Chapter 25: Bittersweet Victory
Celestia didn’t remember what happened to her during the fight with Sombra, or rather, the Nightmist. Luna thought to tell her of her transformation to Solar Nightflare, but they were both so devastated by the loss of the Empire that they flew back to Canterlot in silence. The blackness that had pervaded the sky no longer existed. The warm sun glowed merrily down upon Equestria, cheering the ponies who had dreaded the impending doom. No black crystals protruded from the earth any longer, and what damage they had done had been repaired with the defeat of Sombra.
It was a beautiful day, but Luna felt sick to her stomach.
They’d lost.
The Empire was gone, and all the ponies with it. Agate Shield and his family would no longer have a home to return to, and poor Mystic Topaz would never be reunited with his sister, or Blue Belle with Ambersong.
As they neared the balcony of their home, Luna finally wept. She could not help but to blame herself for the Empire’s fate. There was so much she could have done to stop Sombra, but she had been too weak of heart.
Love had blinded her, and Luna swore, at that moment, that she would never love anyone again as she had loved Sombra.
Agate Shield, Nebula, Safyre, and Blue Belle were all waiting on the balcony when the two Princesses returned. Nebula bounced her son against her chest as he cooed and sucked on his hoof. Blue Belle backed away while Agate Shield just smiled, his eyes filled with a hope that Luna wished she did not have to destroy.
“The darkness is gone,” he said in greeting, though his smile faltered when he saw their battered bodies. “The battle was hard won?”
Celestia looked away, and Luna felt it her duty to tell the terrible tale of how they had defeated Sombra, but lost the Empire. “Prince…Princess, I’m so sorry,” she began.
And then she told him of the bittersweet victory, and four more lives were lost with the fall of the Empire.
Agate Shield stood very still after Luna finished. Nebula, however, broke down into tears. Safyre, sensing his mother’s distress, started to wail, and nothing Nebula did could placate him. It was Blue Belle who did not seem to comprehend what Luna had just told them.
“What do you mean it disappeared?” Blue Belle asked. “How can an Empire just…disappear?”
Celestia sighed. “We believe that Sombra cast a spell that linked the Empire to his fate. When he was banished and locked away, so was the land.”
“Then unbanish him!” Agate Shield shouted. “Return him, and you can restore the Empire!”
Luna shook her head. “We don’t know if that’s possible. If we freed him, and the Empire didn’t return, it would all be for naught. We would release a demon, as well as the Nightmist, back into Equestria. Together they could try to corrupt another kingdom. We can’t risk it, Agate Shield.”
The Prince’s eyes grew dark. “But you can risk the Empire for the love that you had for Sombra? If you had struck him down when you had the chance, none of this would have happened!”
“Agate,” Nebula tried to calm him.
“No!” Agate Shield shouted and thrust his hoof at Luna. “Our home is gone, Nebula! Our ponies, our ways…they have vanished because of a foolish romance!”
Luna bowed her head miserably. His words struck like daggers to her heart, and she could not argue against him.
Celestia stepped protectively in front of her.
“I understand your grief, my Prince, but this was not Luna’s doing. Sombra was stronger than we thought, and with the Nightmist to help him…we are fortunate we alone survived.”
Luna touched her sister’s wing. “He has every right to be angry with me, Celestia.”
“Yes, I do,” Agate Shield agreed harshly. “You swore that you would protect my family as well as my ponies. You lied…you have both failed us and we may never see our home again.” He pressed his hoof to his face then turned his back on them. “We need some time…to take in what you have said.” Without parting words, he took his sobbing wife inside, leaving Blue Belle alone before the Princesses.
The young blue pegasus sat near the edge of the balcony, just staring off into the distance. Luna realized, quite suddenly, that Blue Belle, Agate Shield, and Nebula no longer bore crystal coats. She didn’t know when that change had occurred, but she supposed it had happened when the Empire had vanished.
Blue Belle swallowed and stared back at Luna with tear-filled eyes.
“They’re gone...Ambersong…they’re all…just…gone.” She dissolved into tears and crumbled to the ground with her hooves pressed to her face.
