Depression was the thing that had managed to not only hit the princess of the sun, but also to knock her out. Her regret for banishing her own flesh and blood to a place as harsh as the moon itself wasn't something she had expected to be doing once she was crowned as a princess. Yet the result would be visible to her every single time she looked at the night skies.
It had been a torment for her ever since the horrible deed had been done. She couldn't see the lines between the reality and her mind straight anymore because of her sadness. For days on end she looked up to the skies alone and prayed in silence to nopony else but herself and her beloved sister. The treatment that was given shouldn't have been done to her, but it still had happened.
The mighty alicorn walked the halls of the castle. She looked over the valley it was build right next to. The sight, as wonderful as it had been playing out before her eyes, didn't even manage one bit to actually lift the mood of the mare. Some of the guards would have called her over protective and perhaps even over exaggerating on the matter. Yet they didn't knew what it felt like to banish flesh and blood that belonged to them, to a place like it. Celestia’s regret was something to be careful around for certain.
The next thousand years of her existence would become the most difficult ones she had ever faced.
---
While the day itself kept on going, there were some clouds which formed themselves over the woods of Everfree. It wasn't anything noteworthy as the woods were known to do such a thing and therefore was simply discarded. The evening approached calm and slowly as the time to raise the moon would be there again sooner or later.
But in one part of the castle, in a wing of the place that was usually left unattended by all the guards, there was one unicorn stallion who happened to be almost around the clock. Starswirl the Bearded had said his tower goodbye for the time being and lived inside the royal walls for as long as it would be needed. He was just about the only support that Celestia had from the moment she was just a filly. The stallion had been there since her birth and there simply wasn't anypony else in the entire land whom she could trust even more then him.
Yet being inside of the castle walls didn't mean that the stallion would give up upon his own duties either. He would have continued on with them like he always had. Tables filled with enchanter’s equipment occupied the once so wonderful looking bedroom. The bookshelves were filled with books of his and others their findings, parchments with scrabbled notes in the tongue of the ancient unicorns to hide his most recent discoveries until he was certain. Spellbooks with tomes he made and learned through the years were nicely sorted on the bookshelves on the other end.
It was busy to say the least. The guard didn't had the preference to actually go in there because it was never certain just where he was working on. Not to mention the fact that he himself had spoken that everypony needed to knock on the door before entering.
That mostly came into play after the stallion had practiced with a creature called a fire wyvern from one of the volcanoes to the south. A guard was nearly set ablaze if he didn't close the door right away. Though the creatures were generally peaceful around the folk they knew and this particular wyvern had been under the care of Starswirl ever since he found it years ago in the woods of Everfree. The events of that day still made the two chuckle softly and purr almost like a cat.
The unicorn himself was just reading through a couple of books at once. Each of them was held in his magical field while he sat behind the desk. The little wyvern laid curled up in a comfortable basket and was peacefully asleep. Starswirl loved the silence around him though. It meant that he could do a lot more work while he read in mind and spoke to himself every so often in a whisper. Outside of the occasional papers being turned and the snoring of the little dragon, the place was a silent as a graveyard. Just the way he preferred it.
From time to time there was the occasional knock on the door though. But those were never answered by the stallion and thus the knocker gave it up after the second attempt. Silence was one of his biggest friends in the castle. It gave him the space and time to do whatever he wanted.
Yet when the evening rolled in and the darkness of the twilight had taken over the land, it was only then that he lowered the books back to the desk and closed them. A deep sigh was released through his nostrils and a hoof started to stroke the beard. The aged stallion leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes for just a moment. And behind those closed eyes there were the arcane symbols that started to travel over the lids. The tomes of spells were whispered inside of his ear and the horn’s glow become a little bit more intense for a few seconds.
All of the gotten information he had been reading through, was stored nice and tidy in the rightful parts of his brain. Knowledge that most likely would become of usage for his own books on the looks of magic and the arcane arts. But most likely it would be used for something a lot more simplistic. For his own thirst of knowledge of course.
The eyes opened themselves again while another sigh left through his nostrils. He felt content with the information and spells he had learned during the day and was more than ready to give himself a wonderful night off and just walk through the lovely gardens that the castle was known for. Perhaps he would even make a little stroll through the town as a whole. There was just so much that he could do, but first things had to be first. And that happened to be dinner with Celestia.
It didn't took the stallion all too long to enter the wonderfully looking dining room and he noticed the princess already sitting at her usual spot. “Good evening Tia, I see it that you have started already,” the stallion spoke up in a chuckle to himself before he joined her.
