17: The Sacred Bond
My eyes shot open as a loud, desperate gasp for air filled my lungs with oxygen. A few more quick inhales later, I noticed that I wasn’t in the hallway anymore. The lavish decor was replaced by a bland white ceiling and walls without windows. My breathing became panicked and my eyes darted in every direction until a gentle hand rested itself on my jawline.
Within moments I found myself encompassed in a warm embrace, followed quickly by a pair of passionate lips. The initial panic I’d felt soon dissipated as my arms wrapped around the giver of said kiss, who responded in kind by pulling my head closer into hers. After what seemed like an eternity, the both of us reluctantly separated and I opened my eyes once more, revealing a teary-eyed, smiling, and clearly relieved Luna.
“Mornin’ sweetheart,” I mumbled through a smile, reaching out for her, “sleep well?”
“Hardly…” Luna replied through a joyous whimper, “these past few days I have left your side only to perform my duty of raising the moon, and I quickly returned here after.”
“Days?”
“Aye, days,” Luna repeated. “You have been comatose for four days.”
“What?!” I shouted, jolting upright, only to feel pain shooting through the whole of my body. I gritted my teeth in an effort to tide the unwelcome sensation as I lowered myself back down with Luna’s help; all the while, her eyes locked onto mine.
“That was unwise,” she said, placing her hand on my bare chest as I finally rested my head on the pillow again. “It may have led to further injury.”
“Ya don’t say,” I grunted, rolling my eyes before focusing back onto her. “But four days?”
“Four days,” Luna reiterated. Christ, we were running in circles here. Next thing you know we’ll be spouting off nonsense about Metal Gears and nanomachines. “Not one minute after The Nightmare was defeated.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” I nodded, not completely wanting to acknowledge said memory. “Then you said… something.” I reached for my head, rubbing my temples in an effort to jog my memory, but with no effect. “Some–”
“Twins,” Luna finished with a smile. “We’re having twins.”
Silence fell upon the room as my face lost any sign of expression. The sound of my pounding heart and uneven breathing was more than enough to fill the gap, though. I knew full well what happened last time she dropped a bomb on me like this, and I wasn’t in any state to run after her in my current condition. This meant my only choice was to come up with something off the cuff that didn’t smack of nervousness or panic from her point of view, and since her expression was already turning from relief to concern, I’d say my time was just about up.
“Guess I didn’t dream that part, huh?” I said, offering a weak smile and praying to God that she’d take what I said as a joke this once.
Luna was initially taken aback, jumping at my words and threatening to collapse my already stressed heart until she relaxed again, reaching out a hand to caress my face. “No,” she replied with a smile, “that was real. You passed out the moment I told you, though I am not entirely sure if it was due to the revelation or the blood loss.”
“Let’s go with the blood loss,” I said quickly, adding a bit of oomph behind my voice to maintain some measure of my masculinity.
“Of course,” Luna sighed as her smile faded, the hand that once rested on my chest migrating to the side I was stabbed. “I… I’m so sorry.”
“That wasn’t you,” I responded quickly, reaching for her face, “Nightmare Moon tried to kill me, so you don’t need to be sorry for anything.”
“She was still a part of me,” Luna replied, pulling away, “and to know that my past came back and tried to kill you…” Luna paused, doing her best to avoid eye contact with me. “I–”
“Your past couldn’t stand up to your future,” I interrupted, placing my hands on either side of Luna’s face. “Your children were her undoing.”
“Our children,” Luna corrected, accompanied by a smile and her hands mirroring my own. “Our children.”
The two of us leaned into one another for what may have been an earth shattering kiss, but the gentle sound of the door swinging open froze us mere inches away from each other.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” an all too familiar voice said, “but if I am, you don’t have to stop on my behalf.”
“Sister!” Luna yelped, releasing me and jumping to her feet. “I thought you would be busy with the nation’s affairs at this hour.”
“I would be,” Celestia responded with a coy grin, relishing Luna’s embarrassment. “However, as you know, I’ve come here every six hours the past four days to check on Aedan’s progress.” She paused, leaning to her side and giving me a quick wave with her fingers. “And I see that he’s finally up.”