Luna did not have the energy to comfort her, but she forced herself forward and stroked the young mare’s back. This never should have happened, and she never should have been so foolish. So many ponies would mourn because of her folly. She looked at Celestia, but not even her sister could meet her eyes.
“We should rest and wait for the Prince’s reply,” Celestia said quietly.
Luna nodded and helped Blue Belle up to her hooves. She guided the mare back to her quarters then went to the common room she shared with Celestia. They each turned to go to their private rooms but then paused and looked at each other. Wordlessly, they went to the cushions in the middle of the room and settled down together.
Luna draped her chin over Celestia’s right leg, and Celestia dropped her head over Luna’s neck. In the quiet of the morning, both Princesses drifted into a sorrow-filled sleep.
~*~
Luna and Celestia spent the next two days recovering in their own way. They stayed together often, when they were not trying to comfort Blue Belle and Mystic Topaz—Agate Shield had chosen to avoid them. Mystic Topaz learned on the very day of their return that his sister was lost to him, possibly forever. It had been a heartbreaking revelation, but unlike Agate Shield, Mystic Topaz had not stomped off in anger.
“I feel as if I am partially to blame for all of this,” the white unicorn explained as he strapped a bag to his back with his magic. He looked tired, though he had slept for almost as many days as Celestia and Luna. He stood outside of the castle with the Princesses, watching as the sky darkened. He had already told them of his intentions to leave and wander Equestria as he and his sister had done for many years. “If I had been able to fight the darkness, maybe then I could have saved myself as well as my sister.”
“No one could have fought that magic,” Celestia assured him.
Luna remained quiet. She wished she could tell Celestia the truth of what had happened during the battle with Sombra, but her sister did not need to endure that extra sorrow. Yes, Celestia had battled back the Nightmist, but only after succumbing to its terrible power.
“Where will you go?” Luna asked.
Mystic Topaz sighed and shrugged. “I…don’t know. I have never traveled without Moonstone. I don’t think I should stay here after what I have done, but…I dread the lonely road ahead.”
Celestia reached for his shoulder. “You are a powerful unicorn who knows much about magic, yes?”
Mystic Topaz blushed. “I suppose. Moonstone and I studied many interesting spells during our journeys, and I would like to say we know a thing or two about divination. Also, we have researched much history of Equestria by visiting different lands and learning about varying cultures. It is all quite fascinating…” his smile faltered. “Though it’s less enticing to study it all alone.”
“Then I have a proposition for you,” Celestia said with a smile. “I am thinking of starting a school where young unicorns can come to learn more about their magic.” She glanced at Luna. “In a way, I think Quill did us a service. She hated us, the alicorns, because she thought we took the power from the unicorns. I think it is time we give back to them. Luna and I can teach lessons, but we could use other mentors who know the magic of the land even better than we do.” She nodded to him. “Will you be one of those teachers?”
Mystic Topaz swallowed hard as tears sparkled in his eyes. “You…would be willing to offer me a home and trust me with ponies, even after all the wrong I did?”
Luna smiled sadly. “You were used, but your true heart saved you. We would be happy to have you. Besides, look at it this way. Your service of teaching the students can act as penitence for what happened at the Empire if that will ease your troubled heart.”
With a crying laugh, Mystic Topaz quickly nodded his head. “Then…then I accept…Thank you, my dear Princesses.”
Feeling as if they had at least saved one life, Luna graciously brought Mystic Topaz to a room in the castle that he could make his own. He thanked her over and over again, but Luna just smiled and left him to unpack his belongings.
The smile faded before long however as she headed for the Great Hall to meet with Agate Shield, his family, and Blue Belle.
She did not think that he would be so understanding or willing to accept their gifts.
~*~
“I do not know where we should go, or what we should do,” Agate Shield told Luna and Celestia calmly.
They sat in the Great Hall, a light dinner spread out before them. Luna didn’t feel like eating, but she still munched on some lettuce and sipped at her drink; she still had to mend and keep her strength up after all.
Celestia looked over at the Prince. “You know that you are always welcome to stay with us, Agate. Our home is yours.”