The majestic alicorn allowed herself a gentle giggle before she gave a nod to him. “I did, some of the servants did knock on your door, Starswirl, but you never seemed to have given an answer to them. So do tell me, what was that mind of yours working on?” Celestia asked him while she gained a curious look in her eyes.
Though the stallion took his time by answering the question. All because he poured himself a nice and refreshing glass of red wine. Starswirl took a sip from the drink before the glass was set back on the table. He turned his eyes back over to Celestia herself and glanced at her for just a moment. The words he would speak, would come under a faint smile. “Well, I can honestly say that there isn't anything in particular that I’m working on except of getting more and more knowledge to me.”
The princess of the sun nodded to the words he spoke before she released a giggle. “You’re never too old to learn, now are you? And how’s your wyvern doing?”
“You mean Sparky? He’s doing excellent really. Still needing to be a little comfortable but he’s adapting well enough. As long as there isn't anypony that comes barging into my room that is. You know how fire wyverns are shy or hostile against creatures they don’t know,” he replied to her with a nod. After that would he have started to eat from the dinner.
“Oh tell me about it, even around me he still has troubles,” the alicorn replied before she took a sip from her drink and smiled at her old friend.
“Hm, speaking of,” Starswirl started after he had swallowed the bite, “perhaps you two can get along with one another a bit more if you spend a bit more time with each other. A pet yourself might actually do wonders. But, how have you been today, Tia?”
---
The change of the subject was something that came hard against her and the mare released a deep sigh through her nose as she didn't had even the slightest of clues on how to reply against it as her mood had been the same for days. “I, I would say the same. Just, the same. Nothing increased or decreased. Just, the same,” replied Celestia as honest as she could.
There really wasn't any point in lying against a stallion like Starswirl. He had known her for so long that he could even smell it if she was even thinking about lying against him. Yet the stallion gave a nod and a thoughtful groan to the words that she spoke. They were of interest for him both on scientific reasons as well as personal. He cared for the alicorn with all his life and wanted her to be nothing else than happy. A seemingly impossible task given the circumstances.
But whether she would actually become happy again was a question that had been weighing on his mind ever since the events in the old castle. The genuine sadness he saw in her eyes back then was something he hadn't seen in a long time. The only time he could ever imagine her entering such a state of mind was when she was crowned a princess. Other than that there wasn't even any moment in her life as he could recall it.
“Something the matter?” the mare replied after the grown had entered her ears. Starswirl simply shook his head. He silently spoke that it wouldn't be of any significance to either of them. “Well, if there is, just tell me right away, alright. Promise me that.”
“As long as you do the same,” Starswirl countered with a faint smile.
The two of them continued on with their dinner and spoke about the daily going. They also tried to avoid any touchy subject for either of them. Once the two of them were full of the food, it was the stallion himself who was the first one that stood up and thanked her kindly for the dinner.
Then he was just gone like the wind. Gone to stroll through the at his own mind and discover what could be discovered. Celestia on the other end, she simply closed her eyes and started to hum to herself on her seat. That same little lullaby in which she asked for nothing but her sister’s forgiveness. Whether she would actually receive it was matter only time could be able to tell her. And that wasn't something that she truly liked.
The eyes of the alicorn opened themselves and she removed her body from the seating in order to look over at the balcony of the dining room. The same room to which she once brought the draconequus that fell in love with her. Her mind traveled all over the place as the memories were dug up and buried again.
Her horn charged itself up a little bit before the doors to the balcony itself were being opened. A gust of fresh wind and air was the first thing she was greeted by. After which her hooves set themselves before the railing. The eyes would have simply looked over the land she could call ‘hers’. The mare then released a deep sigh in response to it.
Thoughts traveled through her mind and went literally to every possible place she could imagine herself being. Time and space didn't matter in her eyes anymore as all the events were happening at once in her mind. The horrors and the joys up until that evening. The days that were still unlived weren't even touched by the alicorn. As those days would be the subject of another time.
“Your highness,” a guard spoke up from behind her. The tone in the voice was something that caused the alicorn to wake up from her fantasies and she turned herself around in order to see who happened to be talking.
“Speak you words, guard, something the matter?” Celestia replied to him after she made a step closer towards him. She was all ears of anything had happened, but whether she would make the right decision to deal with it would be another question. For even her judgment feeling had been clouded ever since the events.
