//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifty Six - Unspoken // Story: Ice Fall // by Bluespectre //------------------------------// CHAPTER FIFTY SIX   UNSPOKEN   Celestia stood panting for breath, her chest heaving and her wings hanging limp by her sides; even her legs were shaking with the effort of keeping her upright. Her pegasi stood silently nearby, watching her with concern on their faces, but too respectful to ask if she needed help. She could have have laughed, but the horror, the dreadful calamity… Dear Gods…what had she done. Her fur was…it was…soaked in blood…steeped in it. She’d done things, terrible, terrible things…the young, the old, the sick - she’d killed them all…all of them. The wendigo, the demonic beasts that had corrupted her home and her sister, the thestrals that had killed her people, she had spared none. Those who had escaped her terrible wrath had fled through the portal back to their homeland, back to that awful place that should have been left locked away forever as father intended…the Wither World. It was truly a place that had been well named; a place where the cruel and the perverse withered and sank into their own corruption and filth.   It had been…necessary, hadn’t it? To do this, to cleanse her land of the taint of the Legion, to lose herself to the madness of grief and abandon herself to the magical rage that had taken her to commit acts of unspeakable…she closed her eyes…cruelty. Innumerable bodies lay around her: foals, mares, old…she’d killed them all, and her ponies too, had done this. Now, many of them looked to her with haunted looks on their faces as the reality of the terrible things they’d done began to dawn upon them as the battle fever seeped away. She closed her eyes, feeling a tear welling up, but this wasn’t the time for self pity, this wasn’t a time for even for celebration. No, this was the time to begin to heal the land, and her people. But first, she had to take care of things here. She looked at the blue pegasus staring at the bodies beside her,   “Commander.”   “Yes, Your Majesty?” the stallion replied distantly.   “Take your ponies and return to the army. Find General Dray, tell him…tell him to…” she trailed off, her voice failing her, “Tell him I shall return to him soon.”   “Yes, Your Majesty.”   They couldn’t wait to leave, could they? She couldn’t blame them. Who would want to stay in a charnel house such as this? This pass between the mountains, the place where those from the fortress had fled in their attempts to escape, was now a grave…a grave for the last of the wendigo. The pegasi quickly vanished into the clouds above, leaving their Princess alone in the cold reaches of the mountain range. Celestia took a shuddering breath, trying to fight back the tears, but it was no good. Like a dam finally giving way, her tears began to fall, her cries echoing out around the emptiness of that awful place where only the dead would witness her grief. She would never forget this, she never could, nor should she. But her people should: her ponies, her sons and daughters of Equestria. They...they must forget this most terrible of times. Celestia gathered her magic and with a blast of wind from her wings, flew up, high into the sky and stared down at the carnage below. She closed her eyes and spoke the words of ancient power, the words of magic her parents had taught her so many years ago. They were the words that could alter the world, they had the ability to change the land, mould it to the users desires. Father had used this spell a long, long time ago when he created Equestria. Now, his daughter used that same magic to cover up the evidence of her deeds. Snow, hundreds, maybe thousands of tons of it, ploughed down the mountainside, burying the bodies of the dead while she wove spells to ward and deter intruders and adventurers of future generations from ever venturing into this part of the mountains. She called to the winds, singing the words and bending them to her will. They would confuse and blind those who tried to approach, enveloping them in a blanket of white that would lead them in circles until they finally gave up and returned home.   Home.   Celestia closed her eyes and turned towards the heartlands, towards the place that she had once called home, and now stood in ruin. It was the home she had shared with her beloved sister, the sister she had…she squeezed her eyes shut and stifled a cry. No! No, she wouldn’t think of that! She couldn’t! Not now; later, yes, but…not now. The Princess swept her great wings, allowing the magic to buoy her up as she flew. There could be injured there, those that needed help. As much as her heart felt like a lead weight in her chest, she had to help those that could be helped. There would be time soon enough to find what was left of…of…Starswirl. Her last hope…gone…   The flight back was more laborious than she’d thought. Expending such massive amounts of energy had taken her near to the point where she could have burned out her magic without any help from Nightmare Moon. She’d lost control, lost herself to…madness. Rush would never forgive her for what she’d done. Who could? She laughed bitterly; he would never know, would he? She would never see him again, never see his smile, never again sit and drink tea with him while they whiled away the hours talking about…nothing, nothing at all. It had been too much to ask, hadn’t it, to have somepony who could just sit there, and talk to you. He didn’t judge, he didn’t criticise, he just listened and smiled that smile she could see behind his big brown eyes. Big for a human of course! Celestia smiled to herself sadly; she would only see him in her dreams now, now that the portal and her dear Starswirl, had been so cruelly taken.   