“Morning,” I said back, offering my own wave. “How’ve you been?”
“Well, for the most part,” she replied with a shrug. “Really though, seeing you with your eyes open is a welcome burden off my shoulders.”
“Good to know.” I nodded back looking to Luna. “I’m glad my eyes are open too.”
Luna smiled and slid her hand to mine, slowly guiding it to her stomach. She looked like she was ready to pop at any moment, but I loved her all the same and after what we’d recently been through, I knew she was going to be the best mother ever. Me, on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure. Nightmare Moon had reminded me of who I once was, and though I believed with all my heart that wasn’t me anymore, it left me with doubts. How the hell could I be a good role model for my children knowing full well half the things I did?
“Aedan?” Luna asked, stopping that train of thought before it could gather too much steam. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine Luna,” I replied, jerking my hand off her stomach and waving it passively. “Just thinking about some things.”
As if that was her cue, Celestia chimed in. “Speaking of which,” she began, bringing our attention to her, “there are some things I’d like to discuss with you, Aedan.”
“Well alright, what do you–”
“Alone.” Celestia interrupted, her eyes intently focusing on the woman at my side.
I turned my attention to Luna. The shock had already played out across her face, and her body was tensing as the anger set in. Just like before my little coma trip. “And why must you speak to him alone?” she asked, gritting teeth and clenching her fist. “There is nothing you can say to him without me here.”
“It is if the matter I wish to speak of refers only to him.” Celestia shot back, folding her arms across her chest.
“Then what is it that is so important that you can’t tell your own blood?” Luna asked, rising to her feet. “Then again, honesty was never your element, was it Celestia?”
“Nor is it yours now, Luna.” Celestia replied through gritted teeth.
The air was growing charged, as though a lightening bolt was readying itself to strike someone down here. If either of the sisters noticed it, they ignored it in favor of staring each other down harder. My gaze shot between the two, both of their bodies were tense and ready to strike, but neither side seemed willing to take that drastic first step. Now, normally something like this wouldn’t deter me, but the fact that these two women were essentially gods and one of them was fueled up on pregnancy hormones, I was getting a bit nervous. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time.
“Luna,” I said softly, reaching out for her forearm “I–”
The moment my fingertips touched her skin Luna erupted in a torrent of rage.
“Unhand me Aedan!” She roared throwing the arm I was trying to grab hold of in the air, “This affair does not concern you!”
“Wh–”
Before I could compose a proper sentence as a response, Celestia jumped in.
“I came here to talk with him, Luna, not you, and he shouldn’t be straining himself to stop you.” At that moment Celestia walked to Luna and grabbed the wrist she had thrown into the air. “End your tantrum now, before you hurt him.”
Luna ripped her arm from Celestia’s grasp, baring her teeth in anger before looking at me, for a moment she looked regretful, but the instant her eyes locked with Celestia’s once more there was fury. “Tis always like this,Celestia, is it not?” Luna growled, rising to her toes to meet her sister eye to eye. “You always seem to find a way to take what is mine and–”
“Enough!” I bellowed. I’d had it with their bullshit, and I was going to stop it no matter what. I grabbed on to my bed rail and pulled upward, the sudden movement racked my body with pain, but I didn’t care. I was stopping them, and my piss-weak body wasn’t getting in my way.
The two stared in shock as I slid myself out of the bed, still attached to the monitors and other things that would keep a sane person in bed. Needless to say, my plan was ill thought out and I quickly hit the floor, my knees taking the brunt of the damage. I looked up to see both Luna and Celestia reaching towards me, but I rose my hand in objection, causing the pair to jerk back in shock. Fueled almost entirely on pride and whatever the hell they had in my I.V. bag, I forced myself to stand, using the edge of the bed as balance.
