//------------------------------// // Dark Horizons // Story: Anima Mea Tenebre // by Nixus //------------------------------// The sun hung high in the sky above Canterlot as ponies below went about their daily lives. Stores had their doors wide open in the summer heat and their best displays were in the front windows, hoping desperately to draw a customer or two. Ponies of all shapes and sizes trotted about the cobblestone streets, some stopping to gaze at windows, some arguing with a food stall owner about the price of their items, and the occasional one with a shopping bag. Many had chosen to stay home on this muggy day, keeping to themselves in the cooled interiors of their own homes. The Princess of the Sun observed all of this from her perch in the castle, carefully keeping watch over the citizens as they did their business. Carved granite and marble blocks made up the castle in which she resided, creating a thick maze of rooms and halls that served as the seat of her power. Had any of the ponies decided to look up they may have seen her, watching them with a caring smile and a loving disposition. Yet beneath the facade was something different; something that was completely uncharacteristic of the Princess. Anxiety. It was not a feeling she experienced often and it felt as though an entire cloud of butterflies resided in her stomach, fluttering around in her body like an incessant pest she couldn’t swat away. It made her horn and wings ache and prevented her from finding any relief in the happiness of her subjects. Nearly a week ago she had delivered a package, a small tome of great importance, directly to her prized student, Twilight Sparkle. Since then, she had heard nothing from the studious unicorn. A week of silence had done nothing to soothe the Alicorn’s frayed nerves, and she was beginning to feel as though her motherly affections had blinded her to the fact her student may not have been ready for the task ahead of her. There were many spells of untold power within that tome, spells that had not seen the light of day for over a millennium, and for good reason. Perhaps she was merely overthinking this. Twilight had managed to progress with surprising speed under her tutelage and the unicorn had a great aptitude for learning. Nearly every accomplishment the unicorn had was a testament to that fact. Twilight was capable, and had proven time and time again that she could power through even the most dangerous challenges. That lone thought gave Celestia a tiny supplement of reassurance as she left the balcony and the humidity of the fine summer day. She decided that she would resign herself to the cooled chambers of her throne room to think on it. The thought of the pleasant temperature almost made Celestia quicken her pace into a gallop. Yet she resigned herself to a brisk trot, keeping up her royal appearance. To simply run to her royal throne like an excitable filly would have had her advisors in a collective fit. Though the mere thought of the posh and uptight group so bent out of shape over such an action almost made her want to do it even more. However, there would be another time to upset the bunch; she had much to think about now. A slight sigh of relief came out of the Princess as she entered her throne room. Her musings had made the walk through the stuffy halls pass by quickly and for that, she was thankful. The giant shadow of the mountain covering the area and the ventilation provided by the windows of the room provided the inner chambers with a pleasant coolness. Celestia’s wings ruffled slightly as she let the relief of the cool air wash over her. She approached her throne, taking care as she ascended the steps to the cushioned golden chair. There were no guards stationed by her at the moment, she had seen them relieved of duty so that they might escape the heat of the day. A part of her wished to dunk her head in the small pools that flowed at the sides of her throne, the clear glimmering water beckoning her with promises of relief. She ignored the calling of the water, promising to herself that she would take a refreshing dip in the falls later. A few beads of sweat were still present on her coat despite the coolness of the room, giving it a sheen while she busied her mind with thoughts of her student. Her worry came back only to have its growth stunted as the voice of her sister filled the room. “Is something on your mind, dear sister?” Luna asked as she came into view. Like her sister, the Princess of the Night was also an Alicorn. Her dark blue coat matched the colours of her wings and horn and her cutie mark designated her as the one true ruler of the night. Her ethereal mane fluttered in a non-present breeze, glittering with miniature star clusters and slightly framing her concerned face as she spoke. “It is not often you seek solace on your throne.” “I didn’t expect you to be up, Luna,” Celestia said as she beckoned Luna to come closer. “You usually sleep the day away.” “We called out to thou while thou were trotting by,” Luna explained. “You never answered back or even heeded us when we called a second time. We assumed that you may have had something on your mind. Is there something that is wrong?” “I am fine, Luna, simply concerned for my student.” Celestia sighed as she hung her head. “I know that she is ready but I still feel reservations about her progression. Sleep has eluded me ever since I gave her the journal.” She rested her head on the back of the chair. “Do you think I should have waited a little longer?” “If anything, dear sister,” Luna began as she ascended the stairs and embraced her sister. “We think Twilight Sparkle was ready for this step even before she journeyed to the Crystal Empire. Despite our reservations, she has been ready for this role for a while.” “Do you really believe so, Lulu?” Celestia asked. “Even with all my failures?” “Sister, Sunset Shimmer was not your fault,” Luna began attempting to assuage Celestia’s worries. “From what you have told us, the fault lies with her inability to adhere to your wishes. Her lack of respect and selfish desire was no fault of thyself.” She paused for a moment, attempting to find the right words. These subjects were a sore spot for Celestia and it was Luna’s last desire to see her sister reduced to a sobbing wreck. “Even our own fall to the darkness was not thy fault. Thou have nothing to feel