Celestia shook here mane took a deep cleansing breath. Here she was, the last place in Equestria she wanted to be and yet her wings had brought her here as though they’d had a mind of their own. Maybe they did; duty had been instilled in her since foalhood, hammered into her as surely as the blacksmith hammers iron into steel. Below her lay the shattered and broken husk of what had once been the capital of Equestria, the seat of power where both Princesses, the sisters, would sit and rule their people with love and compassion. Throughout everything, despite what had happened, she’d hoped, she’d prayed, that somehow, there was some chance, some hope that they could turn back time and be together as sisters once again. How ironic it seemed that the centre of Equestria, the once thriving centre of commerce, innovation and the arts, had now been destroyed by the very two who had been charged with its protection. Celestia rubbed her tired face before flying down to land near the huge crater that had been the storage and manufacturing area for the explosives. There was nothing left here, just rubble, and a group of soldiers digging through the debris looking for anything salvageable, or…any still alive.   “Your Majesty!” One of the soldiers bowed low, his white coat and burnished armour coated in white dust from the explosion. His voice seemed unnaturally loud too.   “Soldier,” the Princess nodded in acknowledgement, “Were there many…” she felt her heart falter and passed it off with a flick of her mane, “…casualties?”   “No, Your Majesty.” The soldier replied shaking his head, “Most of the production had ceased and the workers were transferred to the transportation corps command. There were only a few in here when the explosion occurred.” He wiped his muzzle with an equally dust covered foreleg and shifted his grip on his shovel, “Those that were killed or injured have already been moved to the barracks.”   The Princess smiled her thanks and stared down into the hole. It was like looking into her own heart: empty, broken, and completely devoid of life. She reached out with her magic, probing, feeling…but there was nothing.   “Soldier, you are dimissed.” The Princess said quietly, “Take your ponies back to the barracks and relax. Theres nothing more you can do here.”   “You Majesty…” the soldier smiled nervously, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather just dig for a while longer. Please.”   She stared at him in surprise, taking in his bedraggled appearance and that of the other ponies nearby all watching her in silence. She nodded. She didn’t know why, and she didn’t want to ask. Celestia’s mind felt as empty as her heart: a wasteland of nothingness. And long may it stay that way; if she didn’t think, if she kept her mind empty and only thought of what needed to be done, then she wouldn’t have to feel.   The barracks were a good distance from here. First though, she had to find it, she had to know if…if it had…   The Princess gritted her teeth, forcing down the emotion that was bubbling just under the surface, and leapt into the air, flying over to what was left of the castle’s accommodation wing, and the royal chambers. She barely recognised anything there now, it was only really the curtains that gave away it away. All that remained were the remnants of walls, some stairs, pieces of blasted furniture, and the bookcase. She moved closer…was it…? No…it had gone, gone! Panic broke through the alicorns defences - where was it?! The box! No…no…NO! Where? WHERE?! She dragged at the remains of the book case, checking the drawers, the shelves, the debris field, everything she could see that could be moved, she checked, but…but it was nowhere…NOWHERE! She had to keep looking! It must be here somewhere! Her heart was hammering in her chest, her eyes wild in her desperation to find that most precious thing, the only connection she had left with him, with Rush. Now the portal, and even the only insignificant trinket she had of him were gone. A cry of hopelessness and desolation escaped her throat…it…it had gone…there was nothing left, it was all over…the dream, the hope, the tiniest glimpse of life beyond duty…vanished in the blink of an eye…   The Princess’s deafening howl of grief tore through the remains of the castle, echoing off the walls and sounding down the corridors. Those that heard that plaintive cry would never forget it; the day their Princess’s heart broke asunder. The soldiers digging paused and looked up towards the sound, but what could they do? They’d all lost somepony, or knew somepony who had. So many had simply walked away to the north with the army and would never return. Now, all they could do was focus on one thing…they kept digging.   