“What in harmony’s name were you thinking?!” Luna asked, giving the side of my head a firm smack, “You are in no condition to–”
“And I didn’t want the entire mountain to come down on us.” I interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at the both of them, puffing out my chest in an effort to appear better off than I actually was. “Whatever that was between you two, save it for another day or so help me I’ll get out of this bed again.” I slowly slid back into bed, refusing either’s help. Once I’d adjusted myself properly back into bed, I exchanged glances with the both of them and sighed. “Now the two of you behave yourselves, you hear?”
Luna and Celestia shot each other quick glares before turning their attention back to me. “Then I suppose it’s best that I be off…” Luna said coldly, turning around and grasping her arm. “I won’t be far, just call if I am needed.”
Before either Celestia or I could respond, Luna showed her way out of the room, slamming the door so hard it nearly came off the hinges. I looked to the only one left in the room other than me, Celestia’s eyes remained focused on the door, and though the embers of anger still flickered in her eyes, there seemed to be hints of both sadness and remorse as she continued to stare.
“Well?” I said, for once being the one bringing someone else back to reality. “What was so important to tell me in private that you nearly fought your own sister for?”
Celestia looked at me for a few moments before taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. “Aedan,” she began, speaking more softly than I’d ever heard her speak. Before she continued she sat down on my bed and took one of my hands into hers, placing the free one over mine. “I wanted to talk to you about Luna.”
“What about her?” I asked, still a bit confused as to what was going on.
“I know what happened in that hallway.” Celestia replied, her voice was still soft as silk, but the words carried the weight of mountains. “I’ve felt that presence before Aedan, I know she became Nightmare Moon.”
I felt my blood run cold the moment she finished speaking, there was no way I could deny it now, especially if she sensed the presence, but all that did was lead me to another question. “Why didn’t you stop her then?”
“In your own words: I didn’t want the entire mountain to come down on us.” Celestia answered without hesitation, “a conflict between myself and Nightmare Moon would’ve cost the lives of all Canterlot. Hundreds, no, thousands of innocents would have perished.” She paused and relaxed her shoulders. “There is already enough blood on my hoo–hands, as it is.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Celestia seemed to ignore my question and continued with her initial subject, her tone still as soft as ever.
“Woah, woah, woah.” I interrupted, raising a hand passively, “you think that was all my fault?”
“You were the only one there.” Celestia explained, “And Luna was no help when it came to details, I could only assume–”
“You didn’t find the minotaur?”
Celestia flinched for a moment, blinking her eyes a few times as she processed what I’d just said. “Excuse me?”
“The minotaur,” I repeated, “some nutjob of a man-bull attacked me while I was on my way to take a piss, tried to–”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Celestia asked, grasping my shirt and forcing me down deeper into the bed I was in, seemingly ignoring the fact that I was still in a bit of pain because of my previous fiasco.
“Well I didn’t really have a chance to say anything, you know, coma and all.” I replied with a bit of malice in my tone. “I’d ask why didn’t you ask Luna, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you didn’t at all.”
Celestia’s lips narrowed as she forcibly blew air out of her nostrils, but after a few moments she released her grip of my shirt and sat upright again. “A minotaur?”
I nodded, feeling it unnecessary to once again find myself repeating something that was already stated as a fact. It took a long minute, but Celestia’s gaze finally broke from mine. Even though she wasn’t looking at me directly, I could tell that whatever wheels were turning in her mind had my name plastered to their sides.
“Celestia?” I asked, reaching out to her. “Celestia what’s–”
“You just had to do this to yourself…” she said to herself, burying her face into her hands. “Didn’t you?”
“What?!” I snapped, shooting out of bed momentarily before a combination of pain and Celestia’s magic set me back in place. After a few steadying breaths, I looked back to Celestia, my fists clenched and trembling in rage. “What do you mean I did this to myself?”
Celestia slowly rose her head from her palms and looked in my direction, her expression dowsing my rage in a single second. Misty eyes, Celestia, the one being in this whole messed up world that always seemed to be able to handle anything, was on the verge of crying. I was honestly at a loss for words, because if half the things I’d been told about this woman were true, she’d make Chuck Norris look like a pansy. Why the hell would she be tearing up after something as small as this?
