//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Celestial Tortures Book II: Nightmares // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Celestia left the broken castle in utmost silence, she walked over the wooden bridge that led her over to Starswirl. The stallion had been watching the entire time. The old stallion could judge by the looks on her face that she had done something that she never wanted to do. Without a word spoken from his side, he just stood up and walked over to her. There was nopony else left to be her support. Her parents were gone into the vast realm of who-knew-where and she just had banished her own sister to the moon for a millennium because if a major mistake. The elder stallion charged up her horn as he did a spell he would normally never do. He gained a set of wings. A set that was made out of one of the finest materials there was to be found. And that material was nothing else then stardust. One of the wings managed to place itself over the body of the broken princess who had closed her eyes and cried her sadness in silence. But as the wing got placed over her body there was a feeling of warmth that went through her. A feeling that reassured the mare she was still under the guidance of something, or somepony. Though it was only after minutes of wandering through the dark woods that she held her pacing and her head rose up to the moon. Celestia then proceeded into doing something she almost never did and started to sing softly to not only herself or Starswirl, but also her sister.         “Luna, you're loved so much more than you know, may troubles be far from your mind, and forgive me for being so blind...” ---                      But as the two continued their trot to the castle there was a being that was simply known as a changeling that overheard the words sung by her and quickly connected the pieces between the princess and the moon. Like lightning it scooted back over to its place of origin. An underground hive that was located deep within the Everfree Forest.         Through cave and tube it crawled before it reached the area it wanted to be. The throne room where a figure that was possibly the ruler his race laid down upon a sofa within the shadows, making the body invisible. All that was truly visible, where the eyes of the being, deep, toxicating green eyes. “I hope you have good news for me,” it spoke in a clear feminine sounding voice but there was a gentle echo within it. ---                      “Your highness, if I may be so bold to, make the offer, if you ever require help with the raising of the moon or stars, I would be more than glad to...” the stallion spoke as Celestia dropped her body upon the throne back in Canterlot.         The mare would have looked over to the stallion before her eyes fell on the armor. It was back to Canterlot that it had teleported itself. All she could do, was give a sniffle and a sigh before her words got spoken. “No Starswirl, I appreciate the offer to no end, but I have to decline to it.”         “I understand it, your highness. If you will excuse me, I have to make my room ready.” the stallion spoke as he ran a hoof through his beard and then continued over to the grand doors of the room.         Celestia nodded to his words and she waited until he was completely gone. Once the doors fell shut again, her head turned over to a window that had a perfect view on the moon and the head of the mare in it as she started to sing softly. Singing her lullaby for a princess. ---                      High above them, on the rock that was simply known as the moon, Nightmare laid down on the surface. She was torn apart by her personality’s. Nightmare continued to shout against Luna to shut up. Luna had began to cry for her deeds done against not only her sister, but also the land. Endless streams of tears ran down the face of the nightmarish alicorn as her eyes just stared down to the land below.         One thousand years she would have to spend there, to her it seemed like forever. ---                      Deep within the hive like structure, the changeling had gone from its queen. And the figure that laid on the makeshift sofa of goo and slime erupted out in a dark chuckle. Whatever it had told, it must have been something good. “It is time for a visit.”