Celestia lay amidst the rubble. Her coat was covered in dried blood and stone dust: the blood of those she’d killed mingling with her own and the dust that had once been the very walls of her home…her life. Her sister, her lover, her home and even her friends…they were all gone - everything and everypony - gone. There was nothing left for her here now, nothing at all…only death. Maybe…maybe Luna had been right, maybe if she’d only submitted to her, allowed her to rule Equestria in her place, then perhaps the two of them some day could have been close once again. The ponies may have come to accept the thestrals and others creatures of the Legion, some of them were ponies too weren’t they? The ‘northern tribes’ they called them, those that lived beyond father’s barrier, those that lived in an isolation of bitter cold, snow and ice. Whatever she thought of them, they were still ponies…they were still…Equestrian. Celestia covered her face with his forelegs and cried. Dear Gods, what had she done? What had she done…   “Your Majesty? Your Majesty are you there?”   A voice on the edge of the Princess’s hearing made her ears twitch.   “Hello? Princess?”   She recognised that voice. It was…Celestia looked up suddenly,   “Lilly?”   A pair of green eyes looked up at her from the rubble blow, the familiar orange unicorn mare sporting a pair of panniers waved to her with a smile on her face. Celestia hung her head,   “Oh Lilly…”   In a flurry of wings and dust, the Princess alighted beside her maid and embraced her,   “Lilly…Lilly, Lilly, Lilly…”   “Your Majesty?” The orange unicorn gasped, gently prising herself from the Princess’s grasp, “You’re…you’re hurt!” she eyed Celestia up and down. Dear Goddesses, she looked a fright. Her armour was battered, rent and scored. Blood, dust and filth coated both fur and metal, but it was her beloved ruler’s eyes that drew her in the most. Those large gentle purple orbs that used to make her feel safe and loved, now looked…lost, full of pain…and sorrow. Lilly shook her head and nodded to herself; she was the personal maid to the Princess, and she had a job to do. She smiled, reaching out a hoof towards her,   “Follow me, please, Your Majesty.”   She did. Where they were going, Celestia had no idea; she had to try and keep her mind blank…don’t think…don’t feel…time would heal, it always did…   Celestia felt as if she were in a daze, in some sort of dreamworld from which she could never escape and yet must tread as gently as the breeze in case she were thrust back into reality when the dream burst. Lilly fussed around her, pulling and pushing with hoof and magic until the tortured metal of the armour began to come away, piece by scarred piece. The sound of it falling to the ground was like some epitaph for her life, the bell tolling the end of everything…   Water - hot, soothing and delicately scented, poured across her back making her gasp in shock. The Princess opened her eyes: the bathhouse, it had survived? Of course, it was a good distance from castle, but where were all the other ponies? She went to move, but a hoof stopped her in her tracks,   “Please, Princess, don’t move I’m trying to get you clean. The doctor’s waiting to see you.”   “The doctor?” Celestia said distantly.   “He said his name’s Doc, from the King Sombra’s Revenge? He’s treating other ponies at the moment but I’ve asked him to see you once I’ve cleaned you.” Lilly poured another bucket of water over the alicorn’s back, “I’m sorry about the lack of a proper bath, but some of the stones from the castle fell through the roof and…”   “It’s alright, Lilly,” Celestia said absently, “thank you. This means more than you could know…”   The unicorn said nothing. Instead, she simply kept washing her Princess. Lilly had never seen such injuries. Many had already begun to heal, probably thanks to Celestia’s alicorn magic, but there was so much blood! A lot of it had been mixed in with stone dust and goodness knows what else, but a good sponging and brushing would get most of this out until she could arrange for a proper bath and a good soak for her. She took out her brushes and went to work on the Princess’s beautiful flowing mane. The colours seemed a little duller than usual, but it wasn’t unexpected; the horrors of war Celestia must have experienced, she could never understand herself, and she didn’t want to, but she’d heard enough from those brought back by the sky galleons. The blue coated Doc had stayed with others in the capital to help the returning wounded, and naturally, news had already come back of their victory. The Princess hadn’t mentioned it, but if she wanted to talk about it, she would in her own time. Lilly would be there to listen. She smiled to herself; she always was.   