“Thank you,” Agate Shield replied quietly. “But I think Canterlot will hold far too many memories of what happened. I…have no Empire, and my colt and wife no longer have a home.” He glanced at Nebula who had not spoken a word since the news had been revealed. She fussed quietly with Safyre, but the colt just slept on in her arms.
Celestia reached across the table to touch Agate Shield’s hoof. “Please stay, Agate, at least for your family’s sake. The threat of the unicorns has passed, but you are still royalty, and some ponies might try to take advantage of that.”
Agate Shield gave a dry laugh. “I fail to see how having no Empire makes me royal.” He bit his tongue then dropped his eyes. “Forgive me. This is just difficult for my wife and I to understand.”
“I know, and I am sorry,” Luna spoke up. She glanced at the end of the table where Blue Belle sat poking at her food. She still had yet to leave the castle as well, not that Luna had pressed her.
Nebula set Safyre down on a cushion beside her and finally raised her head. “I think we should stay here, at least until we can decide what to do. Perhaps, one day, the Empire will return and we can go home. For now, we need to think of our son. He needs a safe place to rest his head, and traveling might put him at risk.” She glanced at the colt and brushed a tear from her eye. “I don’t want to lose him too.”
“We won’t,” Agate Shield said firmly and nuzzled her cheek. “We can stay. At least then I can still be close to Mother.”
Celestia shifted and leaned forward. “Luna and I thought that perhaps, should the Empire not return in your lifetime, we could save your memories of it and put them into your mother’s crystal. That way, when the Empire reappears, we can remind our ponies here of what it was like, and what we hope for it to be once again.”
Agate Shield’s eyes teared a little. “You would do that?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. Your heritage still needs to live on. I will have you know that your family will always have a home in Canterlot, and should your real home return, your children or children’s children will be the rulers. I will watch over them wherever they may be. I swear it.”
Agate Shield took a breath. “Thank you, Celestia. We will stay and raise our son, and maybe, one day, we can return.” He picked up his goblet. “What will you do about the amulet?”
Luna spoke up. “It will be locked away so that no pony can ever use it again.”
“Why not destroy it?” Nebula asked.
Luna glanced at her sister. “We tried, but it’s spelled in a way that repels our magic. The most we can do is hide it.” She thought she knew a perfect place, but that would have to wait for better times. She glanced at Blue Belle again and waited for the mare to notice her stare. “Blue Belle, you’re welcome to stay here too.”
The pegasus shook her head. “I’m going to Cloudsdale,” she said suddenly. “There…there are pegasi there who might be able to teach me how to fly since Sombra and Ambersong…couldn’t.” Her voice caught in her throat, and she poked at her meal. “I just want to be with those who…who can help me and protect me.”
Luna winced. “Whatever makes you happy, Blue Belle.”
After that, dinner elapsed into silence, and Luna stared down at her nearly full plate. Sorrow hung heavily upon their shoulders, and there were no words that she could give to help comfort her friends. Agate Shield, though he spoke kindly, would likely never forgive her. She feared the same could be said of Blue Belle, and that realization made Luna’s heart ache all the more. She had lost much as well, but even the thought of saying such a thing made her feel very guilty. It was her fault this had all happened, and that was not a guilt she could easily release.
~*~
The days passed slowly as Agate Shield’s family and Mystic Topaz settled into their new lives and quarters. Nearly a week after the battle, Blue Belle finally informed Luna and Celestia that it was time for her to depart and find clearer skies and brighter days. Luna was reluctant to let her go, but it was the pegasus’ decision, and Luna could only assume that Blue Belle also wanted to leave so that she did not have to live around the Princesses that had betrayed her.
They stood upon the balcony of the castle as the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon. Luna had packed a saddle bag for Blue Belle to help her once she reached Cloudsdale. The bag held some basics like a blanket, some food, and bits, but she’d also placed a special crystal inside. As Blue Belle shuffled through the belongings, she stopped when she reached the gem and looked at Luna and Celestia.
“What is this?” she asked.
Luna licked her muzzle nervously and stepped forward. Using her magic, she lifted the blue crystal and turned it to one side. “Mystic Topaz and I cast a spell on it for you. One side looks like a crystal, and the other…” she turned it, and Blue Belle’s eyes grew damp.
