//------------------------------// // The Future // Story: Moonlight // by Ocean Heart //------------------------------// "Princess, we must leave!" The walls shook and pillars crumbled under the assault... "No! What if we are no longer here and she returns?!" Celestia shouted. Immits glared, Celestia stood her ground by the throne and did her best to manage the magical castle defenses from her crystal command board, gryphons and guards clashed in the sky above and ground below; blood rained across the grass and trees...it tainted the very soil. Celestia felt tears running down her face as she watched her creations take aim and fire with a thunderous sound of crystal against crystal..and yet it was still a losing battle. The sun goddess's mind was overwhelmed... "Your Majesty!!" Her captain shouted again. No...she would never leave...to leave would be like abandoning her last hope for her sister. If she stayed, maybe there was a chance the elements could be used to yet save her exiled kin. The tears flowed even more as the thoughts of Luna started consuming her. Another barrage shook the castle and glass shattered when a gryphon broke though the line... "Prepare to die for thy sins!" The feathered solider shouted. Immits dispatched him quickly with a precise spear...but he already completed his mission, her troops had lost the last line of defense. Soon the battle would pour into her castle if it still stood, Celestia would rather die than leave. So she kept firing the cannons...she wouldn't leave...she wouldn't abandon her... "Celestia!! No... I won't leave you..I swear I wont leave you, Lulu...I swear I wont! Celestia was shaking, quiet sobs left unheard though the fighting and slaughter of her guards. "Sir, look!!" By the All Mother...brace!!!!" Celestia blacked out...the ringing in her ears was painful, her rear leg felt strange and the cannons no longer responded to her orders. The dust in the air made it hard to breath, her sight returned quickly, yet it was blurry and unreliable. The captain of the guard suddenly grabbed the princess and shouted something...his mouth moved but...what was he saying... Luna...I swear... The ringing suddenly faded and the guardpony's voice rang clear... "-Need to leave!! Celestia! This battle is lost, I beg thee, call retreat!" Celestia now knew she was off her throne, she was actually a distance away from her command perch...but why was she so far away suddenly? Why weren't her cannons responding... "Retreat...?" She asked absently. Immits cursed silently and took it as an order to save his guards. Celestia watched what was left of her guard run into the catacombs, a last ditch effort to find a way out from the surrounded castle. "Get the word out, rally at the secondary command, we can fight them back once we dig in there!" The guards in the throne room saluted and ran for the escape, Celestia tried to stand but found he leg dead weight, when she looked... "Celestia! Listen to me!" Immits grabbed Celestia's attention with his hoof and forced her to keep eye contact, she was still their last hope of keeping the fighting will in the guards. Without her...the gryphons might as well have won. "Listen to me...I know it is hard...but this is no longer just about Luna, if thee dies, we all die." Gryphons shouted orders to each other, waiting for the dust to settle before storming the throne room. They both had seconds before an untimely demise would hit them both on the wings of a sword or spear... Luna... "Enough of this!!" Immits horn glowed brightly, Celestia felt a light envelop her, and in a flash...the castle was miles away... The captain let out a pained groan when he and the princess stood in the armory of his secondary command, it was the safest place he could think of at a time like this. The room went silent, the sounds of the destruction only a few miles away echoed. Immits wanted to rush for food and water after such a exertion to save them both...his fury though, was not dampened by his exhaustion. Guards around them gasped in shock, some of them felt their stomachs turn when they saw the condition of their only goddess.. The captain panted softly...glaring at the princess in contempt. "How DARE you! I of all ponies understand that ye are suffering...but how dare ye let thy worries cost the lives of my guards!" Every guard was petrified, none of them understood what was happening..for none of the guards from the battle of Everfree had made it back yet...and may never make it back. "What will I say to the families?! What would ye wish me to say?!" Celestia sat up slowly, careful not to move her bad leg. The blood loss was making her a little dizzy, her captain's words finally took root though. The guilt overwhelmed her and consumed any hope for herself...she broke her promise...she abandoned her sister...there was nothing left for her to fight for. Celestia hung her head low and surprisingly...had no more tears left to cry. There was no choice left,the princess of the sun was broken. The harmony lost when she was forced to shoulder so much burden, Immits Sun began this duty with high hopes for a triumphant war...but with Luna gone, he was left to fight this on his own. Celestia felt like a shell...a husk of a dieing star in its final stages of life; for what was left for her? Guilt for the centuries to come and shame she would suffer alone. "I hereby remove Princess Celestia from command as unfit for the duty and responsibilities her position holds...Get a doctor for her put her somewhere safe.....may the All Mother help us all..."