“Celestia? Are you–”
“No.” Celestia interrupted, gritting her teeth as she fought back her emotions. A moment later she rose to her feet, the aura around her both terrifying and commanding nothing but respect. “I’m not alright, because my sister’s lover is lying in a hospital bed because of his own bullheadedness and misguided sense of pride.”
Normally I would shoot right back with that bred in Irish rage, but there was something about Celestia that seemed to suppress that. The best I could do was stare at her with what was possibly the dumbest face I’ve ever had.
“Ever since Luna gave you the ability to turn into one of us, how many times have you done it?” Celestia asked, reverting to her original, equine figure.
“I… well,” I began, giving the back of my head a firm scratch, “there was that–”
“HOW MANY TIMES?!” Celestia practically roared, her teeth actually growing into fangs.
Silence fell on the room as I stared into Celestia’s eyes, finally after what felt like forever, I looked down. “Once,” I said under my breath, “right after she told me I could change, that was the one time I did it.”
Air hissed out of Celestia’s nostrils. “And why haven’t you done it again?” She asked through gritted teeth.
“Because this is all I’ve got left!” I shot back, forcing Celestia to jerk back in surprise.
A silence fell upon the room, but it wasn’t a typical silence, it was so quiet that I could hear Celestia think. Seconds later a low hum and faint golden glow came from Celestia’s direction, I shielded my eyes for a few seconds as a flash of light encompassed the room and when I lowered my arm, I saw Celestia’s human form, radient as it always was, except the very unfitting frown that seemed plastered to her face. I was about to comment on it, but she beat me to it.
“All you have left?” She repeated, taking a step towards me, reading an accusing finger. “Do you realize how sel–”
“Don’t even go there.” I interrupted with a growl, “I know I’ve got Luna, I know I’ve got friends in Night Wing, in you, that’s not what I meant.”
Celestia froze in place, her words lost at the tip of her tongue as she processed what I said. After shaking her head she finally managed to use her words once more. “Then what exactly do you mean?”
I slowly rose from my bed and slid to its edge, taking in a deep breath as I looked at my arm, a needle injected deep into my arm and pumping fluids into my system. “This.” I answered, working my clenching and opening my hand. “I don’t want to lose sight of who I am, what I am.” I finally looked away from my hand and met Celestia’s eyes with my own, hoping that she could see just how serious I was about this. “I’m scared that if I turn into something like you, I’ll lose myself and forget just what made me and if that happens…” I had to stop myself before I could continue, because I had to convince myself to say the words I had to. “I don’t want Luna to leave me…”
Celestia stood there, staring at me for what seemed like hours with a face of disbelief. All I did was stare right back at her, until I started to feel my body ache once again. As I slowly sank back into the bed I felt her hand wrapping around my wrist and slowly pulled me back up.
“You’re such a fool,” Celestia said softly with a small sniffle, throwing one arm around me and pulling me into her. “How could you even consider that?”
“I…” I froze, when I looked into Celestia’s eyes, I could see her fear and the pain it caused her. Even though I knew her more personally than most ever would, seeing someone everyone held… Someone I held in such high regard in this much pain, it stung. “I don’t know.” I finally exhaled, fighting back my own emotions as I buried my head into my hands. “For some reason I think if I stay a pony for too long I’ll slowly stop being myself and start being more and more like those assholes that’ve been giving Luna and I hell since I got here.”
Celestia offered a light pat on my arm and one of her legendary warm smiles as she hid her tears. “Says the one being in the known universe that is bullheaded enough to punch a reality warping chaos entity in the face after he made him mad. Not to mention a man that singlehandedly took on a minotaur and won.”
“Yeah, but I’m worried that bit of me will–”
“Aedan,” Celestia interrupted, pulling me closer to herself, “you’re the most stubborn creature I’ve ever met, there’s no way in hell that something like a simple transformation would change that.”
I offered her a smile and nodded. “Yeah,” I agreed, looking to the wraps around my chest and stomach, “if I survived through an assassin and Nightmare Moon, I think I suck it up and learn to walk around on four legs.”
