon the dreams of those ponies that slept. Dreams of grandeur and glory; of loves wanted, gained, or lost; of fantastic adventures; of....

Oh my... Luna extricated herself from the images of that dream right quickly, a blush upon her face. The perils of dream delving. Eventually, Luna always found ones that were rather... improper...

Maybe I’ll just look at wishes for now... 

Stretching out her awareness, the Bringer of Night opened her thoughts to those around her and listened, turning her gaze to different portions of Canterlot to hear their wishes. Of course, she heard few, it was the middle of the night after all, but the occasional one did come to her.

I wish I could have a muffin...

I hope that my package will come soon.

Please help my mother get better, Princess Celestia, she’s very sick...

… Luna’s heart went out to the owner of that wish.

I hope I did well on my test yesterday...

...I wish the night would last forever.

The Goddess’ heart stopped within her chest and she took in a sharp breath. It took her a few seconds to realize it wasn’t her alter-ego having returned, and just some pony out in the night. Forcing herself to calm her now pounding heart, she thought, Maybe it’s time I slept...

Coming in off the balcony, she pulled all the drapes shut with her magic. Then sitting on the edge of her bed, she floated two pairs of midnight blue socks out of a nearby dresser and studied them for a moment. She didn’t understand what the big deal over socks was. Luna didn’t mind them, but she didn’t greatly like them, either. They seemed to be rather impractical, to be honest. However, Celestia thought they were adorable, so she wore them for her sister.

Pulling them on over each of her hooves, Luna was about to snuff all the magical torches when a streak of electricity leapt across her temples, causing her to freeze mid-thought.

Oh no... Oh no no no... Not now...

Ignoring it best as she could, she was rocked as a second stronger one hit her, then a third. No no no no no NO NO...

“No no no no NO NO NO...” Her mental mantra started coming out of her mouth instead as she continued to be shaken by the hot zaps searing the inside of her head. A pull, something clawing at her mind from somewhere in the deepest depths of the castle. She was screaming at the top of her lungs by the time they ceased, and a moment later her chamber doors burst wide open as the pair of guards stationed outside came to save her from whatever was assailing her.

Recovering quickly, Luna leered over at them and yelled out in an authoritative voice that was quite unlike her, “Get my sister... now!”

Princess Celestia galloped out of her room and burst through the doors into her sister’s, noticing the guards ringing her sister’s bed and Luna herself shuddering beneath her covers. She was not at all prepared to see what was in the room. Which was nothing at all. However, Celestia knew her sister, and she knew this wasn’t a false alarm.

Mustering as much authority as she could, she barked a single command to the guards.

 “Out!” 

The guards saluted with their wings and marched out of Luna’s chambers, shutting the door behind them. Staring at the door for a moment, Celestia then turned and crept over to her sister’s bed, nudging the lump beneath the blanket with her nose. “My dearest sister, what happened?”

A barely discernible voice greeted Celestia. “What was that, sister?” she asked as she leaned in to hear better. This time, Luna’s voice was even lower, and the Goddess of the Day nudged against the lump under the blanket.

Finally Luna replied loud enough for Celestia to hear, making her blood run cold. “It’s starting, Celly. I felt its pull. We only have a few days... I’m terrified enough to wet myself...”

Taking a moment to compose herself, Celestia lifted a segment of the blanket and slipped her head beneath it to nuzzle at her little sister, then said to attempt to lighten the mood while her mind worked, “Well don’t do that, silly sister. We’d need to have your entire bed cleaned and then you’d have to sleep with me!”

Celestia was instead greeted with such the pitiful whimper from her sister that her heart immediately broke. Shoving the worries of what was coming to the rear of her mind, the Princess nuzzled lovingly at Luna, then said, “How about you sleep by my side tonight, and in the morning, I’ll have the chefs bring you one of the cheesecakes for breakfast? I know how much you love those. Then we’ll go over what I found out.”

The Goddess of the Day was suddenly surprised to find Luna wrapping her legs around her neck and hugging her tight. The wetness upon her shoulder told Celestia everything she needed to know. She’s terrified, more terrified than I’ve ever seen her... I don’t blame Luna, I’d like more than anything to fly away from here, but I can’t, I mustn’t. I have a duty to not only my sister but all of my little ponies to keep them safe. Tomorrow, we will find a way to deal with Erebus.

The Goddess of the Sun took a deep breath as she looked over the various scraps of parchment before her before turning to her sister. Did mother and father have to deal with this? Figuring out what was going on?