Celestia listened to the tune Lilly hummed and felt a warm stirring in her heart. So…maybe there was some light in the darkness after all, beyond the horror of war, far beyond the terrible suffering of her homeland; there was still…hope.   Lilly stood back, admiring her work and nodded, “You still need a bath, but you’re looking a lot more like you old self again.” She suddenly gave herself a start, “Oh! Your Majesty?” Lilly reached back to her panniers and began rummaging inside, “Forgive me, but I managed to rescue a few things from your chambers after the explosion. Most of it was a wreck but…” she magicked out a singed book, a few battered items of jewellery and… “Here we go. I’m sorry, but most of the room was blown to bits and…”   “The box.” Celestia whispered.   “Hmm? Oh yes, it was such a nicely carved thing.” Lilly said absently, checking for any more jewellery, “I’m afraid if there was anything in it, I didn’t…”   “-Lilly…”   “Yes, Your Majesty?”   “Thank you…” Celestia’s hoof gingerly reached for the tiny wooden item. Dear Gods, was it true? Was this…was this real? Or was she still in the dreamworld? If she were, she didn’t want to wake, not now. But…it was there, wasn’t it? Virtually unscratched, in fact, it was completely intact as if she had only just put it down and, here it was.   “I had to give everything a wash, so it may be a bit damp inside.” Lilly said with a smile, “I’d leave the lid open for a bit to let it dry.”   Celestia chuckled. It was a simple sound, an impulsive reaction, but…that wonderful unicorn. She reached out and took Lilly in her forelegs, kissing her on the forehead,   “Blessed daughter of Equestria,” the Princess murmured, “you have healed more than any doctor could. You have given me back my heart.”   Lilly closed her eyes and felt tears welling up. What did this mean? It was just a box wasn’t it? A simple, empty wooden box? She sighed, feeling the still damp yet warm body of her Princess pressing against her. She’d hugged her before, as thanks for good work or celebrations, but never like this. This box, this simple wooden thing, meant something to her which she would likely never understand. But then, alicorns were a real mystery to her, and as long as she lived she’d never fully understand the Princess. It was one of the reasons her people loved her so much - they loved a good mystery.   There was a knock at the door,   “Hello? Are you decent?”   Lilly glanced up at the Princess, “It’s the doctor, should I let him in?”   “Impetuous isn’t he?” Celestia laughed, tucking the box into a cloth bag and hanging it around her neck. As for the rest, those items of jewellery, they were as nothing compared to this - this had more value than any jewels or gold. She nodded to her maid,   “Send him in please, Lilly.”   Lilly curtsied and trotted to the door, pulling it open to reveal the blue coated pony Celestia had last seen on the Revenge.   “Right, let’s have a look at you.” The ship’s surgeon trotted in and dumped his large bag beside the Princess and began adjusting the thin glasses on his muzzle. Lilly was incensed,   “Don’t you dare paw at the Princess like that!” she snapped, “Show some…”   “Lilly…” Celestia raised a hoof, “It’s alright, let the doctor do his work.”   “Hmph!” Doc grumbled, “I’m glad somepony knows how to behave.”   Lilly’s eyes went wide with indignation and then narrowed dangerously, making the Princess grin all the more.   “I don’t think there’s much for me to do here,” Doc said standing back up, “you seem to be healing up on your own.”   “She needs bandages!” Lilly squeaked in outrage, “What sort of quack are you?”   “Young lady,” Doc said, hefting his bag onto his back, “wounds like these are best left to the open air, not sweltering beneath bandages. Besides, they’re not bleeding and they’re closing up even now.” He nodded to the Princess, “If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty, I have ponies to attend to.” And with that, he trotted out of the door, leaving a smiling alicorn and a huffing orange maid in his wake.   “That…that blasted earth pony!” Lilly squeaked in indignation, “How can he speak to you like that and…”   “Lilly, it’s alright.” Celestia said, clopping her on the shoulder, “These sailor types are, shall we say, a little brusque?”   “Bloody rude if you ask me.” Lilly replied abruptly and gave herself a shake, “Pardon my language, Your Majesty.”   Celetia smiled, “Nothing to pardon, Lilly, nothing at…”   An urgent voice from outside the room made them both look round,   “Hey! Anypony here can lend a hoof?”   There was a chorus of replies and more shouting,   “What is it?”   “Dunno, we think somepony’s trapped in the rubble.”   “Come on!”   “Bugger, I’ve just got clean too…”   Celestia turned to Lilly, “I have to go.”   Lilly curtsied, “Of course Your Majesty. I’ll arrange quarters for you in the capital for when you’re ready.”   