“No, your highness, there is nothing wrong. I was just concerned about you not being in bed yet, to save your strengths for the coming morning,” the guard replied in all of his honesty towards the mighty princess.
A princess who released a deep sigh in response to the words of concern. She could see the corner he was coming from for certain, but it wasn't anything she was particularly fond of. Nonetheless, the mare nodded to him as she started to walk again. “I bid you a goodnight,” where the last words she spoke against him before disappearing in the dining room again.
The guard himself released a deep sigh through his mouth as he felt the sheer tension with which Celestia had seemingly anchored herself to the ground with. He knew something still bugged her, the entire castle did to be exact, so everything needed to be done in calm and peace before she would snap from anything that would be too much for her.
Celestia wandered within the walls of her wings. She headed over into the direction of her sleeping chambers. The more she thought about it all, the more pleasant softness of her bed seemed to be feeling to her. It was something she had been waiting for if she had to be honest with herself.
The alicorn of the sun released a deep sigh though her nostrils before she opened the door to her chamber. The guards on either side of it made a salute toward her. The mare nodded to the both of them before she passed through and closed the massive doors again.
Once again she stood within her true domain. The realm of the very sun. Her very own chambers which were lit by a star that acted like the actual sun in so many ways. A deep sigh was released through the mouth of the mare who dropped herself upon the bed. Thoughts ran wild as the only true desire she had was to do nothing else but sleep.
Her horn charged itself up and the curtains were closed while the blanket was brought over her as well as the eyecovers. Celestia snuggled up against the blanket while her head did the same with the pillow. Once she was comfortable with her position, the covers placed before her eyes and with one last spell she slowed time itself around her down. Seconds became hours for her feeling.
It was something that she needed if she wanted to be a fit as a fiddle in order to raise both of the celestial bodies in the skies. All of her powers had to be present and sharp in order to accomplish such a feature. Time ticked away as it only took her mere minutes in order to fall in a deep slumber for the night. A slumber that she needed more than anything at the moment.
The waving patterns in both her mane and tail reduced themselves to nothing as the pinkish coloring gained the overmight in her mane. It was a true sight to behold though. One only a few managed to actually get to see. The princess herself locked inside of her own little timelock and was sleeping like a rose from the looks of it. She would be sleeping for as long as she needed.
---
Yet in the garden of the castle was the elderly stallion simply wandering around with his own mind in the clouds high above themselves. His old eyes looked at the skies and all of their wonders. The stars that illuminated them were a true marvelous sight and therefore a treat to the eyes. Though it was on the very ground that the biggest eyecandy could be found. Because next to the wonderfully maintained garden of the castle, there also was the statue garden.
And it was that place he had taken his interest in. For the first time in days had he given himself the time to actually come down there and look at the statues of the guards who had fallen under the spell cast by Nightmare Moon. A spell he had taught the alicorn of the night long ago.
With a slow pace did he came closer and closer towards the massive statue and could only feel the sadness that was going through him. The feeling of guilt that was going through him seemed to be the kind as if he had caused it directly. As if they were part of one his experiments that seemed to have gone wrong.
But the statue that got the most attention out of them all, happened to be the one of Blitzwing himself. The more he looked over to him, the harder it became for the old stallion to keep his tears under control and eventually allowed one to flow through his closed eyelids. A gentle sniffle was what followed up just before he sensed the presence of another creature that happened to be near him.
Starswirl didn't gave it much attention at first as he kept himself strong. “I, I am sorry for the deeds that were done against you, against all of you. When, when I taught Luna the spell, I could have never predicted the facts as they became that single day. I know it is hard and perhaps even impossible, but I beg all of your forgiveness for my actions,” he spoke against them in compassion.
Only after the words had been spoken did the stallion turn himself around. Where he looked over a pony who he could have sworn to have seen before. The posture, the armor, everything rang bells to him yet no name came up to him. “And, how might you be called, if I may ask?” Starswirl spoke into the direction of the mysterious pony.
The pony only huffed like a stallion could do before he spoke his short answer to him. “Captain Warding Scale of the lunar guard, mister The Bearded.”
“Warding? Is that, is that really you?”
“Yes it is, Starswirl, and you have some explaining to do to me. Because I heard the little chat that you had just yet. It only rose more questions than answers. And if there is one thing I don’t like, it is not knowing the answers,” spoke the captain while he closed the gap between the two of them.
“I do not know how much of my words you have heard, but if you think about charging me, you are not coming at a good day,” Starswirl countered. He never gave up an inch of ground to him.