A swift, firm palm met my forehead, bringing my completely undivided attention back to Celestia, who was giving me yet another seductive look. “You’d better,” she practically moaned, leaning closer still, pressing her glorious chest against my arm, “or else you’d receive your punishment from me personally~”
My face went blank and I rolled my eyes. I knew that normally this would’ve gotten a rise from me, and that’s exactly what she wanted, but after everything I’d been through her infamous sexual taunts and borderline harassment seemed to be like nothing.
“Ooof course you will,” I grumbled gently pushing Celestia away so casually it took her by surprise, “punishment I got it, but right now, I’d prefer you not try anything crazy on me until I have enough blood for both heads thank you very much. After all, I’ve got another life to stress over since Luna told me about the…”
My thought trailed off as I noticed the blood from Celestia’s face disappear, giving her an almost ghostly appearance. Her smile also vanished, replaced by a thin lipped frown and fearful eyes. “How… how did she find out?” she asked looking to her now quivering hands, “I–I… I thought I was alone, I haven’t told anyone… How did she find–”
“Celestia.” I interrupted, “what the hell are you talking about?”
The princess blinked a few times, almost as confused as I was. “Oh nothing, just me rambling on about–”
“Celestia…” I growled, staring at her intensely, “what the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing!” she answered defensively, rising to her feet and “what? A woman like me isn’t allowed a slip of the tongue? Heaven forbid I–”
“Celestia!” I roared, this time grabbing her wrist so she wouldn’t go anywhere, “What the HELL are you talking about?!”
I must have not realized how tightly I was holding on, because within seconds Celestia was wincing in pain. Upon realizing this I let go and she pulled her hand away, gently trying to soothe the pain away. I was about to apologize, but before I could open my mouth, I saw a very rare tear form in her eye.
“You were dying…” she whispered softly, wiping away the tear, “They were doing everything they could, but you were still dying.”
I watched her nervously sway from side to side before pacing back and forth. She started mumbling under her breath, but she was talking so low and so fast I wasn’t able to catch anything she was saying.
“Celestia,” I said to get her attention, “calm down and tell me what you did, slowly.”
Celestia looked at me reluctantly, biting her lower lip as she rubbed her arm, but after a few seconds she took in a heavy breath. “The internal damage you suffered was far greater than the doctors initially thought.” She explained, “every hour you were getting worse, despite every last effort the doctors made and it was starting to show.”
“What about Luna?” I asked, pointing to the door across from us, “if there really is that much of a connection shouldn’t a healthy body like hers been able to supplement the process?”
“Luna wasn’t in much better shape Aedan,” Celestia answered, “after succumbing and overcoming the nightmare within her she was extremely weak and with your condition she was only getting weaker. By the second night I had to raise the moon for her, and on the third day she collapsed in weakness after getting out of her chair at dinner. I knew that if I didn’t act soon, I’d lose you both.”
“You didn’t…”
“You both needed a perfectly healthy soul to share your combined burdens.” Celestia said with stoic sorrow, “I had no other choice than to–”
“You didn’t…” I repeated shaking my head, “Without asking me? Without asking Luna? What the fuck were you–”
“What would you have me do?!” Celestia snapped back, “Like hell I’m going to idly stand by and watch you die and bring my sister along with you! Like hell I’m losing her again! That’s why I bound my soul to yours! So I don’t lose her aga–”
“You bound your soul to his?” A familiar, yet terrifying voice growled from behind Celestia.
The both of us froze, turning in horror movie fashion to see Luna standing in the doorway, her aura pulsing in pure, unfiltered rage. She took one, mechanical step after the other, each one making my heart race just a bit more, until finally she was standing by Celestia’s side. She didn’t even seem to acknowledge her sister as she stood there, her focus was somewhere on the ground next to my bed. After a few tense moments of silence, Celestia finally tried to reach out to her little sister.
“Luna…” she said softly, her hand a mere inches away from her shoulder, “I–”
“Do not even think of touching me!” Luna yelled, slapping Celestia’s palm away so hard she uttered out a cry of pain. “You did the very thing that you chastised me for months ago, but now it’s okay simply because you did it?!”