“Last night, I had discovered several references in the bits and pieces you brought to me,” she said, behind her sitting the Princess’ writing desk, and strewn over it the decayed remains of the parchments. Celestia, while not happy that Luna had used magic near them, causing them to crumble further, was happy her little sister had discovered the texts.

The two were currently in Celestia’s chamber, sitting before the desk. “I... am not entirely sure why we are unable to discover anything after these shards,” she admitted, looking back down among them. “From what I could gather and piece together, this isn’t the first time... Erebus has shown his face, and from a more recent reference, it seems to happen once every pair of rulers’ reigns. It’s our turn, dear sister...” Celestia dropped her usually happy facade to show nothing but worry.

Luna glanced to the side, then back at her elder sister and said, “Our turn for what, Celly?”

Luna’s sister drooped her head over the younger alicorn’s shoulder, nuzzling against Luna’s neck, “I don’t exactly know what is causing whatever is in the Deep Dark to behave this way. All I know is that we’re supposed to be balanced with each other, and yet, we’re not. Something disrupted the balance, and the scraps you found don’t say what caused it.” Celestia sighed and walked away from the writing table and her sister to instead go out upon her balcony to look up into the morning sun.

All of Equestria rests upon our shoulders, the heaviest weight to bear, and it just became all the heavier now that we must protect it from something we know not how to fight, nor why we are fighting it, the Sun Goddess thought to herself, her brilliant orb’s harsh light bringing only warmth and power to her body, instead of hurting her eyes. Silently, Luna crept up beside her and leaned against her sister.

Luna’s presence caused Celestia to smile. And yet, together, she and I can repel this threat, and we will see to it that our children, our later heirs will know of this threat and be able to repel it just as we did. If only the previous heir to my throne could be by my side now, but the past is the past, and some things were never meant to be...

This is something I have to do. I would never put my sister through it, she is way too young. She does not have my experience.

Celestia marched with steadfast determination down the corridors within the bowels of Canterlot Castle, purpose in each of her steps. The sound of her hooves echoed through the corridors around her, past dusty storage chambers and other assorted rooms that rarely, if ever, got to see light. These were not her destination, however.

Continuing down the stairs, level after level, Celestia finally reached the base level that was forbidden to most of the Castle’s inhabitants. Turning the corner, the Princess stopped and blinked at the empty hallway. Where are my guards? The hallway before her was abandoned, the two guards who were supposed to be at their posts nonexistent.

Cautious now, Celestia walked down the corridor, taking special interest in the doors to either side of her, her hoofsteps sounding eerily loud in the silence of the bowels of the castle. She shortly stopped in front of a portion of the wall she remembered all too well sealing up herself. Time to confront this Erebus myself, and to get my questions answered. I fell to him, powerless, in that vision, I will not do so now. He will face the full might of the Sun.

Celestia’s horn began to shine, while the wall before her flowed, then opened up as if there had been nothing there to stop her from entering. Stale air, a thousand years old, flowed over the Princess, but did not perturb her. Instead, the scuffed and damaged interior of the chamber did, as there was no presence other than that of a simple, onyx statuette of a pony.

Stepping into the chamber and staring down at the dais, Celestia glared at the offending object before speaking. “If I could without destroying the nation I rule over, or any number of things, I would have cast you into my sun years ago. And yet, this simple design of yours harbors secrets that could easily destroy Equestria if they are not known. I’ve come to... talk. And you will answer... Erebus.”

For a time, only silence answered back, trying Celestia’s patience, though she refused to show it. It will show itself sooner or later, it must. Last night was the night that it showed itself to Nightmare Moon. And a couple days from now is when it let the Deep Dark into Equestria. I need my questions answered, or to confront this menace and end it.

Speaking her questions into the dark of the chamber, the Goddess narrowed her eyes as she spoke, “What exactly are you, Erebus, other than the Harbinger of the Deep Dark? Why are you and whatever is in the Deep Dark doing this? How long has this been going on for? Why did you attack my sister so long ago and create Nightmare Moon?” Once again, only silence greeted her, and the statue did nothing. And yet, she still had patience, it did take a thousand years of being patient to get her sister back, after all. “Well? Answer me, less I decide your statue would make a better decoration in a region of the world you can’t escape from.”

Suddenly, the air around her seemed to take on a chill, and the light dimmed by quite a bit. Without turning, Celestia continued to stare down at the onyx pony and asked, “I presume you are behind me, Erebus? And have blocked off any escape?”