“I am not planning on having you charged, old stallion, I just want to know how on earth that creature of darkness knew a stoning spell! Because I don’t know if you like it or not, Blitz was the best friend I ever had!” Warding replied in a slight tone of anger.
Of course Starswirl could have expected the tone as it was spoken to him and he did it, yet the way he needed to answer him had to be with caution. But also with honesty. “Walk with me for a moment, captain Scale, than I shall explain to you, the very question that troubles your mind and soul.” Warding simply released a huff before he could only agree to the words and the wizard guided him through the statue garden.
The two stallion would be walking over paths and small hills in silence while their minds were formulating the words they wanted to speak against one another. But neither of them could actually come up with just how they would word them.
Of course there were a couple of times that the two of them opened their mouths. Almost as if they wanted to say something but never spoke a single word. They passed by statues of fallen heroes and ponies who had contributed to the land. They even passed a couple of statues that were of nopony else but Starswirl himself.
When they walked past the statues of his liking, Warding assumed he was going to stop and tell about them. But instead they kept on walking. The legs of Starswirl brought them over to one statue in particular. One statue that was of a mish mash of creatures that was trying to stop an incoming blast of some kind.
“Why did you bring me to the statue of, him?” Warding asked in a genuinely confused tone. He turned his eyes over to the wizard in the hope that he could provide the answer he was looking for. But whether he would get more than he had gambled for was something to be figured out.
“Because, captain Scale,” the bearded stallion started, “this is the reason why I thought the spell to your princess to begin with. He is captured by the magic I taught the two of them. But Luna must have found a much severe tome that could actually turn cells into nothing but rock. Perhaps, if I didn't taught her the spell, Blitzwing’s fate, as well as the others, would have been different. Perhaps, even more bloodier…” That final word was spoken with a shudder that went from his ear all the way down to the hoof. Starswirl thought about the things that could have happened.
The more Warding actually listened to the words and thought about them, the more he could understand the reasoning of him. If the draconequus was indeed as dangerous as they were told he was, just giving the spell to Celestia alone would be suicide. Though the words that he added over another possible future had a rather deep impact on him and shared the shudder.
“Mister Scale, I do hope that my words had giving you some kind of answer you were looking for. If not, then I do not have the power of answer your remaining questions. I told you the facts as they were known to me from back in those days and I could only assume how it went further on. May you have a good night,” the bearded stallion spoke to him. After that he turned himself around to make the departure.
With the rather unexpected visit of the captain, the stallion had grown tired and desired to have nothing more but a good night’s rest. Something of which he hoped that would make him a lot more fitter for the following day.
---
The following day had Starswirl woken up from his sleep like every other day. Much to his own surprise had the little fire wyvern actually left the basket and made itself comfortable between his beard and blanket. It was a rather surprising sight at first.
Though the stallion couldn't do much else than to release a soft chuckle and stroke the head of little creature in order to wake it up. It released a small sneeze that composed out of a small fire ball that disappeared out of existence and a small plume of black smoke started to travel up. “Hmhmhmh, bless you, old friend. Come, the time for a new day has fallen upon us and there’s lots to do.” The wyvern itself had not a single clue where he was talking about but did started to float into the air as the stallion removed himself out of the bed.
Starswirl went into the bathroom in order to refresh himself as well as properly dress for any occasion that the princess would be needing him for. It only took him a couple of minutes before he was completely done and dropped his body once again back down within the chair.
The wyvern itself knew what time it was and chuckled gently to itself before starting to hover through the room on its own. Almost as if it was willing to explore the area a bit more. And much to its surprise was the door of his room was open. A golden opportunity did its chance for the being and without a secondary thought in the mind it just went for it. It left his master behind him and starting to explore through the castle.
Starswirl himself didn't even notice the extra silence that was created with the disappearance of his pet and simply was looking through the books and scrolls. “Impossible that she could have made the species herself, right? They must have been around longer, we aren't looking for them, because they can’t be found,” the stallion mumbled to herself before a switch inside of his mind turned on. “Eureka! That’s why we never heard of them, oh, oh, oh, sneaky little buggers aren't you?”
The mood to explore and delve into an ever deepening spiral of Equestrian lore and myths boiled up from the stallion’s heart and every book and scroll he had, was set upon finding that one thing. Any similarities to the creatures supposedly created by Nightmare Moon. The strike force that she had called nothing else but the elusive and dangerous nightmare forces.
