The Elements of Honor

by Flanagan

Prologue pt3: Love of a Father

Dante and Onus headed toward the sounds of agony and despair that the blackness was causing. Omnipotent on the other hoof, stayed back. He had to say goodbye to at least two young mares in the castle before he might never see them again. Omnipotent entered his daughter’s joined rooms and called them to his side, Celestia was the first to come out of her well selected hiding place, not much larger than a pony herself. She saw that it was her father and made a beeline for him, surprising him to the point that he actually lost balance an fell to the floor. She laid on top of him, giving a very concerned look and a small frown. She had hoped her daddy was not harmed by her playful manner. Sensing her concern, he gave his little filly a reassuring smile. When she realized her father was unharmed, she cheered right up and began to nuzzle the large alicorn.

“Always so concerned about others, my little Celestia,” he said with a smile, “if only your mother could see you now, she would be so proud of you.”

Omnipotent lifted her up toward the ceiling, Celestia smiling all the way, giggling as if she were just born a few years ago. It was Celestia’s giggling that raised the attention of another in the room, a smaller darker alicorn, the sweet little Luna. Omnipotent saw his other daughter, placed Celestia on the floor and began to walk over to his youngest. She just stood there, her deep blue eyes watery and about to let loose a torrent of sadness. She had been like this since Aurora had died, Omnipotent had never even heard her say one word or smile once since then, she was still so young. For one her age, it must have been very hard for her to cope with such a loss.

While Celestia was very sad as well at the loss of her mother, she had grown a very strong bond with her father before the tragic event. She followed him everywhere, even into places he didn’t want her to follow him. She loved being woken up early by him so she could watch Aurora lower the moon while he rose the sun, and there they would sit, sometimes for hours, watching the sun slowly rise. She had learned much from him and loved him dearly, even after all the times she had gotten caught in bad, if not deadly situations. He had always been there to save her, to comfort her, and if needed, to show her right from wrong.

Luna, on the other hoof, was very different. She was not as outgoing as her big sister, even though Celestia did drag her along on several of her ‘adventures’. She had grown very close to Aurora, as close as Celestia had to Omnipotent, Luna would always go out and watch Aurora garden the flowers outside the castle, even helping Aurora from time to time, and if she did good (which she always did) she would get a flower to put in her mane. Almost every night Luna and Aurora would sit and watch as Omnipotent lowered the sun while Aurora raised the moon. Aurora would then sing her lullabies until she fell asleep. How she had charished those days so long past. Though Omnipotent tried to be there for her as much as he could, he just wasn’t there enough in Luna’s mind.
“Little Luna,” Omnipotent spoke softly to the dark filly. “My, you are beginning to grow up so fast. It won’t be long until you are as big as your sister.”
He tried to comfort her, but she still held the same expression in her eyes she had the day they buried Aurora. He placed his hoof under her chin and gave a comforting smile.
“Daddy has to go for a little while ok?” he said, trying to hold back tears himself. “I’ll do my best to come back and when I do, maybe we can go play in the garden.”
Those words set loose the wave of tears that Luna had been trying to hold back for so long. They seemed as if they would never stop cascading from her little face.

“I… I’m so sorry, Luna,” Omnipotent said as he quickly embraced his youngest, “I-I shouldn’t have said that Luna, I know how you felt about her, I’m sorry… I’m SO sorry…” He was struggling to hold back tears of his own. How cold and harsh of a thing to say to his still grieving little mare, he truly felt terrible for what he said. “I’ll make it up to you Luna, I swear.” a single tear fell from his eye to the floor into a puddle that he was now sitting in.

After some time, Luna stopped crying, simply because she had no more tears left to cry. She just looked at Omnipotent, her eyes red and nose running, sniffing every few seconds. Celestia, upon seeing the exchange had also began to tear up then remembered what her father said before all the tears started to fall.

“Daddy?” she asked, sniffing a little, “where are you going? And why did you say ‘do your best to come back’?”

Omnipotent let out a long sad sigh as he magically brought Celestia into his embrace along with her sister. “Girls,” he began, with yet another tear falling off his muzzle “Daddy has to go and try to stop the blackness that has been coming this way.” The filly’s faces grew fearful, as he predicted. “Because if my friends and I don’t try, then everything that you love will go away and never come back.”

“B-But, but daddy,” Celestia’s eyes began to well up like Luna’s prior to this new conversation, “y-you WILL come back, r-right? Y-you have to raise the sun soon.”

“That’s right Celestia, you have always been so smart,” Omnipotent said forcing a smile as he continued “but now I have to stop the bad thing that is coming this way, at all cost, to keep my brave little mares safe.” again more tears ran down his face as he was trying to keep that smile.

“DADDY!” Celestia burst into tears as she wrapped her hooves around Omnipotent’s neck “P-PLEASE DON’T GO! I DON’T WANT A NEW DADDY, I-I JUST WANT Y-YOU!”

“I know Tia,” Omnipotent said, placing his hoof on Celestia’s back, “II know that you don’t want me to go, but if I don’t, then everything that your mother and I made would have been for nothing… and if I don’t try there would have been no point to what we did in the first place.”

“B-BUT, BUT Y-YOU, YOU COULD D-D-D-D-DI…” Celestia couldn’t even finish the three letter word before she broke into tears, even Luna had begun to cry again. The tears were running down their faces as Omnipotent clung to them tightly, unable to hold his own tears anymore.

“I know Tia,” Omnipotent said his eyes turning red, “but it must be done, we have to try to save the ones we love, no matter what, sometimes you need to give all you can and more to do that.” His heart sank at the thought, but sadly he knew he was right.

“P-P-PROM-PROMISE ME YOU W-W-WILL COME B-BACK!” Celestia cried between tears, “P-PROMISE ME!” she stopped crying and looked her father square in the eyes as she placed her small front hoof on his chest, their eyes both red from the tears.

“I can’t do that Tia,” Omnipotent said giving a stern look at his oldest daughter, but then a small, genuine smile came across his face. “But,” he began “I CAN promise you two things…”

“T-then promise them.” Celestia whimpered unable to cry anymore “Promise them.” The look she gave him was nearly as stern as his.

“Oh I shall,” Omnipotent said, the smile still there “I promise that I will LOVE you both for the rest of my life,” he looked them both directly in their eyes, “and I will NEVER forget either of you.”

He stood up holding both of them in one foreleg as he walked over to their beds. Gently, he placed them both on the bed and placed the covers over their small bodies. “I love you both.” he said tucking them in and giving them small kisses before walking away.

“D-daddy,” the small voice caught Omnipotent’s attention, it was Luna’s gentle soft voice.

He rushed back to her side, “Yes Luna?” he asked, with a smile and tears coming down his muzzle. “What do you need my sweet little alicorn?”

“I love you daddy.” Luna seemed to whisper the words. But it was as loud as she could get given the earlier events.

“I-I love you too.” he said as he kissed her again on her forehead. As he began to walk out of the room, he heard the little voice again.

“Daddy…” Luna said again.

“Yes Luna?” he said turning his head toward her, “what is it dear?”

“Kick the blackness-es ugly flank” she said with a deviant, but adorable grin.

“Of course Luna.” he said trying to hold back a laugh; he would have to talk to Celestia about using ‘big-mare’ words in front of Luna when he got back. That is IF he came back.