A voice greeted her that she could not prepare herself for, her visions not telling her of just how horrifying it was firsthand. It carried with it eons of death, a grave spanning countless generations, a pit of emptiness growing ever wider. “I am. And I have. Who are you to ask such questions of the Harbinger, one who has existed for far longer than your feeble mind can comprehend?”

Shifting power to her horn, an orb of light formed at its tip, glowing brighter by the second until everything was of two shades, the white of her light, and the black of shadows. Turning slowly around, Celestia noticed plenty more of the darkness. To either side of the hallway lay a wall of pitch darkness, pushed back by the power of her horn, while the monstrosity, made even more so by the personal visit, stood before her.

Standing straight and tall with her head held high, Celestia’s voice boomed around her in all the extravagance her power could muster. “I am Princess Celestia, Herald of the Light, Bringer of the Day, and Goddess of the Sun. This is my realm and my kingdom you invade, monster. It would be in your best interest to answer my questions.”

If the monstrosity before her was in the least impressed by her showing, it did not reveal such, instead giving a low rumble reminiscent of chuckling. “I see. Titles mean nothing to me, but I will... amuse myself, and you, for a short time. You will know soon who I am. I am a dear friend of many, and the mortal enemy of so many more. My name is very well known under another title given to me by so many. You would do wisely to abide by me, Celestia of Equestria. I am simply a messenger and doorway for the Deep Dark, and an aide, to take back what was stolen so long ago.”

Another low rumble came forth, and the tendrils that made up Erebus’ mane spread outward, as if seeking to latch themselves to Celestia before calming and settling back into place, the eyeless sockets fixed upon Celestia’s own.

“This battle has been going on for lives eternal. Many of your kind have come and gone, and numerous others beyond count of the smaller kind. No victor has stood, no side has fallen. The Champions defend, the Champions fight, and yet, the Champions have no rest. Never shall the eternal rest, nor the eternal reward, touch the Champions for their misdeeds. For their theft.” Erebus took a step forward, then a second, making its way from the far wall toward Celestia.

Noticing its actions, Celestia lowered her horn and pointed the light beholden tip at the nightmare, forcing it back a step. It fell back, thank Sol, the light works. ….But why did it seem that it had hesitated for a mere moment in doing so...?

“That does not answer my question of what you did with my sister, monster! And who are these... Champions? What were their misdeeds?”

“I tire of our talk, Celestia of Equestria. Yield to me, and abide me well, or suffer what awaits you in my shadows.”

Raising an eyebrow, Celestia knew exactly what awaited her if those shadows managed to grab her, and yet, she was never going to yield to this monster and leave Equestria to ruin. “Try it, monster, try and see what will happen to you. I am not like my sister, too young to know the full extent of her powers. You will fight me, and you will face not only me, but the power of Sol along with it. You will be burned out of existence, your shadows banished and annihilated.” Celestia began to step forward, her horn lowered while she funneled her powers into the light upon the tip.

Step by step, she pushed Erebus back, his tendrils waving around in distress while his bony frame backed up until it was pressed against the wall. Why does it seem he keeps hesitating? Something’s wrong here, this is too easy. Nightmare Moon was a much more powerful opponent, and he took her out easily enough. What am I missing here? A low rumbling took Celestia out of her thoughts and made her narrow her eyes at Erebus. “What do you find so amusing at the current situation?”

He had stopped backing up, and instead began to take steps forward once again, ignoring the glare of Celestia’s brilliance. “You. You are such an amusing pony, to think you can stand against me in this form. For countless years, I have had many forms, but never as an alicorn, such power it opens me up to. You can thank your sister Luna for me, I simply turned her into what she should have been. Do you seriously think a little brightness will stop me, Celestia of Equestria? Even Luna of Trelaria could not stand against me. Abide me, Celestia of Equestria, or fall to me,” Erebus boomed, his steps taking him closer to the Goddess, who was the one now on the retreat.

Eyes darting in every direction, the Herald of the Light forced herself to live to the title and forced as much of her power into her horn as she could, creating a miniature sun upon the tip, its heat washing over the alicorn and Erebus alike forcing them into another stalemate. “Luna of Trelaria? What are you talking about, monster!? There is no country by that name anywhere within this world! There never has been! My sister is of Equestria.”

“A ruler who does not know their history. This is always to be expected. You, however, forget one thing, Celestia of Equestria... The light does not effect me as much as you may think...”

Suddenly, the shadows darted in, pressing themselves around Celestia, suffocating her with their closeness as the light faded from her horn, absorbed by the darkness around herself. The slow, low rumbling of Erebus greeted Celestia as she fell into shadow.

END CHAPTER 2