ashamed of.” “I know, Luna,” Celestia said as she tenderly embraced her sister. The blue Alicorn reciprocated the feeling, hugging Celestia in return. Their tender moment however was interrupted as Celestia spoke a few words that Luna had often attempted purge from her mind. “But the events of that night were my fault. That is my one true shame and no amount of kind words will tell me otherwise. Even now I often dream it, about... about them.” “As do we, sister,” Luna murmured as memories long suppressed found their way into her mind again. Every now and then even she would wake in the middle of her dreams as visions of the past made themselves present in her head. A few tears began to well in her eyes as emotion cracked in her voice. “I still wish that I could have said goodbye to them. It is our fault they had to do make that sacrifice.” “Luna...” Celestia murmured as her own eyes began to water. She stoked the younger Alicorn’s back as she began to cry. It had been a millennium for Celestia, but for Luna the images were still fresh and her wounded heart had yet to mend. “Both knew what they had sworn to do. I simply wished they could have found a different...” Celestia hesitated as she choked back her own sob. “They never blamed you for anything. Even in the end, they knew it was just the darkness controlling you. Despite what it cost, They said they would gladly pay the price again.” She brought her sisters face up to hers with a hoof and wiped away the tears staining her face. “He told me that just before it happened.” Luna said nothing as she buried her face in her sister’s coat. The irony was palpable to Celestia; her younger sister had sought to console her elder but now she was the one who had to be consoled. Minutes passed by as the two remained like that, simply reassuring the other in the face of terrible memories shared only between them. As much as Celestia wished she could change the past, she knew there was nothing she could have done to prevent that fateful night from occurring. Both would have to live with the guilt of that night so long ago. “At least we do not have to fear it happening again,” Luna said as she left the comfort of Celestia’s chest. “The spell is safe, locked away and even so, nopony could possibly decipher it.” A cold sense of dread filled Celestia’s chest as she realised what Luna was referring to. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, pupils shrinking to pinpricks at the thought. Not since Discord's first escape had she felt this unique sense of dread fill her chest. Luna herself looked on in confusion as her sister bolted to the window from which Ponyville could be seen. The small town seemed peaceful at the moment to her, yet she knew that despite its outward appearance, the town was a hub for strange activities ever since Twilight Sparkle had taken residence there. “Is there something wrong, sister?” Luna asked as she brought her hoof to Celestia’s shoulder. The look of despair on her sister’s face did nothing to render Luna’s fears unfounded. “Tell us, why dost thou look as though a ghost has appeared.” “Luna...” Celestia whispered as she kept her head turned towards Ponyville. “That spell is still in the journal.” “What?” Luna asked as her hoof recoiled. She took a step back as she regarded her sister with widened eyes. “Why did thy not remove it and keep it hidden away? Dost thou even comprehend what this could mean for Equestria? Twilight may be a capable Unicorn, more capable than even Starswirl, but that spell could end her! Starswirl only used it twice and the mental drain alone almost killed him!” A dread silence filled the chamber as Luna gathered herself. Terrible memories filled her head, images of destruction and darkness mixed with the screams of dying voices circled her conscious. “What’s worse, we have no idea what she could possibly summon with aid of the Elements…” Luna murmured as she too turned her gaze back to the town.  “They may have told us little about from whence they came, but even I have seen that their world is much darker than that of our own. You’ve seen what they were capable of! Equestria can ill afford another event of such magnitude!” “I KNOW THAT LUNA!” Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The very castle seemed to shake as her voice boomed and rocked the stone pillars. Luna herself recoiled, nearly blown off her hooves by the sheer force of her sisters voice. It took Celestia a moment to realize what she had done, her hoof covering her mouth in shame. It was not often she was anxious about anything and it was even less often that she raised her voice. “I-I am sorry sister...” Celestia managed to stammer as she backed up before turning away in shame. “I must rectify this before anything happens. He may have said that others would come in time, but Equestria is not ready for their presence. I fear that if they should make their existence known, we may see our peaceful land experience an untold cruelty in which it is simply not capable of handling.” “If it was he who told you this...” Luna began, but trailed off as her sister turned back to her with an expression that boasted her resolve. She almost seemed to dare Luna to speak her mind, her face boarding on tyrannical absolutism. Yet, Luna found her strength and confidence and decided that it was best that she present her argument before it was too late. “If it was he who told thou of their coming, whoever they may be... Then should we not allow this to happen? He never led us astray before. Perhaps this was meant to happen and perhaps Twilight was meant to herald their arrival?” “I do not know, Luna,” Celestia said as she looked at the sky. Despite the fact that there were no Pegasi in the air, the clouds seemed to darken with an unknown energy as they moved towards Ponyville on their own volition. A small shiver ran across Celestia’s spine as a familiar sense filled her mind. “If what you say is true then we will soon find out. There is a storm approaching Equestria, a darkness not unlike the one we faced a millennium ago, Luna. If we weather it out, then our land will forever be changed. If not, and we fail to stop this, then I fear that we will not have a land to call home.” Luna nodded grimly as she saw the clouds in the sky darken. “Then let us hope that the Elements, as well as whoever crosses the bridge, are ready to face it.”