“I didn’t do it for my own selfish reasons!” Celestia shot back defensively, “had you not foolishly bound your soul to his neither of you would be in this predicament! I only did what had to be done to save the both of you!”
I could hear Luna’s teeth grind as she pointed an accusing finger towards her older sister. “lies…” she growled, her finger trailing my direction, “ever since we were young, you have always taken my things and you have always seemed to have a good reason to take it.” Luna paused and stepped up to her sister, only stopping when she was inches away from Celestia’s face. “How long until you try to take him from me?”
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Oh my motherfucking god!!!!!!!!!!!!
IS THIS SHIT REAL!!!!???? Fucking hell man.
THIS IS SOME JERRY SPRINGER SHIT HERE!!!
still loving this
Every time. Every single time I do one last check before going to bed, Bam!... Insomnia and ponies.
media.giphy.com/media/tSbUE6O0KvpxS/giphy.gif
Bro, why you leaving me hanging of this cliff?
please sir I want some more
so like im reading this great fanfiction when all of a sudden my footings gone, i look down to see a deep revine and swiftly grab a hold of the ledge before i plummet, im hanging there just barely when i look up and your there.
smiling with a shit eating grin about what youve done
your holding onto the rest of the story, the rest of my footing, laughing as i hang there, waiting for you to give me the rest
all the while your grin never fades while you hold the rest of that tantalizing tale just out of my reach, you dont give me a time or an ultimatum, you just sit there with that grin, knowing ill never get off this edge until you say so
so congrats you've left me here, on this cliff hanger i hope your happy
Dammit Flan! Your cliffhangers...damn you!
cdn.yourepeat.com/media/gif/000/748/671/ec8e4fcdcc8c13d81ee0d86f822def6d.gif
The fire rises...
Holy crap the drama is real.
And damn you, you #$%^# cliffhanger
Finnaly thing are moving on! Oh gosh the drama! Cut off just when thing were getting intense.
Aedan stole my waifu.
this is getting crazy
WOW I MAEN WOW
Okay, I think the comedy tag on this fic needs to go now. Way too many dark and tense moments. Barely anything humorous other than mild comic relief (but I mean it as a good thing).
The mind is a plaything of the body my dear Celestia.
whyyyyyyyyy this cliffhanger....
Oh well, the more i'll be checking FimFic i guess
Happy birthday to me
6166968 did he? Or did your waifu steal him?
"Spits out coffee*
6171539
Added. So now if one goes, all three go. Like I said, this fic is way too dark to warrant a comedy tag (but I think that this tone is much better). The tag needs to go.
6174413
Sure, because if three of the seventeen chapters aren't comedic, the other fourteen shouldn't count for anything.
6174663
Okay...my memory is a little fuzzy on what happened before, but I found this more slice of life than actual comedy. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing christ.
Sorry, but this fic didn't make me laugh unlike your previous one other than mild chuckles from Celestia's teasing. Again, this is not a bad thing nor is it an attack. Comprende?
6174706
Don't worry, I'm not being defensive or anything, it's just that from what I can recall you should tag the more prominent features of the story, and comedy, though sparse in the past few chapters, still has a large presence in the previous chapters. Trust me son, I'll get back to the more lighthearted stuff soon, it's just that you need to remember one thing: It's always darkest before dawn.
6174719
Cool then. :) Other than Celestia's teasing which gave me a few chuckles, I'll be glad to see what funny stuff you have next.
6170430
https://youtu.be/-ChppfnazzE?t=4m8s
Well we all knew this was going to happen. Now we wait for the fireworks to go off.
6180633 couldn't be a better statement to describe it. Popcorn?
....................MORE PLEASE!! also, does this mean pony form from now on?
6174663 That is very true.
ALso since I have not read further, I can't understand. I mean it is kind of like Celesstia just barged into their marriage, but doesn't she have a good reason?
And here comes the sister quarrel.
Welp, the mountain's coming down
Hey, Aedan, you just beat Nightmare Moon, up for fighting Daybreaker next?