//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Price of Failure // by Humanity //------------------------------// This day… How has it come to be this way? Just hours ago… Mere hours ago, he stood before me alive and well. Fear had grasped my heart tightly. We armored him, bestowed our mightiest creations upon him, and yet I still feared what would become of him should Discord sink his hooks into him… I just could never have imagined that my friend would have ripped himself away and pulled his angler into the lake to devour him! My friend… James, how did this happen? How could Discord have done this to you? I knew you well, my friend. To see the landscape around the labyrinth so ravaged… I dread to know what madness must have sunken into your mind during your final hours. What did Discord do to you to have you turn the tables on him so thoroughly? The day is nearing its end. The sun is setting over the horizon as my sister works her will, lowering it in the sky as the horizon turns a beautiful shade of pink and orange. However… I cannot bring myself to raise the moon to begin the night. What is the point… He is no longer here to witness it as I stand upon the balcony just outside my chambers. How ironic… I once sought to bring eternal night to earn the love and adoration of my subjects. Now I cannot bring myself to begin it now that the one person in the world who truly appreciated it is gone… I heard the doors to the balcony swing open. And sure enough, my sister stood before me. Celestia, Princess of the Dawn. Her eyes… So forlorn. “Sister… Why have you not started to raise the moon? It is your duty to do so to begin the night. I have lowered the sun, but you must do your part to complete the transition.” The sun hung low in the sky, but stubbornly remained peeking over the horizon as if awaiting its twin to rise in the deep blue canvas that was forming in its wake. But I could not… “What is even the point… He is no longer here to witness it.” I saw my sister’s ears droop while she sighed deeply. She knew all too well why. She was there with me when the six bearers of the Elements relayed to us the news of his demise. “Luna… I know you were close to him. But you cannot allow your feelings to cloud your judgment. As Equestria’s rulers, we must…” I could not stand by silently. She still could not understand! Even then, I could feel the deeply buried wounds resurfacing after so long. “What do you know?! You know it as well as I do, sister! He was the first friend I ever gained since the day you and I claimed the throne! Century after century, they all turned a blind eye to my life’s work! Hardly anypony even noticed! Until he came…” The tears flowed once more. I could barely remain standing. Celestia… My beloved sister rushed to my side, allowing me to rest against her. “He was the first… The first to ever thank me for what I have done… So many have partaken in the night’s charms, but he… The first to openly praise it… What is the point of beginning the night…if the one man in the world who truly appreciates its beauty no longer lives to bask in it…?” “Luna… Dear sister…” Her voice… It was breaking. When I turned my gaze upward, I saw the one thing I did not expect. Tears. She too was weeping. “I know… Trust me, I know… For he…was my friend too…” She lowered her head and I saw it. A gold band resting at the base of her horn lined with shimmering amethysts. A gift from our fallen friend. “You too…? I thought you…” I was at a loss for words. Celestia had always handled loss so well. She always seemed so strong and yet… “It feels like we had only truly started to bond over this last month… He was always so kind to you and Nightmare Moon. And I too began to experience that genuine sweetness for myself… I wish I could have gotten to know him as well as either of you… And now…I will never have the chance to finally ask him if…we could be friends…” Her face was frozen, yet the tears fell regardless. “I know your pain, Luna… It is mine as well. I viewed him as my friend as well…but I will never know if he viewed me the same way…” We just stood there, resting against each other in our moment of need. Our friend was gone. And yet, one question remained in my mind. Why. Why did this happen? What could drive my dear gentle friend into the bowels of madness that would result in his own demise? “I wish I knew… How did this happen… What broke him, sister? What did this…?” A sniffle escaped her nostrils before Celestia spoke softly into my ear. “You know the answer already, sister. You have seen Earth. And I have watched it for far longer. I have seen mankind’s follies. I have witnessed their advancements. And I have witnessed their gradual decline. Our former friends of Equestria were mere mischievous children compared to some on that planet… I have seen good men driven to madness by despair and loss. And our friend… He was no different. The six bearers were…for lack of a better term…the foundation of his life in Equestria. His life here was built upon them. And when the people he most cherished were erased by Discord… That life ceased to be.” Such agony… I cannot even fathom the loss of what is most dear. I have felt want and desire for what I could not have, but never loss. Or at least never of that magnitude… James… My most precious friend. I should have never allowed you to follow your friends into the labyrinth. Your armor and weapons kept you safe, but they only served to secure your demise in the end… “Please, sister… If you will not do it for your people, then do it in his memory…” Celestia whispered to me, her head rising while her horn remained coated by her golden magic aura. The sun was still waiting for her sister to rise before resting for the night. My friend is gone. Never to return. I knew him for barely a year. And since the day we first revealed ourselves to him, he has been one of the most precious things in my life. My friend… I will…never forget you. James, bearer of Humanity. Your heart shared love like the gentlest dove. Your heart flew high and swift to strike like a wrathful falcon. And your heart turned black as night like the grimmest raven. Truly… Truly, you were the bearer of Humanity. “I shall… For him.” And so I cast my spell once more. Over the horizon, the moon hastily rose into the night sky. A pale crescent in the deep blue ocean above us while the sun finally faded from sight in the west. My friend… I pray that even from the heavens, you can see this. It is for you, just as you have always loved it. Celestia gazed at me with a forlorn smile. For a moment, there were no words. In the end, it was I who spoke first. “It is done…” “I know. And thank you, Luna. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?” Even in her own sorrow, my sister was still looking out for me. I cannot imagine being without her at all. A long sigh escaped my lungs. There was only one desire in my heart then. A selfish desire, but a desire that was mine alone. “If you would grant this to me… I wish to be alone for the night… I only wish to wallow in mourning.” “Then I shall grant you your request. Mourn as long as you must.” My sister replied before turning to leave. But just as she was on the verge of closing the doors to the balcony, she turned to face me once more. “Before I go… Our sister. Is Nightmare Moon…?” “Slumbering in the high tower with the strongest containment barrier I could muster surrounding it. She has all that she needs in there… Do you feel it will be time to remove it soon?” I explained while turning my gaze to the tallest tower in the palace. It was nearby, its gilded spire standing tall against the night sky. My sister’s gaze became mournful once more. If she knows our sister as well as I do, then I knew why. “No, Luna… You know how dear to Nightmare Moon our friend was. I am certain we will be seeing her original wrathful visage once again very soon. Until she has truly healed, under no circumstances is that barrier to be removed.” I felt my heart sink at those words. Nightmare Moon is indeed precious to me. A true fellow sister of the night. And yet…I know her pain too well. I must wonder… Has she told Celestia the things she has told me? “I understand… It will be done.” “Thank you… Good night, dear sister. Please sleep peacefully.” And with that, she was gone. And I was alone once more. My heart still weeps… Will I see him in my dreams tonight? Will my friend be there to greet me? To embrace me? To enjoy a spot of tea with me? James… Your memory will never leave my heart… If only… If only there was a way to restore you to us… If only.