---
Meanwhile in the throne room had the wyvern found the very royal seating itself and had laid down rather comfortable upon it. It didn't happen often, but the entire room happened to be nothing but empty. Not a single guard or servant could be found within it, giving the fiery creature ever so much room to hover and rest.
Yet the feeling of freedom was short lived as a pink maned Celestia entered the room and saw the creature itself floating just above the throne. She almost froze upon her spot as she couldn't do anything else but to blink towards it. “H-Hallo,” she managed to bring out before giving a gentle shake with her head. Fire wyvern, right. Starswirl must has lost him this morning, the mare thought to herself before she simply charged up her horn and locked every door in the room.
Celestia passed through the one door that was still open and locked that as well. Her eyes never took themselves away of the creature while she slowly sat down upon the ground. She knew just how hostile the creatures could get when threatened so it was only out of sheer luck that the chamber was empty.
And with the space given to the creature in the closed off throne room to begin with, there wasn't any need to actually attack Celestia. The mare had assumed a relaxed pose herself. She laid on the ground, the fire wyvern glanced over her with a tilted head and landed upon the throne itself.
The fires cracked from its body. Though it never tore the eyes away from Celestia for whatever reason. To her it didn't matter how long it would be take, she was having the time and could take as long as she needed before the creature was near her and she could pet it. Much like with the bunny family so long ago in the grassy fields of the valley.
---
Minutes turned into hours, the day passed by like a breeze for the stallion. Book after scroll was being read with his eyes and the notes written down to his findings. Astonishing results he got already out of nothing but reading the myths of the shadows but also came to one horrifying conclusion.
He had cracked the code that had caused Luna to fall into the state of her horrible alter ego. And once that code was known to him, he finally leaned back into his chair for the first time in hours and simply shook his head while rubbing the eyes. Clearly there must have been made a mistake on his department. Yet going over the pieces of paper and even setting everything below one another still added up to the terror that was Nightmare Moon.
“But this, but this is highly impossible. There isn't anything known to the equine that can be that powerful to take over, unless, it isn't equine. Oh goodness me, this is some terrible news right here. Though should I bring it to her, at this time?” It was a question that would be chewing upon his very conscious until he had spoken the words of truth against her.
He held the relieving words right in his hooves but was held back by a little thing that happened to be his own moral. How would Celestia react if he brought her the news like that? But how would she react if he didn't? Would she still be able to trust him as a friend? All of those kind of question soared through his mind while even he had not even the slightest of clues on how to tackle the situation as it was given to him.
He was knowledgeable on a lot for certain but some things were even for him impossible to truly figure out. Emotions being one of the things that sat on top of the list. His own feelings tore himself apart on the matter as he paced up and down in his room. At one end he could tell her and pray for the best. Yet on the other he would tell her when the time would be over. When her depression had sunken away. Yet who knew how long that was going to take.
Minutes long he would have just pondered his mind on the matter whether or not he should tell her the words or not. Whether or not he should make or break any dreams that the alicorn still had. It was a delicate decision and one that didn't needed to be made over hasted. And that was exactly what he intended to be doing. Keeping his cool while trying to figure out what happened to be the best for him to say.
---
“Who’s a cute little fire wyvern, hm? You, yes you,” spoke Celestia in the tone of her foolish self. The princess found herself snuggling the creature that had escaped the room of Starswirl. Over the passing of literally hours, it hovered closer and closer to her, judging her with every motion to see if she was to be deemed as worthy. It didn't care for the amount of power that was surging through her but the emotions. Her true emotions was the thing that it cared for most. Not the sadness for her sister that had dominated her for the past days.
It certainly happened to be a wonderful relief to the alicorn, to be able to get her mind off of the matter as it were. Not to mention the wyvern who received all the snuggles, cuddles and nuzzles. It could almost be viewed as a therapy for her to a certain degree. One that she actually liked as it didn't involve speaking about her troubles to any other pony.
Of course there had been knocks upon the door that caused the two of them to look up at the doors and hearing the mumbles on the other side, but they never gave anything about it. That was at least, until a golden orb formed itself into the room. Both the alicorn and the wyvern looked at one another before their eyes turned back to the sphere. Something was about to happen.
Out of it stepped nopony else then Starswirl himself, panting deeply to himself like if he had lost something. Something that seemed to be rather dear to him. His body turned itself around on the spot as he kept on looking just where it could possibly be. “Starswirl,” spoke Celestia calmly.