Much to Lilly’s surprise, the Princess gave her a wink and hurried out of the room into the throng of ponies heading for the outer door. Few seemed to notice the Princess of Equestria was with them, so focussed as they were with heading for…actually, where were they going? Nopony seemed to know, but occasionally one would look up and have a double take, noticing the white alicorn hurrying along beside them. She just smiled and kept up with them as they moved as one force, one will, to help others. Celestia knew: this was what she’d fought to protect - this, this precious togetherness, the love and friendship of her ponies. Each was as individual as a single delicate snowflake, each with their own hopes and fears, but together…together was where the true strength of an Equestrian lay. Together, there was nothing they could not achieve.   They reached the crater.   The Princess pushed forward. This wasn’t right, she’d felt around with her magic and there was nothing there - no living soul amidst the huge blocks of stone, and yet, there was a soldier and some other troops, pulling and heaving at the great chunks of rock and splintered timbers. Others flooded down into the great hole; earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, all working together with muscles and magic, rope, block and tackle, all helping to clear away the immense amounts of debris. Sailors from the ships had arrived and were hauling on great lengths of rope, pulling the block up the sides and away from whatever lay beneath. But…what was it? Whatever it was was deep, but nothing could have survived down there - nothing! The soldier continued his work, the others helping him dig until he suddenly shouted, waving a hoof for silence. Slowly, the white stallion leaned down and pressed his ear to the ground, moved a little and listened again. He stood up, nodding to his comrades,   “Here! Dig here!”   Work continued anew, and with a vigour and urgency that was inspirational in its scale and dedication. Block by block, timber by broken timber, the hole deepened, necessitating ladders to be brought up and drinks brought for the parched workers. Amongst it all, barely noticed by the labouring mass of equines, was the Princess, her coat now as filthy and dust coated as it had been before Lilly had washed her. She’d have to make it up to her later - the mare would be furious.   Something moved.   “Stop!” the soldier waved his hooves, “Everypony, stop!”   He began scrabbling in the broken pieces of rock with his spade, balancing on his hind legs and scraping away at the white chunks before him, and then…   “My Gods…” Celestia gasped, moving forward, “Its…” she stared down at the top of what looked like a large transparent purple glowing dome of magic. She blew the dust away and peered through it. Something was moving beneath it, or rather, some…pony.   “Hoy! A little help?” The voice came up at her, loud and strong, “Not much air down here you know!”   “Starswirl?” Celestia’s heart leaped into her throat; she couldn’t think straight, he…he was alive? “St…Star…” she coughed the dust from her throat and was quickly ushered away by some of the others,   “Princess, have some water, please.” A flask was pushed into her hooves, “Come on boys and girls, lets get him out of there!”   The resounding cry filled the crater, and the Princess’s heart,   “AYE!”   Work carried on unabated, a steady stream of fresh workers replacing those who were at the point of collapse. Some, like the soldiers, continued unearthing the huge purple dome, clearing away the debris until eventually, with the sun just starting to dip below the horizon, the glowing magical shield of Starswirl the bearded stood before them in all its glory.   “Is it safe to drop it now?” the blurry image called from within, “I don’t want bits falling down on my equipment, its very sensitive you know!”   Celestia motioned the others aside and cast a spell, calling the wind and blowing the last small fragments away from the dome before nodded to the soldier,   “All yours, sir.”   The soldier bowed to his Princess and grinned at the others before taking a deep breath,   “It’s alright, you can drop the shield now!” In the blink of an eye, the magical shield vanished without trace. In its wake lay the surreal image of a room the Princess recognised very well indeed, simply standing there out in the open. Amongst it all, surrounded by a mass of bottles, wires and assorted apparatus of all descriptions, stood a very dusty grey unicorn, banging his hat against his foreleg,   “Look at this!” he complained “I’ve only had the bloody thing five minutes and look at the state of it!”   Celestia walked towards him, dodging between the piles of equipment until she was finally able to reach him,   “Starswirl?”   The unicorn looked up at her and shook his head, “A fine to do this, isn’t it? I was finally getting somewhere and then boom! Just as well I was playing with suppression fields or else I’d be jam right now.” He looked about at the ponies lining the crater watching him, “I say, has anypony got anything to eat? I’m starving!”   Somepony started laughing, then another, and then another. Soon, the whole crater, together with its dusty and worn ponies and an exhausted alicorn Princess, filled the hole with the joyful sound of their laughter. Starswirl shook his head in exasperation,   “I only wanted a bloody sandwich.”