On the other side was a moving image of Blue Belle, Sombra, and Ambersong as Luna remembered them all. They stood together, smiling, as if nothing in the world could tear their friendship apart. As Luna watched Blue Belle, her stomach tightened in fear.
What if the gift only brings her bad memories? I don’t want her to be upset.
Luna shuffled nervously. “If...if it is too painful for you to—”
“I love it,” Blue Belle said around a sniffle. “Now...now I will never forget how much we all cared about each other. I will forever have a piece of my home with me. It…” she scrubbed tears out of her eyes then ran forward and wrapped her hooves around Luna’s neck. “Thank you, Luna.”
Luna’s stiff body melted beneath Blue Belle’s embrace. She hugged the pegasus and pressed her head to the mare’s neck. “I’m so sorry, Blue Belle.”
“I forgive you,” the pegasus whispered back. She drew away and brushed a tear off of Luna’s cheek. “You’re hurting too; I can’t be mad at you when…when you miss Sombra as much as I do.” Her gaze softened. “Maybe even more.”
The words helped lift a weight from Luna’s shoulders. At least one pony had forgiven her. “Thank you, Blue Belle.”
Celestia stepped forward and levitated a small box towards the pegasus. “We have one more gift to bestow upon you. Luna said that your original bells were lost when you came to warn us of Sombra’s fall.” She opened the case revealing several brilliant golden bells. “We hope that these will help start a new collection.”
“Oh!” Blue Belle cried. She ran her hoof over the bells tenderly and gave a sniffling laugh. “These are beautiful. I couldn’t ask for any better. But how shall I carry them?”
“Allow me,” Luna replied and whistled.
Upon whispered wings, two of the Lunar Guard appeared with a chariot strapped to their backs. The bat-winged pegasi hovered near the balcony and looked warmly over at Blue Belle. The blue mare gaped at them then glanced at Luna and Celestia.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Luna whispered. “Safe journeys to you, Blue Belle. Please…do not be a stranger.”
“I won’t,” Blue Belle promised. She turned to leave then paused. With a sigh, she spun and ran to give both Luna and Celestia a quick hug. “Thank you,” she said again then bolted to the chariot.
Luna and Celestia stood quietly together and watched the young mare be taken away from the castle, hopefully not for the last time.
~*~
Over the next few days, Luna and Celestia went about their business hiding the amulet and preparing Gemfyre’s crystal for the infusion of Agate Shield’s memories. It was a somber affair when Luna guided Agate Shield and Nebula into the throne room where the crystal gleamed in the silver moonlight.
Celestia picked it up with her magic and brought it to where he sat in the center of the room.
“Now, I want you to look into the crystal and imagine the Empire as it was. Create a map of it with your mind…remember the traditions and the feelings you had while you lived there. Remember your mother so that the history of her life may be carried on as well.”
Agate Shield nodded his head and closed his eyes. Luna took control of the crystal and allowed Celestia to place one hoof on the stone and another on Agate Shield. Her horn glowed gold as she took the memories from him and sent them carefully into the gem. The crystal would only be able to be viewed with Celestia’s magic, but since neither she nor Luna was planning on dying any time soon, the memories would remain protected and accessible.
Luna watched the crystal and saw flashes of the Empire appear within its pink depths. There was a map of the Empire that was etched out like a snowflake, the same image that appeared on the Empire’s flag. She saw a younger Gemfyre playing with Agate Shield when he was a colt. A great purple pegasus, Agate Shield’s father, stood at Gemfyre’s side and pressed his head to hers. Suddenly, the stallion was swept away as a lance struck him in the throat during a jousting tournament. The images turned to brighter times of Agate Shield marrying Nebula, and flickers of the Crystal Fair that had entertained them all. There appeared the rise and the fall of the Empire as he remembered it. Finally, there was a picture of the crystal heart.
When the transfer was finished, Agate Shield leaned to the right and nearly fell. It was with Nebula’s help that he was brought back to his room.
Luna stared at the crystal and watched it pulse a steady pink. She reached out to it and saw a faraway look creep into Celestia’s eyes. “It’s not enough, is it?” Luna asked.