But an answer was never given to her as he kept on turning and mumbling to himself. It almost seemed as if he happened to be deaf by both of his ears. “Starswirl!” the alicorn spoke up in a louder tone and finally caught the attention of the stallion. Because he turned himself around and looked over to her with a few blinks with the eyes. “I think, you were looking for…” She then nudged her head down a couple of times. At first he didn’t caught it, before he then followed her.
Then he finally got to see the facts as they were. The fire wyvern that laid in the forelegs of the princess with a calm expression on its face. He laid on one of the forelegs and looked over to his original owner but didn't wanted to move as it was a little bit too comfortable.
The stallion was relieved to a degree that was indescribable for him nor Celestia. He silently walked up to the two of them and dropped his body against a wall of his own and looked over the two with a nod and a kind set of eyes. “So it seems that all what was needed was an empty throne room and hours of time. Heh, what did you know,” the stallion spoke up in a chuckle before he petted the wyvern over the head in a slow manner.
“You had lost him, didn't you?” Celestia spoke teasingly to him.
The old stallion could only nod towards the words as it was the truth and that alone. “I, indeed had lost the little fella yes. But, can you truly blame me after having delved so deep in my research?”
“Hmhmhmhm, no old friend, I can’t blame you for that. Besides, you grow a day older as well,” replied Celestia with calm after her giggle had died down.
“That I certainly do. Whether I’m happy about it is something else. E-Either way,” Starswirl started.
“Is there, something you mean to tell me?” Celestia asked. The entire expression of her eyes changed itself one that irradiated uncertainty and suspicion.
“Well, one can say that yes. I, have been doing some research and came out with a result that is everything but pleasant, your highness. Minutes I was thinking whether or not I should have told you or not.” The glance that he had in his eyes revealed that he had some true difficulty with it.
“Well, where are you waiting on? Any news that’s not pleasant should reach my ear as soon as possible, even during my depression,” replied Celestia with courage in her tone. Though there was nothing could prepare her for his next words.
“It’s, it’s about your sister.”
Celestia was simply baffled by the truth as the stallion spoke it to her. His words, his story even, it all seemed to be just so out of place that it had to be made up. Yet it seemed to be fitting just so well with the darkened theme of Nightmare Moon. Once again she was caught in two fires and the wyvern had left the alicorn to rest upon the shoulder of Starswirl. “This, this isn't, what I had expected when you spoke about the news.” Celestia dared to bring out.
The old stallion nodded to her words in agreement. A simple, yet powerful nod confirmed her words. “Heh, you weren't the only one who thought of that. But it’s true, the nightmare forces had slowly taken control of their host, in this case your sister, and morphed her into the being known as Nightmare Moon. Sneaky little buggers they are. And they had been present throughout all of time and space. Never even knew they were there.”
The alicorn of the sun tried her utmost best to keep her tears under control and did a couple of deep breaths before she actually managed to do such a thing. Still, it was hard to believe for her and to add insult to injury, the moon needed to be raised. “Starswirl old friend, could, could you leave me be for the evening, please? There are a few things that I need to look at myself.”
The bearded stallion nodded to her words as he understood them more than anything else at the time. “I wish you the best of luck Tia, you’ll need it,” he replied to her with another nod and teleported himself back to the room.
With Starswirl gone, Celestia stood up and she walked over to one of the many windows that the throne room was rich about and she charged up her horn in a blue color to raise the rock where her beloved sister had been banished to. The aura of the horn went over to the coat and under some moans, groans and trembles did the thing reduce the terrible twilight and allowed the night to begin.
A night in which Celestia herself would be on a tour through the library and the vault. There where she had stored many objects that were deemed to be a hazard.
---
Meanwhile, back in his own room, had Starswirl once again taken a seat behind the desk as the little fire wyvern had taken his place back in the basket and had curled itself up to sleep. Something that the stallion couldn't do yet. He had his very conscious chewing on him. He still doubted whether or not it was good that he spoke the truth against Celestia. “A lie, is easier to take,” he mumbled to himself before he conjured something into existence.
Something of which only he knew the place of where it was stored. A maroon red piece of cloth was surrounding something and it was gently levitated towards the desk before it was revealed to his very own eyes.
What laid beneath the cloth was a fire red ruby that he had held dear to him for years and was something many only could dream about. Yet normally when he would look at it there was a smile that would come to his face. That time only a deep sigh was released before the right hoof moved itself over to the precious stone. The one stone he held more dear than any other.