“No,” Celestia murmured. “We have his memories, but there was so much more to Gemfyre’s legacy, and to the Empire.” She exchanged looks with Luna. “I think we should lend our memories as well.”
Luna was quiet for a moment, but she couldn’t agree more. Taking a breath, she pressed her horn to the crystal, as did Celestia. With eyes open, she watched as her and her sister’s memories spilled into the beautiful crystal.
Luna saw a sunny day glimmer before her eyes. Suddenly, a young Gemfyre appeared with the purple pegasus, Amethyst, at her side. They were much younger than in Agate Shield’s memories, and Luna recalled that her thought was during a time shortly after Gemfyre had established herself as the first Queen of the Crystal Empire. They stood near a waterfall with their first son between them. The young alicorn bore a green coat, multi-colored wings of purple, green, blue, and pink, and a violet and azure mane that flowed in the wind. He smiled warmly up at his parents with his spotted muzzle, his purple right eye twinkling within a lighter patch of fur. As Luna watched, she heard her sister whisper the colt’s name.
“Borealis.”
The images flashed faster, showing Gemfyre working with Luna’s mother and another alicorn to create the crystal heart to help defend the Empire. There was Gemfyre standing between several feuding alicorns and using her magic to calm their tempers and to help them see reason. There sparked a memory of Gemfyre healing Luna’s leg after she she’d crashed into a tree during one of her early flying lessons. The alicorn had been so gentle and loving. She’d even swept little Luna up into her wings and blown a raspberry on her belly just to make her laugh.
And then briefly, Luna recalled an image of Gemfyre, Amethyst, and Borealis all standing clad in armor before the castle Luna and Celestia had shared with their parents. In a flash, Luna saw her parents also covered in armor, but that was where the memories faded.
Luna felt something damp on her cheeks. She reached up and realized, in surprise, that she was crying.
Gemfyre might have disappeared from our lives for many years, Luna though to herself, but she was still important to us, and we just let her die.
Celestia reached out and drew Luna into a tight hug. “I miss her, too.”
“I had forgotten about many of those memories,” Luna said as she snuggled against her sister. She laughed to herself. “And here I’d thought that Gemfyre wouldn’t remember me when we went to attend the fair.” She sighed. “You never…really realize just how much you care about ponies until they’re gone…just like Mother and Father.” Her voice grew quieter. “Just like Sombra.”
Celestia rubbed her back with a hoof and looked at Gemfyre’s crystal. Luna followed her gaze.
“How long will our memories remain in there?” she asked.
Celestia sighed. “For many years, but as time fades, so will the crystal and the memories. I hope to keep at least the map of it alive, so that I might show it to someone who can do a better job than we did in saving it.” She sighed. “Though we have visited the Crystal Empire, our knowledge of the land is still limited, and I suspect that it will also fade over time.”
Luna nodded gravely and stared at Gemfyre’s crystal. All of the images still flickered inside and came to rest on a familiar pony; Sombra, but not as the crazed unicorn that had destroyed the Empire.
No, this was her old Sombra, the one with the broken horn and the clumsy magic. The memory showed him sending a flaming barrel towards Luan and the gathered fillies and colts.
Luna pressed a hoof to the gem and stared at him for a long time. The memory faded, leaving the crystal to shine in the moonlight that leaked in through the window.
“I miss him,” Luna said in the silence. “I know it must be terrible of me to think such a thing after all that has happened, but I miss him.”
“I know,” Celestia replied and draped a wing around her. “You miss who he was, not the demon he became. Take comfort in knowing that the Sombra you loved is gone and at peace. Only his captor remains.”
Luna bowed her head. “Why does it hurt so much, Tia? I know what I did was the right thing, but then why do I feel so guilty?”
“He was your first love,” Celestia explained. “And your first love…you will not easily forget.” She nuzzled Luna’s ear. “Come, stay with me while I rest. I would rather not be alone.”
“Nor I,” Luna replied. She stepped away from the crystal and walked out of the room. She lingered at the door, staring at the stone one more time before she followed Celestia back up to their quarters. Her sister curled up first, and Luna settled next to her, watching her silver moon pierce the obsidian sky.
“Sleep, Sister,” Luna whispered. “As always, I shall guard the night.”